How to use Colorbond Surfmist

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.

How to use Colorbond Surfmist
Colorbond

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.

How to use Colorbond Surfmist
The Block

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.

How to use Colorbond Surfmist
The Block

I think it looks fresh and pretty, particularly for coastal homes and it looks seamless when used with Surfmist gutters and fascias.

How to use Colorbond Surfmist
Dulux

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.

How to use Colorbond Surfmist

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.

How to use Colorbond Surfmist

The Surfmist gararge door and fascia works perfectly on this house as the render is Dulux Pipe Grey which has a subtle green undertone.

How to use Colorbond Surfmist

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.

How to use Colorbond Surfmist

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

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *