If you want an exterior that is charming and distinctive, cedar shakes and board-and-batten siding are an excellent choice. If you want something low-cost but weather-resistant, you might want to choose vinyl siding. However, when it comes to creating a dark, atmospheric exterior, you need to make good use of color — and in this case, pure black or other dark shades beyond the muted, neutral design trends.
In this article, Peninsula Siding Company, Inc. sheds light on essential things to consider when choosing dark-colored siding.
Dark Colors Absorb More Energy Than Light Colors
Generally, dark-colored surfaces absorb a more significant amount of solar energy than light-colored surfaces. So on products that are prone to dimensional changes due to extreme temperatures or that have low melting points, the range of color options often becomes limited. Because darker colors tend to warm up the substrate more frequently, they are more likely to increase movement. Another issue to carefully chew on is fading. On many exterior finishes, excessive “chalking” is not pleasing to the eye. This means that your choice of cladding ultimately matters when it comes to picking dark colors, says an expert siding contractor.
Let’s Take This Material by Material
If you want a true black color on your exterior, vinyl may not be the cladding material for you. On vinyl, it is important to use a paint color no darker than the original color of the material due to problems with heat absorption. With composites, consider engineered wood siding as it does not limit your choices of topcoat color. You can also paint fiber cement with 100% acrylic latex paint. While the standard factory colors from James Hardie® are not particularly dark, they do not place a limit on what colors you can apply.
Peninsula Siding Company, Inc. is a premier siding company in the Bay Area. Our certified team is committed to providing durable and fire retardant siding systems that can elevate the look and feel of your home. Call us at (650) 287-4208 or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.