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Help choosing roof color.

3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago

Replacing my roof with either OC Duration or GAF HD.

Cream colored house with white trim and light brown roof. Started off looking at grays like Estate Gray and Pewter Gray. Loved the shingle and look - just didn't seem to fit the house. We are now back to browns and looking closely at OC in Teak.

Thoughts on colors in the Owens Corning or GAF family on this home?

Thanks for any feedback.



Comments (21)

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Yes gray is a neutral but it does not look good with some homes that have a warmer colour scheme. There are some unfortunate examples in my neighbourhood with new gray roofs and the original warm toned brick, wood and siding.

    HU-9778480 thanked partim
  • 3 years ago

    Any gray with your cream siding needs to be a warm gray-brown, not a cool or neutral gray. And brown would work well too.

    HU-9778480 thanked partim
  • 3 years ago

    I think Teak is a good choice. I also like Driftwood, which is a bit softer. Colonial Slate would look good. Ask your roofer to put large samples (at least 3' by 3') on the roof where your can see them. My contractor did. He offered, I didn't have to ask.

    Teak

    Roof Installation, Owens Corning "Duration" "Teak", Minneapolis, Minnesota · More Info

    Driftwood

    Owens Corning Duration "Driftwood" Roofing system · More Info


  • PRO
    3 years ago

    here is Gray with cream trim looks good


  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Houssaon,

    We did take a few squares home of each color and lay them on a lower section of roof above the garage. I think one of the challenges when choosing a roof color is that a sample or square always seems to look darker than when numerous squares are together as part of an entire roof. A square of OC Teak seems to have a lot of red/orange - but when you see an entire roof in Teak it is more of a blend of browns with the orange being much less prominent.

    My neighbor has the same house in a brighter yellow with the colonial slate and it looks OK. My wife doesn't like the greens in the driftwood, but I think it looks good.

    Thanks everyone for the feedback. I never imagined that selecting a roof color could be so challenging.

  • 3 years ago

    Dark gray.

    HU-9778480 thanked Sammy
  • 3 years ago

    I almost ALWAYS chose a gray for the roof. Browns are so limiting when you or someone else wants to change the siding color.

    HU-9778480 thanked Design Girl
  • 3 years ago

    Design girl - are we talking about something like Estate Gray (OC) or Pewter Gray (GAF)? Or a different tone of gray altogether? Thanks

  • 3 years ago

    Each company has its own grays. From the monitor there doesn't seem to be much difference between the Estate Gray and the Pewter Gray. What do you notice? Do you prefer one shingle/company? My local lumber yard has samples of each roof color on a small section of roof so that customers can get a good visual.

    HU-9778480 thanked Design Girl
  • 3 years ago

    Looked at a few homes this morning. Still indecisive. Have a few sample squares to toss up on a lower roof section again.


    I think my roofing contractor is getting inpatient. :)

    I get what many are saying abut the gray tones - I am just not certain it lends itself well to my light cream siding. But - I don't want to put a color up that is a turn off for future buyers if we sell in a few years.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    What a lovely home! Check out pages 6-9 of this PDF for some good background then see if any lightbulbs go off. https://www.davinciroofscapes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/color-schemes.pdf


    Take a drive around a the nicest neighborhood near you and look for a home of the same general color and style as yours, chances are they had help choosing and you may find something that resonates with you.


    Opinion: Since your home is large, you could benefit from some darker contrast. Brown would go great with your hand rails and really make your door pop. Maybe a couple blue planters at ground level on either side of the front stairs, to tie it together. in the same I can't tell what color your lightpost is, but that's easy to spray paint or powder coat to match. If you live in an area that gets any wind, GAF Timberline HDZ is an excellent product. As to color, different ones are available in different regions. I would say Shakewood would be warm and cozy or Barkwood would be dramatic and elegant. (Teak, mentioned above would be a bold and suitable choice. I get the sense that Driftwood would be a little chaotic for you; it's very nice but has diverse colorations and you seem to like a more tidy style.) You're welcome to try our GAF visualizer by loading your picture here and trying on different colors and patterns. http://www.legacyroofingnw.com/home-visualizer/


    Regardless of what you choose, post the After picture so we can enjoy the finished project with you!

  • 3 years ago

    My wife just brought home a sample of GAF HD in Weathered Wood. Was not expecting that so now I have to look at that as well. Anyone have any experience with Weathered Wood from GAF?


    Another question - is the upgrade from GAF HD to GAF Ultra HD worth the extra $ in terms of overall appearance/appeal?

  • 3 years ago

    Love the lighter gray on Celerygirl's example from yesterday. Can't go wrong.

  • 3 years ago

    Teak is perfect. I wouldn’t do a gray with a tan-toned house.

    HU-9778480 thanked Little Bug
  • 3 years ago

    Looking at Celerygirl's example makes me think how some black accents could work nicely with a gray roof and your cream/tan siding. Accents meaning door, light fixtures, mailbox, lamp post, and/or pots/planters. You could even add black carriage hardware to the garage, if that suits you. Most important is what looks good to you. :-)

    HU-9778480 thanked chloebud
  • 3 years ago

    Still on the fence - back and forth.


    Leaning back towards GAF HDZ Pewter Gray. Versus Weathered Wood. Ruled out Teak as too much and red and orange. Appreciate all the feedback.

  • 3 years ago

    Now we are looking GAF HZT/HD Weathered Wood. Softer brown. Too light - or good versatility and color?

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    GAF HDZ is a newer product and is designed to be especially strong in wind. Nice choice. Good decision to pass on Teak; it is amazing on the right house but very dark and orange for yours.


    When people go by you don't want them to say nice house or nice roof, but rather, what a lovely home. Gray isn't "wrong" - clearly many people here prefer it - but it separates the roof from the house and presents them as individual components instead of a cohesive unit. Weathered Wood will coordinate with the warm tones in your paint and pull everything together. Around Seattle, Weathered Wood is the most popular color, by magnitudes.


    See any of them on your home with our free GAF Roof Visualizer, so you can move forward with confidence.

  • 3 years ago

    My roofer suggested putting samples on my roof. He did it and they were LARGE samples. At least 3 or 4 feet square. You are going to spend a lot of money on this roof that will be there for hopefully 30 years. Seeing large samples will help to make it the best choice.

    Weathered wood is a very popular roof. I like the grays and browns in it.

    Good luck.