House paint is one of the simplest ways to spruce up your home, but choosing the right color can be tricky. The colors you select for your exterior and interior should compliment each other, yet they should also stand out from the surrounding neighborhood.

A few carefully considered steps can make tackling this project a bit easier, and ensure that your home looks its best. The first step is to research your neighborhood and look for dominant themes. If you live in a historic district, for example, the history of the area can provide clues about the types of colors that will complement your house. Many paint manufacturers offer collections of historically accurate colors, which can be an excellent starting point for your palette. Alternatively, you can consult a professional who specializes in historical painting to help you create an original scheme that is authentic to your home’s style.

The next step is to observe how the color of your house responds to different light conditions, such as natural versus artificial sunlight and daytime versus nighttime. This can make a huge difference in how it appears in the room, and you’ll want to take this into account when making your final decisions. Finally, it’s a good idea to consider what other elements will be in the space, including furniture and accessories. If you’re choosing a bold hue, it can be helpful to choose a coordinating shade for trim and doors to give your whole home a cohesive look.

Modern house paint is made up of a solvent, pigments and binder. The solvent is what keeps the paint liquid while it’s in the can, and it evaporates as it dries on the walls. The pigments are finely ground particles that impart a wide range of properties, such as color, opacity and texture. The binder, on the other hand, binds the pigments together and provides adhesion to the surface being painted and integrity/toughness of the dry paint film.

Throughout history, people have been decorating their homes with house paint for tens of thousands of years. The oldest cave paintings date back to the Ice Age (Upper Paleolithic). Ancient Egyptian, Etruscan and Roman cultures all used decorative painting to adorn their homes, temples and tombs. By the 1600s, new processes and technology had allowed painters to create paint that was affordable, durable and easy to use.

Today, most homeowners opt for latex acrylic house paint because it’s more affordable than oil-based paints and is easy to clean up when spilled. However, if you prefer the look of oil-based paint, it’s still possible to find quality products that will last for decades.