Good exterior paint (and colour) for side of house

[Tototipple]

Hello! The side of our house is rendered (the rest is stone) and looking v grubby. It’s also a very ‘yellow’ colour which I really don’t like!

I don’t know how to go about choosing external paint (what types are good etc) or how to work out what colour it should be! (Other than a neutral of some sort)

Any pointers appreciated!

Hi OP

Are you planning on painting the side of your house yourself, or will you get a professional?

I'd definitely recommend the latter, and get a few round to discuss the job.

My house has a very large gable-end which faces full west (so lots of afternoon sun). The tradesmen I chose were great - they got a range of sample colours I liked, painted up 1m sq boards and fitted them temporarily to the side of my house. I was able to look at the colours at different times of day and in different weather conditions to help me make up my mind (I'm so greatful - the one I thought I wanted looked terribly dingy when it was wet).

I also preferred the look of textured paint rather than smooth.

The tradesmen were also able to get a great price from a local paint merchant who mix colours/finishes to order. It was less than half the cost than buying the best-known equivalent exterior paint.

It still looks great three years later, even though I do say so myself!

If you're doing the work yourself, preparation is crucial. There are lots of DIY guides available on YouTube.

Good luck!

Please don’t pick grey. I see beautiful old houses that have been ‘modernised’ with matte grey and it looks awful.

I belong in a house group on Facebook and they have photos and lots of great advice for colours and which brands and retailers are good!

facebook.com/groups/300056586848218?group_view_referrer=search

Many thanks! I was going to get a professional in, but I think he expects me to of chosen the paint/ colour (I’ll call him to find out). Using boards is a great idea - I use large bits of paper with colours on inside, but hadn’t thought of doing that outside. Yes it’s a large gable end.

Where did you get samples from? Thank you

Sandtex Masonry Paint is the brand most decorators brand know use

Dulux Trade do exterior paint and they can do a colour matching service.
(We need to do ours and I'm considering pale blue render with a navy blue garage door and front door. I'm a regular visitor to Tobermory (aka Balamory) and love how brightly coloured the houses are. It also seems to be a growing trend around the harbourside in Bristol).

Sandtex here, in lavender blue.

Always paint it myself.

Thank you! I’ll see if I can get some sandtex samples …. Chalk hill and sandblast look good. As does french grey as a wildcard :)

@Galassia I joined that group. It could be dangerous and expensive 😂

We used dulux weather-shield (in the gold tub) in gardenia. Lovely bright pale cream. Didn't want grey or white so was a nice substitute. It's the same paint as the dulux trade version apparently. We pinged it ourselves but it's a terrace. I find it's fab paint, used it over the past few years in our garden on flaky walls and it stays put. I would say to double check, I think render needs to be painted with paint that contains latex? Something rings a bell