What is the Best Color For a Deck?
No matter your deck building level of expertise, from DIY deck builder to professional deck contractor, choosing a composite deck or deck stain color can be challenging. From neutral tones and colors to bold and dramatic deck board shades; selecting the perfect color for your deck can be difficult. Luckily, DecksDirect is here to help!
From composite deck boards, to finding the right deck stain color for your home, we'll help you determine the look you want for a dreamy deck. No longer will figuring out what color is right for your deck can be intimidating. We'll point a few helpful deck design tips to make the composite decking or deck stain process be as smooth as can be!
Easy Notes on How to Find Out What is the Best Color For My Deck?
Browse composite decking photos and deck stain color groups
Even when you don't know where to start on determining what color your deck should be, you do know which deck shades often catch your eye. Are you often drawn to the look of rich, warm Cedar? Or are you located in a coastal region where whites and grey deck board colors tend to pop out at you?
To make this decision easier, decking manufacturers generally offer their composite deck boards or deck stains in color families that will make it simpler for you to know where to start. Glance through product photos, decks in your neighborhood, or online deck image galleries to find the decking color families that you like best. Note these down and continue planning!
Consider your home's exterior and trim colors
A common question our deck designers hear when working with customers is, "Should my deck match my home?"
While an important and popular query, to be honest, there's no set or certain answer. Each home's style and aesthetic are different than the one before it. If you're working with a combination siding and trim colors that you love, then by all means work with what's going right!
However, if you're looking to branch out from the norm and highlight your family's outdoor space, then adding a touch of flair in your deck color might be best. A pop of color can help accentuate the size of an outdoor living area as well as help give homes a more modern, contemporary style.
When thinking of different colors, it will be very helpful to use basic color wheel rules. Most homes will feature a dominant, secondary, and accent color relating to the siding, trim, and details. Color wheel rules, or color theory states that complementary tones and colors can be found directly opposite each other on the color wheel. This can be extrapolated out to feature three and even four colors, simply expand out to find equally spaced shades.
Color theory also states that similar, or analogous colors will work together beautifully. This is generally two to three shades found next to each other. This will apply for those looking to match their deck color to the shades of their home.
Color Wheel image via aekikuis
Keep sun exposure in mind
All decking material, including composite decking, stained deck boards, pressure-treated lumber, and more; will heat up in direct sunlight. If your deck gets full sun exposure all day long, every day, we recommend choosing a lighter-colored board. If you live in a cooler region or in an area without a lot of direct rays on your deck, darker deck board colors could be a great choice!
Plan your deck board layout and design before choosing a color
For homeowners and deck builders looking to install decking in a standard manner, such as straight or a simple picture-frame deck board layout, you color you like! From universal tones to dramatic dark tones, any shade or tone will work for these designs.
For professional builders and contractors looking to install a breath-taking deck board layout, such as Herringbone, Patchwork, or Inserts, be sure to keep your decking color simple. Detailed deck board installations such as these are detailed enough to call attention to the floor. Installing deck board layouts in a deep, bold color can often appear overkill.
Call in, get samples, test them out
Call and speak with one of our expert deck designers to look at photos of your home and get design recommendations! We'll ask some basic questions to understand what kind of style you want for your outdoor space and lead you to the perfect composite decking color!
We can also help you order some composite decking samples or deck stain samples! They'll arrive to your door in a day or two so you can test them against your house color and find your perfect match. Consider ordering several colors and more than one board style to ensure you find the perfect shade.