How to Paint a House Blue

Choosing the Perfect Blue

• 1

  Look at a color wheel and paint chips to decide which category of color scheme you want to use on your blue house. Monochramatic schemes use one basic color in different values. This means you can paint your house a lighter blue but accent shutters and trim with darker hues of blue, or vice versa for a more dramatic effect. Place different values of the same blue next to one another (many paint chips already will be arranged like this) to see how you like this combination.

• 2

  Look at your color wheel and decide if you'd like to use an adjacent color scheme. This employs two or three colors next to basic blue (blue-green or blue-violet, for example).

• 3

  Pair colors located on opposite sides of the wheel together to consider a complementary color scheme. For blue, this mean shades of yellow and orange. For balance, choose one color to the dominant shade, and the other a subtle hue. This means you may choose a bold burnt orange trim for a muted blue.

• 4

  Look at a triad of colors for an even more eclectic look, three colors an equal distance from one another on the wheel. You might look at blue, green and orange, for instance. As with the complementary scheme, choose one dominant color and use the other two as subtle accents.

Getting the Job Done

• 5

  Purchase primer, acrylic latex paint and brushes, a sprayer or rollers. You need about one gallon per 350 to 450 square feet, depending on the paint's quality. You can skip the primer and apply two or three coats of paint, but this typically costs more than priming and painting with one coat of quality paint.

• 6

  Pressure-wash your home's exterior to remove loose pieces of old paint. If paint flakes or bubbles linger, use an angle grinder to brush them away. Peel away stubborn pieces and bubbles with an electric heat gun or infrared paint stripper.

• 7

  Put a dust mask on for painting. Wear a respirator if there is a risk that your old exterior paint contains lead. Wear clothes you don't mind ruining. Set up a stable ladder or use a scaffold for high areas.

• 8

  Apply primer with a roller or sprayer for large areas and with a synthetic brush for edges and detail (around windows, for example). Tape down window trim and edges of shutters you'll paint in different colors for clean lines.

• 9

  Let the primer dry and repeat the process with paint. Keep paint refills close by so you don't have to climb down each time your paint tray or spray tank runs out.

• 10

  Paint any accent colors. If you have more than one accent color, paint the house with one color completely, then move on to the next accent color.