How Light Can Affect Your Home’s Exterior Color Choice

Many factors go into the decision of which color to paint your home's exterior. One of the most important is lighting. How does the light — both natural and artificial — affect your paint choice? Here are a few of the biggest ways and what you need to know about them. 



1. Sunlight Changes Tone

Natural sunlight will shine on your house every day, all day long. And that sunlight inherently alters the way the colors look as opposed to artificial lighting.

Generally, natural sunlight lightens up the tone of paint colors. Sometimes, this effect can make the shade look a step or two lighter. But a house with significant direct sunlight exposure may seem significantly lighter. Always test paint colors on a large exterior portion with various sunlight levels before settling on one color. 

2. Dark Colors Absorb Heat

Do you live in a warm climate? Do you want to keep the house cooler in the summer? Then a dark exterior paint job may not be the best choice. All other things aside, a black, charcoal, or navy wall color will help trap heat and can raise your energy bills during hot weather.

However, some homeowners — such as those in some parts of the Rocky Mountains — might want to use this effect to help keep the house more comfortable in winter. Which season you prioritize depends on you. 

3. Dark Colors Fade Faster

Every paint naturally fades over time, particularly due to ultraviolet exposure. However, this effect is less obvious in lighter shades than darker ones. Dark paint will become chalky and discolored, often doing so unevenly all around the exterior. Of course, the lighter colors do so as well — but it doesn't show. 

You can fight off some of this accelerated fading by selecting the highest quality, anti-fade exterior paint designed for your climate and sunlight levels. And if you're set on a dark exterior, you may simply want to budget for a shorter lifespan of each paint job. You can also stay ahead of the fading effects with touchups. 

4. Nearby Objects Affect Color

What outdoor lighting and objects will surround the house? Do you have large street lamps or landscape lighting which cast their own shadows or throw off light in different colors? What about a large landscape feature, tree, or outdoor building which shades part of the house much of the time? These lighting elements may make dark colors look darker or make different areas look like different colors. 

5. You Can Hide or Highlight Elements

A dark exterior has several advantages over lighter ones, and one of these is its ability to hide features. Do you want to hide anything unsightly about your architecture? On the other hand, do you want to bring out the signature architecture of your Cape Cod, Victorian, or Mid-century Modern home? Dark main colors will help hide things while lighter shades make them more visible.

However, these effects are altered by how sunlight falls on them too. Bright sunlight or angles during sunset and sunrise might make those features more obvious even with dark colors to hide them. And lower lighting might even render the effort unnecessary as it mutes how visually obvious they are.

Where Can You Learn More?

Want to know more about the light around your house and its effects on the exterior paint you choose? Meet with the painting pros at Elevation Painting LLC. We'll help you assess your home's strengths and weaknesses as well as your paint options to find the right hues for any house. Call today to make an appointment or get answers to your questions.