Selecting Roof Colors to Complement Brick and Stone Exteriors

“People will often say they have a red brick exterior, but it’s impossible to leave it at that,” says Smith, chief color maven at Sensational Color. “Different bricks have different color casts. There are brown/black, red, pink, tan/buff, gray, and white/cream color casts of bricks used on homes. It’s critical to determine the main color and the underlying color cast of your brick in order to select the appropriate roofing color.”

Smith, who specializes in color matching home exteriors with polymer slate and shake roofing tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes®, suggests that homeowners looking for a new roof make it a priority to first identify the main color and the cast color of the brick on their home. Once that is done, Smith offers these tips for adding a new roof to homes with specific brick color casts.

• Tip: If the cast is tan, gold, or brown, then the roof will look better in a warm color or a blend of tiles that includes the cast color.

• Tip: Select cooler hues or gray in the roof color blend if the cast of the brick is gray on the home. Gray on the roof can enhance the appearance of bricks.

• Tip: A white cast to brick adds a softening effect, and a mid-tone roof color rather than a darker one makes an excellent choice.

• Tip: A multi-color blend in a roof that includes at least one color similar to the brick color can complement brick siding. Roofing blends can include from two to seven colors, so it’s easy to find a blend that pulls out the primary color cast of the brick.

• Tip: Don’t get frustrated. DaVinci Roofscapes offers 49 roofing colors and 28 blends of roofing options so that homeowners can find the color combination that work best for them. Plus, a free online Color Designer allows homeowners to create a custom blend at no additional charge.

 

Matching Stone with Roofing Colors

 

When a home exterior displays natural stone as a primary feature, the roofing color selection process follows the same general game plan as it does for brick.

“First, identify the color cast of the stone,” says Smith. “Generally you’ll find it falls into the color zones of gray, bluish gray, gold, and peach. Once you identify the main color common denominator, then look for roofing tiles in a color or color blend that includes this same color. By using consistent colors in fixed features such as your roof and the stone highlights of your home, each element will visually blend in a pleasing way.”

Smith notes that various stones have softer or harder looks based on their size, symmetry, and the way in which they are placed on the home. Various stones also have patterns based on the number of colors within the stone and the stones' sizes and their symmetry. “The patterns of the stone and the roof should not compete for attention,” says Smith. “If the stonework is ‘busy,’ then select a roof with fewer color variations. If there are fewer patterns in the stone, then having a multi-color blend can add a very distinctive look to a home’s exterior.

“As a great example, a Bellaforté Slate gray roof can accentuate the depth and contrast of multi-hued and multi-sized fieldstones. However, a flatter stone with more diversity, such as limestone, can ideally be matched with a Bellaforté Slate Cambridge Blend. The key is to visualize how the home will look ‘from the top down’ with the color combination starting at the roof and then flowing down to the sides and key exterior features of the home.”

To help homeowners select the best exterior color combinations for the home, Smith has authored a 30-page FRESH Home Exterior Colors guide that is available online. The free downloadable tool is designed to make it easy for people to choose color palettes that complement the exterior of the home.