Choosing the right color for your garage door is an important decision that can significantly impact the look and feel of your home’s exterior. With so many color options to choose from, it can be tricky to settle on the perfect shade. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the factors to consider when selecting a garage door color, the most popular color choices, and which colors work best for different home styles.
How Color Impacts Your Home’s Curb Appeal
The color of your garage door is often the first thing people notice when they approach your home. It takes up a large portion of the front exterior, so the color you choose will set the tone for your home’s curb appeal. Whereas a neutral or muted garage door color helps the home blend in, a bright, bold color makes the garage door a focal point and can dramatically alter the look of your home’s facade.
When selecting a garage door color, you’ll want to take into account the color scheme of your home’s exterior. The garage door color should complement the color of your home’s siding, trim, shutters, front door, etc. Matching the color of the garage door to other exterior elements creates a cohesive, seamless look. An unmatched garage door color can stick out like a sore thumb and look out of sync with the rest of the exterior.
Popular Garage Door Color Options
When brainstorming garage door color ideas, you’ll find there are many popular options that look great on a variety of home styles. Here are some of the most common garage door color choices:
- White – A white garage door is a timeless, classic choice that matches almost any home style and color scheme. White has a clean, crisp, brightening effect.
- Black – For a dramatic, eye-catching contrast, a black garage door works beautifully against light colored home exteriors. It has an elegant, sophisticated effect.
- Gray – From light silvery grays to charcoal gray, this versatile neutral color complements both warm and cool exterior color palettes.
- Beige – For homeowners looking to match common siding colors like tan or cream, beige is a safe, subtle garage door color.
- Red – For a bold, attention-grabbing look, a true red or burgundy garage door makes a statement against a neutral backdrop.
- Blue – Cool, calming shades of blue from navy to sky blue can enhance home exteriors in natural color schemes.
- Green – Deep emerald or sage green garage doors pair beautifully with earthy or Craftsman style homes.
- Yellow – Cheery shades of yellow from buttery to canary yellow inject brightness and curb appeal.
When deciding if you want your garage door to blend in or stand out, consider the effect of the color. Bolder garage door colors create maximum contrast against neutral backdrops. More subdued tones integrate seamlessly into the home’s color scheme.
Factors that Impact Garage Door Color Choice
Settling on the perfect garage door color involves taking a few important factors into account:
Architectural Style of Your Home
The architectural style of your home should play a pivotal role in choosing a garage door color. Certain colors naturally complement specific architectural designs. For example:
- For Colonials, white, black, red, and blue are classic color choices that match the home’s traditional styling.
- Ranch style homes look best with muted, natural colors like gray, tan, brown, and sage green.
- Cape Cods suit soft gray, blue, and sage green garage doors that align with their coastal heritage.
- On Contemporary modern homes, white and black make a sleek, stylish statement.
Selecting a garage door color that aligns with your home’s architecture ensures the color looks cohesive.
Color of Your Home’s Exterior
You’ll also want your garage door color to coordinate nicely with the exterior color scheme of your home. Take a look at the color of your home’s siding, brick, stone, trim, shutters, and front door. Matching the garage door to your existing exterior colors will give your home a pulled-together, cohesive look. Complementary colors also work well, as they provide enough contrast without clashing.
Amount of Natural Light
Consider how much direct sunlight your garage door gets. Garage doors facing south or west tend to get more intense, direct sunlight. For south and west-facing garage doors, lighter and brighter colors like white, light gray, yellow, and light blue will withstand harsh sun exposure better than darker hues. Darker garage door colors are best suited for shaded areas that get less intense sunlight.
Neighborhood Aesthetic
Lastly, observe the exterior color schemes of other homes in your neighborhood. In most subdivisions, a general design aesthetic connects the homes. Selecting a garage door color that complements this overall aesthetic helps your home blend nicely within the neighborhood landscape. You don’t necessarily have to copy your neighbor’s colors, but do aim for a color palette that fits the surroundings.
Best Garage Door Colors for Common Home Exteriors
To help you select the best garage door color for your home, here are recommended colors based on common home exterior styles and color schemes:
| Home Exterior Style | Recommended Garage Door Colors |
|---|---|
| White or light gray siding with white trim | White, light gray, black, navy, sage green |
| Gray siding with white trim | White, light gray, black, red, yellow |
| Brown or tan siding with white trim | White, tan, brown, terra cotta, sage green |
| Blue-gray siding with white trim | White, light gray, navy, black, red |
| Red brick facade | Black, white, red, navy, light gray |
| Charcoal gray siding with black trim | Black, white, light gray, navy |
| Yellow siding with white trim | White, light gray, navy, black, yellow |
| Green siding with white trim | White, sage green, light gray, yellow |
This table provides suggested garage door colors that would match nicely with common exterior color schemes. However, don’t be afraid to get creative and choose a color that stands out if it fits your aesthetic goals. The key is selecting a color that coordinates with the overall look you want for your home’s exterior.
How Material Impacts Garage Door Color
The material of your garage door will also factor into the color selection. There are a few common garage door materials, each with their own design considerations:
Steel
The most affordable and commonly used material, steel garage doors are able to be painted any color using a long-lasting exterior grade paint. This allows for unlimited color options. Just bear in mind that lighter colors show wear and tear more over time.
Wood
Wood garage doors are a high-end choice that can be stained or painted. For painting wood doors, darker, opaque stains help avoid the appearance of cracks and damage over time. Translucent stains also showcase the wood’s natural grain if desired.
Aluminum
Constructed from durable aluminum, these garage doors are another option that can be painted any color. Again, darker shades help conceal dents and damage compared to lighter colors.
Vinyl
Vinyl garage doors have pre-colored panels, limiting color selection to what’s available from the manufacturer. Still, many vinyl door brands offer classic color choices like white, brown, tan, and gray.
Fiberglass
Similarly to vinyl, fiberglass garage doors come pre-finished from the factory in set color options. Fiberglass holds dark, rich colors particularly well.
When deciding on a garage door color, check what colors are available for the specific door material you choose, and select from those official color options.
How To Select Garage Door Colors for Your Home
Follow this process when selecting a garage door color for your home:
- Analyze your home’s exterior and note the color scheme of the siding, trim, shutters, front door, etc.
- Determine your home’s architectural style and what colors suit that style best.
- Take into account how much sunlight your garage door gets based on direction it faces.
- Drive around your neighborhood and observe the predominant exterior color schemes.
- Browse the garage door colors available for your preferred door material.
- Narrow down 2-3 color options that work with steps 1-4.
- View color swatches on-site and select the best color.
- Paint a test swatch on garage door to confirm color choice.
This systematic approach helps ensure your final garage door color coordinates beautifully with your home’s style and exterior colors, while also factoring in sunlight exposure, neighborhood aesthetics, and door material.
Consult the Experts if Needed
If feeling overwhelmed when finalizing your garage door color, don’t hesitate to consult a professional. Companies that install and repair garage doors are very familiar with coordinating garage door colors with home styles and materials. Their experience and expertise can prove invaluable when making this significant exterior design decision.
Some garage door companies will even provide on-site color consultations, where they assess your home’s current exterior, propose color options that will work well, and provide paint swatches to view. This is an excellent free service to take advantage of if available in your area.
Color Combinations to Avoid
When deciding on garage door color, there are a few color combinations designers recommend avoiding:
- Don’t pair a bright, bold colored garage door with a muted, subdued home exterior. This will look disjointed.
- Don’t select a garage door color that clashes with your roof color. These two elements should coordinate.
- Avoid pairing warm garage door colors with cool exterior colors. Mixing warm and cool palettes doesn’t work.
- Don’t allow the garage door color to fade into the siding. Use contrasting colors so it remains a focal point.
Keeping these guidelines in mind helps ensure your exterior color scheme is balanced and harmonious.
Maintaining Your Garage Door’s Color
Proper maintenance is crucial for preserving your garage door’s freshly painted color. Follow these upkeep tips:
- Wash the garage door every 6 months using mild soap and water to remove dirt, grime, bird droppings, etc. that can stain the paint.
- Immediately remove any corrosive substances like gasoline or battery acid that drip on the door to prevent discoloration and damage.
- Touch up paint chips and scratches as soon as they appear to avoid exposing bare metal.
- Re-apply a clear weatherproofing sealant every 1-2 years for added protection.
- Consider re-painting the entire door every 4-6 years to keep the color fresh and vibrant.
A well-maintained garage door keeps looking as good as new. Avoid letting the paint fade, chip, or peel, diminishing your home’s curb appeal.
Conclusion
Choosing the right garage door color to boost your home’s curb appeal comes down to following a systematic approach. Take the architectural style of your home, existing exterior color scheme, sunlight exposure, neighborhood aesthetic, and door material into account. Consulting design experts can further refine your color selection. With dozens of colors to choose from and the significant visual impact this choice makes, take time to ensure you select the perfect shade to match your unique home and taste.