Brown Exterior Paint: Four Complete House Color Schemes

How do you choose a brown for the walls, roof and fixed materials?

Start with what will not change. The roof, brick, stone, chimney and driveway all have their own color, and the walls have to sit well beside them. Look at them in daylight and decide whether they lean warm, with yellow or red, or cool, with gray or green.

Match the undertone. The warm yellow browns here, #66523D and #453620, suit tan, gold or brown roofs and honey-colored stone. The red-orange brown #68442C suits red-brown brick and terra-cotta tile. If your fixed materials are a cool gray, test a brown with less red in it before you commit.

Then pick the depth. Every wall color on this page has an LRV of 9 or lower, so all of them read as dark brown. LRV 9 is the softest of the set and LRV 4 is the deepest. Choose the lighter end for a large two-story wall. Choose the deepest for a smaller house or for board and batten.

How much contrast should trim and the front door have?

Trim first. The trim colors here have an LRV of 70 and 73, and the walls have an LRV of 4 to 9. That is a wide gap. Light trim reads crisp against dark brown and outlines the windows, corners, fascia and garage door. Both trims have a faint green undertone, which keeps them from looking stark next to warm brown.

Then the front door and shutters. You have two routes. For contrast, choose the caramel tan at LRV 32, which stands out against the red-brown wall. For a quieter look, choose a color close in depth to the wall, such as the brick red at LRV 8 or the forest green at LRV 4. The sage green at LRV 23 sits in the middle and gives a soft but visible change.

Keep the door and shutters the same color, as the schemes do, so the front reads as one idea. Let the trim carry the light, the door carry the color and the walls stay dark.

Why does brown look different in sun and in shade?

Direct sun lightens color. A brown that looks rich on a small chip can look lighter and warmer on a wall in full midday sun. Shade does the opposite. It cools the color, makes it look deeper and can bring out a greener or grayer cast.

Because of this, judge an exterior color a shade darker than you would choose for a room. If you are torn between two browns, lean toward the darker one, since the sun will lift it.

Undertone matters more outdoors than inside. A warm yellow brown such as #453620 can lean greener on a shaded wall. A red-orange brown such as #68442C can look warmer where the sun hits it. The pale green-white trims stay light in both conditions, though they can look slightly cooler on a shaded wall.

Trees, sky and neighboring houses also change what you see. Check the color near your own landscaping, not only against the sample card.

How do you test brown paint on a house?

Test large. A paint chip is too small to judge an exterior color. Paint two boards or a section of wall, each at least two feet square, with two coats, and let them dry fully before you decide.

Test on two sides of the house. Place one sample on the sunniest wall and one on the shadiest wall, usually the south and north sides. A brown can look like two different colors across the same house.

Look at different times of day. Check in the morning, at midday, in the evening and on an overcast day. Dark colors change the most between full sun and shade.

Put the trim and door samples next to the wall sample, and hold a spare roof shingle or a piece of brick close by if you can. Then walk to the street and look from there, because that is how you and your neighbors will see the house most often.