Facade Paint: Tips and Advice

The overall impression of a building is created in part by the facade and its colour, which reflects the taste and lifestyle of the owners. Choosing this colour is an important decision, often one that will last 10 to 20 years. We have put together a few tips on how to choose a facade colour that suits your family home or apartment building, and what to consider before applying the coating.

What is facade paint and when to use it

Facade paint is chosen primarily by those who want to revive faded render or have simply grown tired of their current facade colour. It is used for repainting the facades of family homes as well as older buildings and other revitalisation projects. However, if you are building a new property, you will probably not need facade paint at all. The final layer of the facade — pigmented facade render — will serve both a protective and decorative function in this case.

How to choose a facade colour

Adapt your choice of facade colour to the following criteria. These will help you identify which facade colour is the right one, including when choosing a colour for coating an apartment building facade as part of a project funded from a repair fund.

The overall appearance of the building

The facade should complement the windows, doors, cladding and, in the case of a family home, the roof. If you have opted for a wood-effect finish and a classic red roof, go for natural brown, yellow, ochre or white and similar tones. For more modern elements, grey windows and a darker roof, more playful colours such as green, purple, red or orange work well.

With white window frames on apartment buildings, you can afford any colour or a combination of two to three — take a look at the results of our work.

Facade visualisation

If you are not confident in your aesthetic judgement, seek advice or use the facade visualisation we will prepare for you before painting. This allows you to look in detail and choose a colour combination you will be happy with. All we need is a good quality photo of your family home or apartment building, and we will deliver the visualisation within 3 working days.

The surroundings of the building

If you live in a so-called satellite town or in a secluded rural setting, the choice of facade colour is entirely up to you. The trend in recent years, however, is to adapt the appearance of the building as closely as possible to nature and its surroundings. This also applies to listed buildings, where you are even required to follow pre-established rules and consult any changes with the National Heritage Institute. You can find out whether your building is located in such an area on the Heritage Catalogue website.

Colour and light intensity

Ask yourself a basic question: how much direct light is your building exposed to? If you opt for a pure white facade, looking at the south-facing side of your building at noon could be quite hard on the eyes, and spending time on the terrace may be uncomfortable. Dark shades of grey or even black are among the more elegant options, but they tend to fade relatively quickly under the effect of sunlight. They also cause facade overheating and damage the building's thermal system. The golden mean is therefore soft and natural colour undertones.

Render texture

This criterion is best assessed by a professional, but bear in mind that a smooth facade looks lighter at first glance than a textured one, because light reflects off it differently. You can subtly enhance this quality by choosing neutral natural tones such as cream or beige.

How to repaint a facade

First and foremost, it is important to thoroughly wash the facade and remove any mould. However, this is not a task for DIY owners who lack specialist equipment. Our company carries out facade washing and subsequent coating as standard with every job. Thanks to this step, your family home or apartment building will look like new and the lifespan of the facade will be extended by a further 15 years. Read more about specific coating methods in our article Why is traditional maintenance still the more advantageous option in most cases?