Colorbond Surfmist is one of the mainstays of the Colorbond range. This is a very user-friendly and approachable white which I like to use for exteriors. However, with all exterior colours, particularly with white, there are undertones which you need to consider. I have everything you need to know about how to use Colorbond Surfmist in this post.
What does Colorbond Surfmist work with?
You must consider the undertone of colours when you use them in either an exterior or interior colour scheme. All colours, whites, blacks, neutrals and greys have an undertone which if you can spot will make your decorating life much easier.
Colorbond Surfmist is often referred to as a warm white and it certainly seems this way when you compare it with a cold, blue white. However, the undertone is actually green, which is why this colour works so well for exteriors. It can appear to be a little creamy at times, however if you hold a sample of it next to a creamy yellow, it is quite different. Whites with a green undertone work well with many other colours as green is so neutral. At one end of the colour spectrum you have warm reds which in white produce soft, dusky pink undertones. You then have yellow based whites which are the soft creamy tones. At the other end of the spectrum you have cool lavender undertones and then very cold blue which produces whites that are crisp and contemporary.
These colours that are either side of green have a huge array of benefits, but it is the green in the middle that can be the easiest to work with.
For exteriors, the other Colorbond colours to partner it with are Dune, Paperbark, Wallaby, Gully, Woodland Grey and Monument. Colorbond Jasper, Mangrove, Pale Eucalypt, Manor Red and Terrain all work with Surfmist too, but these are colours that are not from the mainstream. Still beautiful though.
I then tend to use Colorbond Dover White with Shale Grey, Southerly, Bluegum, Windspray, Basalt and Ironstone. I do not recommend Dover White for roofing however, but use it for trim and garage doors.
I do recommend Colorbond Surfmist for gutters, fascias and other trim with cool colours, but you need to be careful about using it in large expanses with cool tones.
The house above has Surfmist on the roof, gutters, pergola and weatherboards.
One point that you must bear in mind with Colorbond Surfmist is that the classic finish has more of a green undertone than the matt finish, which is significantly more grey.
Using Colorbond Surfmist for roofing
Colorbond Surfmist is the lightest that I will recommend for roofing. I certainly would never suggest using Colorbond Dover White as it is just too crisp and bright. Many Council areas and developers will not allow the use of Surfmist for roofing though as they deem it too reflective. Of course it is this high level of reflectivity that works so well in hot areas.
I think it looks fresh and pretty, particularly for coastal homes and it looks seamless when used with Surfmist gutters and fascias.
You can just use Surfmist for the roof and gutter and then switch to a fresh white for the fascia and the rest of the trim on the house. This works well on the house above. The weatherboards are in cool Dulux Miller Mood with trim in Lexicon Half which is also a crisp white with a blue undertone. You can see that for just the roof and guttering, Surfmist works well, but the cool Lexicon Half works better with the cool weatherboards.
Related: Why I love a crisp white trim
I don’t recommend using Surfmist for your roof though if you are in an area with lots of trees as the leaf litter will soon stain your lovely white roof.
Using Colorbond Surfmist for garage doors
Always refer back to my section above on the colours that Surfmist works with. Often when Surfmist garage doors are used with cool grey or blue based whites, they look completely wrong. You really see the undertone of Surfmist coming through and in fact, it is at this point that the colour can appear quite creamy.
It is however a great colour for garage doors for many greige tones, red or brown bricks, neutrals and warm whites.
Surfmist has been used for the garage door of this house. It has also been used for the vertical wall cladding and the fascia. It works beautifully with Dune which is on the render and Dulux Hammer Grey for the weatherboards. It is also a perfect partner to warm sandstone.
The Surfmist gararge door and fascia works perfectly on this house as the render is Dulux Pipe Grey which has a subtle green undertone.
Colorbond Surfmist has been used on the roof, gutter, fascia and garage on this house which has lovely warm greige tones. You can see more of this house here.
You can consider using Colorbond Surfmist in its matt finish which then knocks out some of the perceived warmth as it is much more grey.
Colorbond Surfmist as a paint colour
Surfmist is an excellent white to use for exteriors as it is neutral with a touch of grey and enough depth to stand up to the Australian sun. You will only see the undertone in the colour if you use a crisp white as your trim. If you are using Surfmist for your walls then I would recommend using either a Surfmist garage door or a contrasting tone – Monument or Dune would work well.
This is a close up of a Surfmist painted wall with a Surfmist garage door. Always consider that all paints will look slightly different depending upon the substrate you are using. So, a colour painted on a rendered wall will appear different to the same colour painted on timber. It is marginal, but something to bear in mind.
I have also written a detailed post about using Colorbond Surfmist as a trim colour which you can read here.
You may also be interested in my post How to select roofs, gutters and fascias
Hi Samantha, great information about the color matching. We are building a coastal two storey home soon and are thinking of using Surfmist for the roof and gutters, a white for facias, trims and balustrading and Shale Grey for walls, can you please tell me if you think this will work.
Thanks
Hi Tina This is a tried and tested combination which is a classic scheme for a coastal home. I hope your new build goes well Samantha
We are renovating a home on the Coorong. The walls are brick and will be rendered. We have re-roofed and guttered with colour bond windsray, and a roller door to match. We have also installed a massive rainwater tank that is sadly necessary but you cannot miss it as it almost dwarfs the cottage also in windsray. Would a home the size of a cottage entirely rendered with those features do well to be painted in surfmist or is a whiter such as floral white a better fit with render?
Hi Joseph Surfmist and Windspray do go well together and I would recommend that you don’t go with a much lighter white as this may draw more attention to the rainwater tank. Hope this helps Samantha
Hiya Samantha, This is soo super helpful! I am trying to pick my exterior paint colours and it has been one of the toughest decisions in our reno so far!
Is the surfmist paint colour the same as colorbond surfmist or is there some variation? We have built a colorbond garage in surfmist with monument roof and would like to match our newly rendered NSW red brick home to our garage. (ie surfmist walls, vivid white trims and monument roof)
Hi Samantha, Great articles and really appreciate your educated and considered perspectives. We are building a coastal home – single storey, linea weatherboard walls, colorbond gable roof with front verandah under main roof. Colors we are using are: Ironstone roof, Surfmist walls and Dover White trim (barge / fascia / verandah posts / window frames). Scared to ask – but any thoughts on this combo?
Hi Andrew this will all work well together, but just be aware that Ironstone throws a lot of warm blue which is more pronounced in the sunlight. If you don’t want to see as much blue then you should consider Colorbond Basalt. Good luck with the build! Samantha
Hi Samantha. Thanks for all of this info. We’re having a really hard time picking the perfect colour for our 70’s rendered home. We’ve just built a large detached garage out back (quite close to the house) and cladded it with Stratco Nailstrip Hiland Tray in Surfmist. The house itself has a terracotta tiled roof (recently repainted), and we were wanting to paint the house a nice crisp white. But we’re worried about this clashing with the Suftmist garage….. We’re trying to figure out how to tie the Surfmist into the house (without having to paint the house Surfmist). Appreciate any thoughts you might have!
Hi Melinda you really can’t use a crisp white with Surfmist garage doors as it really highlights the undertones in Surfmist and will make the garage door look dirty. You need to choose a white that has the same tonal value as Surfmist and with a similar undertone – ensure that you don’t use anything too blue. Hope this helps Samantha
Hi Samantha, thanks for the great resources! For the Coral Homes example, it says the Weatherboards are painted Dieskau. Do you know what the darker grey render would be or what will give similar effect? I am doing a colourbond surmist roof, gutter and garage, and looking for a warmish grey for a fairly small amount of render. I had thought Tranquil Retreat but after reading this I wonder if better to go warmer grey as I want to avoid surfmist looking creamy? Thanks, Katie
Hi Katie Great to hear that you have found the resources helpful! You are right, you need a warmer grey and the colour of this render is Dulux Winter Fog. Hope it all turns out well for you. Samantha
Hi Samantha, thank you for a very detailed article on surfmist. You’ve given me a lot to think about. We are building a shed to live in while we build our house. It is on acerage and we want it to be modern farmhouse vibes.
We love surfmist and monument but having trouble working out how to use them together and what other colours to use? Woodland grey, wallaby, dune?? Do you have any inspiration or advice how to keep it modern farmhouse using surfmist and monument together?
Thanks so much in advance , look forward to hearing your ideas!
Thanks
Ellie
Hi Ellie For a Modern Farmhouse look you don’t need to introduce any other colours than Surfmist and Monument. You should read my article on Modern Farmhouse style which should help you. https://www.makingyourhomebeautiful.com/modern-farmhouse-style-7-steps-to-achieve-this-look/ Hope this helps! Samantha