Many business and building owners struggle when choosing colors for the outside of their buildings. Color schemes and choices for commercial or business buildings are different than homes. You’re not just choosing for your family members and yourself, you are selecting colors that will affect many people as they go in and out of your building.
The choice you make depends on what will meet the needs of your business. To help you zero in on the best color palette choices for your business, we’ve put together some factors to consider when looking at colors for your next project.
Your Surroundings
Take a look at the outside of your building and its surroundings, specifically the size of your lot. If your lot is small and your building is large, using a deeper exterior color may give a more harmonious proportion to the overall space. The key is to balance the lot-to-building space you have.
Next, take a look at your landscaping. If there are vibrant colors year-round outside, you may want to find a neutral or complementary color that will look good with the flowers and the changing leaves.
Lastly, look at the other buildings nearby. Choosing a color that stands out, but also complements other buildings will be beneficial because it draws the eye to your business without going over the top. Consider the colors and appearance of your parking lot, driveway, signage, and walkway as these colors can also play into what colors to paint your building.
The Size of Your Building
The size of your building can also factor into your color choice for your commercial business. Neutral color schemes typically are the best choice for larger buildings. This helps draw the eye to your building and its surroundings without being overwhelming. If you are interested in bringing some color to your larger building’s exterior, you will want to focus on finding other ways of tying color in (i.e. landscape, trim, etc.).
You have more flexibility with regard to your color choices with either a smaller building or a storefront-only building. For example, if you love pink and want to have your cupcake storefront painted a pink icing color, it will stand out, but still be appropriate. Whereas, if you have a large building, icing pink may not be the best color choice.
If your building’s exterior is mostly windows and the trim in between the windows, you also have a lot of flexibility with respect to color choice. If you choose the trim color to be, for example, a bright red or purple color, it may look nice. On the other hand, if you paint an entire building that same bright red or purple color, it may be overwhelming to your visitors.
Your Commercial Business’s Branding
There are other benefits of choosing neutral colors besides the building size consideration. Colors like gray or beige will help your signage, logo, and graphics stand out and be more easily seen. Drawing attention to your business’s branding provides potential benefits, such as increased walk-in traffic, a touchpoint as someone passes and sees your building, and new customers who see your business for the first time.
If your business’s branding has many bright colors, choosing one of those may be more effective than a neutral color. It will be more recognizable to your clients and customers since it is already in your branding. If you aren’t sure you want to go with a bold color for your entire exterior, try using it on exterior accent doors, trim, or other small parts. By using your building as a canvas, you can display your branding easily and effectively.
The Architectural Style of Your Building
Another factor to keep in mind is the architectural style of your building and what materials were used on its exterior. What your building is made of will determine what type of paint your painting contractor can use, as well as what colors will naturally look better. For example, a wood or fiber-cement siding will typically need a latex paint specially formulated for those surfaces. Whereas brick or stucco will also need a specially formulated acrylic-latex paint.
In both cases, your painting contractor should know which paint to use, as well as the compatibility with the materials and existing finishes.
Various materials absorb paint colors differently. For example, wood siding will hold any previous color or stain longer because wood is a porous material. A new paint color will sit and show differently on wood vs cement vs metal.
It is important to note that if your building is located in one of the historic districts in Houston you’ll need to follow the guidelines set for your district. This means potentially seeking approval from the Planning and Development Department before making any alterations.
What You Want Your Building to Communicate to Your Potential Clients
Picturing your building as a reflection of you and your work, then using color and finish to represent your business, can change how it is seen by others. Let the vision behind what you want your business to convey, coupled with the purpose of your building, lead the way in your color choices.
We have several years of experience working with commercial clients, choosing and painting the best colors for their building, both interior paint colors and exterior paint colors. Because your selection of colors is so important to your unique business, at Streamline Painting and More, we take time to understand your company’s size, space, personality, and other characteristics to help you determine the colors you’ll enjoy and benefit from for many years to come.
We look forward to working with you and your business to complete your next commercial painting project. Reach out for a free interior or exterior painting estimate.
