Hale Navy : How We Chose Our Exterior Paint Color

Hale Navy : How We Chose Our Exterior Paint Color. We recently made a bold choice and decided to paint the exterior of our home Hale Navy, by Benjamin Moore. Come read some of the lessons I learned about choosing a dark exterior paint color, the best navy paint colors and much more!

Hale Navy : How We Chose Our Exterior Paint Color

Last July a huge hail storm hit our town pretty hard and many houses, including ours needed new paint jobs as a result.  I’m not going to lie, I was secretly excited. I have lived in our home for almost 14 years and it still was the same safe tan color it was when it was first built. It was ready to be changed. The only problem was narrowing down our paint color. This was a bit of a process for us and I am happy to share how we chose our exterior paint color, Hale Navy, in the hopes it might help you out when the time comes to pick a new exterior paint color!

How to Choose An Exterior Paint Color You Will Love

Choosing an exterior paint color for your home can be so hard, right?! Well good news, it doesn’t have to be hard!  Here are a few of the lessons/tips I learned on our exterior paint journey.

• See it in person! Walk or drive around your neighborhood  (or others you love) and see if you are drawn to any color combinations. If you find one you love and it’s safe, and not too weird, ask your neighbors for the exact colors they used. This can save you time! Just remember though, if it’s next door to yours, don’t use the same color!
• Jump on the internet! My number one go to is Pinterest! Do you have a Pinterest account? If not it’s really easy to set one up. It’s a great search engine where you can get very specific in your search and find a ton of pictures that lead to blogs or articles that are very helpful when fining a paint color that speaks to you! I searched “navy blue house exteriors” and it was incredibly helpful for us. But you could search ‘popular paint colors that go with brick’ which is a broader search, but sometimes a good place to start when you have no clue what color combos you like. Be specific in your search and don’t be afraid to add features that your home has to your search. Google is great too, but Pinterest is always my first stop.
• Visit a paint store! Don’t be afraid to go in to an actual paint store and ask for help! While there grab a few cards and actual paint samples to try out. I visited Sherwin Williams and they were so helpful!
• Paint those swatches! Ok, I know this is very common when it comes to picking an exterior paint color. But I think it’s important to note that you should paint swatches on different sides of your house, and to paint them large! Paint colors can look different with different light. So peek at your colors in the morning, in the afternoon and and in the evening. Also, don’t forget to label them so you don’t forget which swatch belongs to which paint color. And go big or go home. Too small of a swatch won’t help your cause.
• Don’t forget the trim! Once you have your large paint swatches up on your home outline them with your trim options. Make sure to butt the two colors up against each other.

  

Should I Paint My Exterior Navy Blue?

So the big question for most people is should I paint my exterior a dark color? We have all heard the reasons not to: don’t go dark it will fade. Or how about, dark exteriors are so trendy! I had these concerns too. Another concern I had was a few of the blue house I had seen in my neighborhood had a shiny appearance. I definitely didn’t want that. So what did I do?

I used painters I could trust and talk to! We chose to use Shade Brothers painting here in Northern Colorado. We used them for our interior painting awhile back and they did an amazing job. So, I posed all of these questions to them and was very happy to get them all answered!

Will a dark house paint fade? I was informed that paint has come a long way. These days paint comes with up to 15 years worth of protection without having to pay for upgraded paint. There is the option to upgrade to a higher paint grade and have your paint last for up to 20-30 years! Amazing, right? I  didn’t think it was possible to love paint more!

What sheen should I us for a dark exterior paint that won’t make it shiny? I was adamant that I didn’t want our exterior paint to look “shiny”. So I thought that meant I should have them use an eggshell finish. Our painters assured me that I didn’t want an eggshell finish, but rather a satin finish. This would give me the look I desired as well as the durability. They were right. Our house isn’t shiny and I am so happy!

Is painting your house a dark color trendy? Ok, so this question is not really a specific question for your painters but rather yourself. I say, do what you love and if your taste changes (which it probably will) you can always paint it another color. It just might have to be in 15 years later!

The Best Navy Blue Paint Colors for Exteriors

Let me just tell you, I now feel like a navy blue paint color expert! I went to several paint stores and gathered up all different brands of navy blue paint options, scoured Pinterest and many neighborhoods. After all of this I narrowed it down to these five which I feel are all equally beautiful.

1. Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore
2. Naval by Sherwin Williams
3. Anchors Aweigh by Sherwin Williams
4. In The Navy by Sherwin Williams
5. Old Navy by Benjamin Moore

After painting multiple swatches on our home we decided that Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore and Albaster by Sherwin Williams was the winning combo. We are in love. It works perfectly with our dark gray roof and the brick on our home too.

We Went With A Dark Exterior and We Love It

At the end of the day how we chose our exterior paint color came down to many different factors. Each factor playing its role and leading us to be happy and confident with our color choice, Hale Navy. The change is dramatic and brings out all of the details of our home that I didn’t even know were hiding.

Paint is magical. It’s even more magical when you are willing to take a risk and follow your heart. Let’s take one more peek at the before and the after. Just because I am still in shock of how drastic the change is.

If you like blue and white décor then you will LOVE these Amazon finds! 

and…

Hale Navy : How We Chose Our Exterior Paint Color

Thanks for stopping by our newly updated exterior of our home. Now I just need to decide what to do with our front door. Should I paint it turquoise, stain it to look like wood, or just replace it? What’s your vote? I would love to know what you think! UPDATE: I replaced it! Come see the new front door that I am in love with!!!

XOXO,

Kelly

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