- Exterior paint fades due to UV exposure from the sun; choosing colors that weather well prevents drastic changes.
- Bright reds and dark blues fade unevenly or quickly, making them less durable for outdoor use.
- Softer shades like sage, clay, and buttermilk age gracefully and maintain their appeal over time.
- Choosing an exterior paint color is about more than just choosing a color you enjoy; it’s about what ages well, too, especially when exposed to UV rays.
“Every color fades outside eventually,” says designer Samantha- Jane Agbontaen. “You ideally want it to fade gracefully rather than completely change the color.”
While a certain shade may have caught your eye, understanding how it fades is important. Here are four paint colors to avoid, and several alternatives that balance design sense with functionality.
1.) Bright Red
Bold red hues are enticing paint colors if you like vibrant exteriors or enjoy farmhouse design. They also look nice on front doors for a bright statement. However, when it comes to paint colors that fade quickly in the sun, red is one of the worst options.
“Red pigment breaks down fastest in UV, so a strong red is likely to go pink within a couple of years,” Agbontaen says. “Maybe go deeper with a burgundy or oxblood that holds up much better because it starts closer to where red ends up [with extended sun exposure].”
2.) Navy Blue
Navy is a classic shade that feels elegant and refined. It can add a bold stylistic statement to a room, but on exterior siding it brings the wrong kind of drama by aging poorly.
“Dark blues absorb a lot of heat, and they fade patchy rather than evenly, so the sunny side of the house goes chalky while the shaded side stays dark,” Agbontaen says.
For safer alternatives, she suggests slate or gray-blue, which weathers more evenly and looks just as polished as its darker counterpart.
3.) Green
Not every shade of green will fade poorly. Here, the problem lies within the undertones.
“Greens rely on yellow pigment, and when the yellow drops out, the green shifts to a blue-gray,” Agbontaen says. “Sage and olive are the safer greens; they also soften with age.”
4.) Black and Dark Charcoal
There’s no doubt that a black house is eye-catching. But for as beautiful as they are, black and charcoal aren’t cut out for constant sun exposure.
“Black and very dark charcoal look dramatic on day one, but dark colors absorb the most heat,” Agbontaen says. “It chalks and fades and just looks gray and tired.” Source