Medium-sized gray cottage house

Are Gray Houses Trending?

If you want your home’s exterior to convey your dignity without drawing too much attention, a neutral color scheme is the way to go. It could be that your home’s current color is a bit too loud for your tastes. Or you might be painting a newly constructed home for the first time. No matter the situation, gray makes an elegant, timeless addition to your home’s color palette. Use it to highlight any property’s boldest features, or to accent more modest ones. No matter what's popular this year, gray is still great. Choices can be difficult, and with so many possibilities, it can be hard to hone in on one particular idea you like. At Endeavor Exteriors, we’ve seen gray used with versatility on countless properties. Below are three distinct styles drawn from real-life observations. Use them as inspiration while considering your own gray exterior house paint ideas.

Style 1: Use Gray As A Primary Color

Painting your home exterior gray is a great idea if you’ve recently acquired an older property. You could be displeased with the current color for a number of reasons. The paint could be chipping away, or maybe you think its color right now is just plain ugly. The reason isn’t all that important. A fresh coat of paint always brings new life to an old home.  Deciding that it’s time to paint is easy. What’s difficult is choosing specific colors to include in your palette.  For those in doubt, both darker and lighter grays are suitable options. As you imagine your own gray exterior house paint ideas, just keep in mind that they communicate different qualities about your home.

Dark gray home exterior siding

Dark Gray Tones

Dark grays are most suitable for homes in colder climates, although they aren’t recommendable for everyone. Since darker colors absorb more heat,  your home will become noticeably warmer than one with a lighter color. Especially during the summer months. But don’t worry about an increase in your electricity bills, since higher costs during the hot season are offset by lower heating costs during the cool season.  Using dark gray won’t make an immediate difference in your monthly bills. In the rare case that it does, it will probably be too small to notice. However, darker tones may also fade quickly compared to lighter colors. When this happens, your home will no longer be the same color as originally intended! With all of this in mind, know that dark gray exteriors may need more frequent repainting than lighter gray exteriors. That means that long term, it may be more expensive to maintain homes with darker colors.

Light Gray Tones

A lighter shade of gray is perfect if your goal is to create a charming and inviting living space. Bright tones work great as primary colors because they make home exteriors appear larger than they really are. They add grandeur to any residence without detracting from its warmth. Lighter shades of gray also tend to match with a larger range of colors than darker shades. If your intention is to use other colors, like white, red, brown, or even yellow in your color scheme, then a lighter gray will offer you more versatility as you consider complimentary colors. When searching for gray exterior house paint ideas, there are countless color tones to choose from. This article discusses some of the most popular shades of gray from various well-known paint suppliers. Use it to help you design your home’s perfect color palette.

Style 2: Use Gray Trim Only

Homeowners often want to give their space a personal touch, even when already satisfied with the home’s exterior appearance. Gray is a great way to highlight your property’s unique features. Do you have a pond, waterfall, or other rock-based structure in your yard? Selecting the right trim color can enhance these features. If you don’t have a waterfall or a pond, maybe your home contains a wall of stone. Adding similarly colored trim nearby can make that wall stand out as one of your home’s most notable features. The same applies for gray rooftops and pavement.  It doesn’t matter whether you choose a light or a dark tone for your gray exterior trim as long as you choose a color that fits in with the rest of your color scheme. That said, light gray is usually a safer choice when brainstorming gray exterior house paint ideas since it works with a broad range of colors.

house with gray siding

Style 3: Use Siding Textures To Your Advantage

Some homeowners choose to build their exterior color palette using multiple shades of gray, while others use only one. However, this makes for a boring appearance if done incorrectly. If art isn’t your strong suit, you still don’t have to worry about picking complementary color tones. Use textured surfaces to add visual interest to your all-gray home. Homeowners are likely to consider repainting with a single color when the home uses textured materials, like shingled or scalloped siding. Painting your home’s exterior gray adds depth to its appearance, creating the illusion of a color scheme that appears more diverse than it really is.   Gray’s beauty is that it's bold enough to make a strong statement, yet subtle enough to avoid upsetting your HOA. If you live in a home with multiple exterior textures, it doesn’t mean you have to use a single tone. Beauty is always within reach, regardless of how many colors you choose to include in your palette. Gray exterior house paint is always a great idea when well-applied.

Is Gray Really a Fashionable Color in 2022?

Many people mistakenly think of gray as a “boring” color. In reality, that isn’t the case at all. With ample complimentary options to choose from, it offers a level of versatility that other neutral options can’t match. Gray is timeless as an exterior color. It will never go out of style.  Are you thinking about refreshing your home’s exterior? Finding styles that suit your tastes is hard. Implementing them is even harder. That’s why Endeavor Exteriors is here to help. We’ll help you select the perfect exterior to complement your home’s notable features. Contact us today to request a quote.