Here's a taste of some of the Colour Expert questions and answers to help you with your own colour scheme.
If you would like more colour advice for your project, please ask our Colour Expert for help or come in and see our staff at your local Resene ColorShop or Reseller. Colours are a representation only.
Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.
Q. What paint colours will be popular for walls in the coming year? Are neutrals still the hero or are homeowners becoming braver in their colour choices? A. We're seeing more decorators use light dusty and weathered hues in place of neutrals – so hues like Resene Half Duck Egg Blue where they might have used a neutral before. These new hues have a touch of colour to them but easily work in place of a more neutral colour. For many homeowners all white walls can be a little glary and harder to keep clean. A slightly darker hue with more depth to it is easy on the eyes and feels more restful and cocooning. Lightly tinted colours also play off other elements in the room as the light changes. Weathered blues, weathered and organic greens, earthy neutrals, soft and dusky corals and peach are all popular – almost the colours you could pluck out of a garden on an overcast day. While neutrals are still the key base, homeowners are being more adventurous in how and where they add colour. Less bound by where the walls start and finish, a feature wall is often now two feature walls side by side, or a panel of colour on part of a wall or that crosses from one wall to the next. Furniture is a popular way to bring colour to a space with a contrasting colour – either rustic looking with finishes like Karen Walker Chalk Colour or bright and poppy with a bolder hue in Resene Enamacryl gloss. Homeowners are introducing more visual texture to their homes and an artisan vibe. Stencilling, overbrushing, whitewashing and more. The new look is 'flawsome' – where the unique elements are celebrated rather than aiming for perfection. The natural wood grain of timber is enhanced with whitewash and stained finishes. December 2020 |
Q. We are painting the exterior of our weatherboard 1950s house. The leading contender is Resene Casper for the weatherboards and we want some advice about what colour we should paint the concrete base of the house. We are looking for a deeper or darker colour than Resene Casper to create a bit of contrast, but we want the weatherboards (in Resene Casper) to be the feature so we don’t want a colour that will compete or be too dramatic. Our roof colour is New Denim Blue, but it is a flat roof and is not very visible so it doesn't play a big part in the colour scheme. A. You might check out the following colours to see if they appeal to you and do well with Resene Casper – try Resene Clouded Blue, Resene Regent Grey, Resene Quarter New Denim Blue or Resene Half New Denim Blue (these last two may appear bluer and could make Resene Casper look aqua toned by comparison) or a deeper colour – Resene Balderdash (this will attract attention). Or you could paint the concrete base a white colour (like the windows etc) so there is no competing colour or the same as your weatherboards so there is nothing else to see but Resene Casper. December 2020 |
Q. We are looking to paint the exterior of our house (1900s wooden villa). Originally, we were keen on a shade of olive green, but we thought our roof was a dark grey but it actually turns out to be New Denim Blue. Are there any shades of green that you think can work with a New Denim Blue roof or are we best to stick with neutrals/blues/greys? A. These mid toned warm olives may appeal to you – they work well with the New Denim Blue – Resene Half Grey Olive, Resene Bubble N Squeak, Resene Eagle, Resene Bitter or Resene Kelp. Other colours that may appeal to you – Resene Double Rice Cake (and lighter variants), Resene Half Napa, Resene Surrender or Resene Grey Chateau. December 2020 |
Q. I'd like to paint my bathroom in either Mexican (Frida Kahlo) or Cinque Terre colours -- teal, yellow, red, orange, lime. Can you suggest a palette of pastels and a palette of bright/jewel tones please? A. The following colours may offer you inspiration – Resene Blue Lagoon, Resene Buttercup, Resene Jalapeno, Resene Ecstasy and Resene Lima. Or for the second palette, Resene Blue Chill, Resene Bardot, Resene Mexican Red, Resene Consuela or Resene Hypnotic. December 2020 |
Q. We are painting our walls Resene Green Spring. There is a strip of white above a divider about two thirds up the wall. it doesn't look great with ceiling white. Which white would you recommend to go with Resene Green Spring? A. A 'coloured' white that may work with Resene Green Spring could be this colour – Resene Green White or lighter but more of a definite colour – Resene Celeste or Resene Half Secrets. December 2020 |
Q. We are planning to paint the exterior of our villa Resene Half Secrets. What are the complementary Resene colours for the exterior of the window/door frames? A. The following colours are worth checking out – try whites Resene Eighth Black White or Resene Eighth Rice Cake, or contrast colours Resene Ravine, Resene Ivanhoe, Resene Mangrove or Resene Persian Red. December 2020 |
Q. I have painted my two daughter’s bedrooms in Resene White Pointer. I was planning on painting the hallway outside Resene Half Sea Fog. Would this work? Would it be warmer than Resene Half White Pointer? A. Hallways are often tricky. They are not very often blessed with windows and lots of lovely bright/warm light. Plus all colours in an interior have the potential to double in depth. I would expect Resene Half Sea Fog to look lighter/whiter than Resene Half White Pointer. Possibly not warmer though. Warmer colours usually have yellow or red undertones. December 2020 |
Q. I would like colour ideas that suit Matt Titania aluminium for the facings around the windows on our interiors. We are using Gull Grey on the roof and Resene Half Ash on the exterior which will go on all cladding. We want to know if Resene Half Ash would suit matt Titania or Warm White Pearl aluminium as we want it to blend well with the exterior colour. A. Resene Half Ash will work well with the Titania window joinery. They are remarkably similar. Resene Half Ash is slightly more toned up than Titania. It works well with Warm White Pearl as well. There is slightly more contrast between them but again – it is very harmonious. December 2020 |
Q. I need a black stain for a wooden boundary fence. The neighbour's side is black already. A. There are two black stains that you might look at – Resene Woodsman Pitch Black or Resene Woodsman Shadow Match. December 2020 |
Q. Could you please advise on which colour to paint our house so it can look a little more modern? The roof and spouting will be Ironsand. The aluminium is brown. The house is stucco and currently painted white. Advice for a colour for the windowsills would also be appreciated. A. The following are some options for your house for you to consider – Resene Thorndon Cream, Resene Triple Merino, Resene Quarter Craigieburn or Resene Half Arrowtown. The windowsills might be a deeper variant of the roof colour – Resene Dark Web or a lighter variant of the roof colour – Resene Quarter Ironsand. Alternatively if you have a painted wooden entry door you might choose a rich colour, such as Resene Dynamite, for that and use it on the windowsills as well. Resene Dark Web December 2020 |
Q. I have used the Resene Waterborne Woodsman stain in Resene-Sheer Black on my fencing/ trellis and I have some areas of my house and also my metal garden shed that I would like to paint in as close match as possible to the Resene Sheer Black. A. One of the following colours may appeal to you. They are not matching exactly to the stain colour. Paint colours are heavier and deeper in tone as they block out what they are covering and stain colours are much more 'see through' so they appear lighter. Try Resene Half Bokara Grey, Resene Monkey, Resene Kilamanjaro or Resene Nocturnal. December 2020 |
Q. I am looking for a wall colour to go behind olive trees. I like a whitewashed paint look. A. If you have a concrete or plastered fence you might use Resene AquaShield tinted to Resene Merino or (paler) Resene Half Merino or Resene Triple Black White. This product is a hydrophobic chalky/mineral type of coating that gives you a look that is like old Mediterranean whitewashed plaster. December 2020 |
Q. I need advice on a colour to repaint our rural fence and trellis. They have been painted black before. The house colour is Resene Half Grey Chateau, sills are Resene Quarter Black White and the doors are Resene Grey Friars. I think the fence still needs to be darker than Resene Grey Friars but not as harsh as black. A. You might check out the following colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Porter, Resene Double Cod Grey or Resene Foundry. Resene Porter December 2020 |
Q. I am painting the roof of my house Resene Grey Friars and the house Resene Surrender. We would like to paint our eaves, outside beams and picket fence white. What colour white would you suggest to go with these house colours? A. I recommend you check out these whites – Resene Poured Milk or Resene Half Black White. December 2020 |
Q. I have a COLORBOND® Woodland Grey steel roof and carport with window awnings, houose base and decking in Woodland Grey. Windows and trimmings are white. Can you suggest a colour for my exterior Weathertex boards? At the moment it is a very light grey. A. Woodland Grey is an earthy grey influenced with by a sludgy olive green. Perhaps the following colours might appeal to you – Resene Bone White, Resene Thorndon Cream, Resene Double Merino or Resene Half Caraway. December 2020 |
Q. I am trying to choose a COLORSTEEL® roof to suit Resene Silver Chalice walls. What do you recommend? A. These COLORSTEEL® colours work harmoniously with Resene Silver Chalice – COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars, COLORSTEEL® TernStyle, COLORSTEEL® Sandstone Grey or COLORSTEEL® Thunder Grey. Or a colour that may nearly match Resene Silver Chalice depending on the quality of natural light and the angle of the roof – COLORSTEEL® Gull Grey. December 2020 |
Q. What is the best colour exterior and interior to go with Matt Titania joinery? I have a land/house purchase and need to decide on colours. The roof will be Metrotile Mesquite Royal (charcoal/grey squares). The interior floor is Grey Brushed Oak (floating floor Korlock) and the carpet is Anchovy by Godfrey Hirst. I understand grey is now ‘over done’ so want a warmer shade vs cool grey. Do I go lighter (same shade or lighter than joinery) or contrast? My neighbour is having a Resene Quarter Pravda exterior. A. Some colour suggestions for the exterior for you to consider – lighter – Resene Quarter Titania or Resene Helium, or deeper – Resene Bone White, Resene Triple Ash or Resene Half Taupe Grey. Some colour suggestions for the interior for you to consider – Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene Eighth Ash, Resene Half Merino or Resene Sea Fog. December 2020 |
Q. I am looking for ideas for exterior paint colours. The house is a 1970s Keith Hay home. It has a Grey Friars iron roof. I am looking at light greys with a darker fascia and window trims. A. The following light greys may appeal to you – Resene Surrender, Resene Triple Concrete or Resene Silver Chalice. Darker colours that you might consider for the fascias and window trims might be one of the following – Resene Gunmetal or Resene Cod Grey. Or a distinctive contrasting colour – Resene Smoulder. Resene Smoulder December 2020 |
Q. I want to paint my walls with Resene Soapstone and then use Resene Swiss Coffee on my kitchen joinery. Do these two neutrals match? My husband wants a navy blue island. Which blue would suit? A. Yes, Resene Soapstone and Resene Swiss Coffee do harmonise well together. Another colour that looks good with Resene Soapstone is Resene Swirl – it is a little less pink mushroom/grey than Resene Swiss Coffee. The following navy blues are worth checking out – Resene Blue Charcoal, Resene Indian Ink, Resene Midnight Express or Resene Bunting. December 2020 |
Q. I'm renovating an interior and have been told of a similar place with Resene Black White throughout which came up amazing but I can't help think trim 'must' have at least a bit of contrast. The property has brown aluminium joinery. A. Resene Black White is very popular and a lot of people use it. But it isn't the only neutral available. If you have brown aluminium joinery you might prefer to use one of the following subtle – but slightly warmer – neutrals – Resene Sea Fog, Resene Half White Pointer or Resene Eighth Truffle. For trims – doors, skirting boards, door frames, window frames etc – to provide a bit of contrast you might check out the following 'whites – Resene Alabaster, Resene Quarter Black White or 'real' white which goes with any neutral colour – Resene White. December 2020 |
Q. I have a Merbau deck which I would like to restain. I don't like the red in the Merbau and would like to achieve a mid greyish type colour. I am prepared to sand the deck first. A. I recommend that you test different stain colours on offcuts of Merbau so you can see how it looks prior to making a decision. The other thing that you need to consider is that stain is a semi-transparent (see through) coating so the new colour joins with the previous colour to make a 'new' colour. This is another good reason to test colours carefully. The following colours might appeal to you – Resene Woodsman Iroko or Resene Woodsman Tiri. December 2020 |
Q. We are using Resene Curious Blue as a feature wall in a bedroom. What could we use as a neutral colour for the remaining three walls. We are looking for a light colour. We are thinking a warm colour similar to ciabatta. A. One of the following light colours may appeal to you and work with Resene Curious Blue – Resene Quarter Biscotti, Resene Quarter Spanish White, Resene Eighth Sisal or Resene Quarter Fossil. December 2020 |
Q. My home has a Grey Friars roof, aluminium windows and the doors are Resene Pearl Lusta. I want to paint the weatherboards grey. Inside I have painted the walls Resene Concrete. Can you please suggest a colour for the exterior walls and soffits? I will replace the garage door which is at the entrance to the property. Should it be Grey Friars? A. Yes you definitely could use Grey Friars for the garage door to co-ordinate nicely with the roof. The following are some greys – light, mid and deep toned options – for you to check out for the main colour on the house – Resene Triple Concrete, Resene Grey Chateau, Resene Triple Surrender, Resene Eighth Tuna or Resene Raven. December 2020 |
Q. I want to update the look of our house. The roof and windows are New Denim Blue with a cream split brick. I want to change the colour of the weatherboard colour on the east and west end of the house. I'm not sure what colour would look best. A. One of the following neutral  colours might appeal to you – Resene Triple Black White, Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Triple Surrender or Resene Half Stack. Or – possibly – a grey with a blue undertone – Resene Eighth Tuna. December 2020 |
Q. I am about to stain (currently unstained) boundary fences and would like to stain a dark colour but I've never been keen on black but like charcoal with no brown tints. I also have a couple of block garages on the boundary so would also like to marry them in with a matching paint colour. A. I recommend that you trial some stain colours in order to get some idea of how they look in situ. A large number of dark colours do throw a brown (or earthy) undertone of colour. Perhaps you might check out these colours – Resene Woodsman Shadow Match or Resene Crowshead. It is tricky finding paint colours to match stain colours. The paint always appears denser/stronger than the stain colour. You might check out Resene Element or Resene Double Foundry. December 2020 |
Q. I have internal walls throughout the house that are Resene Quarter Tea. Can you please advise what you believe would be a good colour to paint the doors? A. You could paint the doors in the same colour as the wall colour – Resene Quarter Tea but in a Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss or full gloss Resene Enamacryl finish. So you would see a sheen difference only. Or you could go slightly deeper in tone with Resene Half Tea for a soft tonal difference. Or for a more definite difference in shade, you could use Resene Tea. This may be considered a practical option – it will hide a lot of finger marking and constant touching. If you prefer you could choose Resene White – this is a traditional look and brightens the look of the decor. December 2020 |
Q. We are painting the exterior of our 1880s villa. We are thinking either Resene Eighth Bison Hide or Resene Iron. Our roof is red/browny colour. We will be changing the colour of the window frames and sills too but are not sure what colour to use. We are thinking something like Resene Dark Oak, Resene Nutmeg or Resene Desperado. Or perhaps Resene Stonewall or Resene Gargoyle. Soffits and window surrounds would be white. A. In regard the two colours you are thinking of – Resene Eighth Bison Hide (green/beige and gold neutral) and Resene Iron (silvery grey with blue/lilac undertones) are very different to each other. Do you have a preference? If you prefer Resene Iron, the following colours work well with it – Resene Raven, Resene Alabaster or Resene Scoria. If you prefer Resene Eighth Bison Hide the following colours work well with it – Resene Stonewashed, Resene Alabaster or Resene Seaweed. December 2020 |
Q. I want to paint the walls, ceilings, doors and skirtings of a large 60s style bathroom using Resene Black White. We are removing the carpet and want to paint the rimu floorboards. I would like a white but have been warned it would all be too white. A. I think you could use a slightly up toned variant of Resene Black White on the floor – Resene Double Black White or even Resene Triple Black White. Your bathroom fittings and mats will likely cover a fair amount of the floors so I don't think it would be too white. Plus dust and footprints won't show up as much as they would do on a stark white. December 2020 |
Q. I have a two storeyed house in a bush treed area. The lower floor is painted Resene Karaka, the deck balustrades are black and I'm trying to find a complementary and different colour to paint the high pitched top floor that has rather horrible bronze aluminium windows. I'd like a bold but not too dark colour that sits well with the surrounding foliage without being too boring and predictable. A. You could try these options – Resene Go Ben, Resene Saratoga, Resene Dragon or Resene Untamed. Resene Go Ben or Resene Dragon would help to disguise the bronze aluminium joinery. Or if you wanted to make a much more definite statement – you could try Resene Pohutukawa. December 2020 |
Q. I’m having our house exterior painted and want a non-pastel green neutral for the main house boards so was thinking Resene Eighth Lemon Grass or Resene Quarter Lemon Grass however, it looks really pastel and beigey using testpots. Would Resene Emerge or Resene Half Emerge be more green and less pastel? We have a lot of trees and greenery around our house so want a colour which goes well with the greenery. If I use Resene Emerge or Resene Half Emerge, would Resene Alabaster or Resene White be crisper for the windows and French door frames. We have a new COLORSTEEL® Slate roof. Or would you recommend another very light green colour for the main board? A. All colours as seen on an exterior have the potential to look lighter/brighter. If you are considering a green that is 'non pastel' then you may need to go a bit deeper in tone and perhaps earthier. The colours you have mentioned can look much lighter/brighter and 'pretty'. To my mind 'pretty' and pastel seem similar. It doesn't matter which white you use as a contrast but real white – Resene White – provides the more clear, crisp look. Colours for you to check out are these – Resene Lemon Grass, Resene Helix, Resene Bud, Resene Pewter or Resene Green Spring. December 2020 |
Q. We are looking for a white paint for a modern apartment that overlooks the sea and gets bright all day sun. We've considered Resene Half Rice Cake, Resene Quarter Spanish White or Resene Quarter Albescent White. Ideally, we'd like it to have a warm feeling and is not too harsh or stark. We are also thinking about picking up the blue tones from the ocean for cushions etc. The couch is beige. A. Of the whites you have mentioned plus the beige couch and the blues you want to feature I would be inclined to consider either Resene Quarter Albescent White or Resene Quarter Spanish White. Of these two I feel the first colour – Resene Quarter Albescent White – may work best. It is warm, soft toned (not harsh or sharp) and has less yellow in it. A colour with yellow in it – i.e. Resene Quarter Spanish White – is often used in dim, shadowy or cool rooms to make it feel warmer and brighter. December 2020 |
Q. I am in the process of picking a colour scheme for my 1930s cottage. We like Resene Half Masala on a new build locally and wonder if that colour would suit an old cottage and what would be the suitable roof colour options to go with it? Also please provide other suitable roof colours for lighter weatherboard colours such as Resene Quarter Masala or Resene Eighth Masala. A. I think that one of the paler variants – i.e. Resene Quarter Masala or Resene Eighth Masala – may be kinder to your old timbers on the 1930s cottage. Some roof colours for you to check out are the following – Resene Squall, Resene Windswept, Resene Ironsand or a distinctive contrasting colour in keeping with the age of your cottage – Resene Red Planet. December 2020 |
Q. My house is painted in Resene Triple Ash. Can I go one strength darker and if so, what do you call this? A. There isn't a formulated deeper version of Resene Triple Ash but one of these colours may look as you might imagine that colour possibly could look like – Resene Greige or Resene Half Evolution. December 2020 |
Q. I have painted the walls Resene Ash and ceilings Resene Black White. What would be a good colour for the doors and door frames? A. You could use the same colour as the walls – but in a Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss or full gloss Resene Enamacryl enamel – for the doors and the door frames. This would give you just a sheen difference not a colour difference. Alternatively you could use a slightly deeper variant of the wall colour – Resene Double Ash. This is sometimes chosen so fingermarking doesn't show up as much. Some people who want a traditional look – or who have a colonial house with beautiful architectural doors and door frames – use a white, such as Resene Black White – to highlight them a lot. December 2020 |
Q. I am having trouble choosing an exterior paint colour – I would like to go grey but my windows are grey and I think they are making anything I put against them look funny. I would prefer lighter than darker as I have Grey Friars in some gable areas. I have tried Resene Triple Concrete, Resene Surrender and Resene Grey Chateau. A. Almost any grey will work with Grey Friars so that isn't where your problem lies. You mention the grey windows making your test colours look funny. Those colours have blue and lilac undertones. It sounds like you need another type of grey altogether – one that looks good with the windows. That may not be what you have in mind or would prefer. Now that you have found how your previous greys don’t work you may need to look at some different greys. The following are some other greys for you to check out – Resene Half Foggy Grey, Resene Silver Chalice or Resene Quarter Atmosphere. December 2020 |
Q. We have a large two storey home by the sea. We love Resene Ivanhoe and have painted the downstairs rendered exterior in it. It is so vibrant as a coastal colour, with Surf Mist guttering, fascias and soffits. We are planning a light greyish roof. We are chasing advice on a cool coastal colour for the upper exterior cladding of the home – perhaps a sage/cool green? A. Perhaps one of the following colours may appeal to you – they are neutral – slightly ash grey/yellow green that will associate well with Surf Mist – try Resene Titania or Resene Half Titania. Alternatively a few greyed blue/greens may be worth checking out as well – Resene Half Inside Back or Resene Triple Duck Egg Blue. A roof colour might be Resene Coast – which relates really well to Resene Ivanhoe or Resene Lattitude which is a light/mid grey that relates well to Surf Mist and the Resene Titania palette or the last two colours – Resene Inside Back and Resene Triple Duck Egg Blue. Resene Triple Duck Egg Blue December 2020 |
Q. I am painting the exterior of my home. I have thought about Resene Double Perfect Taupe with COLORBOND® Monument or similar but am unsure. At the Resene ColorShop today I saw the Resene Perfect Taupe colour and wondered this would be better. I am in a semi-detached house. My neighbour has recently painted COLORBOND® Shale Grey. A. Resene Perfect Taupe looks very nice with COLORBOND® Monument. December 2020 |
Q. I am planning to paint my kitchen cabinets. They are currently dark green and the kitchen feels dark and gloomy. I'm looking for suggestions to brighten and modernise the feel of the kitchen and to tie in with the rest of the house which is light and white. The dining room which joins to the kitchen is painted Resene Black White. Most of the kitchen walls are Resene Quarter Black White though the far walls and tiles are Resene Quarter Craigieburn. Can you suggest options for the kitchen cabinet doors? I'm not too concerned about co-ordinating with the countertop and tiles as I'm looking to replace these in future anyway. I like the look of greys, light greens and grey-greens though I'm open to all suggestions. A. You might like to check out the following colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene House White (grey white), Resene Triple Black White (grey white), Resene Half Ash (grey green) or Resene Harp (light green). December 2020 |
Q. We are renovating our bathroom which is currently very small. It will be approx 3sqm once finished but is on the dark side of the house with ferns outside the window so there is not much light. We want to keep this as neutral as possible. A. It is always difficult to guess what type of neutral colours you might like. Usually a bathroom has a lot of ceramic white in it. Apart from the floor which may also be very light – tiles or vinyl. The following are slightly more than the usual white and beige neutral but they may appeal to you – Resene Iron (slightly lilac/blue), Resene Quarter Tana (slightly unusual almost green), Resene Elderflower (a fizzy warm white with a sharp yellow tint hiding in it) or Resene White Island (a slightly aqua inspired green). December 2020 |
Q. I want to know which is the best shade for a villa? A. I think it is a personal taste decision as to what is used on a villa. Traditionally they were always painted either white, cream or beige. Recently it has been popular to use a grey. The following colour schemes may be a start point in your decision choices – try Resene Silver Chalice as the main colour with Resene Half Athens Grey trims, Resene Black White as the main colour with Resene Quarter Black White trims or Resene Double Pearl Lusta as the main colour with Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta trims. December 2020 |
Q. We are building a house and I was wondering if the colour combination of Resene Cinder on masonry blocks and Resene Mountain Mist on weatherboards will work? A. I think it may be very important to decide on the roof, garage door and window joinery colour first. That way you have options to choose from. If your inquiry is just in regard whether or not the two colours you have mentioned look good together – they do. Resene Cinder has a distinctly dark blue undertone. If you don't like the thought of the dark blue revealing itself in bright natural light you might check out the following colour – Resene Baltic Sea. December 2020 |
Q. I am painting exterior of my home. I am doing the exterior Resene Half Tea and planned to do the windows Resene Alabaster. Now I am undecided if I want to do windows green and the inner of windows red. I am not sure if these colours go with the Resene Half Tea I have already started. I got testpots of Resene Scrub and Resene Nelson Red. I like the red but am worried the Resene Scrub is too light. I have bevelled rimu French doors and a rimu front door. As I have already started painting out the back, I do want to stick with the Resene Half Tea. A. The green may need to be a bit richer or have more depth to it to work well with Resene Half Tea and Resene Nelson Red. Try these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Forest Green, Resene Mangrove, Resene Cabbage Pont, Resene Celtic or Resene Olive Green. December 2020 |
Q. Painting the exterior of my house is well overdue... and I would appreciate your help. It has a roughcast exterior. I have recently repainted the roof in Resene Ironsand but need some advice as to what colour would go with that. It has a white aluminium ranch slider so the windows will possibly need to be painted in a shade of white. I live on a farm surrounded by a gravel road so it can get very dusty so I would like to move away from white as the main colour of the house. I have quite a few concrete steps leading from the bottom garden so grey and green (from the garden, trees, hills and lawn) are the dominant colours that surround it. A. You may need to clarify which type of white the aluminium ranch slider is. Warm or cool? If you place a sheet of white printer paper (true white) up against the ranch slider it will show up the coloured aluminium as either very cool – perhaps Arctic White – or slightly warmer than the sheet of paper – perhaps Appliance White. Then you can get that exact match colour for the remaining windows from your Resene ColorShop. It does make a difference to what you would choose for the house colour. Some options for the main colour on the house might be one of the following – Resene Half Lemon Grass, Resene Half Tapa, Resene Foggy Grey, Resene Atmosphere, Resene Silver Sand or Resene Archive Grey. The greens (first three options) may work better with the cooler white colour and the slightly warm stone greys (last three options may look better with a warmer white colour. December 2020 |
Q. We are painting our rendered house in Resene Double Truffle with Resene Double White Pointer fascias. We would like to know a complementary colour to paint our boundary paling fences in? A. If it is a wooden fence that is being painted, Resene Nocturnal would work well with your other colours. December 2020 |
Q. I am looking for a colour which looks black but has a hint of blue in it. Could you please advise the best colour options? A. Perhaps one of the following may appeal to you – Resene Cod Grey or Resene Nero. December 2020 |
Q. I am looking at colour options for our house – something that will complement the corrugated iron on our house. We also have a dark/black corrugated fence. I think we have decided on Resene Black White for the windows and am thinking of a grey like Resene Double Stack. A. The colours that you are keen to use will work well. Perhaps you might check out another deep grey to see how it makes you feel – sometimes just comparing colours confirms the choice you have already made. Try Resene Gunsmoke. December 2020 |
Q. We are currently in the process of painting our 1980s 2 storey home, clad with a wide rusticated Hardiplank with a steep pitched roof. We have chosen Grey Friars for the walls, which we love – however we originally chose Resene Stack for the roof colour, which, due to the pitch of the roof, looks silvery/ almost white in full daylight. We are hoping for some darker grey suggestions which will maintain a contrast to the roof without losing their depth in full light. We have put a testpot of Resene Half Grey Friars on an area, which looks okay but doesn't quite have as much contrast as we had hoped. A. All colours on an exterior look lighter or brighter due to the sunlight stripping back the depth of colour. Sometimes the undertone of a colour will be more obvious. This is seen more definitely on a roof if it is 45 degrees to the sun – it will look very pale/bright. The following colours are darker but may not appear so due to the effect of the sun – but they are worth considering – Resene Cinder, Resene Double Cod Grey, Resene All Black or Resene Double Foundry. December 2020 |
Q. Our group built home includes a feature wall in the guest bedroom. The other walls are Resene Rice Cake (as throughout the house). I want to use Resene Sage, but not sure if it 'works' with the slight yellow tinge of Resene Rice Cake. I have also looked at Resene Sea Green but it's very dark and we prefer the lighter shade of Resene Sage. There's plenty of white – the very high sloping sarked ceilings, walls, shutters etc are all in Resene Eighth Rice Cake. A. Resene Rice Cake is a sharp yellow white with a green undertone. It will work with many types of green. Apart from Resene Sage, you might consider one of the following greens – Resene Bud, Resene Frontier, Resene Spanish Green, Resene Envy, Resene Pewter or Resene Peace. Resene Peace December 2020 |
Q. What is the best colour to stain my very large pine deck. We have a white house overlooking the harbour and trees with black balustrade. A. The best colour to stain your very large pine deck is the colour that appeals to you the most. Try these ones to see if they suit what you have in mind – Resene Woodsman Cedar, Resene Woodsman Iroko, Resene Woodsman Natural, Resene Woodsman Treehouse or Resene Woodsman Sheer Black. December 2020 |
Q. We're about to repaint our monolithic cladding/plaster house with Karaka window frames and spouting which won't be changed. Can you recommend a colour that would go well with the Karaka, and will be suitable for monolithic cladding (e.g. LRV >40%, elastomeric or other appropriate paint)? Ideally, we'd prefer something at the darker end of the scale, and perhaps something bluer/grey than green. A. If you choose a darker colour, you may not meet the Light Reflectance Value >40%. Colours that look good with Karaka that you might check out that are >40% LRV are – Resene Double Tana, Resene Bison Hide or Resene Half Taupe Grey. For a colour that is more blue/grey that would work with Karaka you could try Resene Inside Back or Resene Blue Smoke. December 2020 |
Q. We have chosen the following colour scheme for the exterior of our home – main walls in Resene Ash, window trim and deck detailing in Resene Alabaster and garage doors in Ironsand. The roof is not that visible but is Ironsand. We have a large chimney which is quite a feature that we would like to be different to the main house colour. A. For the chimney you must ask yourself 'is it so attractive that I want to highlight it so everyone admires it? ' If the answer is 'not really' then you could paint it to merge with the house – i.e same colour. A few simple options if you do want to highlight it – Resene Alabaster – same as the trims – a traditional choice, or Resene Triple Ash – a much deeper variant of the main house colour or Resene Quarter Ironsand – a lighter variant of the roof colour. December 2020 |
Q. I'm trying to choose a blue for the outside of my house. I've chosen Resene Séance for my windowsills and front door and Resene Soapstone for my trim. Can you please provide advice on how to choose a blue or what might complement the Resene Seance nicely? A. Resene Seance is a 'hot' red/violet and likes to have lots of attention. The following blues look good with it – try Resene Polo Blue, Resene Portage, Resene Jasper or Resene Jordy Blue. December 2020 |
Q. I have brownish cedar board at the moment and am painting the plaster in Resene Triple Sea Fog. The colour consultant advised Resene Bokara Grey, which we like for the cedar board (also on the house) however the painter said that is too dark and doesn't advise it. The roof and joinery are Ironsand. A. It is tempting to use a very dark colour – everyone seems to be embracing that sort of look as it is very trendy. Such a lot of interesting deep colours fall in to the LRV 0% – LRV 25% range. You have a very dark colour now – but for a different look perhaps one of the following softer toned colours might be considered – Resene Eighth Ironsand, Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey, Resene Double Friar Greystone or Resene Triple Stonehenge. I strongly recommend that whatever deep colour you use on the timber that you have it made up in the Resene CoolColour version. It will minimise the heat that is absorbed into the timber. Resene Eighth Ironsand December 2020 |