Help! Exterior paint and trim color with white vinyl windows

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

Hi everyone,

I have a two-story box of a house with a simple gabled roofline. We are in the process of priming the house in preparation for paint but we have not settled on colors! It can sit primed for a time, but we would like to paint the house before we put our new roof metal on in January.

Our windows are white vinyl and our roof is "weathered copper" which is actually just a brown color.

like this, but looks lighter in real life.

We both seem to be drawn to gray-greens or blue-greens. Then there is the trim.

My husband wants to trim that matches the roof, brown. That idea makes me cringe and I feel like we should go with more of a cream color. But with the white windows? I don't really like the white-matched trim photos that I see online either. So can I do a cream trim with white windows?

Any advice on picking colors to go with white vinyl windows and a brown roof?

The color here is one we are considering but not set on. It is darker in real life. Carolina Gull BM

And another color option.

Of course, both of these colors look different in real life. They present lighter on the screen, at least on my end The second one actually has more gray in it than it shows here.

Of course, both of these colors look different in real life. They present lighter on the screen, at least on my end The second one actually has more gray in it than it shows here.

Featured Answer

kandrewspa

2 years ago

I'm having a hard time imagining either brown or cream trim. Brown absolutely not (matching trim to the roof color is not a thing), and I think if you put cream next to the white it will just look dirty. Can you take some time to look at pictures on Houzz and try to find examples of schemes you like? Once you have an example, you can show it to someone at the paint store and they can help you get there.

Comments (19)

cat_ky
2 years ago
Please post a picture of the house
Caryn Fisher thanked cat_ky
Caryn Fisher
Original Author
2 years ago
I added a photo to my OP.

There has been more work done since this was taken, like siding. Unfortunately, we have to go with T1-11 siding for now. Eventually, we want to stucco, but T1-11 is it until a later date.

We have not done the trim yet. Waiting until we pain the siding and then add the trim. We are doing all of the work ourselves.

At some point, we are going to add a room to the side facing us and a wrap-around porch to break the boxy feel.

Right now, the focus is paint.
Related Discussions
What white interior trim color for my white vinyl windows++
Q
Comments (4)
Did you mean BM white dove?? I am not sure I know the color white down, but if it IS White Dove. I think the difference will be insignificant if you use it but will have a warmer look depending on the lighting. I have White dove everywhere and my kitchen cabinets, in fact, are a stark white. I would never try to match the white, IMO I would always go a bit creamier or softer. I tell people that white dove is like a white with the 'bite' taken out of it and does not look yellow to me at all, just soft. In my darkest rooms, however, it does look a little more to the putty gray side in certain lights, nonetheless, still a white.Good luck
...See More
New vinyl windows...try to match trim color or just do white?
Q
Comments (4)
JudyG Designs, I had planned on adding trim around the windows but now, after looking at that picture again, I may not. The first row of siding is actually a PVC starter board so it'd have to be notched to put trim below all the horizontal sliders. And there isn't a lot of room around the bay windows for trim. I guess I'm indifferent on the trim. What's your opinion?
...See More
Cream vinyl windows - can I paint the inside trim/walls white?
Q
Comments (1)
Take the hevy blinds off the windows then at least the natural light can come in As for the trim I think you should be able to paint the inside white with the proper paint then do your walls a white that works with the carpet and your counter .Are you planning on replacing the carpet , IMO that would be the best choice to start moving away from all the beige .I would suggest you change all the bulbs to LRD 4000K that will mimic daylight and make all the choices easier too/
...See More
Paint and window trim colors with white vinyl windows.
Q
Comments (5)
Are you referring to trim around the windows? Do you still have original wide solid wood trim? Just match the white of the vinyl - if you can take a sash to the paint shop that will help them get you as close a match as possible. Whites are all maddeningly different - hard for us to recommend anything. Keeping trim same as window sash helps the new vinyl blend in and be less noticeable... Then get a slightly darker, richer white for the walls (if that's what you want)
...See More
Caryn Fisher
Original Author
2 years ago
I added a possible exterior paint overlay in the photo. The real color is darker than on the screen. Any thoughts on trim color with a color like this? Darker or lighter?
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
2 years ago
I think you still want to stain the plywood not paint it. Even if you use a solid body stain rather than transparent. Are you going to have a continuous seam around the house because of the plywood? If so you might want to consider a two tone color scheme.
Caryn Fisher thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
Caryn Fisher
Original Author
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Thank you for your comment.

We now have a ledger plate about one foot down from the top windows on the two faces that are shown in the photo. We did the ledger plate in order to add the porch when we get to it. that way we don't have to go back and do it later. That being said, I don't think we would be able to pull off the two-toned look with "rule of thirds". Meaning 2/3 one color and 1/3 another.
HU-187528210
2 years ago
I think a darker color may work better. I like the suggestion for black ...
otherwise maybe a deeper green.
Caryn Fisher thanked HU-187528210
Caryn Fisher
Original Author
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Thanks for the suggestion. I will give that a try. I have been looking quite a lot at colors online, but it is very hard to find any houses like this one to give me a real idea. At this point, I am feeling a little frustrated that we decided on white for our windows. But we got a deal on them.

And thanks for the validation about the trim and roof color. I'll be sure to pass that along to my husband. ;-)
Sigrid
2 years ago
One option for trim is a color signficantly darker than the siding. The paint you chose for your siding is a formula of colors, which the paint store can tell you. It probably includes some dark pigments, so you can increase those pigments and see if you like the color. Equally, it probably includes some yellow pigments. You can increase those and get a yellow/tan color.

Colors made of the same pigments go well together. If you want to choose an existing trim color, ask for the pigments and choose the yellow/tan/whatver that is made from one or more of the same pigments in your siding color.
Caryn Fisher thanked Sigrid
Caryn Fisher
Original Author
2 years ago
HU-187528210, Thank you,

I updated my post with another color we have been looking at. It is darker. And in real life has more gray.
Caryn Fisher
Original Author
2 years ago
Sigrid,

Thank you for that tip. I will definitely start experimenting with colors with the same pigments on the computer program.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
2 years ago
Cut the house visually in half makes things more interesting IMO
Caryn Fisher thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
HU-187528210
2 years ago
Would you do something like this?

The paint, when in the can should probably look almost black...
I think in your setting it would look LOVELY
Caryn Fisher thanked HU-187528210
Caryn Fisher
Original Author
2 years ago
HU-187528210,

I'm not sure that we would go that dark, although the ones you posted are lovely. I do like the contrast.

Thank you,
Caryn Fisher
Original Author
2 years ago
BeverlyFLADeziner,

I had been exploring doing two colors early on but was having a hard time visualizing where we would draw the line. The barge rafters are a little higher than where you marked the photo, but might still work. Once we add our concrete porch it would put the color split at about half and half.

Thank you for the suggestion and for giving me a visual representation of what you meant. It really helps.
PRO
Beth H. :
2 years ago
in the gable portion, could you do a cedar shake or board/batten like this gable?

similar color metal roof. too bad you don't have bronze windows. the bronze/rust wood tones look nice

I wouldn't use a dark trim right next to the dark roof. it will disappear. use a light shade of the copper green color, or try this Butterfield.
Caryn Fisher thanked Beth H. :
Caryn Fisher
Original Author
2 years ago
Hi Beth,

I do like shakes on the gable end of some of the houses around here. Our pitch is very low, and I wonder if it would look funny with such a small section having shakes. At this point, we are sticking with the t1-11 until in a few years we can stucco. By that time, the house will have another room off the lower floor and also a porch, so it will look like a totally different house.

Thank you so much for the color palettes!
PRO
Beth H. :
2 years ago
If you did the two tone like Beverly suggested, I think the shake gable would be proportionate. All one solid color seems like it's going to make the gable look small, regardless. You could also do some horizontal composite wood planks.
Caryn Fisher thanked Beth H. :
Caryn Fisher
Original Author
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I agree that shakes on the gable end would look proportionate with a two-tone. Thanks, Beth!