Improving your property’s value is most often done by doing large scale renovation; extensions and renovations. If the budget is tight or you don’t have the time to put in this amount of work though, there are a few things that you can do that will add instant value and curb appeal to your property. 

Enter exterior paint for houses. At COAT, our exterior paint can be used for any outdoors application (masonry, wood & metal). Picking the right colours for the outside of your house can dramatically change the way that your house feels on arrival, and importantly will make it look fresh and presentable.

Why should you paint your home exterior?

If the exterior of your home hasn’t been decorated in some time, it can start to look a little battered. Your house has to stand against the elements, and any material is going to fade or look a little drab if it’s continually buffeted by rain and wind. Using an exterior house paint gives a face lift to these surfaces, as well as providing a durable COATing that prevents damage. 

Using your exterior house paint to refresh beaten up masonry, use muted neutrals. Remember though, that the colour you chose will look two or three shades lighter outside than it will inside. So, choose a slightly more saturated colour than you would usually pick for the interior of your home. 

Feeling inspired? Grab a swatch and get playing with colour 👀

Painting your front door is an opportunity to add some character and uniqueness to your property, as well as making it feel homely and lived in. Use bold colours that will help it stand out from the crowd. Colour Lead, Aaron, suggests painting the door, any sidelights, toplights and the frames all the same colour. “This makes the door feel grander and more inviting than just having a white frame around a coloured door.

Lie In, our chalky blue here. 

Which colours to paint your house exterior to increase its value

The best colour to paint house exterior masonry and woodwork will allow potential buyers to feel at home and at ease. Picking a scheme where the colours all complement one another will greatly help with this. Limit your colour choice to two or three colours on exterior paints. 

If you have one bold colour in your house paint colours, a vibrant sofa or a bold piece of artwork in the entrance hall; pick this colour for the front door too. This will create a sense of cohesion with the interior space of your home and make the whole scheme feel really considered, making the property feel more appealing to potential buyers.

The best colour to paint house exterior walls (brickwork, render, masonry) is usually some form of neutral tone. Mid-toned (not too dark and not too light) neutrals provide a great backdrop for pops of colour or deeper tones on windows and doors, which will make your house stand out from the crowd. If your house is a mixture of natural brick and painted render, try not to fight the colour of the brick work. Choose colours that complement the brick.

Well Grounded, created by Luke Arthur Wells on the fence panels.

1. Neutral Colours

Some form of neutral is usually the best colour to paint house exteriors. They are calming and relaxed, and are usually to most people’s tastes. Choosing subtly deeper neutral exterior paints than what are in your interior house paint colours scheme is a great way to create flow from the exterior to the interior. 

Neutral colours on rendered surfaces look relaxed next to brickwork and traditional white windows. Try using colours like stony neutral, Ambrose, taupes like Sunday Soul or traditional greiges like Cargo, which will all sit well with a variety of coloured masonry. 

Low Salt and Record Store creating a beautiful backdrop for summer sun.

If you’re going to paint the outside of your windows, choose a colour that is a shade deeper than painted masonry for a more modern look. This will create a subtle contrast, and will make your house look brighter because there is a larger proportion of a brighter colour. For Cargo for example, try Cold Brew with Sunday Soul or Debate Club with Cargo. 

If you’re using neutrals on the front door, choose something deep and earthy like Cold Brew or Big Timer, which will be warm and inviting, like a welcoming embrace. Remember to do the door frame too, so that there’s that sense of grandeur. 

Cold Brew, a beautiful dark neutral to greet your guests.

Need help finding that perfect shade? Have a chat with our colour consultant and get that vibe nailed 🤩

2. Blues

“Usually if I go for a blue on the exterior it’s for the front door and sometimes the windows”, says COAT Colour Lead, Aaron. “Bold blue tones like Adulting, The Establishment and The Drink make fantastic choices for front doors because even though they’re a statement they’re all timeless, stable colours.”

If your property is all painted masonry, then blue exterior paints may be the way to go. Particularly when used with clean white trims and windows, you can achieve a very “Notting Hill” vibe. Use slightly greyed blues like Lie-In, or porcelain tones like The Good China for a more delicate look. If you want to make an investment, plant some wisteria in front of this scheme for a strikingly elegant first impression. 

The Drink, the deep marine blue looking stunning.

Blue can be a divisive colour if it’s very saturated, so when choosing house paint colours go for blues with more neutral or grey undertones will help add a sense of serenity. These can also be mixed into more neutral schemes. Mr. Clifton makes a great accent colour for windows and trims because it’s a little warmer than most blues and works with almost all of our neutrals. 

3. White

Whites are great options for house exteriors, because they’re bright and provide a cleanliness which other colours don’t have. White windows and trim have been a staple of home exteriors for a long time. Traditionally whites would be slightly warm, with a slight yellow undertone. You can capitalise on this by using warm whites like Pampas which also has a green undertone. This natural off-white will make the flow from any greenery outside to the interior of your home feel seamless. 

Screenshot, our pure white creating a modern contrast from the traditional brick.

You can use white exterior paint to create a modern look. For example, Low Salt, a bright, gossamer like white that has a hint of greyness to it is perfect as a contrast to pale blues, but also can be used as the base colour for masonry to offset the contemporary taste for black or anthracite windows, doors and trims. 

Avoid using stark whites outside, and go for warmer shades of white, that will make your home feel more welcoming. Using an off-white exterior house paint will also allow you to use pops of colour on exterior planters, fences or the front door to add some personality and character to your home. 

4. Warm Earth Tones

Earth tones have made a triumphant return to interior spaces over the last few years, but they’re also perfect for your exterior schemes. Taupes, deep beiges and soft browns are all ideal as they’re reminiscent of natural materials and create a warm backdrop to any plants that you have. Using earthy tones like Mindful, Sunday Soul and Cold Brew in combination can often be the best paint colour for house exterior schemes.  to soften your exterior  overall scheme and make your home feel grounded and welcoming. 

Humble transforming the planters in @hello_haus back garden.

Adding white windows to taupe exterior house paint schemes can create pockets of brightness in these more earthy colours. With these earthier colours, buck the trend of anthracite and charcoal tones, as these are much cooler and will look very blue against your warm colour palette. 

When do you need to paint your home’s exterior?

Exterior house paint needs to be redone every 5-10 years, depending on how much pollution, moisture, humidity or extreme heat that your property comes up against. Paintwork that is shoddy, faded, cracked or peeling can be a bit of an ick for potential purchasers. It makes them away that more work needs doing after they’ve bought their dream home. If the outside of your property is in good nick, even if it’s not to the buyer's taste, they won’t be stressed about having to redo the exterior house paint as soon as they move in.

You might also need to switch up your house paint colours if you’ve got really vibrant or saccharine colours on the outside of your property. Choosing colours that are more accessible will increase the curb appear of your house and allow more people to envision a future in your home. 

Feeling inspired? Grab a swatch and discover the shade for you ✌🏼

We recommend using a decorator to apply exterior paint for houses as this often requires working on ladders, especially for masonry and often requires special brushes and rollers for application.  

Other things to consider to increase your home’s value 

Your walls, doors and windows aren’t the only things to consider outside. There’s fences, gates and furniture usually too. If these are looking tired, then make sure to use leftover exterior products to do these things too. This will also give your whole property a cohesive visual. Check out our guide on painting wooden garden furniture for more advice.

Outdoor kitchen? Yep, it's a thing. Build and painted in Nomad by Luke Arthur Wells.

Aside from just using some exterior house paint, make sure that your greenery is looking lush, watered and well trimmed. Give the outside spaces a good sweep and maybe a little pressure wash, and keep up with your de-weeding. All super easy and satisfying things to spend a Saturday doing after your brand new COAT. 

If your place is looking a little soulless or austere; add in some planters or medium sized potted plants just before your viewings start. These will make your space feel more lush and inviting and imply that you also keep your interior in tip-top shape, which if you’re using COAT, we’re sure you already do. 

Need more information on exterior paint? Check this out.