Timeless Roof Colors

"Black never goes out of style for any use," says Smith, president and chief color maven of Sensational Color. "From the little black dress to the luxury black car to a crisp black tuxedo, there is an upscale feeling about black that crosses product and category boundaries.

"It’s not surprising that black, which denotes power and authority, is perhaps the most popular roofing color. For a lighter shade of black, gray clearly is the next most timeless color for roofs — especially because so many people have selected natural slate roofs over the years."

Smith, who provides color consultancy for DaVinci Roofscapes, notes that bright colored roofs were far more common historically than people realize.

"Colorful roofs with a range of reds, greens and even golds were used in all styles of homes in the past," says Smith. "And, for homes with wood roofing, nothing matches a natural cedar color for a timeless appeal. Again, the historical aspect of people using real wood shakes, which were widely available in rural areas, has driven the popularity of this color over the years."

New Classic Roofing Colors

In today’s home environment, Smith points out that consumers are expressing themselves more often with different colors — and blends of colors — on their roofs.

"Working with DaVinci I've seen how people’s tastes vary and how they enjoy having 49 standard roof colors to choose from," says Smith. "While a majority of people request the polymer roofing tiles in black and gray, some people really wish to 'shake up' their roofs. Those homeowners may select a green blend of roofing tiles that beautifully complements both warm and cool tones on the rest of the home. And, green roofs work well in wooded settings or can easily ‘soften’ the look of a home in an exposed location."

For a Mediterranean style home, Smith suggests that a terracotta or clay color can add accent appeal to the exterior. To replicate the look of cedar, but get all the advantages of a polymer shake roof, Smith recommends a Tuscano blend of light, medium light, medium and dark autumn colors that combine to provide the timeless "color feeling" of cedar.

Can’t find the roofing color that perfectly meets your needs? No problem since DaVinci can custom create any color imaginable.

"Last year homeowners from Iowa brought paver bricks from their driveway to the DaVinci plant in Kansas City to have a custom blend of Midnight Gray and Cottage Red roofing tiles created for their 111-year-old Queen Anne style home,” says Smith. “I’ve also heard of people bringing in a red curtain, a piece of a clay pot and a stained sample of wood to have the color replicated. To me, these will be timeless colors for these specific homeowners because they were able to select the colors that best matched their desires to accent their homes with special roofing colors."

DaVinci Roofscapes has manufactured award-winning synthetic slate and shake roofing since 1999. The polymer roofing tiles are virtually maintenance free and far more cost effective than the natural product. DaVinci leads the industry in tile thickness, the tile width variety and the greatest selection of subtle earth-toned colors. Company products have a 50-year limited warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. DaVinci proudly makes its products in America and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For additional information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.