So you’ve bought your dream home — the historic Queen Anne you’ve driven by for years. Standing tall and proud, she beckoned you with her whimsical stories to tell.
You revel in her wisdom as she commands your attention with her intricate details, corner towers, and wrap-around porch.
But like any sparkling diamond that may dull over time, your historic home needs a beauty treatment. The time has come for a fresh coat of paint.
Keep reading to answer your questions about preserving your home’s timeless charm through historic home exterior paint colors.
Table of Contents
- 4 Timeless Historic Home Exterior Color Schemes
- Commonly Asked Questions About Exterior Paint Colors for Historic Homes
- Are There Rules for Changing a Historic Home’s Exterior Color?
- Is It Difficult To Color-Match Historic Home Exterior Paint Colors?
- What Are the Best Exterior Colors for Older Homes?
- What Exterior Colors Make a House Look Expensive?
- What Is the Most Timeless Exterior House Color?
- What Colors Make the Outside of Your House Look Bigger?
- Two Brothers Painting: Portland’s Historic Home Painters for Nearly 20 Years
4 Timeless Historic Home Exterior Color Schemes
#1: Monochromatic
The use of just one color can be striking. Even though monochromatic colors tend to be understated and sophisticated, using one color can fearlessly exude boldness in style.
Don’t just imagine the entire exterior of a historic house being the same color for everything. Monochromatic schemes are created by using different shades, tints, or tones of a single color.
The key to making monochromatic color work for a historic home exterior color scheme is to use variations of the base color in both value and intensity. Common monochromatic historic home exterior colors include shades of:
- Black
- Gray
- White
- Blue
- Green
- Brown
- Pink
Opting for a tone-on-tone look can bring a sense of unity and calmness to the exterior of your home. This clean appearance may give a historic home a more modern, minimalist feel.
Preserving the timeless charm of your historic home, Two Brothers Painting can help you choose the right exterior paint color scheme.
#2: Two Colors
Commonly seen on historic homes, using two different colors is a simple approach that can add depth and create a pleasing visible contrast.
There are two versions of this style:
- Choosing a bold color for the body of the house and painting a white or off-white color on the windows, trim, and doors
- Painting the body of the house white and adding a single color to the trim, windows, and doors of the house
The second version is especially popular with the Ebony and Ivory color scheme: white body color and black trim.
#3: Tricolor
Looking to spark visual interest in the exterior of your historic home?
Using three colors is a brilliant way to highlight the architectural details your historic house has to offer.
For this tricolor scheme, you’ll choose one color for the body of the house, one color for the trim and soffits, and a third color for those intricate accent features that need special attention.
Here are some accent features that historic homes may traditionally have:
- Window sash
- Door slabs
- Screens or storms
- Shutters
The three-color scheme boasts the different elements of your home. This provides a clear distinction of those elements as opposed to the two-color scheme that can cause the windows and trim to blend together.
Choose your colors cautiously.
When mixing three colors, there is a risk that the combination may appear gaudy. You don’t want to create a potential eye-sore with a clash of colors.
Typically, the trim is painted in a white or off-white color. What’s left is to choose a body color and an accent color that complement each other and pop against the white trim.
#4: Painted Lady
Bold, elegant, and unforgettable — a painted lady does not need permission to be painted in more than three colors.
The infamous color schemes of the painted ladies specifically apply to houses built in the Victorian, Edwardian, and Queen Anne styles.
They are commonly painted through the generous use of pastels and bright, vibrant colors to emphasize their many architectural details and finishes.
Examples of historic home exterior colors that might be used:
- Orange
- Rose
- Peach
- Olive
- Terracotta
- Plum
- Coral
- Yellow
- Blue
Three colors are the absolute bare minimum for these extraordinary beauties. Some homes will have upwards of a dozen colors — so have fun and get creative!
Keep in mind that labor can be quite intensive due to these homes’ ornate and elaborate details.
Using Portland painting contractors, such as Two Brothers Painting, can make your historic home come alive with the classic glamor it was meant for.
Commonly Asked Questions About Exterior Paint Colors for Historic Homes
Are There Rules for Changing a Historic Home’s Exterior Color?
It depends on where your house is located.
Historic houses are considered historic or architecturally significant by the National Register of Historic Places or by a local historic board if they personify a signature architectural style.
If your home is in a historical district, you’ll need to check with your historical commission to ensure that the color scheme you are choosing keeps within their guidelines.
If your home is registered as a historical landmark, you’ll need to be sure the colors you choose are historically correct before making a color change.
If you don’t fact-check before your painting project begins, you run the risk of potentially having to repaint your home.
Historical preservation is focused on conserving the authenticity and historical significance of historical homes. Standards of historic home preservation may include:
- Choosing authentic colors, by using paints that either match or closely match the original colors and finishes of the home’s era.
- Ensuring compatibility, by choosing paints that are compatible with the home’s original construction materials to prevent damage.
- Keeping documentation of the home’s architectural features and original paint colors to help guide the paint selection process.
Choosing the right paint for a historic home can be a challenging task. Two Brothers Painting has expertise in historical preservation standards and techniques to help you select the perfect paint for your historic home.
Is It Difficult To Color-Match Historic Home Exterior Paint Colors?
Grade, color, and finish are all factors that contribute to your historic home’s exterior paint lifespan.
However, time is the key factor that determines how difficult it may be to color-match historic home exterior paint colors.
If paint is more than three years old, the sun may have taken its toll. Long-term exposure to direct sunlight can eventually:
- Cause colors to fade.
- Dull and discolor the sheen.
The longer the time difference between paint applications, the more likely there will be slight inflections in the color tone. Therefore, touching up is not recommended unless you’re painting the entire section of that wall corner to corner.
Another issue that may pose a challenge when you wish to repaint your home is using the same product as before. Paint manufacturers often update their product lines. When some paints are discontinued and new ones are introduced, it may make it impossible to match with exact precision.
What Are the Best Exterior Colors for Older Homes?
Unless your home is on a historical register, it really depends on your preferences, style, and painting personality.
If you are serious about historical integrity, put on your detective hat to determine your unique home’s original color scheme. Maybe you’ll choose to stick to color palettes that were popular when your house was built. Or the wild child in you goes rogue, and you choose whatever colors make you smile.
What Exterior Colors Make a House Look Expensive?
A well-maintained, beautifully painted historical home may improve curb appeal and boost resale value.
Here are some exterior paint colors for historic homes that signify luxury:
- Dark and light gray
- Dark green
- Soft blue
- White and off-white
- Navy blue
- Chocolate brown
What Is the Most Timeless Exterior House Color?
Like red lipstick, denim, and Tiffany & Co., some exterior home colors will never go out of style. Timeless exterior paint colors for historic homes include:
- Buttery yellow
- Light gray
- Brick red
- Dark green
- White
- Soft peach
- Muted green
What Colors Make the Outside of Your House Look Bigger?
Choosing a light color for the exterior of your home is a dependable way to make your historic home look larger, brighter, and more welcoming.
Light colors reflect higher amounts of light than dark colors, deceiving the eye into thinking a home appears larger than it is.
Some colors that illuminate spaciousness include:
- White
- Ivory
- Pale gray
- Sage green
- Blush pink
- Pale blue
Should I Hire Professionals To Paint My Historic Home’s Exterior or Do It Myself?
Painting the exterior of a historic home is far more than just slapping on a quick coat of paint and calling it a day.
Older homes require special care. The job commands consistent application in every nook and cranny. Here are some of the reasons it would be advantageous for you to hire professional Portland painting contractors:
- Equipment: Historic homes are often quite tall. If you don’t have brushes, rollers, or stable ladders with enough reach, hiring a professional equipped with the proper safety gear may end up saving you money when it’s all said and done.
- Skilled technique: Professionals have experience reducing things like lap marks or brush marks that tend to be common with DIY jobs.
- Time: Adequate prep work and research must be done to prevent your historic home from getting ruined by a DIY project. Painting professionals are knowledgeable and can ensure the job is done right the first time.
- Quality you can count on: With a professional contractor, you’ll receive a high-quality paint application that will last — no need to worry about how soon you’ll have to do the job again.
- Warranties: Most painting contractors offer warranties that cover the quality of the paint and workmanship.
It’s important to be realistic with your abilities and the amount of time you can afford to invest into a laborious job such as painting the exterior of your historic home. Hiring professionals can save you the stress, time, and effort that is needed to complete such an arduous project.
Two Brothers Painting: Portland’s Historic Home Painters for Nearly 20 Years
Owning a historic home is an emotional investment — to own a piece of the past and preserve the place where people came before you comes with great responsibility and dedication.
At Two Brothers Painting, we understand that owning historic property can come with quirks, restrictions, and requirements.
With 20 years of historic home preservation experience, we know how to help you navigate specific requirements for historic home exterior color, paint composition, and trim work.
We can’t wait to give your historic home the revamp she deserves! Contact Two Brothers Painting today for a free onsite estimate.