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What Paint Goes With a Brown Roof? Discover All Color Options

What Paint Goes With a Brown Roof? Discover All Color Options

You can elevate a seemingly plain brown roof by carefully choosing your exterior paint color.

If you’re wondering what paint goes with a brown roof, you’ll love all the options available.

All brown roofs aren’t the same, so you might want to take a close look at the makeup of your shingles. They could have red, orange, and yellow undertones.

Some have gray hues or a hint of cool blue.

Paint Colors to Go With a Brown Roof

to answer the question what paint goes with a brown roof, a brown shingled roof sits on a white painted house with a gambrel roof

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Brown doesn’t mean boring; a brown roof is classic. Your brown shingles might be light or dark.

They might have a rich red undertone or a slightly gray cast. There’s so much variety in shades of brown that you have an endless palette of colors that work well with it.

You can upgrade the overall look of your brown roof by choosing the perfect exterior paint color. Think of your style and what you want your house to convey.

You might want to go for a subtle look and use neutral colors. Maybe you want your house to stand out from the rest of the neighborhood. In that case, brighter shades and contrasting colors will work well for you.

Neutrals

Neutral Colors with Brown Roof

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Neutrals look great with a brown roof because they can find the undertones in your shingles and highlight them beautifully. White is plain and classic and allows your brown roof to stand out.

A white house looks crisp and clean, and any landscaping you have around the house will look lush in contrast. Though you might think white is one color, there are shades to choose from with hues of red, blue, or yellow.

Taupe and beige are light shades of brown that accent brown shingles. There are many shades of taupe, but in general, it has warm red undertones.

Beige has more of a yellowish cast, which can brighten the overall look of your home. You can use different hues of taupe or beige on trim and home accents to further your brown theme. 

Gray is typically paired with black or gray shingles, but it can look nice with the right brown roof.

Any cool brown or shingles with a gray cast will look nice with rich gray paint. As with other colors, you can find gray paint with undertones of red or blue, so you have options when you’re picking your shade.

Terra Cotta

Terracotta House color

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Most people associate terra cotta with tiles and pots, but it’s recently become one of the most popular house colors. The color itself is reddish-orange and looks very natural and earthy.

You can use this color, whether your house is modern or rustic, because it looks great with any home style.

The color is typically tied to Mediterranean and Spanish design, but you don’t need to integrate any stucco or clay tile into your house to pull off this shade.

The red tones in terra cotta tie together nicely with browns that have warm hues. Terra cotta catches the light wonderfully and will make your home look bright and inviting during the day.

Yellow

Brown Roof on Yellow House

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Yellow looks nice with brown, especially if you match their undertones. Some yellow looks vibrant because of the red hues, which will pull out the red in your brown roof.

Cooler yellows have a hint of blue that looks nice with gray-brown shingles. A rich yellow almost looks like a paler brown because it has comparable warmth.

Paler yellow looks closer to the neutral colors addressed earlier, but still adds some brightness to the overall look of your house.

Green

Brown Roof on Green House

Image Source: Nic Nichols Photography

Green and brown pair perfectly together because they call nature to mind. Your home will look like it’s fit for the forest regardless of what shade you choose.

A dark brown roof will look stunning with any shade of green, from dark forest green to lighter pea green.

Mossy green is a popular paint color because it looks bright in the sunlight and more muted in the shadows. This versatility makes it look nice with dark or light brown shingles.

Dark green paint can make a medium or light brown roof look stylish in contrast.

If you pair a green exterior with a brown roof, your options for trim and home accents are endless. Natural wood looks great with these two colors, as do stones and rocks. 

Blue

Dark blue can contrast nicely with lighter brown roofs

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There are so many shades of blue that you’re sure to find one that looks great with your brown shingles.

Dark blue can contrast nicely with lighter brown roofs or, when paired with a dark brown roof, make your house look stately.

Sky blue is bright and fun and can lighten the overall appearance of a dark brown roof. 

Some blues have a gray cast that will look different according to the light and time of day. These versatile colors look great with brown roofs that also have gray undertones without looking too matchy.

Things to Consider

Home with brown shingles and brown siding and white and tan trim for a piece on what paint goes with a brown roof

Mark Byer/Shutterstock

When you’re picking a paint color to go with a brown roof, you need to consider more than the specific color profiles outlined above. You also need to step back and look at your property as a whole.

  • Walk across the street and look at your house from a distance. If it looks small, you want to choose a light brown shingle and a light paint color. Choosing dark colors will make your house look even smaller.
  • Consider energy efficiency when you’re picking shingles. You can stick with a brown roof and decide between light or dark depending on your climate. If you live in a hot area, dark shingles will heat your house. You’ll have to run the air conditioning to keep it cool inside.
  • Make your trim work for you. Paint them the same color as the exterior so they blend in, or use a contrasting color to draw attention to your house’s angles and accents.

How Do You Match A House And Roof Color?

Piece titled What Color House Paint Goes With a Brown Roof featuring a blue house with light brown shingles

Ratchat/Shutterstock

Since a roof lasts longer and is more of an investment, it’s best to pick your roof color first. You want something durable that won’t change color much over time. Also, make sure it’s a color you won’t get sick of.

Painting the exterior of your house is a big undertaking, but it’s much easier to tackle compared to getting a new roof. After you choose your roof color, you’ll have a general idea of what colors will work well with it.

Gray or black roofs look great with cool paint colors like white, gray, and blue. As you’ve learned, brown roofs go well with warm colors like beige, yellow, and green. But no matter what, you can choose colors based on your style.

Should The Roof Be Darker Or Lighter Than The House?

For a piece on what color paint goes with a brown roof, a home that's beige in color with a brown shingle roof and white accents and light brown brick

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In general, most people choose darker roofs. The leading design concept behind this idea is that darker objects seem smaller and don’t pull your attention as much as lighter objects. This means your dark roof will fade back and allow your light house to take the spotlight.

Climate also impacts your shingle choice. If you live in a hot climate, lighter roof shingles bounce the heat off of your house.

In cold climates, you want dark shingles that absorb sunlight and retain that heat in your house. Darker shingles look better over time.

Light shingles can get stains and patchy spots where rain or snow sit, or acorns hit. Dark shingles won’t show this type of wear and tear so they look newer for a longer period.

Dark shingles look timeless. If you don’t want your house to have a specific style, it’s best to choose something neutral. A plain roof can also help your resale value because potential buyers won’t dislike a trendy color roof.

What Is The Most Popular House Color?

White is the most popular color for brown roof

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White will probably always be one of the most popular house colors. It’s classic and goes with any color of roof and trim.

It lets your front of house landscaping stand out. Better yet, there are many shades of white with cool or warm undertones, so you don’t have to feel stuck with something bland.

Every year it seems like there’s a new popular house color. As you read above, terra cotta has become wildly popular in recent years. Deep blue has also shown up on many houses, especially those with stark white trim accents.

If you want to be trendy, you can ask about the most popular colors at the paint store or consider the Pantone Color of the Year. Otherwise, there’s nothing wrong with sticking with the classics like white, beige, cream, and gray.

Closing Thoughts

Dark brown shingled roof with light wood cedar shake siding for a piece on what color paint goes with brown roof

Dolores M. Harvey/Shutterstock

So, what paint goes with a brown roof? Well, there are so many shades of brown shingles that you have an endless assortment of exterior paint colors to choose from.

Whether you pick a timeless neutral, trendy terra cotta, or a bright blue, your house will look stunning with your brown roof.