How to Choose Exterior Paint Colors for Your Tennessee Home

To choose exterior paint colors that last in style and in weather, start with what you cannot change: the brick, stone and roof. Then check any HOA rules, build a body, trim and accent scheme, and test real samples on the house in morning and afternoon light before you buy.

An exterior color scheme is the set of paint colors for the body, trim and accents of a house, chosen to suit its fixed materials, its setting and its light.

Rules come first for a lot of homeowners. The Foundation for Community Association Research estimates there are 373,000 community associations in the U.S. with 78.1 million residents, and that more than one third (35.2%) of U.S. housing sits in one. Many associations publish approved palettes or require sign off before a repaint, so get that list before you fall for a color.

The rest of this guide follows the same order a good painter uses: fixed features, light and LRV, climate, the color split, and testing.

Your roof, brick, stone and any unpainted trim should set the palette, because they will outlast several paint jobs. Pick paint to suit them, not the other way round.

Brick is common on homes across the Memphis area, and it carries strong undertones. Warm red, orange or brown brick usually pairs best with warm whites, creams, taupes and soft greens, while cool gray siding next to it can look flat or pink. Gray or black roofs suit crisper whites, grays and blues; brown roofs lean warm. The easiest way to choose exterior paint colors that look intentional is to borrow from what is already there: pull a body or trim color from the mortar, a fleck in the stone or the roof shingles.

The roof is also the biggest single block of color on most houses, and it lives in harsh sun. The EPA notes that on a warm day, conventional roofing materials may reach as much as 66°F warmer than the surrounding air. Hold your samples up against the roof in full sun, not just in the shade of the porch, so you see the pairing the way the street will.

Gutters, windows, garage doors and stone accents count as fixed features too if you are not replacing them. If your project includes painted brick or new siding colors, our exterior painting service page explains how we approach brick, siding and trim.

LRV, or light reflectance value, rates how much visible light a color reflects on a scale from 0 (black) to 100 (white). Higher numbers look lighter, and lower numbers look darker and soak up more of the sun’s heat.

Paint makers print LRV on their color pages, so you can compare shades with numbers instead of guesswork. For example, Benjamin Moore lists its white Chantilly Lace (OC-65) at an LRV of 90.04, which tells you it will read very bright on a sunny wall.

LRV matters most on vinyl siding. Sherwin-Williams’ Emerald Exterior data sheet warns against painting vinyl darker than its original color or below an LRV of 56 unless you use its VinylSafe colors, and Benjamin Moore’s Aura Exterior data sheet sets the line at 57 unless the color is in its approved Colors for Vinyl palette. Benjamin Moore explains that a darker color “will absorb more heat, possibly causing the siding to warp.”

Checking LRV is one of the fastest ways to choose exterior paint colors that will not look washed out or too heavy once they cover a whole wall. If you love a deep body color, ask first whether your siding can take it, and look at LRV before you look at paint chips.

Strong summer sun washes out pale colors at midday, and humid, shaded walls can grow mildew that shows on any color. Choose colors in the light you actually live with, and choose paint built for moisture.

Moisture is constant here. Memphis averages 80% relative humidity in the early morning and 53% in mid afternoon across the year, based on 1961 to 1990 averages compiled by Current Results. North facing and tree shaded walls stay damp the longest, which is where mildew tends to start.

Paint chemistry helps. Sherwin-Williams says its Emerald Exterior “contains agents which inhibit the growth of mildew on the surface of this coating film,” and Benjamin Moore lists excellent fade resistance and Color Lock Technology for Aura Exterior. Our side by side comparison of Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore for Tennessee humidity covers what each maker publishes.

Very dark colors can also show fading and chalking sooner on sunny elevations, so plan on more frequent touch ups for a bold front door than for a mid tone body. For timing and lifespan, see how long exterior paint lasts in Memphis.

Most houses look balanced with three colors: one for the body, one for the trim and one accent. Use the 60/30/10 rule below to keep the proportions right.

The split also shapes your paint order. Sherwin-Williams lists Emerald Exterior satin at 250 to 300 square feet per gallon and Benjamin Moore lists Aura satin at 250 to 350 square feet per gallon, so the body color takes most of the gallons while an accent often needs only one.

A common approach, whether your home is in Bartlett or Arlington, is to keep the body and trim traditional and let the front door carry the bold color.

Paint large samples on the house itself, on more than one side, and look at them at different times of day over two or three days. Small chips held indoors will mislead you. Testing is the step people skip most often when they choose exterior paint colors, and it is the one that prevents the most regret.

Samples dry quickly. Sherwin-Williams lists Emerald Exterior at 1 hour to touch above 45°F, and Benjamin Moore lists Aura at 1 hour to touch at 77°F, so you can judge a swatch the same day you paint it. Wipe off or paint over test patches you reject so they do not ghost through the final coats.

If you are still deciding on a direction, our roundup of popular paint colors for Germantown homes is a good starting point.

Middleton Painting has painted homes across Memphis and Shelby County since 2009. We work with Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore, so you can pick from either brand’s color collections, and we can talk through your shortlist while we look at your brick, roof and siding during a free written estimate.

We are licensed and insured in Tennessee, hold a 5.0 star rating from more than 150 Google reviews, and back every project with a 5 year workmanship warranty. We paint homes throughout the area, including Collierville and Germantown, and we reply to every estimate request within one business day.

Timing matters as much as color in this climate, so we will also help you plan the work for the right season. Our guide to the best time of year for exterior painting in Tennessee explains why.

Once you choose exterior paint colors you are happy with in real light, write down the exact names and codes for body, trim and accent, and confirm them with your HOA if you have one. Then you are ready to price the job.

Request a free written estimate or call (901) 352-0202, and bring your shortlist. We will look at it with you on site.