If you are building a custom pole barn building, whether it be for a home, barn, or business, it needs to reflect your design tastes and desires. One of the biggest factors that plays a role in design tastes comes down to what pole barn color or colors you want.Â
There are many factors to take into consideration when determining the color you want for your new building. Determining the right pole barn color scheme for you isn’t usually a quick and easy decision. You need to consider the type of materials you are painting, the environment or usage of your building, and your overall tastes, of course!Â
Color plays a huge role in the overall sensation of any final design. That’s why we put together this straightforward guide, to help you make your color decision and get you one step closer to your very own sensationally beautiful pole barn.
Walls and Roof, What Else Do You Need to Paint?Â
When it comes to building out your new pole barn, there are a number of exterior components that are typically taken into consideration for color. The first things that come to mind cover the biggest area of your exterior. That would be the walls and roof.
There are of course a couple more common places to keep in mind when it comes to the color options for your exterior. The four primary locations for exterior color on your pole barn to keep in mind are:
- Exterior walls
- Roof
- Trim
- Soffit
You might be wondering what a “soffit” is. It’s the name for the horizontal underside of any construction element. For example, when it comes to the exterior, it is generally the bottom-side of the roof that projects from the edge of the building.
Often, the roof, trim, and soffit are all painted the same. However, it is possible to choose different colors for each of these components. It all depends on you of course!Â
There could be other features that need to be taken into consideration when it comes to your color scheme. For example, if you elect to add a cupola or feature wainscotting. Or maybe you want a unique front door in a wild color? Keeping a feature or showcase color in mind will also play a role in your overall color considerations.Â
Exterior Pole Barn Wall Color
Exterior walls of pole barns are typically one of three materials: metal, Hardie board siding, or vinyl siding.Â
Metal is often used for commercial, garage or barns. Although, it is an increasingly popular option in more modern pole barn homes or barn style houses. Siding is a popular choice regardless of the type of building you construct. Depending on the material you choose can limit or offer different color opportunities.
HardiePlank or James Hardie Siding Pole Barn Walls
HardiePlank or Hardie siding is a fiber-cement board that is super thick, durable, and a beautiful exterior feature. It does not warp or melt, although it can crack. Often it is used for homes because it has tough, weather-ability and is incredibly low maintenance. Plus, it comes in a wide range of colors that are UV fade-resistant.Â
Their siding options come in a wide range of earthy and classic colors and textures. Plus they have either lap or vertical siding options. It’s great for any building type!Â
The HardiePlank ColorPlus Technology finish is one of the highest-rated color cures for exterior walls. It is longer lasting and designed to resist chipping, peeling, and cracking. It is what we recommend to our customers for the most durable and valuable color solution for your new pole barn building. Their handy color visualizer also makes it super easy for you to get a sample of what the final product will look like.Â
Vinyl Siding for Pole Barn Walls
Vinyl siding is like a second skin for your home. It’s made of high-quality PVC, available in a plethora of design profiles, and much more affordable than most exterior options. In general, the highest quality vinyl siding is as expensive as the cheapest HardiePlank.Â
Vinyl actually offers a great benefit to insulation. It’s not as effective as brand name Hardie siding with a specially designed insulated backing, but for the price point, it is quite efficient. So, you should save on your energy bill. And it is low maintenance, never requiring repainting and easy to clean with a garden hose.Â
However, it is important to know that vinyl can cost you in the long run as it is highly flammable and rather flimsy. Vinyl doesn’t do well with extreme temperatures, either on the hot or cold side.Â
If you’ve decided to go with vinyl siding, there is a really great range of colors for you to choose from. There are many manufacturers to consider. Each manufacturer will offer a range of styles, quality and color options. So do your due diligence and research properly to find the best quality and design options that fit your budget and style.Â
The team at Sheaffer Construction can help you decide. Feel free to reach out to them with any questions you have about vinyl siding options. You can also see the vinyl options they recommend here.
Metal Pole Barn Wall Colors
The classic pole barn material is corrugated steel. So, this is often the most common choice for exterior walls of our pole barn structures. Often commercial storage or garages opt for metal solutions because it can put up with extreme weather (at the appropriate thickness) and it’s incredibly affordable. Plus it is low maintenance and energy-efficient.Â
Metal siding comes in a wide range of styles and gauges. “Steel gauge” is the measurement for the thickness and subsequent strength of your steel metal siding.Â
A few other factors to keep in consideration for strength are the number of ribs, the spacing between them, and the number of fasteners used. In general, more ribs, less spacing between them, and more fasteners all equate in a stronger slice of steel.Â
As far as style, there is the standard corrugated steel, standing seam metal, traditional batten metal, bold box rib siding, and modern flat metal siding. There are also other options beyond steel, although it is the number one choice. In general, there are four types of metal to consider for exterior walls:
- Steel: Most common and dependable, most color options.
- Aluminum: Softer and most affordable, doesn’t hold color as well.
- Copper: Bold, durable and modern, no coating necessary, resists corrosion. Expensive.
- Zinc: Durable and generally half the cost of copper, anti-corrosive, and no painting.Â
Research each type properly to get a handle on the type of style that best matches your own.Â
Our advice when it comes to metal siding colors is to stick with pre-painted steel panels.Â
Now, you can certainly choose pre-painted or unpainted. However, most steel metal panels that are pre-painted feature paint systems developed to handle harsh weather conditions, maintain their appearance, and are UV resistant. Depending on the type you choose, will depend on the color options available. So consulting with your builder and following his recommendations is a great place to start!Â
Metal and Wainscoting, A Popular Stylistic Feature
Wainscot is a decorative feature in which the lower, base portion of the exterior (or interior) wall is covered or painted in a unique way. Wainscoting is a very popular, ornamental feature often used in steel panel pole barn structures.Â
When it comes to exterior features, it breaks up a solid wall and gives some dimension to an ordinarily plain design. Sometimes customers choose to use a completely different material such as brick or stucco for their wainscotting. While others simply stick with metal and choose to paint the lower wainscoting a different color than the top.Â
Pole Barn Roof Material and Color Options
Often choosing your pole barn roof will be influenced by the environment (weather), durability, and overall aesthetics.Â
The use of your pole barn building will also play a factor in making the decision for the type of roofing material. Plus, you want to make sure your wall style and roof design blends seamlessly. Matching the roof color and material with the surrounding buildings is also something we recommend keeping in mind.Â
Typically there are two options when it comes to pole barn roof materials: Metal and shingles.Â
Metal Roofing for Pole Barns
Metal roofing is an environmentally sustainable, long-lasting and energy-efficient solution for your pole barn roof. In general, it is preferred because it does not restrict falling condensation (like snow) and it typically lasts up to 3 times longer than shingles.Â
There are options for metal roofs including galvalume and painted.
- Galvalume roofing is sheet steel covered with an aluminum-zinc coating. It is designed to prevent corrosion (thanks to the aluminum) and has increased durability (from the power of zinc).Â
- The painted metal roof includes a thinner layer of galvalume (but still a strong layer) plus a layer of fade-resistant paint.Â
Both are durable and long-lasting. Plus, both galvalume and painted metal roofs often offer solar reflectivity for a cooling effect.Â
The best painted roofs are finished with Kynar 500, which blocks UV light and helps prevent fading, peeling, rust and corrosion. While Kynar 500 is the industry standard, there are other labels to keep an eye out for including EnergyStar, CoolRoofs, or Hylar 5000. These are good indicators of a high-quality paint finish that is worth the investment.Â
Roof color options for your pole barn building are virtually limitless. So whether you want to contrast or complement, there is certainly a color that will match your tastes.Â
Shingles for Pole Barn Roofs
If you are more concerned with affordability, asphalt shingles are a great option. Plus, if you are concerned with matching your pole barn building roof color to your home roof, often you will stick with shingles.Â
There are many different styles and colors available. Consulting with your builder is a great place to start as they will have the best resources for which shingles will fit your building and materials. Plus there is a wide range of shingle types to consider. Our builders at Sheaffer Construction offer a wide range of shingle options. You can check them out here.Â
Typically the lifespan will indicate the pricepoint, so keep that in mind when choosing the type of shingle you would like to invest in.Â
It’s important to remember that asphalt roofing systems need to be replaced more often than most roofing systems. However, they can also be “spot” repaired if only a small section gets damaged.Â
5 Tips for Choosing Your Pole Barn Color SchemeÂ
Choosing the right colors for your new pole barn building will truly make your entire building project come together.Â
Whether you are looking for cozy and warm or striking and dramatic, your color choices will influence the impact and impression of your new pole barn home, business or garage.Â
Here are 5 things to keep in mind when deciding on your color scheme:Â
1. What colors do you like?
While trends and fashions are fun, they aren’t lasting. So, don’t worry about what the latest magazine says or what’s trending on Pinterest. Think about what colors you prefer. When you pass by a building, what colors draw your eye? Which colors make you cringe?Â
Colors can have a psychological impact, so choose the colors that will make you feel good. Especially if this is a building that you will see every day!Â
Our builders at Sheaffer Construction always work with the Benjamin Moore paint brand which offers a wide range of color options. You can start by browsing their selection to see which colors stand out and catch your eye.
2. What will your pole barn building be used for?
If you are building a pole barn home, a post-construction horse stable, a pole barn garage, or a commercial building, each usage will have an impact on the colors that will suit it.Â
3. Where will the building be located?
Depending on your neighborhood, the surrounding scenery and even the latitude can determine what colors you choose. Things to keep in mind:
- Nature
- Landscape
- Surrounding Buildings
- Neighborhood Style
- Temperature and Climate
For example, if you live somewhere warmer, you may want to choose a roofing option that has higher reflectivity and lighter colors to help keep your home cooler. That could impact your color options for your siding and trim.Â
Or maybe you live in a forested, green natural environment and want to design your pole barn garage to blend in and harmonize.
Other times you may be limited due to local codes that require you to choose from a certain palette to match the surrounding homes aesthetic. Or perhaps certain environmental codes must be met.Â
Make sure you check with your local county and keep in mind where you are located when determining the best colors for your pole barn building.Â
4. How many colors do you want to use in your pole barn color scheme?
Our customers often stick with 2 or 3 color pole barn exteriors.
However, there are other options to consider:
- Monochrome color scheme: This one’s easy, but tricky. If you choose monochrome your color must be just perfect. Often it’s a warm black tone or neutral color that helps the structure blend in.Â
- 2-color scheme; Primary color + accent/trim: Think, red barn, white trim.Â
- 3-color scheme; Field, trim and accent: This is by far the most common as it offers the most balanced system of color and depth. The field colors are your roof and siding. Your trim takes care of window trim, corner boards, fascias, gutters, and downspouts. While the accent showcases special elements like your shutters, front door, and sometimes window frames.Â
- Custom: A mix of colors according to your preferences
5. For Pole Barn Color Ideas, Check Out the Coolest Color Visualizers
Many color visualizers have been created that allow customers to preview color combinations. This can be a great tool to help you see how different colors work together.Â
Some of our favorite tools are these:
GenSteel.com: Has a much simpler (than most) system to see color combinations side by side. Just select and deselect the colors below the wheel, to see which pole barn colors displayed in the wheel.Â
A.B. Martin: Their tool includes a 4 color selector that’s perfect if you want to include wainscoting. It includes color options for the wall, trim, roof, and wainscoting.Â
Rushriversteel.com: This tool allows you to select color options for your roof, trim, wainscot, siding and even the garage doors.Â
MasterSteelBuildings.com: Another favorite 4-color selector with a nicely designed pole barn color visualizer. It includes color options for the wall, trim, roof, and wainscoting.Â
Selecting The Right Pole Barn Color For You
Pole barns are already an incredibly customizable building option. We know choosing a color scheme just one part of the many decisions you have to make as you design your new building.Â
Will you choose tough, corrugated steel walls or sleek, modern Hardie siding? Then there’s the accompanying roof! Do want traditional shingles or long-lasting metal roofing? All of these must be taken into consideration when determining what color you want for your building.Â
Remember, blending your new pole barn building with the existing surroundings can help you make your color decisions. Whether you want your pole barn color to make your building stand out or seamlessly meld with existing structures will also determine the colors (and features) you choose.Â
Either way, blending the right color tones with materials and the environment will not only create a “wow” factor, but it will also give you pride in your new pole barn building. Make sure you choose colors you like for your building is the real key in making your decision.Â
Plus, if you are going to have this new pole barn home, barn, garage, or commercial building, you will have it for many years! Investing some time in uncovering the perfect colors for you is not only fun but it will help you bring your dream pole barn to life.Â