If you’re not working with a professional designer, choosing colors for your property can be tricky.

Especially in Puget Sound cities like Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia, where your paint has to perform equally well under the dark grays of winter and the long, bright days of summer.

It lures lots of commercial owners and property managers into a few common traps.

They either play it safe with the blandest option, they avoid the decision by repainting with the same colors they’ve always had, or they go with their gut on new colors without ever testing them out.

This guide walks you through the key considerations that’ll keep you out of those pitfalls and help you get the right colors for your property.

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The 3 Key Decision Factors in Choosing Your Colors

Painting a commercial property is a significant investment.

You want your paint to protect your building and keep it looking fresh for years. But one rushed decision can leave you regretting your color choices and considering a repaint long before it should actually be needed.

So before you settle on color combinations, make sure you’re taking these key factors into consideration.

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Purpose: What is your property for?

It’s pretty clear that an industrial warehouse and an urban apartment building have different purposes.

But what’s not clear to most people is how that should affect their color choices.

At a broad level, do you need your building to:

• Attract new customers, like a retail space?
• Retain clients and tenants, like a gym or apartment complex?
• Keep your best employees productive and happy, like a warehouse or office building?

The bright splashes of color you might use to catch the eye of new customers might turn off long-term tenants. Likewise the bright, neutral tones that make a hospitality property look clean and fresh can make an office building feel sterile.

Make sure to choose colors that support your business purpose.

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Location: Where is your property located?

Since you’re reading this particular guide, chances are you’re in Western Washington.

That means your colors need to work just as well in the dead grays of winter as the bright, hot noons of summer. Neutrals, for instance, tend to look much darker and duller under clouds, while bright colors can be garish in the sun.

The key here is to test. 

Paint large pieces of posterboard with the colors you’re considering and tape them up in different lighting conditions. This will give you a much better idea of whether the finished product meets your needs.

Culturally, Western Washington tends towards the blues, greens, and grays of the natural world around us for exterior colors, and bright, warm neutrals indoors to cozy up the dark days. It’s also important to zoom in on the city and neighborhood you’re in. 

What are the dominant colors around your property? How much do you want to fit in or stand out?

Nailing your location-based colors will help you find your bullseye.

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Brand: What should your property communicate?

If your brand has specific colors you want to incorporate, go back to the purpose section of this guide.

Getting clear on the purpose will help you choose whether those colors should be dominant throughout the property or used as accents in key locations.

But that’s not the only brand consideration.

Whether you’re trying to brand your property or not, it’s creating a brand for itself—and for you—with the impression it makes. Here are some key questions to help you make sure the brand it’s creating is one you’re happy with.

Should your property be…

• More trendy or more timeless?
• More calm or more energetic?
• More bold or more reserved?
• More playful or more professional?
• More bright and light or more dark and rich?

As you go through these questions you’ll probably notice some that are no-brainers for you. Let those guide your color choices.

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The Value of a Second Opinion

Even if you’re pretty sure of your color choices, a good designer can offer ideas that save you a lot of headaches in the long run.

But you don’t necessarily have to hire them from the beginning.

If you’re on a budget, you can choose the color combinations yourself and then go to a designer for a quick second opinion. They might see a problem or improvement at first glance that a non-designer would never notice.

Given the investment of a good commercial paint job and how long you want it to last, that one opinion could make your property more profitable for years to come.

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Your Colors are Only as Good as Your Painter

Once you choose your colors you want them to stay sharp as long as possible.

In Western Washington that means choosing the right paints and working with the elements to make sure every coat is properly applied.

Which is exactly what we do.

We’ve been painting commercial properties throughout the Puget Sound region for over a decade—from schools and healthcare facilities, to multi- and single-family developments, to offices, retail, and industrial properties.

Our professional team makes sure your property gets quality paint, on schedule and on budget.

If you’re considering fresh paint for your property, we’re confident that once you work with us you’ll never have to shop for commercial painters again.

Click here and let us give you a quote.