Paint nation

EXTERIORS:A paint job can transform a house. But don't rush it, says CATHY O'CLERY. There's a lot to think about before putting your mark on the colour chart – civic pride for one

WHEN IT COMES to the colour of our houses, we are a nation of extremes. From the concrete grey, unpainted new-build embedded in a tree-less plot of Tarmacadam to a street of full-on colour in an array of garish hues, we don’t exactly have a unified national colour palette. Where the unpainted can suggest lack of commitment or care, and the up-tempo colours please the tourists, neither necessarily appeals to the majority of Irish homeowners, who just want a nice genteel colour for their house.

Until the mid-20th century, our houses were painted in a reserved palette of whites, creams and buttery yellows – in soft chalky distempers and lime washes. They worked equally well in the verdant eastern counties and the wilder western landscapes. Mixed from dry ingredients, these paints were unstable, needed annual application, and were uneven in colour – part of their charm, some would argue. The use of these paints disappeared with the advent of ready-mixed, longer-lasting commercial paints.

These days where your house is situated can play an important part in choosing a colour. Coastal living generally requires softer palettes in whites, blues and greens because of the misty light reflecting off the sea. Soft yellows and creams work well in leafy suburban and rural areas.

The style of garden can also dictate your choice. If it is overgrown, flowery and romantic, you may wish to choose a pink or lavender, while a city terrace may require a muted colour with a bright splash only appearing on the front door.

The hardest areas to think about in terms of colour are new estates, where the landscape has been brutalised and will remain raw for many years. The weak colour palettes and cheap paints some developers tend to choose can add to the bare look of a new estate. In this instance, textured paints are perhaps more crucial than the colour choice.

CHOOSING PAINT

Whether you live in a housing estate or a terrace, it really pays to complement your neighbours’ houses. Being the only bright yellow house in a terrace of pastels is just going to cheapen the look of your own place. However, you don’t have to choose blue just because the next door house is that colour. Refer instead to the general strength or tonality of their paintwork. Are all your neighbours using bright, strong colours or soft pastel colours, historic colours or fashionable ones? Do they keep the buildings white or neutral and express themselves with lively colours on the doors?

Check out Colortrend's Weather Range of exterior masonry paints which has a comprehensive palette designed specifically for Irish homes. See colortrend.ie

Texture is just as important as colour. This is where many people go wrong. In our flat grey light, generally the softer the finish of paint the better, but this can also be more expensive. Many cheaper paints have a “plastic” element to them – and the thinness of the paint shows even after three coats.

Thin plastic paint makes a building look cold. Glossy finishes can work beautifully on the smooth stucco walls found in many city terraces but can show up all the imperfections on buildings with uneven plasterwork, especially if applied in a dark colour. For both old and new houses, masonry paints with a texture can be the best way to go. Texture adds warmth and looks more inviting. But texture does not necessarily mean rough – try the Sandtex Fine Textured Masonry range (see sandtex.ie).

CHOOSING COLOURS

Don’t make a rush decision by deciding in the neon-lit paint shop on a busy Saturday morning. Take your time and think this through carefully. You and your neighbours are going to be seeing this colour for a long time.

Leaflets and paint charts supplied by paint companies should just be an initial guide. Generally, the smaller the swatch, the darker it looks.

Buy sample pots and paint cards at a minimum A4 size, and with masking tape attach them to walls, or paint directly on to the house in bigger patches. Look at it at various times as morning light is cool and evening light is warm, and the colour will change throughout the day.

Look to the architectural features of your house. Roof tiles, driveways, raw stone or wood panelling are features that cannot be changed without great expense. Choose colours that enhance the unmovable features. Painting a house in a light colour makes it bigger. Going dark makes the features smaller, and dark colours fade more quickly but can look stunning on the right properties – especially brick houses.

Highlighting architectural features with a dramatic change in paint colour can often cheapen the look of a house. If you get it wrong you could ruin the finest asset of the building.

Understated colours are best at enhancing interesting aspects of masonry, and the shadows created by variation in stucco work and moulding will be enough. The more sculptural a building looks, the more elegant.

The Dulux Weather Shield guide has a mouse-painter at duluxweathershield.iewhere you can see how different colours work on architectural details.

Why are heritage paints so expensive? Like a lot of things, the more you pay the better the quality. Cheap paints have more water and less pigment than expensive ones.

The traditional pigments that are worked into heritage ranges such as those by Farrow Ball or Fired Earth are made from natural compounds of minerals, clay and rocks, so there is an organic, impure quality to the finished paint. The more intricate the colour, the more pigment required, which gives the paint intensity and amazing complex undertones that react in a beautiful subtle way to changing light. Standard paints look flat in comparison. Check out farrow-ball.comand firedearth.comfor local suppliers.