Choosing an exterior white paint - any suggestions?

[hannah]

Hi all,

We are currently renovating our 1960s brick home. We are situated pretty close to the beach so we are going for a coastal / Swedish vibe. 

Our plan is to paint the exterior brick white. Trims will also be white (thinking a brighter white for some contrast), roof will be zinc and garage door will be colorbond surfmist. We will also have timber accents, including the front door (vic ash) and a deck at the entrance. 

We have tested the following shades - vivid white, terrace white and lexicon. At this stage we are thinking terrace white for the walls and vivid white for trims. 

We are conscious of using too many whites or choosing a white shade that may appear dirty. Another idea is to paint the house surfmist to match the garage door?

Any tips, suggest white combos or thoughts?  

Thanks in advance!

[Jason]

Great project @hannah. Good luck with the colour selection.

I have tagged the @2Belindas for you as they have shared a few renovation projects of beachside cottages and I'm sure would be able to share some advice.

Jason

[2Belindas]

Hi @Jason and @hannah

I totally understand your dilemma. Choosing the right colour white can be a painful experience.  When I was reading your post, I was wondering why you hadn't considered Surfmist, until I read the last paragraph lol.

Some whites will pull a grey tone, some will be so stark your neighbours will hate the constant glow, and some will give a yellow/cream tinge and I know that you don't want that.

So my suggestion would be to go with Surfmist, just as you concluded in your last sentence and use your whiter white under the eaves etc.  You are on the right track.  It is a safe option.

Surfmist was designed to look white, without being stark and too bright in the sun.  And your garage door in Surfmist would be a seamless match.  Some people think that Surfmist looks 'dirty' in contrast to your walls....lots of people will offer so many opinions, you end up not being able to make a decision (we've all been there too!)

I've never sampled it, but you could always try Surmist tinted in half strength first...let us know how you go.  

Good luck.  Happy painting and I look forward to the 'after' photos on Workshop.

Cheers

Belinda S

[ProjectPete]

I'm a big fan of Lexicon Quarter as a white option. My entire interior is painted this white and my new house prob will be too. But I'm no designer or paint expert.

[hannah]

Thanks @2Belindas & @ProjectPete! Surfmist seems to be a top choice. I will be grabbing a sample today and let you know how I go. I never thought choosing a white would be so hard! Thanks again

[2Belindas]

Ha yes! @hannah And choosing the right Grey is just as difficult.  It can be so painful and sometimes our 'other halves/better halves'  just don't understand our anguish  

Add your sample of Surfmist half to your wall alongside the others and then you will know for sure.

[Jason]

Hi @hannah,

Just wondering if you've had a chance to grab a sample pot and make a verdict on the colour?

Hope all is well.

Jason

[Gina]

Hi Hannah, have you painted the exterior of your house yet? I like the 2nd paint swatch you did. An important tip when picking exterior paint that sometimes people don't know is that it's better to go with a 'warm' shade rather than a 'cool' tone as cool paint colours on the exterior of your house can make it appear more blue. My house is contemporary so I went with cool whites inside ('Greyology 2' from Haymes) but on the outside I went with a warm white ('Marble mist' from Haymes) as when the sun reflects against paint, it totally changes the colour. You might also find these tips on selecting the right paint colour useful... particularly if you're about to tackle the interior too https://stylecurator.com.au/before-and-after-bedroom-painted/

[Henno]

Hi Hannah, sorry to weigh in on this at such late notice, but we have a place at Culburra and we used Surf Mist all over the place after bagging and painting the old red brick house (similar to yours). Ours is only a stone's throw from the beach, so the accents we used were a colour called Deep Ocean and I built this little outdoor shower for my daughter using leftovers from signage from her wedding we had at the house. We felt that the Surf Mist was just the colour for the job and that Deep Ocean leant that "beachy" feel to the place. As you can see the old garage was bagged in Surf Mist and we painted the doors in the same colour.

[isobelrm]

Hi @hannah 

I am currently deliberating on a very similar exterior white conundrum (beachside 60s home). Did you end up with Surfmist and Vivid white trims?

Would love to see a photo/hear what you ended up with?

Thanks