Choosing a facade colour without regrets afterwards

You never choose a colour on its own, but a colour next to something else. Brick, pointing and roof tiles stay where they are, so they decide what is possible. Red or brown brick asks for something different than orange brick or a light facade. Hold the colour you have in mind next to your facade and see whether the brick becomes warmer or just washed out.

So do not start with a colour fan, but with a photo of your house in daylight. Look at which tone in the brick dominates: yellow, red, purple or grey. A white that clashes with it, or a grey that comes out too blue, you will see again on every facade of the house.

On a card a colour looks flatter and darker than on a whole facade, because large surfaces look lighter. On a north facade every shade looks cooler than on the south side, and in the flat Frisian countryside your house often stands open in full light, without trees or neighbours to temper it. With a lot of water nearby, light also bounces back onto the facade.

That is why a test patch is so much better than a picture. Put the colour on a small area, on the facade that is most in view. Look at it in the morning, in the afternoon and in overcast weather, and give it at least a few days.

You are not obliged to anything, but a building style often has its own logic. These are starting points, not rules:

Most facades look calmer with two colours than with three. Choose a main colour for frames and fascia boards, and an accent for the front door or the windows in one part of the facade. If you really want it to belong to your house, you can take the accent from the brick, the roof or the stained glass.

If you want white, choose a real white: the difference between the shades is bigger than you think, see RAL 9010 or cream white. For dark frames, read what to watch for at anthracite in RAL 7016 and black in RAL 9005. The blue facade in high gloss shows that it can be done differently.

In a terrace, with an owners' association (VvE) or with a listed building, you cannot always decide for yourself what goes on your facade. In an apartment block the colour is often in the association's rules. For a listed building or in a protected village conservation area, the municipality can set requirements, and that can differ per municipality. Ask about that before you order anything.

With a terraced house that has a continuous look it is also handy to have a word with the neighbours. It is not a rule, just easier. More on this is at painting a listed building. If you doubt a rule, the municipality is the best address. We can help think it through, but the permit has to be right before the first coat goes on.

We discuss colours during the site visit, because then we see the real light and the real brick. Still, it helps to send a few things in advance:

• Photos of all facades, in daylight.
• A few examples you like, even if it is another house.
• The current colour, or the code if you still have it.
• Whether an owners' association or listed status is involved.
• What is not allowed: a colour you really cannot stand also helps.

In our reviews customers mention our help in thinking about colours. We do that for you too, on your own facade.

A colour change is more than just a different tin of paint. Going from dark to light can need an extra coat to cover, and going from light to dark makes small flaws more visible. Black and anthracite get hotter in the sun, which puts more strain on the paint and the joints. High gloss also shows flaws sooner than satin.

Those extra coats and hours show in the price. As a national market indication, exterior painting starts from €35 per m2, and an exterior frame from €50 each. At MJA you get a fixed price after the site visit, so a colour choice is included beforehand and does not come as a surprise afterwards.

We work with Sikkens, Sigma and Wijzonol, and agree the colour with you by code, so it can be reordered later. That prevents the next job coming out slightly different from the last. On the house in Langweer it became Cream White with Antique Green, a colour scheme that is right at home on a 1930s house.

Mohamed comes by to discuss colours at the site visit. Call or WhatsApp 06 3006 0558, or request a quote and tell us which colour you have in mind. If you have no idea yet, that is fine too.