Get that shiny new home feeling with a great paint color
Changing the color of your house is a big decision. So it’s no wonder that you’re taking your time to find the best vinyl siding paint colors available. With so many colors—quite literally hundreds—to choose from, it’s hard to know where to begin. Even with the resources that narrow down the most popular vinyl siding paint colors, the choice paradox takes hold, and you can easily become overwhelmed. The good news is that we’re here to help.
Check out this guide to the best paint colors for vinyl siding to help you figure out what you want for your home.
Most pros recommend using exterior acrylic or acrylic latex paint for vinyl siding, which is also recommended as the best paint for aluminum siding. Acrylic and latex paints are durable, breathable, flexible, easy to work with, and eco-, kid-, and pet-friendly.
When it comes to the best vinyl siding paint colors, you’ll want to consider the overall aesthetic of your home, property, and neighborhood. But no matter your surroundings and preference, you have many color options, and we’re here to help you along that journey. Let’s look at some different color groups.
Gray is both popular and classic. And the range is enormous—pretty much everything between black and white. Use contrasting shades of gray for the base against the trim and front door colors. You can stay neutral or veer into warm or cool gray colors to get the effect you’re looking for.
For inspiration:
BEHR® Platinum
Sherwin-Williams Black Fox
Benjamin Moore® Sea Haze
Benjamin Moore® Museum Piece
Another classic, beige brings home a range of neutral tans that go well in just about any setting and provide pleasing contrast between the lighter and darker tones. Perhaps stick with a lighter shade for the vinyl siding and select a darker beige for trim, shutters, and possibly your front door.
For inspiration:
BEHR® Baja
Benjamin Moore® Tucson Winds
Glidden® Oyster Shell
Sherwin-Williams Shiitake
Do you like gray and beige but can’t decide between them? Get the best of both worlds with greige. This increasingly popular blend brings together the calm of neutrals and allows for a slight lean toward hints of cool beige or warm gray.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray
Sherwin-Williams Colonnade Gray
Benjamin Moore® Edgecomb Gray
Benjamin Moore® Pale Oak
Black or nearly black colors are growing increasingly popular for home exteriors. Trim painted in a contrasting color really pops. Be aware that the darker color will absorb more heat than lighter colors. The heat may contribute to a shorter life span of the paint in areas that get a lot of sun. Without question, though, painting your vinyl siding black will make a bold statement.
For inspiration:
Farrow & Ball Off-Black
Benjamin Moore® Almost Black
Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace
Glidden® Licorice
White or a shade of off-white is another classic and popular color for vinyl siding. A bright white may be too stark, not to mention more difficult to keep clean, as it will show any bit of dirt or staining. But a mellow off-white coordinates well with any accent colors for trim, doors, roof, or other features of your home.
For inspiration:
Benjamin Moore® White Dove
Sherwin-Williams White Sand
Farrow & Ball Wimborne White
Glidden® Little Lamb
Whether you go with a muted blue, a dark blue, or a cool tropical blue, the calming effect comes in many eye-catching shades. Take into account your setting and surrounding homes to determine what might be the best paint color for your vinyl siding. Blue tones can often be complemented well by a range of colors, from white, gray, lighter or darker blue, or even charcoal or black.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Downing Slate
Sherwin-Williams Azure Tide
PPG Acceleration
Benjamin Moore® Summer Nights
A muted olive green or sage is another route to achieve a calming, grounded, earthy atmosphere for your home. These shades work well in just about any setting, from a subdivision to a more wooded area. Also consider your accent colors on shutters and trim as well as the color of your roof and garage door.
For inspiration:
Glidden® Juniper Berry
BEHR® Nature’s Gift
Sherwin-Williams Inverness
Benjamin Moore® Weekend Getaway
Choosing the best yellow for your home exterior may not be immediately apparent, but you have a few options. You can go big, bright, brilliant yellow if you want, but you don’t have to. Mellower yellow shades can set your house apart, too. Either way, yellow brings a sunny disposition to your vinyl siding and plays well with black shutters and roof or natural shades of gray.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Butter Up
Benjamin Moore® Cornsilk
Benjamin Moore® Royal Linen
BEHR® Charismatic
Maybe you immediately think of red as a perfect color to paint your barndominium, but shades of red can be quite versatile on your home exterior. Red works well with a vast array of colors, from black to blue tones to off-white and gray. As with most colors, the existing accent colors can help you choose a shade of red that’s best for your home. Or if you find a red you like, you can base your accent colors on that.
For inspiration:
Benjamin Moore® Rich Chestnut
Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red
BEHR® Firecracker
Glidden® Brick Dust
Yes, you can paint vinyl siding. Painting vinyl siding is common for a few reasons. The siding may be old and faded, a section had to be replaced and painted to match, or you’re just ready to change things up and transform the look of your house with a completely different paint color.
Whatever your reasons for painting your vinyl siding, it’s doable, and you have plenty of colors to choose from.
If you’re still in the process of selecting the perfect color for your vinyl siding, you may also be considering whether to DIY the painting project or hire a professional. Consider the size of the job and whether you’re up for the time and labor commitment involved in painting the whole house or even part of it. You may want to call an exterior painter near you for an estimate and decide how much your time is worth. That can help make the decision pretty easy.
When you hire a painter, think of any other painting you want done and get quotes on those as optional add-ons. Bundling the jobs together can help the pro give you a better deal on each area, helping defray the cost of painting your garage door, for example.
The cost to paint vinyl siding depends on a number of factors, such as the size of your project, the location of your siding, prep work and repairs, materials, and labor. For a 2,000 square-foot-home, you can expect to pay $4,000, on average.
If you have to repair or replace your siding, your total cost may fall anywhere between $300 to $30,000. Keep in mind that while you may save thousands of dollars by painting vinyl siding yourself, it’s wise to hire a local contractor who can repair or replace any worn or damaged siding before you begin.
Josh Maday contributed to this piece.
Painted vinyl siding can last 10 years or longer. To ensure long-lasting results, be sure to use vinyl-friendly paint as well as proper preparation and application techniques. Note that if you live in a harsher climate with frequent storms or excessive heat, for example, your vinyl siding paint job may not last as long.
In most cases, it’s cheaper to paint vinyl siding than to replace it. Painting can save you money and boost your curb appeal, regardless of whether you do it yourself or hire a professional. However, if your siding is extremely damaged or worn, you may be better off with a replacement since paint will only disguise rather than resolve the damage.
Whether you need to prime vinyl siding before painting depends on your particular situation. If you’re simply updating the original color of your siding, you may not need primer. However, if your paint manufacturer requires or recommends primer, you should apply it. Primer may also be worthwhile if your siding has pitting or porous sections.
