29 Best Exterior Paint Colors: Inspiration to Pick the Right Shade

Photo: aquaArts studio / E+ / Getty Images

A home’s exterior color often has a larger impact on its overall look and feel than you realize. If your home has been the same shade for many years, you might not even think about the first impression your paint color provides anymore. 

Sometimes the best way to get a fresh perspective on your home is by giving it a fresh coat of paint. However, it can be tough to figure out the best exterior paint colors and how to combine them for optimal impact.

To give your home the boost in exterior curb appeal it deserves, you’ll want to be sure to choose the right combination for the main color, trim color and accent color. 

• Main color: The primary color of the majority of the exterior surface area
• Trim color: The color of woodwork, molding, gables, columns, pillars or railings
• Accent color: The color of your front door, porch furniture and decorations

Photo: Irina88w / iStock / Getty Images

Read on for 29 suggestions of main colors for your home’s exterior. You might even be tempted to hire a local painter to bring your vision to life. 

On This Page:

1. Most Popular Exterior Paint Colors
2. Best Exterior White Paint Colors
3. Best Exterior Beige Paint Colors
4. Best Exterior Gray Paint Colors
5. Best Blue Exterior Paint Colors
6. Best Green Exterior House Paint 
7. Best Brown Exterior Paint Colors
8. How to Transform Your Home’s Exterior Infographic

Most Popular Exterior Paint Colors

The most popular main exterior paint colors are undoubtedly neutrals. These neutral shades make your house more universally appealing, allowing it to seamlessly integrate with the rest of the neighborhood as well. These common hues can have a myriad of undertones, so there’s still a lot of room for creativity within the parameters of neutrals. 

You’ll often find that yellows, reds, blues and greens are popular alternatives to neutrals for the main house color. Most folks won’t gravitate to bold paint color options like pink, purple or orange, but it can’t hurt to explore out-of-the-box choices if your curiosity leads you there. 

However, you’ll want to keep the following factors in mind:

• House style
• House size
• Exterior materials
• Homeowner’s association (HOA) and neighborhood guidelines 
• Regional standards 

Remember, the best exterior paint colors for your house depend on these variables along with your personal preferences and eventual home-selling goals. 

To relieve some of the pressure of the painting process, you’ll want to consider investing in the cost of a professional painter who will prime, paint and waterproof your home flawlessly. The price of a full exterior paint job varies considerably based on house style and size, but a full repaint of a house typically costs anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000.

If you’re stumped on where to start in the house color ideation process, you’re in luck. We’ve highlighted some viable options from top paint brands under six of the most popular color categories below.

Best Exterior White Paint Colors

You can’t go wrong when you change your main color to a shade of white. Whether you opt for a stark bright hue or a creamier off-white, you’ll appreciate how this common house color choice optimizes your home’s outer appearance.

Here are some popular examples from top paint brands:

• Alabaster (Sherwin-Williams)
• Timid White (Behr)
• Ballet White (Benjamin Moore)
• Soft Focus (Behr)
• Weathered White (Behr)

Best Exterior Beige Paint Colors

Beige is universally appealing and one of the top exterior paint colors to help you sell your house. The crowd-pleasing, comforting beige color family can include a cooler, darker taupe or a warmer, sandy tan. 

Here are some popular examples from top paint brands:

• Jogging Path (Sherwin-Williams) 
• Fairview Taupe (Benjamin Moore) 
• Grant Beige (Benjamin Moore) 
• Tavern Taupe (Sherwin-Williams) 
• Urban Putty (Sherwin-Williams)

Best Exterior Gray Paint Colors

One of the best parts about choosing a shade of gray for your exterior is that you almost never need to worry about your choice not being regionally appropriate for your neighborhood. Gray is a subtle crowd-pleaser that also allows plenty of freedom for fun, bold trim and accent colors.

Here are some popular examples from top paint brands:

• Sharkskin (Behr) 
• Ice Mist (Benjamin Moore) 
• Coventry Gray (Benjamin Moore) 
• Silent Night (Benjamin Moore) 
• Cool Charcoal (PPG) 

Best Blue Exterior Paint Colors

Blue is an exterior paint color that leaves a lot of room for creativity. You don’t need to go with a robin’s egg blue to make a statement. Often subtle blue-grays and sophisticated navy shades can stand out in a subtle but powerful way. Just be conscious of your roof color when you use a cool blue shade to make sure you don’t have clashing undertones.

Here are some popular examples from top paint brands:

• Singing the Blues (PPG) 
• Dark Cobalt Blue (Behr) 
• Newburyport Blue (Benjamin Moore)
• Mountain Stream (Sherwin-Williams) 
• Mediterranean (Sherwin-Williams) 

Best Green Exterior House Paint

If you’re hesitant about using green, remember that it’s a versatile color family that is frequently underestimated. Whether you pick a more vibrant pastel or a sage hue that leans more towards gray, you could find yourself having a newfound unexpected favorite.

Here are some popular examples from top paint brands:

• That’s Atomic (Dunn-Edwards) 
• Pale Moss (PPG) 
• Equestrian Green (Behr) 
• Rookwood Dark Green (Sherwin-Williams)
• Sage Green (Behr) 

Best Brown Exterior Paint Colors

As one of the most foolproof, classic choices for an exterior color, don’t write off brown as boring or predictable. There are seemingly endless variations, and depending on if you choose a hue with warm or cool undertones, you have a lot of leeway when it comes to picking trim and accent colors.

Here are some popular examples from top paint brands:

• Moderne Class (Dunn-Edwards) 
• Meadowlark (Sherwin-Williams) 
• Turkish Coffee (Sherwin-Williams) 
• Cowboy Trails (Dunn-Edwards) 

There’s no questioning the power of a fresh coat of exterior paint when it comes to updating your home’s appearance. Whether you opt for cooler or warmer tones, it’s always helpful to use color theory to your advantage. With HomeAdvisor as a bridge between you and the painters you hire, you can feel confident about the quality of the job accomplished.

Hopefully, this article gave you some food for thought on the best exterior paint color options to keep in mind. Below, check out more color inspiration and specific recommendations for embarking on your exterior painting journey.

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