Did you know that the most popular and favorite colors for home decor are blues, blacks, and grays?
Redecorating your home can be a great way to improve the value of your home. And it can also be a great way to give it a new lease of life and make it look brand new again.
But when it comes to home decor, many people ask the same question: “What color should I paint my house?” There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to decorating; however, colors can affect the temperature of a room. Discover more about which colors you should paint your house.
House Paint and Temperature: What Color Should I Paint My House?
Do you ever feel like your home feels too hot in summer and too cold in winter? That might be because your home isn’t properly insulated.
The good news is that effective home insulation doesn’t have to be costly. Effective home insulation can be managed by choosing efficient materials or colors, both on the exterior and the interior of your home.
How Much Does Paint Color Affect Temperature?
The paint color of the exterior and interior of your home can affect the temperature a lot. Lighter colors tend to reflect the sun’s rays whereas darker colors absorb them. This means that lighter colors can help to keep your house cool while dark colors are more likely to heat it up.
If you live in a particularly warm area, then you should definitely think about ways to keep your home cool. Some people choose to invest in air conditioning, but this can be quite expensive. The best way to keep it cool for less is by painting the exterior a light color and ensuring your house is insulated.
Those who live in colder climates will want to think of ways they can make their homes feel warmer. Similar to air conditioning systems, heating costs can soon rack up and become expensive. The best way to keep your home warm is by painting the exterior a darker color and again insulating your home well.
What Are the Best Exterior House Paint Colors?
As we’ve established the best exterior colors for houses in warmer climates are lighter ones. Your home’s exterior can heat up the inside of your home and leave it feeling hot and sticky.
That’s why, in hotter climates, you’ll often find homes that have white exteriors. White is the best color when it comes to reflecting the sun’s heat away from a home. Homes with white exteriors transfer less heat inside the home, making them cooler and saving you money on your energy bills.
Meanwhile, those in colder climates who want to encourage heat into their homes should consider painting their exterior a darker color, such as grey, or blue.
However, exterior paint and temperature are just one thing to consider when painting your house. You also need to think about whether your home decor is right for you, your neighborhood, maintenance, upkeep.
Painting the exterior of your home needs to be in keeping with your style and your neighborhood. So, for those who don’t want to have white exterior walls, you might want to think about having cooler shades for hotter climates. For example, pastel colors such as blue, pink, yellow, or green, are a good choice.
Another thing to consider when painting the exterior of your house is the upkeep and maintenance. Painting your home can take time and will need to be repaired and repainted in the future.
If you can’t commit to this, then there are alternative options such as siding. Similar to the paint color, make sure your siding color is lighter for warm climates and darker for cold climates.
What Are the Best Interior House Paint Colors?
The colors of your interior can also play a role in the temperature of your home. Just like with the exterior, darker shades absorb more of the sun’s energy, which means these will warm up your house.
That’s why it’s not advisable to paint your home’s walls in darker colors if you’re trying to keep your house cool. Instead, opt for lighter colors, such as white, beige, cream, light pinks, yellows, or light blues.
On the flip side, if you want your home to feel warmer inside, then you should choose darker colors. However, make sure you carefully think about your color scheme and the size of your rooms because dark colors can also make your home look and feel smaller.
How Else Can I Manage the Temperature of My Home?
Painting your home’s exterior and interior aren’t the only ways you can manage the temperature. Another way to ensure your home is a comfortable temperature is by using the right building materials.
Typically, brick and concrete walls help to keep interiors cooler during summer months and warmer during colder months. That’s because they are dense materials, which help to absorb heat and prevent it from getting in or out.
If you can’t change the building materials of your home, then you might want to think about getting insulation installed. Insulation in your walls and roof space can help to keep heat in (in winter) and stop the sun’s heat from being absorbed (in summer).
You can also control the temperature of your house by choosing an energy-efficient roof. In fact, the latest green roofing materials can help you save energy and cut your cooling bills down by up to 40% a year. Read more now about how you can control your home’s temperature with the right roof.
Control Your Home’s Temperature
Feeling uncomfortably warm or cold in your home isn’t enjoyable, but thankfully, there are ways you can control the temperature of your home. Find your answer to “what color should I paint my house?” in our useful guide and then implement our tips on how to manage your home’s temperature.
Check out more of our home design tips and browse our latest articles to find out how you can improve your home.
