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CertaPro Painters - Painting Community » Share Your Ideas » Ask Our Color Expert » Paint suggestion for long, low ranch

Paint suggestion for long, low ranch

Posted 03-28-2011 9:48 PM by mishmish. 3 replies.

Hi Shannon,

I've been so excited ever since coming across your advice column a few weeks ago, and finally Certapro approved my user id!

We have a 1949 brick ranch in central Florida--as you can see, long and low, with the gables on the ends. (I know we need land- and hard-scaping -- they're in the planning stages now. ;)) I really want to paint the brick, not only because this is so dated looking, but also because there are at least three different shades of red and orange brick used on the house (in different additions), and the mortar is not really in great shape anyway. And did I mention it's ugly?!? 

 

 

We've been here over 3 years and after working on the interior and redoing everything, I am now ready to tackle the exterior. In our neighborhood/state there are a lot of painted pastel brick homes, which I am not a fan of; there are also some lovely white and beige homes that are crisp, and even an unexpected stormy blue house (sort of like sw indigo batik). I'm thinking of a sage or greige or something light that would, as you point out, make it look larger. (I love the inspiration home you've posted in sw svelte sage, for example, or bm's nantucket gray.) The interior/my style is very California craftsman/Sunset magazine, with warm colors and lots of natural light and wood, but alas, I am stumped on the exterior. (my dream house is the teal california bungalow below, but I'm guessing you will say it's too saturated for my kind of house which is not, in fact, a bungalow ;))

 

What would look nice with my kind of house? Are there any other curb appeal type things you would suggest? (architecturally speaking as the land and hard-scaping will be addressed eventually--I've already gotten rid of all the ugly azaleas, and those camellias are next) I did purchase wood panel shutters for the far left window, but I haven't installed them yet. They might look cute with a planter box, but then again, this isn't a cottage home, so I'm not sure!! 

Also, we have a 6 pane front door, but there's a storm door out front as well. What do you normally suggest regarding storm doors? The previous owners installed it and while we often leave it propped open, it does seal up the air loss a bit.In other words, I would be happy to chuck it; my husband, not so much.

Sorry to go on, but essentially, what do you suggest given that I have a long, low ranch; like warmer tones; and don't want something too vanilla? I would love a pop of rich, unexpected color, like an aubergine door. :) We're looking at body, trim, porch railings, door, and concrete porch floor. (and possibly shutters, if you approve)

Thank you so, so much!! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

 

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  • 03-31-2011 12:53 PM In reply to

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     All of this information is really helpful. And insightful too- like the inspiration house you included- which on my moniter is dark blue and while for you it's teal- this perfectly demonstrates why I always encourage people to get away from online color viewers and get to the paint store for color chips and quarts of paint. Thank you for the opportunity to demonstrate that!

    Now, let's look at your house. Being long and low as it is, let's try something a little neutral to make your home look as expansive as possible but have fun with the front door. I like these Sherwin Williams palettes for you:

    Option 1

    6150 Universal Khaki- Brick AND siding

    7682 Buff- all trim including the porch rails eaves, fascia, window and door trim, vent, etc.

    6675 Afternoon OR 2831 Classical Gold- Front door

    Notes- the Afternoon option is technically and indoor color (that generally means the paint will be less durable outside- fading or chalkiness could happy fairly quickly) BUT being under the porch and having the storm door will likely protect this clear bright color from fading. Clear colors like these also require addition layers and/or pale gray primer first to get the coverage. Also, it's cheaper to paint the eaves the same as the body color, but makes your trim look thin and your home smaller, so go for this upgrade and make your trim look at strong as possible.

    Option 2

    2827 Colonial Revival Stone- Brick

    7529 Sand Beach- Gables (this pitched areas that are now white)

    2829 Classical White- All trim

    6676 Butterfield, 6890 Osage Orange, OR 6662 Summer Day- Front Door.

    Notes- gradating color from dark up to light is an excellent way to add height and spaciousness to you home. Follow the same notes as above for these bright front door colors.

    Finally, I haven't grown up around storm doors, so while I know they're extremely helpful to maintaining the comfort of your home through winter, I'd see if your CertaPro painter can paint your storm door to match the door, or can you find a paintable replacement? If not, paint or replace it with a white storm door that has as much glass/open space as possible. And, with a fresh front door color you'll really want to incorporate lots of white and other bright colors in your landscaping to bring out the front door. Make sense?

    I've been letting people know that the latest issue of CertaPro Painters Envision magazine (FREE!) has a call for homeowners to submit their before/after photos in lots of fun categories. You home would be perfect!! Just throwing that out there. Have fun, enjoy, and let me know how it goes.

     

  • 06-06-2011 1:43 PM In reply to

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     Dear Shannon,

    So sorry for disappearing but it's been really busy with work and a temporary summer relocation overseas. However I appreciate your feedback and am still weighing my options for when we paint in the fall. I appreciate the crispness of the tan color palate you suggested, and will definitely try samples. However just to have some other options, what other color families would you suggest? What about the sage green or this blue color?

    Thank you!

  • 06-07-2011 10:49 AM In reply to

    Reply Contact

     You could try a navy or dark gray blue like 6251 Outerspace for the trim and a soft neutral like 6148 Wool Skein for siding on the gables. Test the colors with brushed out sample to help you make your final choice.

    Good luck!

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