Whether you're building a new home or remodeling your current home, choosing the right siding colors is an essential part of the overall design. For remodels, it's important to pay attention to existing colors that won't be replaced, like stone, roofing, windows, fascia, and soffit, as those elements can impact your siding color choices as you want a cohesive look. On the other hand, new construction offers endless color possibilities, leading to difficult color decisions as there aren't existing colors on which to base color selection.
the basics
When choosing new siding colors, there are a few exterior details to look at to help assist in the final selections:
- Architectural Style - The overall style of your home is an excellent basis for choosing a siding color. While you can pick whatever siding color and styles you want, paying attention to color themes for your specific architectural style can give you the best outcome. For example, Craftsman style homes are known for honoring the elements with earth tones, while a Modern Farmhouse sticks with light and airy siding colors. Read more about popular home styles and how to bring them to life.
- Landscaping - This can cast color onto your siding like green grass can cause white siding to have a green tint. You can also pick a siding color that matches the landscaping or a color that contrasts to make your home stand out.
- Surrounding Homes - Take a look at your neighbors and decide if you want to stand out or if you want to blend in. For example, if they have yellow siding, do you want a color palette to make your home drastically stand out, or do you want to complement them for more harmonious curb appeal?
- Direct Sun/Shade Sections - Direct sun and shade impact how siding colors appear. During the day, the color tone of the sun changes, which can give your siding a different hue, while shade can make your siding look 2-3 shades darker than it is. Paying attention to the light changes throughout the day can help gauge how light or dark you want your exterior or what color plays well with the changing sun hues.
the 60/30/10 color theory
Exterior designers rely on the 60/30/10 color theory to create a balanced design with siding colors. The theory is broken down into Primary, Secondary, and Accent colors.
- Primary = 60% of the exterior
- The Primary color will be the largest section of siding on the home, so picking a siding color that you love is important and will be the starting point for choosing the rest of your exterior color palette.
- Secondary = 30% of the exterior
- Secondary siding colors can be used in places like bump-outs, gables, the porch, and other small areas of your home for which you would like a different siding color.
- Accent = 10% of the exterior
- Accent areas include trim, soffit, fascia, and deck/porch post wraps. Consider using our two-toned DuoBlend siding colors for a modern stained wood look.
choosing additional exterior materials
Are you looking to incorporate other exterior materials like steel siding or stone? You can take 10% from your secondary siding color section for an additional material. This is a great way to add texture and visual interest without additional siding colors. For example, with a secondary siding color you will change it from 30% of the overall palette to 20% and then add in 10% of stone.
An additional way to add more interest is to switch up your siding styles but not go over three distinct types. This can be a mix of Lap Siding, Board and Batten, and Shake Siding. Diamond Kote offers a variety of siding styles and sizes in these categories to give you the exterior you want.
tools for choosing siding colors
- Home Visualizer: The Diamond Kote Home Visualizer is an excellent tool for quickly bringing your ideas to life. Upload your home or use a Sample Home to apply siding colors, styles, and more.
- Color Studio: Creating a color palette from scratch can be complex, so we had an expert exterior designer create color palettes for you! These palettes follow the 60/30/10 rule and are available in our Home Visualizer with additional exterior materials for a fully designed look.
- Inspiration Gallery: Our online gallery features over 200 homes for home style or color inspiration.
- Samples: Our free samples let you experience the durability of Diamond Kote and our 30-Year No Fade Finish for yourself. We also offer Fan Decks with all siding colors in one spot to help put together your color palette.
Download our free design guide, Uncovering the Theory Behind Designing Your Dream Exterior, to learn more about the 60/30/10 rule.
