Neutral Colors for Exterior Painting and Interior Paint Jobs
When it comes to neutral colors there is no color more neutral than White. But white is never just white. Pure White, in terms of light, is the collection of all colors, reflecting everything evenly. In terms of paint, pure white is just a pain, so that’s why there is off white. Off whites can range from incredibly white to near tan, blue, pink, etc. This gives you the ability to match the white to the rest of your décor with out over powering you.
For interior painting, white is a staple. Whether its walls, trim, doors or ceilings, you can’t go wrong by painting them white. The smaller the room the lighter the off white you’ll want to choose so that you reflect more light and give the room a more open look. While the larger the room the more tint you’ll want in your off white so that the room doesn’t look too sterile. White also works as perfect color on trim, doors and ceilings to contrast the main color on your interior walls.
For exterior painting, white can be used as a contrast or as a main color. While white exterior paint jobs are more common back east, it works in the southwest too. When choosing white as your exterior color, start on the darker end of off whites. The direct sunlight will make them look much lighter than you would imagine. The lightness of the paint gives it some advantages over darker colors, like it won’t fade nearly as much as darker colors and look fresh longer. Also painting the exterior stucco of your home white can save energy cost because white reflects more sun light. Some of the short comings are it gets dirty easier forcing you to wash your house and it is less architecturally stunning.
Whether you are doing interior or exterior painting, you can’t go wrong with an off white. Just remember you want a hint of color added to the white. This will save you tons of heartache when trying to apply it and clean it afterwards.
