That’s some hot paint: an exterior paint question

June 7, 2022 8:44 AM

I have to pick a paint color for the exterior of our house. It’s a boring 1950s rambler with original wood shingle siding (like this). We lost all of our shade trees due to the ash borer, and I’m wondering if choosing a darker paint color will make our house feel noticeably hotter in the summer. Do any Mefites have experience with paint color affecting interior comfort?

Our house is currently a very faded yellow, and it has sage green roof shingles, so we were planning on just going with a less faded yellow (Sherwin Williams Lantern Light). But the Sherwin Williams paint store manager refused to sell me any yellow sample paint, saying that he didn’t recommend any yellows because they all fade and I’ll just be disappointed. So I went to my neighborhood hardware store and got yellow samples, and the test areas I painted look OK but a bit more glowing than I anticipated, and now I’m wondering if I should go in a different direction. My spouse and I aren’t interested in a generic tan/gray/white exterior. If we choose a darker/bolder color, will we have to run the air conditioning more? Any advice on picking a paint color for a 70-year-old wooden house with a greenish roof?

posted by Maarika to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

A darker color will absorb more energy, so this is possible, especially if you have a relatively unshaded western orientation. How impactful this would be is dependent on factors like the current wall insulation and your climate. If you run air conditioning more than six months a year then this is worth being careful about. If you are in a climate that gets colder, know that the nominal extra heat gain will also be useful in the winter.

The key to look for is the LRV (light reflectance value) on the paint color you select. It is worth looking into because the impact (or not) can be visually surprising. Some paints that look significantly darker to you may only be slightly less light reflectance.

All colors tend to look more bold when placed on a large area, and even more so when the sun shines on them - so that is something to keep in mind. I personally like yellows, but they can be nuanced and challenging to find the right color.

As to color fade, I'm surprised to hear that still claimed as an issue, but if it is it has to do with the tint base most likely and other colors with similar looks may use another base (e.g. a slightly redder orange) and not present that concern.
posted by meinvt at 9:02 AM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]

The DOE certainly thinks so. Roof color is more significant than walls, for what it's worth.
posted by ook at 9:03 AM on June 7, 2022 [4 favorites]

The SW guy sounds a bit rude, but he's speaking from experience. If you're in an area that's at least averagely sunny, most yellow in the sun will become a pale faded yellow in a few years.

But all paint fades and breaks down. That's why you're supposed to repaint houses on a regular schedule. If you want yellow, go for it, assuming you can find the quality and quantity you need. Paint supply chains are pretty backed up for a variety of reasons.

On the actual question - yes, it is my lived experience that older, less well insulated homes will have a noticeable difference in how hot they are if they are a very dark color, *if* the walls see a lot of sun.

I expect you will notice a difference in how the house feels, or at least some bump in the energy bill from the AC running more.

I don't have any data to tell you how substantial that may be, sorry.

As for fun colors with a green roof, it depends on the green, but a pastel sky blue could be nice, especially if you do something fun with the trim/front door. Or stick with something a little more bland for the walls, but go wild on the trim. White house, window and door trim pop color 1, eaves/fascia pop color 2, door as you please.
posted by jellywerker at 9:04 AM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]

Pink sounds like a great choice for you! Seriously, if you search for “pink house green roof” you’ll find lots of attractive houses that are a welcoming light rosy color with a lightish green roof. Then you could either go white or dark green for accents. I’m not generally a person who loves pink, but I love that combo.
posted by Night_owl at 9:09 AM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]

You can get the best quality Behr paint at Home Depot, and it's well-regarded. As ook noted, exterior wall color has less effect than the roof, but has an effect. roof color matters a lot, so in warm climates, you want a paler roof.

I pick colors by theme and feeling. To go Southwestern you could use a light terracotta with the sage green roof. I'm particularly fond of blue-ish gray with sage green, kind of New England-ish. If you went with a pale yellow or cream, would you mind terribly if it faded? Aqua or turquoise has a tropical feel that I love. They don't have to be bold; faded versions still have that feeling.
posted by theora55 at 9:57 AM on June 7, 2022

Darker paint fails sooner. My house is yellow; it's fine.
posted by flimflam at 11:38 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]

I went from pale yellow (very pale yellow at the end, due to fading) to dark blue-green, and didn't notice a difference. I think the dark paint is fading faster than the yellow did, though.
posted by HotToddy at 11:45 AM on June 7, 2022

I painted my house dark blue from medium grey and didn't notice a difference, but the weather has also been wild where I live the past few years.

There are paint color consultants who could help you pick a palette if that sounds interesting? I think it runs ~$100-150 and the paint store probably has business cards / recs.
posted by momus_window at 12:33 PM on June 7, 2022

There are paints with with infra-red reflecting pigments, that significantly reduce heat absorption while allowing darker colours, such as Resene's Cool Colours range. This also reduces the stress that dark colours place on the building structure - heat makes things move - this is one of the main reasons architect s specify them.

I do not know if this technology has gone outside of NZ. Oh! it appears the Shepherd Color company has an office in Cincinnati. They may have developed this system but it seems more commonly known outside the US. Shepherd only make pigments afaict, but I'm sure they tell you who they sell to.
posted by unearthed at 12:58 PM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: We painted the house a brighter yellow, which due to a mixup ended up brighter than planned. I’d say we went from an LRV of around 83 to an LRV of 75, and it does get a couple degrees hotter inside in late afternoon sun. I’m kind of looking forward to seeing it fade in the coming years - perhaps it will end up looking like the color I intended to have! I’ll make a better paint decision in 2032.
posted by Maarika at 7:49 AM on July 12, 2022