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Exterior ColourWhite

The Best Colour for Vinyl Siding

By 07/03/2012October 30th, 202382 Comments

Updated in 2023.

It’s anything but white. Amen.

Well, did you think I would say anything else? This trend has killed every white house that ever lived because it makes every white house look the same as all the others. Trust me, I’m as sad about this as you are.

Gentek Vinyl Siding

White siding, a black roof and black casings or shutters. If you have a white house this is the way to do it but this deep into the trend I would skip it and choose a beige or a pale grey, I have a good round up in my Masterclass and believe me, it’s worth it to spend some time to find ANYTHING other than white.

And definitely not black here’s why.

Read more: The Psychology behind the Black and White Trend

source

How  about a barely there warm green/gray like this one? These ideas and much more are in my training. Here’s a link to buy my exterior masterclass.

Or if you need help with your exterior colour selections, I can help here.

Related posts:

Don’t make this Dirty Mistake with your Exterior Colour

When is White just right?

Clean always Trumps Dirty

Would you like to make sure you choose the right neutral for your exterior? Download my eBook, How to Choose Paint Colours: It’s All in the Undertones.

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me.

To make sure the undertones in your home are right, get some large samples!

If you would like to learn to how choose the right colours for your home or for your clients, become a True Colour Expert.

82 Comments

  • I agree whole heartedly – white (with black trim and roof and maybe a red door) is my all=time favorite.

    1
  • Shani says:

    What about the barely there grays? Like what, grey owl or titanium? Just about to paint my house and am thinking of gray owl! Dont love the white house/black shutters. Sorry…

    1
    • Maria Killam says:

      HI Shani,
      This colour suggestion is for VINYL. Obviously if you are painting your house, the sky is the limit. I’m talking about permanent, not easily changeable siding.
      Your colour choices are great, not too dark which is then very trendy.
      Maria

      1
  • J Norrell says:

    The previous owner of our house did slate gray which sounds nice, but it has way more blue than gray with white trim. We added black shutters & painted the front door black. The house does look much better but I would have never chose the color. I would go with a more neutral color!

    1
  • So true, Maria! But I must say, I hate vinyl siding of any kind – I ripped mine off a few years ago and did Hardie board instead. That can be painted when the trends change.

    To Shani: I’m in love with Owl Gray right now – I’m sure that or Titanium would be good options.

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  • Design & Decor says:

    Not a big fan of vinyl siding however, if you have other priorities around your home to spend money on the easiest way to work with it is the trim colour..My vinyl siding is french vanilla..When we bought the house the trim shuters and front posts were a raspberry colour which of course made the vinyl look pink/beige..I changed the trim, shutters & posts to Benjamin Moore’s Willow CC-542..What a transformation.. Then of course I had to paint my front door B/M Copper Clay..Really helped change the look of the vinyl siding..It will satisfy me until I can change the vinyl..

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  • Diane says:

    We built our house in Penticton 23 years ago and like everyone else, used vinyl siding. (Hose the house and go to Reno was the sales pitch!) Luckily we used white with grey trim and just replaced our roof with dark charcoal. Our son is now looking for a house and commented that using white was the smartest thing we did as he is sick of seeing the powder blue, faded yellow and yes, pink beige that was all the rage. P.S. you know what kind of oak kitchen we have(It’s never coming back!) so looking forward to seeing Maria’s reveal.

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  • Nicole says:

    Hi Maria…
    I am in the midst of painting my house at the moment, Midnight Blue as we discussed. I look forward to sending you a picture when it is done. As I have been living in the paint store recently, both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore have “vinyl safe” paint . Supposedly, you are able to paint your vinyl siding safely now….??

    1
  • Shawna says:

    I once inherited aluminum siding. It was sage green and I didn’t rally mind it. I like green houses. While I like white houses I like houses with colour too. I am soon to be house hunting and I may be faced with vinyl siding. I shudder at the thought of those once popular pastels. I favour greens or darker greys for houses. Though a white cottage with black shutters and roses growing all over it would be lovely too.

    1
  • Adrienne says:

    1930 house (tudor bungalow?) came with multiple colored brick on foundation and facade/chimney and cream colored siding (curious to see if brick is underneath) Windows are a forest green.

    Could use a good spray wash and painting the windows black!

  • I just worked on a vinyl house situation today. Partly white and pale gray, but then they used blue gray paint to add “accents” of color in all the wrong places. What a mess! Some of it will have to be painted out to try and fix it up. IMO, vinyl sounds like a good idea, but I’ve rarely seen a situation where it looks classy. I prefer the flexibility of paint!

  • L M says:

    Sorry, but I have to disagree. Imagine how dull neighborhoods would look if every house was white with black trim? I resided a blue house with blue vinyl (and white trim) just before I sold it. It looked great in the snow!

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  • Kelly says:

    White is lovely, but if it is a huge house I am not sure if all that white would be good. We just built and we did what a lot of people do….a combination of vinyl in the back and 1 side of the house and the rest in Hardie Board. The Hardie board although more costly is AMAZING! Vinyl….not so much.
    You can also paint vinyl siding, and I have seen it done, which is a lot cheaper than replacing vinyl.

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  • Shawna says:

    When I moved in my house was white aluminium on the front and sides and Kaycan prestige beige on the back. The trim was brown, doors a dirty looking white, and roof green.
    The houses on either side of mine are white with black shutters and roofs so I wanted something different.
    Now the trim and doors are white, the siding is Gentek Storm which is probably closest to BM metropolis cc-544, and the roof is Iko Cambridge in harvard slate which has browns, greys, and greens depending on the light.
    I’ve always loved the darker colours rather than all the pale washed out pastels. I know the siding is basically grey and it’s trendy right now, but grey has always been my favourite neutral and the one colour I’ll never get tired of.
    One thing I can say is once the house was stripped back to the original wood I had no desire to stick with the original colour scheme. The poor thing was salmon with blue-green trim, in some areas that would look cute, but not in Ontario.

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  • Martha Hughes says:

    Our siding is a green beige vinyl with a brown roof. I’m not a fan, but then we didn’t build the house either. It looks too “army” to me. The previous owner had brown shutters. I painted them green. It still seems army to me. I am thinking of painting the shutters a dark almost green black. The front door is a dark burgundy. I wish I could paint the siding.

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  • Maria — Don’t hate it, paint it! Get yourself to a paint store and they will advise you, as others have suggested.

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  • Dianne Tant says:

    we built our house on a mountain 28 yrs ago. it’s light gray siding….red shutters and door and dark gray roof. we are replacing the siding. I was going with yellow…but not now! white it will be.

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  • Cathy Z says:

    I have to agree with LM – too much white and black would be so boring! I have a red brick front facade with pale yellow siding on the remaining 3 sides with white trim, black roof – it looks great! The yellow is sunny and happy and changes intensity with the light. Been in the house for 7 years now. I think once you’ve been in a place for a few decades you’d get tired of anything and would want a change regardless. But I do think that black and white is the perfect choice for staging your exterior for resale.

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  • Ours is white vinyl with dark gray roof and black shutters. Still working on door color, because there’re orange brick pillars supporting the porches, and in the landscaping. The veranda on front and the back screened porch are trimmed in a white that I matched to the vinyl, and the floors are painted haint blue. If the porch ceilings weren’t vinyl, they would’ve been blue. Although vinyl wouldn’t be my first choice (brick would), I love our simply styled house.

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  • Stacy S. says:

    Last year my husband and I bought a 1920s house that is covered in white vinyl siding with dingy white aluminum trim. It’s horrible, and I think it makes the house look far too big. I would much prefer your other neutral choice: light gray. I would change it in a heartbeat if I didn’t have a list of other projects. But, you are so right about not spending too much on a house you are not staying in. (We will probably move in 15 years) I am now trying to accept the fact that I may have this white plastic house until we move. I painted the door and storm windows and doors dark green, trying to eliminate at least ONE shade of dingy white. Maybe adding shutters will help?

    But, for those that think all white home are boring: google “Edgartown, MA”. Granted, these homes also have beautiful architectural details and landscaping…but white is classic and a good idea for something that is “permanent”.

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    • Maria Killam says:

      Great comment, I would choose boring over UGLY and UNBEARABLE any day, which is why I’m recommending WHITE 🙂 MARIA

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  • Lindsay Down says:

    You can easily paint vinyl siding with exterior latex paint. You must not darken it more than a shade or two though, otherwise it can absorb more heat and start to pop off or come loose. Aluminum siding is just as easy to paint and you can do any colour. Our house currently has white aluminum siding with a red brick 1st storey and we will at least be painting the siding a taupey colour (maybe like BM Rockport Gray) or replacing it with another material. I hate the high contrast of the white and the brick and I find a house looks so much nicer in mid-tone colours.

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  • Donna Frasca says:

    LoL – You can’t just say, “I have to have a white house w/black shutters because I won’t get bored of it”. A good Designer needs to take the ENTIRE home into consideration. In your case Maria, where you have such a colorful interior and a very small house, white really is your ONLY choice. You shouldn’t choose white because you LIKE it, you should choose white because your house REQUIRES it.

    The same with my home. As you can imagine, it’s VERY colorful on the inside however, I have a very large home. It’s two stories and over 3,500 sq. feet, a stone facade and a few gables. My home would look like a monstrosity if I painted it white! My house was painted a light blue/gray, similar to Silver Crest (BM) which picks up the colors in the stone. I’m currently wring a blog post on this subject 🙂

    1
  • Cherie says:

    I love white houses with black shutters, etc. Beautiful! But that can’t be the only choice for people building or renovating. Just like white kitchens, while gorgeous, do not suit everyone, nor do they blend with the decor in every house.

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  • Claire says:

    Thanks, Maria, for another great post and the opportunity for me to blather about color… Sorry, though, that I, too, must poo-poo the white! I do marketing and photo work for my husband who is a realtor in an area where vinyl siding prevails… I’ve seen a TON of new and old vinyl-clad houses, up-close and personal, so-to-speak. The warm gray/green is neutral, relatively timeless and inviting, and the color shows a personal POV without being off-putting. And it wears well. Also, I like off-white with a darker trim. By contrast, I see white as stark and impersonal; over time, white often appears grayed and dingy to me. Think about white vinyl fencing (with dozens of horses, I’ve been there, done that)… it ALWAYS grays over time (thank you acid rain). Even so, although it is not MY personal fav, I do see white as a classic option and I understand its appeal, especially for resale. White doesn’t “fade” appreciatively, and if you don’t like the “texture” of vinyl siding, white can be a good choice because its reflectiveness makes it difficult for the eye to pick-out detail. FWIW, it’s interesting to think about white in the automotive industry… white cars are the most popular, and if you shop for a used vehicle, white is usually the most in-demand color.

  • Jennifer says:

    Maria,
    I love your blog. I have a stone house and it came with white aluminum siding. The trim and gutters are white as well. I have my door and shutters painted Bing Cherry (an old Porter Paint color.). I’m thinking about switching to black for my door and shutters. I will keep the white siding because it is versatile.

  • Kay says:

    Our vinyl siding is a pale clear yellow–trim white, roof, front steps, and railings gray (chosen before the gray trend because I love gray). The railings are not flat gray but gleam and look great. Mailbox is painted gray and white, so everything goes together well. I’m replacing the front door and have to figure out a good color for the new one–current one is white (so boring) and ugly. We’ve lived here 21 years and the 50-year warranty on the siding is still in force, so it’s a good thing the yellow has never bothered me (although a darker yellow would drive me crazy). A while back one of our neighbors asked us for a piece of vinyl because he wanted to have his house painted the same color! I think a lot depends on the kind of house you have. Ours is modest, but on the high end vinyl would look terrible and the color of our house would be inappropriate.

  • Aussie Girl says:

    This post reminded me of discovering this blog
    http://anurbancottage.blogspot.com.au/.
    He was just renovating and faced many of the questions you pose. Also today he has posted some historical houses in Maine which show white with black to be the clear winner there at the moment.
    I rather like the soft, soft grey. The trend in Oz is to render homes, and a variety of colours are used. One of my faves was a ochre yellow with a deep purple door. The local kids called it the violet crumble house – a sweet we have here of honeycomb coated with chocolate, which is wrapped in a deep purple and gold foil wrapper!

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  • Marilyn says:

    We used cedar impressions in desert tan. It looks good I the bright sun but yellowish on a cloudy day.. I don’t know why! Really wish we went with a slightly darker greenish beige or grey. The slight yellow cast really bothers me. Been thinking about accent colors that might tone down the yellow tint on grey days…

    1
  • TracyB says:

    We have white siding…wouldn’t have it any other way.

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  • My last house had white vinyl siding and a great blue door. With white you can use any color on your shutters and door! My house now is brick.

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  • Maureen says:

    I spent hours on your website trying to decide on a metal roof colour last summer. Finally chose charcoal to go with our white vinyl siding, new gutters etc, in the same charcoal tones. The roof isn’t as grey as I hoped but it fits into the forest pretty well. I am now painting the trim in BM Overcoat and the window trim in BM Stone Harbour. The door will be a bright orange. I know black is the preferred colour with white, but the black metal roofs around here seen to shout URBAN rather than rural. At least we didn’t pick that green that is ubiquitous in the countryside. Thanks for your blog and ebooks, you have really helped me to see “undertones”. I unfortunately have a pink beige leather sofa. I am thinking of painting the living room a grey blue like BM November skies. I believe you said that blues cancel out the pinky beige tones. I am hoping it doesn’t match our consistently grey skies here on the Island. Great blog, Maria

    1
    • Maria Killam says:

      Hi Maureen,
      Thanks for your comment, it’s not that blue cancels out pink beige it’s that it’s the most contemporary colour to pair with it rather than sage greens which will also work of course. Maria

      1
  • Missi Rogge says:

    We resided a few years ago and my only stipulation was *not* white siding. It’s too plain. We went with a taupe-y color and brown trim, and the door is burgundy (tho that color will be changed out every year or two after Maria’s post on front door colors!!). With the landscaping we’ve done in front and in back, the siding/trim colors really help set off the plants and flowers and when you look at our place, you see it as a whole, b/c it works well together. When I see white houses w/awesome landscaping, the house gets in the way and is too distracting for me. Ours is “part” of the landscaping.

    1
  • Linda Saylor says:

    What colour is the warm green/gray house? Would
    BM Cliffside Gray be close? Thank you!!

    1
  • karen says:

    Although I do love white houses, I also really like gray homes too, light or dark. I guess it’s what can I live with for years. Like Shawna, I used to have aluminum siding and it was sage green. I removed the siding and did shingles in Hardy Board. I’m curious as to what the decorologist painted her hardy?

    1
  • GaBi says:

    No vinyl for me for the residential house, it reminds me the warehouse.
    Maria in your case /you are renovating to sell the house ?/ I would paint the vinyl to be more attractive and you are a master of chosing the right color. I love white houses especialy with the professional landscape it looks very elegant, but definately I would choose the color to match the neighborhood setting. Neigborhood is the inspiration for another neighbor paint and decorate with the professional taste and with the very high end result. Every neigborhood is diferent and to match the exact color is not so easy task.

    1
  • susan says:

    Our colonial has a medium yellow vinyl siding which would not have been my choicem however the house came that way. I repainted the washed out looking gray-blue shutters a black/green (BM Essex Green) which gives it a more New England look. Window trim is white, as is my front door. Would love to paint the door a dark brown/red or eggplant, or burgundy, however worry that it would be too much color for the house. Maybe a different color green (olive?) Or do I need to sick with my boring white?

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  • Tricia says:

    All the homes in my neighborhood are around 100 years old and are all brick. Many people have added a room (often two-story) onto the back and used vinyl siding. Many choose white and, in my opinion, it is too garish and makes the addition look cheap. Some have chosen the taupe or another neutral shade of vinly and tied it in with their window trim color. It is soooo much classier. I’m not a fan of vinyl in general so I find it hard to be objective.

    1
  • If I had to use siding, it would definitely be classic white with black shutters. Can I say here THANK GOODNESS we have hardiboard. We just finished painting it a beautiful heritage color and the shutters are next. It is yellow gold and the shutter will be deep teal blue; white trim.

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  • Angie says:

    I have pinky beige vinyl siding as well and I think it’s the ugliest thing about our house. The trim is also a darker pinky beige!! Replacing the siding is not in our budget right now… planning to paint the trim white soon as well as paint the front door the same pretty blue that I have painted my dining room chairs… to take the focus off the horrid colour of the house:) I agree that white is a much better choice. You can’t go wrong with white with black trim.

  • I had to laugh that you were over and done with your opinions in the first sentence – but then you kept writing.

    I agree that a yucky colour would make me cranky. Same goes for carpets.

    By the way, do you still advice white if the house is also built of brown brick. I thought you recommended cream with brown? (here in the east most of our homes are a combination of vinyl and brick).

  • I just read some of the comments and noticed that several people were encouraging you to paint the siding and I would say that that would make me as cranky as the bad vinyl colour. I would hate to have to maintain painted vinyl – so my vote is live with it!

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  • Gretchen says:

    We bought a modest white vinyl sided ranch w/ white shutters last year, and I’ve made positive internal changes. The one external change that made a big difference was that my fiance planted foundation plants against the house and a beautiful cottage garden in front that curves around the walk. The floral colors and different greens make the house/ setting look lovely. Of course, winter will be different…so next project is to paint the door the color a rich yellow/gold called wet sand as seen in your post! Thank you Maria, I’m learning so much from your blog!

    1
  • Gretchen says:

    ERRATA: My house has black shutters/not white, oops!

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  • Hi Maria. The vinyl siding we put on our new house reno is WHITE, and the cedar shingles are going to be white too. Check out Facebook Stevenson Design Works!

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  • Kate says:

    I remember a landscape designer once said he hated white houses because it was like planting in front of a refrigerator. I personally like white houses in a classic pastoral setting especially but after reading your words I do look at my neighborhood in a new light. Thanks.

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  • Joyce says:

    Our home is a Cape Cod style home which WAS originally white with a black roof and black shutters…The high contrast palette made the house look SMALL, DINGY and VERY DATED. When we resided it many years ago (Hardee Board not available) we chose the siding first and foremost because of the STYLE of the home…In the case of a Cape much of the facade IS the roof…we wanted to capture that New England cedar shake look but not the expense…So we chose a shingle that was dimensional and gave us that look from the curb…The overall palette of the roof was browns, beiges and dark blues…A part of me wanted desperately to go with a blue because it was my favorite color OF THE MOMENT…We opted instead to go with a VERY neutral beige (NO PINK) and complimented with dark muddy blue shutters to tie the roof and body of the home together (think classic timeless Ralph Lauren Khaki dockers with a Navy sports jacket)…With the siding and roof colors chosen we picked landscaping to compliment those colors. Nearly EVERYDAY passerbys will stop and compliment our home…It has been 15 years and I like to change things…ALOT…The decision to go with a neutral siding instead of blue was because it would be easier to change out the shutters and door color if I REALLY need a change…Changing trim colors will give you a whole new look for minimal investment…Which leads to my point…PICK a neutral color whether it be white, beige, a barely there gray or even a neutral green…think of your siding/facade as that classic “little black dress”…Trim, shutters and door colors ARE the accessories…White is an excellent option, but it is NOT the end all be all for every facade…Just as you recommend that colors in a room “relate” to each other to make the room look pulled together…The colors on your home should also “relate” to the style of the home as well as to each other, the neighborhood and your objectives for the future…Enjoyed reading this discussion!!! Good Luck with your reno…

  • Vesna says:

    My vinyl is pastel yellow with shutters + door in dark green. The yellow has been impossible for me to pair with other accent colors and now I feel stuck with the yellow/green combo. One thing that has helped draw attention away from the all the yellowness has been to plant a number of large-growing trees in front of the house (shout out to Tara Dillard, landscape designer!). Even though they are still small, they already add touches of green that were badly needed. Once they are larger, they will cast shade on the siding and eliminate that glowing Easter egg look.

  • Heidi says:

    Hm. Maybe I should have read this a month ago! We just sided our house – not white. 🙂 We chose what my daughter calls “greige”. We do, however, have bright white trim and crisp black shutters.

    I think we’ll be happy with it!

    I do love your wisdom on undertones and color choices – so helpful when every little nuance seems like it can affect home decor. Thanks!

  • susan says:

    As I wrote in previously, my siding is a pale yellow but I actually like it–it really functions as a neutral and in a green landscape with flowering shrubs, potted urns it’s really beautiful. My shutters are BM Essex Green (almost black) but take a look at Gracie Mansion, the “Mayor’s house” in NYC – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gracie_Mansion_snow_jeh.jpg — beautiful, with the white trim (as my home) but with a grey/green shutter, very much like Farrow & Ball’s Card Room Green (They have gorgeous greens!) It’s what to do with the door — Gracie’s is a natural wood– as many are with this color pairing, and my problem, for years already, has been what to choose other than white. A mahogany would be great but I don’t have a wood door, so other than to match the shutters, what would anyone recommend? Reds, rust or burgundy means adding in a third color — too much? A lighter green? Changing out the shutter color may be an option (ref. the photo). I love reading these posts, and I know I should have written this in Maria’s great door color post, but I missed it! Sorry — I would appreciate any advice!

    • Doris says:

      I have heard that a yellow house is the most welcoming home! Have you thought about having the door “faux finished” to a mahogany wood? or pick a color that looks like the mahogany you like; from a distance it will look like wood and great close up. Would black work for your front door?

      • susan says:

        yes, this is a great idea and I have considered it. Not sure about black though an interesting thought (I am resisting matching the door to my green/black shutters- it dulls down the front and I would like some sparkle) Thanks for your thoughtful reply!

  • Doris says:

    Our Vinyl is very light gray. Will be replacing it in a couple months with Hardie Board in a very light gray! The roof is green, shutters graphite gray and my porch spindles are between the light and graphite gray. I hate the white on our house (windows) because we live on a gravel road with lots of dust! That’s why the porch is now gray instead of white! Front door is red! We love it; all our out buildings are the same color as well.

  • Sarah says:

    When we bought our home, it still had it’s original peachy-pink siding from the 60s paired with orange bricks and a brown roof. The roof was in great shape and would last us at least 10-15 years, so we changed the siding with that in mind. While I agree that white siding with a black door is the most timeless look-it doesn’t look so great with a brown roof and orange bricks!

    We replaced the peachy-pink aluminum siding with a creamy yellow vinyl siding and added a green door/shutters simply because my husband and I have always loved yellow. It’s such a cheery color to come home too! We’ve had it 7 years and I still think it was the very best choice we could have made.

  • Michelle says:

    I agree with Joyce. There is no such thing as absolute when it comes to home color. There are many factors that determine the right home color.

    • Maria Killam says:

      I totally agree, there are no absolutes period. Especially when it comes to fixed elements that would make white a very bad choice indeed.

      My advice is for the person who is searching the web for ‘the answer’, and black and white is a great, safe and classic choice. Better than choosing a random combination that looks bad without any advice at all.

      Thanks for your comment! Maria

  • VinylSidingHater says:

    As one might guess, I’d put anything up before vinyl siding. If you can’t stand brick, stone or stucco, fiber cement lap siding seems like the logical choice. But if you’re suck with vinyl, or just love the idea of your house slowly rotting under a plastic bandage, white is certainly better than the traditional “vinyl siding colors”. But, I’ve seen flat grays, browns, even reds that look better than white, which tends to look unobtrusive but cheap. Be careful with the darker colors, though; they are usually more inclined to warp. Also, in most neighborhoods, it’s bad etiquette to make your house the same color as the house next door, unless they are all the same color, so if a neighbor to either sides “already has” white, you’ll get some hostile glares if you take it too. The most important thing is to minimize the cheap trim that highlights the fact that you have vinyl siding. Those vinyl windows that stick out and look like add-on storm windows or old windows surrounded by nothing but J-channel are the worst. Aluminum coil-stock frames with J-channel around the perimeter look a little better. The best are some newer windows with solid-looking “brick-mold” and channels cut into them to avoid the ugly J-channel entirely. There are even some slip-over outside-corner joints to avoid that hideous orthogonal double J-channel there. Also, you might as well skip the shutters. Shutters that shut would look odd with vinyl siding and ones that don’t are an insult to the intelligence of the viewer.

  • mairi says:

    Two reasons we changed out our white siding: (aka lessons learned)-
    1) The intense glare off the siding on a sunny day was hard on the eyes 2) It showed every bit of road grime and salt which was hard to remove without special equipment. I am much happier having switched to a gray-green which solved both issues. I think it’s important to consider the effects of location. Shady area, well back from road would allow me to consider white but not this house.

  • Erin Hemmons says:

    Our vinyl siding is white, shutters are pale grey, door white too roof is red. We are goung to replace the roof tiles & I’m liking black or dark grey however here’s the sticky part. Our neighbours house also white vinyl with black roof, black shutter & red door so although I would love the same I don’t think it’d be nice if our houses looked the same. Our house & neighbours is very similar to the first picture shown above. Any suggestions?

  • Pam says:

    I bought a 1930’s Craftsman (sort of) style home with greeny-gray vinyl siding with white trim. I hate it because it looks like the color of a US Navy ship – boring and depressing. I compensated by doing fabulous landscaping to bring lush color and texture to the situation.
    The former owner had painted the siding this color (it was white)…. Sigh…. I sure would like to paint it white and do the trim in black.

  • marie says:

    I don’t particularly like vinyl siding but the house I bought last year and that I could afford came with white vinyl siding and the roof is like antique faded pink (kind of washed out rasberry) and light grey. The house came with shutters that were not installed and not yet painted and I decided to paint them with the ‘Amazed’ colour in the Beauty-tone palette which is a striking pinkish colour. I think it will give it a warm and cheerful look. Still painting them and can’t wait to see them on my old but well-kept farmhouse.

  • Liz says:

    I wholeheartedly agree about white. Frankly, I think it’s the best house color, period! But I live in New England, where it is incredibly common, so I may be biased.

    I really HATE vinyl siding, but my house (which my husband bought before I met him) has it. Thankfully, it’s white, with black shutters, and a red front door. (And dormers, similar to the first picture posted.) Classic. To me, white vinyl siding is the only color vinyl siding which doesn’t look obviously fake until you get close enough to it to see the seams. And, you don’t have to worry about fading. Vinyl siding expands and contracts with the weather, and if an area which is not normally exposed is suddenly exposed, it can be darker than the other exposed areas. With white, you don’t have that problem.

  • Liz says:

    Oh, and I agree with vinylsidinghater about the shutters… I grew up in an old house and am obsessed with old houses, and one of my hobbies is to criticize houses with ridiculous shutters. (This includes my own house!) Yet, I still think that if you have to have vinyl siding (like I, someone who “married into” it and doesn’t want to spend the money to remove almost brand new siding, do) then I think that properly-sized vinyl shutters look better than no shutters, at least on a traditional-style house. Properly-sized means that the shutters, if actually closeable, would cover the full window. Of course these shutters won’t actually be able to close.

    These days, even old houses with wood clapboards and original wood shutters often have the shutters merely nailed on as decoration. On an old house, though, at least the shutters can be placed as they would be if they were functional (attached to the window framing.) On a vinyl house, with vinyl windows, they HAVE to be attached beside the window framing. Terrible. But, again, I think that a bare house looks even worse. (No, I take that back. Hilariously narrow and/or too-short shutters look even worse.)

  • Shannon says:

    My house is stucco with a brown roof. I want to paint it white, so badly. Any color suggestions for trim and door colors ?
    Would love sidings but cant at this time. 🙂
    I love white with black trim. Anyone see that with a brown roof ?

  • Erica says:

    Randomly, we just bought the house featured in the second picture and are in the process of changing the shutters/door/foundation trim to Midnight Hour since we didn’t favor the green. Any recommendations on a deck stain color? The color of the hardie is Pittsburgh Paint’s, Whiskars.

  • Lori says:

    We live in New England and we just started looking at vinyl siding because our painted clapboards are forever peeling. They were stained at one time and not properly prepared for paint. Vinyl is very popular here. Out home is painted Windam Cream which is a pale yellow. I like the yellow because it does look good in every season. Should we also take into consideration the houses around us? We have a blue/gray house on one side and an orange/brown stained house on the other side. I like the yellow,but my dear husband likes grey. Grey can be depressing to me. Any advice?

    • Maria Killam says:

      Hi Lori,
      They have vinyl in light grey-green colours which I would not consider depressing. I would stay far, far away from a dark gray anyway, it will be dated as soon as the gray trend ends. Just like you’re not looking for brown vinyl siding because that trend is over. Maria

  • Gina Pardoe says:

    Years ago, I had the agonizing task of choosing siding for our large 4×4 home. I chose “greige”. I’m so proud of myself! Sadly, I chose vanilla colored trim!!! What was I thinking, or not??? I’m painting the shutters black this year, and the doors red. Sadly, though, there are pinkish brick steps (3) going up to the front porch. I’m thinking, ala Krisie, the Decorologist, of faux painting them like the recent fireplace pic she posted. We’re also replacing our roof (tone on tone BLACK) next week, so I’m inspired to finally make everything right! Any thoughts?

  • Lori says:

    Ok, then if I can ask a second question. If we go with the grey/green then what color shutters and front door? Thanks.

  • allison says:

    Hi, we purchased our first home in August 2012. While I love my home, I HATE the colors of it. It is aluminum siding, I believe, that has been painted before. Its painted a grey that is so light, you can barely see the difference of the trim that is white. The shutters are forest green, again, yuck! The roof is a grey shingle. I am looking to paint this summer and would like some suggestions. My first choice was a light brown/tan siding with the shutters painted almost a terra cotta. But I don’t think it is going to look good with the grey shingles. I’m not opposed to painting just the shutters and maybe the front door as the siding would have to be hired out because it is three story’s high as we have a walk out basement and the house is cape cod style. No dormers on the front as of yet, we will be adding those in the near future. Any suggestions on colors that work well with the grey shingles?

  • Josephine says:

    Anyone have advice on vinyl colors for a new saltbox style colonial house with black roof and no shutters (will not have shutters because windows are so close together). Windows, trim and columns are white.

    Was thinking dark gray but see this might date itself one day!?

    Thanks!

  • The Dude says:

    I own a split-level brick ranch (main level on right, upper/lower on left) where only the upper level is sided in aluminum. We are badly in need of repainting. Currently white siding on upper level, rest of house is red brick, with black shutters throughout. Is white/black still the best choice when brick is the main feature? I’m thinking the contrast between white and brick means the answer is yes, but was wondering what alternate scheme might work.

    • Maria Killam says:

      White would only work if you had white in the red brick. . . otherwise it would be too stark. I would need to see your house to give you accurate advice on what an alternate scheme would look like. Maria

  • Sherri says:

    Lol I realize your point is traditional rarely is as detestable as an outdated or wrong color but I have been in HATE with the color of our tiny 1100 aware foot home’s siding since we saw it. It is white with white trim. It originally had a light gray roof. In a desperate attempt to spruce it up we changed the roof color to dark green when hail damage allowed us to reroof due to insurance coverage. It helped me tolerate the white siding that I assumed we would be stuck with forever but now that we actually are looking at residing I have no idea how to make the dark green shingles work with anything but white. 🙁 We have a couple years to figure it out but no money in the budget to change the roof to the light greenish grey metal I’d prefer to go along with a slightly darker greenish grey siding with cream trim I love the warm and soothing look. …that I may never have. (I very well may be describing the colors wrong but I have a picture and it’s so pretty.) Oh well, if that’s the worst experience I have in life I have been blessed! 🙂

  • Katey says:

    If I choose to do vinyl,it’ll be white like you’ve suggested

  • Katey says:

    Do I match my window trim to the vinyl or the whites of the window ?

  • ann says:

    Isn’t the reason vinyl siding became so popular is that you wouldn’t have to paint. Our last house had a fiber board siding that started peeling in less than 5 years. I love the low maintenance of vinyl siding.

  • Lisa says:

    39 years ago I had my house sided with 8 inch textured white vinyl siding. Although the siding has held up well it has started to warp in the heat. I am planning on new siding and an improved look on my split level home. I had my roof shingled in a slate blue a few years ago. Now I want new siding and slate blue shingles. I have pondered and gone through different color options for about a week now. Many homes in my area have tan or beige siding. I have thought of that option, however I keep going back to white. My neighbor has fairly new light tan Dutchlap vinyl siding, and in the snow, it looks dirty. I look at my house and I can’t really see it any other color than white. Besides, I really don’t want to go with a color fad. I think white is classic. I will probably stick with my choice of 4 inch white clapboard vinyl instead of the 8 inch that I have now. I love the idea of a red door. I will have to think about that.

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