These Are the Most Popular Exterior Paint Colors

Everyone knows getting the color right on the exterior of your home is a make-or-break deal. Nail it, and your home will look like a million bucks. Getting it wrong means starting over or living with a color you can’t stand.

Siding manufacturer Alside knows how critical color selection is. That’s why it commissioned a survey of homeowners to learn their favorite color choices and how they pick them. We’ll review the survey results here.

Survey Introduction

Alside is a leader in exterior siding and building products for remodeling and new construction projects. But it’s not a survey company, so it hired The Harris Poll to conduct the survey.

Harris polled more than 1,000 U.S. residents 18 years of age and older online about their exterior color preferences. It also asked other key questions, like the most important factors that go into choosing an exterior color, as well as window color preferences.

Most Popular Home Colors

The results of the survey weren’t a big surprise. Last year’s most popular color, off-white/cream, won the top spot again, with 16 percent of the vote. Light gray and white weren’t far behind, taking 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Rounding out the top five were light brown (11 percent) and medium blue (nine percent).

The results made sense, since forty percent of homeowners stated they would choose timeless, neutral colors if they were replacing their siding or painting their homes next year. Subdued colors are the trend, with bright yellows, greens or other similarly bold colors finishing out of the top five.

How Do Homeowners Choose Colors

The Harris Poll also asked homeowners how they would decide on an exterior color for their homes. The overwhelming top reason was cost, with 35 percent of participants stating they would make decisions with the lowest cost in mind first.

This seems reasonable, as fluctuations in building materials prices in recent years have consumers calculating project budgets more carefully.

Other factors played into choosing exterior shades and hues. Availability was the second most common answer, with 23 percent ranking it at the top of their decision-making checklist. Twenty percent stated they would choose based on something they saw in a magazine or home improvement show.

Window Colors Matter, Too

While window color selections are typically more limited, traditional tastes would probably prevail there as well.

More than one-third (36 percent) of survey respondents stated white would be their color of choice if they were updating their windows in 2024. Other choices included gray with 11 percent, bridge or clay with 10 percent, light wood with 10 percent, and black or dark wood with nine percent each.

Color contrast, color matching and cost were the top considerations. Availability was next most popular with 21 percent. Curiously, homeowner’s association (HOA) guidelines were the top consideration for 18 percent of those surveyed. And sixteen percent said they would leave window selection up to their significant other.

Traditional and Neutral Design Wins the Day

Overall, traditional looks were most likely to appeal to survey respondents. It makes sense, since traditional design never goes out of style. Few folks want to change the look of their home to reflect a trend, only to change it again when the trend fades.

Stick with timeless siding and window colors to ensure your home’s curb appeal stands the test of time.