Color choices in St. Louis usually start with brick. Red, orange, brown or buff brick and the roof are fixed, so trim and door colors have to sit well with them. Indoors, old plaster and changing light shape the choice of sheen. We help you pick colors and test samples on site.
Choosing exterior color in St. Louis starts with what cannot change. The brick may be deep red, orange, brown or the buff and cream brick seen on many later houses. Then there is the roof, the stone sills and foundation, and often a terra cotta or slate detail. Trim, door and porch colors have to work with all of that. A white that looks clean on a paint chip can look stark beside warm red brick, where a softer cream would sit better.
Indoors the questions are different. Rooms in older city houses have tall ceilings, dark stained or heavily painted woodwork and windows on only two sides, since the neighbors are close. Colors read darker there than in a bright county great room. Old plaster is rarely flat, so a matte or eggshell wall hides waves that a shiny finish would show. Trim and doors take a satin or semi-gloss so they can be wiped clean.
We bring fan decks and large samples and look at them with you on site, at the wall or beside the brick, in morning and afternoon light. We narrow it to two or three choices and put up real brush outs before you commit. If your home is in a City historic district, ask the Cultural Resources Office whether exterior colors are reviewed for your address. Homes in a subdivision should check the HOA rules. The final colors and sheens are written into the quote.
Color consulting in St. Louis: common questions
What trim colors go with red St. Louis brick?
Warm off whites, creams, deep greens, charcoal and black are the safe families. Bright cool white can clash. The best test is a sample board held against your own brick, since every brick has its own tone.
Do I pay extra for help with colors?
Ask when you book the estimate. Basic color and sheen advice is part of quoting a painting job with us. We do not publish a price list, and your written quote shows everything that is included.
Should the ceilings and trim be the same white?
They can be the same color in different sheens: flat on the ceiling, satin or semi-gloss on trim. In rooms with old stained woodwork, a warmer ceiling white usually looks better than a stark one.
How it works
- Free estimate: Call, text or book online. We walk the job and measure.
- Written quote: Prep, paint and price in writing.
- Prep & protect: We cover floors and furniture, repair and prime surfaces.
- Paint & walk-through: Two coats, clean lines, full clean-up and a final walk-through.