.png)
by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers®
When it comes time to settle on your new home’s exterior palette, be sure to look beyond your siding and trim. The garage door makes up a major part of visual real estate, and giving it the right color can have an awesome effect on the overall picture. The possibilities are practically endless when you consider all the standard and custom options available direct from the factory, so here are some of the most popular garage door looks!
Classic White
If there were a default garage door color, it’d be white. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with a white door—it’s just the most readily available option in most cases, and it’s an easy choice for builders and homeowners. Plus, it matches and visually balances almost everything! A majority of homes feature colored siding and white trim, so white garage doors naturally pop against the background. Designers of certain popular architectural styles—most notably farmhouses and other homey designs—clearly prefer the clean simplicity that a white garage door affords, too.
A solid white door can provide plenty of interest depending on its build. A woodgrain texture will give it a natural, authentic, and rustic vibe when seen up close, and every sort of design pattern will create shadows that draw attention to the finer details of the door. For those looking for a bit more oomph, choose a door style that lets you pick a base color and highlight the overlays with white. It’s a bit fancier, but it’s still a classic choice!
Custom Colors
When white is so prominent, any other garage door color stands out! Manufacturers often offer a palette of popular colors—shades of tan, brown, gray, and black—if you’re looking for a standard finish, but it doesn’t have to end there. Many also have special custom paint colors for an extra fee; this greatly expands your options and offers spectacularly even and durable results because it’s all done in a controlled factory environment using the right paint formula for the door construction material. Of course, you can always opt for a primed door and have it finished by a knowledgeable contractor on site. In any case, think about whether you want a solid or more striking two-toned look.
Look at the whole picture when selecting a garage door color. If you have a white house, you can’t go wrong matching the trim, which is usually a dark color for contrast. Some people like the garage doors to be the same color as the house, and then offset them with thick trim and/or an arbor. Then there are traditional favorites—black or taupe for brick homes, deep green for natural wood-sided homes, muted neutrals for traditional homes, etc. Owners of modern houses often take liberties and select very bold hues. Take a look at the color wheel for inspiration—whether you’re looking for soft or extreme contrast, heeding color theory will help create a balanced exterior design.
Wood Tones
Finally, we come to wood tone garage doors—a favorite for many! This natural highlight instantly dresses up homes and gives them a refined, luxurious feel. These doors look amazing on a variety of house styles, but they work particularly well when paired with other natural materials. For instance, homes with stone, brick, and stucco siding look exceptional with wood or wood-look garage doors.
Whether real or faux, you have your choice of finishes; you can achieve light golden colors, rich red hues, deep neutral browns, and even washed-out grays. Ask a professional before settling on a wood tone garage door color—you can’t change it as easily as you could with a painted finish. In general, it’s wise to match the undertone of the house, but earthy brown garage doors also look great on cool (blue, gray) houses.
No matter the type of garage door you need to perfect your new home, you’ll find plenty of stylish options with Clopay® Garage Doors. They have classic raised panel, traditional carriage house, and unique modern models to suit all needs, and you can choose between a variety of factory-finished colors or a primed surface you can finish yourself. Find a local dealer for help choosing a great garage door and the final touches that’ll make it your own!