Colours and considerations for a capital community

When it comes to selecting a paint palette for a residential estate, your role as developer is to first take in the environment in which the homes are located. Yes, nature can prove the finest resource from which to draw your inspiration – many homeowners’ associations specify that the homes in their developments are painted to match their natural surroundings. A limited palette of a few permissible external colours also helps create the estate’s visual identity and a sense of coherence.

A couple of key considerations therefore include:

• Is the estate coastal? In this case, a timeless grey to light blue with smart white accents will assist in embedding the residences into their seaside setting.
• What about a rocky mountain-backed estate? Here, terracotta, cheery yellow or contemporary beige should add class to each home without making them stand out starkly – perhaps with classic white trims here and there to brighten the look.

A good reason for including white as the secondary colour in both of the options above, is that white makes other colours appear crisper and light reflects off it to make a home appear more generous. Just avoid white as your primary selection, i.e. for those big areas of wall, because this can result in a glare and be energy-draining due to white’s reflective ability.

When it comes to the longevity of an exterior, walls that are grey or a light neutral shade, for example, will fade the least over time. Those brighter red-browns will fade more rapidly due to their substantial absorption of ultraviolet light – they are less reflective than the off-whites. Just think of how facebrick pales, out in the sun, from bright red to pink given some months.

“Be sure to prepare the walls first, so that they can best receive the colour palette you have selected,” advises Plascon’s Carol Ras. For a long-lasting finish it’s important that your painting team first checks all surfaces are clean, firm and dry; and fills in any defects.”

When working on new cement plaster, concrete and/or bagged walls, seal with Plascon Plaster Primer – particularly in coastal regions where the effects of a salty wind can wear down your structures. For previously painted cement plaster, concrete and bagged walls in poor condition, strip completely by scraping or coarse sanding and proceed as for new surfaces.

“Palette choices can be resolved with the Plascon Colour Advice team. If you’re starting right at the beginning, we’ll work with you to create an atttractive palette for the new development that helps lubricate property sales. We can also help establish which colours are best from those stipulated within your estate’s mandatory exterior colour palette and we’ll also advise which coatings to apply to anything from walls and gutters to shutters, window frames and gates.

Two ideal external coatings are Plascon Micatex with Weathertough™ and Plascon Wall & All. Plascon Micatex has built-in crack filler, and its formulation offers sturdy protection for all weather conditions. Plascon Wall & All is suitable for a multiple of surfaces, resists dirt and provides exceptional durability that will save help save on unnecesary short-term maintenance costs or near-future repaints.

Plascon offers substantial long-term guarantees on its quality products. But developers should still inspect estate buildings each year to guard against damage resulting from adverse weather.

“For new constructions or upcoming renovations, be sure to take advantage of Plascon Preferred Applicators and the Plascon 360° Partnership Pledge, which will see a consultant visiting your site to track workmanship and provide detailed reporting so your topcoat remains in the best nick for the longest possible time,” Ras concludes.

For information about the Plascon Colour System and a colour consultation, contact advice@plascon.co.za.