16 replies to this topic

[solajijic]

Our house is presently a medium peach, ugh. So its going to be painted. The house to the north is a yellow gold, the house to the south is a rusty red. The houses across the street are dark brown, white and lime green and a orange and a purple. Green is out becaue there is a whole string of sculpted ficus trees on our side and green would take away how nice those add to the street. I am thinking a medium to medium dark blue with NO gray undertone with medium cream for the window concrete accents and the double door entry and garage doors and the iron work black The interior pool and garden walls are to be stark white.

Does anyone have a nice blue house in their neighborhood we could drive by?

[privado]

Our house is presently a medium peach, ugh. So its going to be painted. The house to the north is a yellow gold, the house to the south is a rusty red. The houses across the street are dark brown, white and lime green and a orange and a purple. Green is out becaue there is a whole string of sculpted ficus trees on our side and green would take away how nice those add to the street. I am thinking a medium to medium dark blue with NO gray undertone with medium cream for the window concrete accents and the double door entry and garage doors and the iron work black The interior pool and garden walls are to be stark white.

Does anyone have a nice blue house in their neighborhood we could drive by?

IMO very traditional American color scheme - will it really work on a Mexican house?
using a cool color like blue will make your house stand out among the warm colors around you-contrasted by stark white walls ?

Another idea- buttercream yellow for house base color and garden walls and lt.cream or terra cotta for cement with
dark greenish /turquoise doors with black iron trim - ficus trees will work nicely against the lighter color of house

[northernguy]

IMO, I suggest you stick with southwestern colors. I wouldn't go with blues, reds, greens, browns, pinks, you get the idea, I have seen tans or taupes on houses but they're just OK. Various colors of light yellow, (not deep yellow), light gold (not deep gold), terracotta, etc

Take a ride around some gated communities where colors are controlled by Architectural Committees. By control, I don't mean rigid control. Most colors are accepted by committees unless they're Mexican pinks or purples. Depending on final house color, for gates and garage doors, choose brown. It is warmer and looks better, Use 3 colors, one for body of house, one for inside property walls and one for concrete trim around doors and windows, if you have any.

Our house is painted a very light creamy yellow with Terracotta front wall and terracotta inside property walls. And a cream color on front mouldings to accent body color. Go to the Paint store either Prisa or Comex and ask to borrow the color wheel for a few hours. I suggest Prisa. Once you get it down to a few colors that you like, have the store mix up a 1/2 liter of sample paint for each color, go home and paint a 3 foot x 3 foot section on a wall, two coats and decide.

Do NOT use a Matte finish paint. It will not last anywhere near as long. Use only Prisa Poliprisa Satinado or Comex Vinimex Satinado. They will last 5 - 6 years on a properly prepared surface by a competent painter. Always power wash the house first, fill cracks and prime all bare areas with BEROL Block Filler. You get what you pay for.

[giltner68]

I hate yellow - so, of course the house I rented was totally yellow inside and out, much like living inside a butter cube. Even the ceilings that are not brick are yellow, they must have gone to the paint store and bought 40 gallons of yellow and smeared it everywhere inside and out. Over the past 5 years I've done a bit of renovation on the inside, sponged colors etc. I'd bet if you gathered all the stats on paint mfg'd in MX you'd find there is more yellow than all other colors combined - I hate yellow, well, almost as much as that fleshy peachy color, I have no idea what that is supposed to represent.

[cedros]

The homes in my fraccionamiento are the usual yellow, orange, pink, white, beige, etc except for one which is dark blue. It stands out like a sore thumb so is used for giving directions. Most don't like it but I don't mind but wouldn't want it for my own.

[eagles100]

I'm putting on this link not as a promotion of the house but as an example of a really nice exterior colour:
http://www.chapalamls.com/search/property_detail.php?mlsid_dev=&id_pro=12636

or the ochre (deep yellow) colour on this one:
http://www.chapalamls.com/search/property_detail.php?mlsid_dev=&id_pro=12663

[solajijic]

I am right in the village so we have dark green, pink, purple, yellow, cream and neons etc... frida blue which I hate. This is a long property so the street wall is long and one section is two stories and the roof is tile so the terracota won't work well. Its also an old property. I am thinking maybe caffe ole or a dark cream might be best. I don't have the personality for the bright colors and wouldn't enjoy driving up, paring on the street and seeing something which jars my eye. But I do now remember that the blue doesn't really take the sun all that well.

I appreciate all the opinions I can get. Thanks.

[solajijic]

Eagles 100 - terrific idea to wander thru the MLS and realtors sites. Got your PM, will do that tomorrow.

[eagles100]

I used to work for a paint manufacturer here in Canada and northernguy has a lot of good tips.
Before you make the plunge, I do also absolutely recommend doing a paint test, getting a small amount and trying it out for a while, looking at it in different light/times of day, maybe even give it a week; it's a LOT of expense and work which if you don't like, you'll be stuck with for a long time.

A paint chip isn't sufficient, especially outside because the colour is affected by the surroundings like trees, bushes, etc.

A deeper colour is much more acceptable outside because the sun dulls it making it not seem as bright compared to indoors.

[artsnob]

My casa has 25 Mexican colors on exterior with lots of purple and no neutrals.....PM me if you want to see...

[nopalesflower]

Wow...Artsnob...can you post photos so we can all appreciate the colors?

[The Seeker]

I liked the photo's to, great colors.

[hkrause]

I'd recommend against white exterior anyplace. Our house is currently white and the bobos LOVE it. Neighbor's house is an orangish color. Bobos are coating our walls outside, and they stop at the orange border. If I step outside (and cover my mouth and nose), I can literally hear the buzz of millions of bobo wings. Needless to say, we WILL be painting before next bobo season! Maybe somebody else can address whether there are other colors they're attracted to? Certainly I'd like to know before we shop for paint color.

Heather

[gogirl]

I would definitely stay away from blue. Way too NOB. Our neighbors' house is blue and white with blue and white awnings and it looks like it should be in Greece. It does not work here. IMHO. I also do not like yellow but the outside of our house is a deep golden yellow with eggplant trim. It's awesome, also IMHO. If you are interested in driving around in my development let me know.

[JayBearII]

There are a lot of long walls in Ajijic, and bright ones tend to turn me off--I like bright colors in small amounts, as accents. But, I like muted colors, earth tones, on large walls. But that's just me! Which gets me to the point: what colors do YOU like to live with? Pick one a shade brighter/deeper than you like, and it will mellow in one season if your walls get the sun.

[eagles100]

Pick one a shade brighter/deeper than you like, and it will mellow in one season if your walls get the sun.

Right ! The brightness of the sun makes it appear less sharp.

[Tony_In_Mexico]

When I moved into my place, the exterior was a horrible 2 tone - beige above, and brown below. Recently had interior and exterior painted. Did the outside gold above, and purple below. I quite like it. Did some purple on the interior as well, namely the courtyard, which was white before. Amazing difference. Really cools the area down visually, and had the added benefit of cutting down the bobo population to nearly nothing. Let me know if you need a good painter.