How to Pick a Gutter Color for Your House

Gutter color sample swatch

Gutter systems are more customizable than ever. In the early 1900s, there was pretty much one choice: steel half-round gutters. But today, you can pick the size, shape, material, style, and, of course, the gutter color.

While we’ve already written about the different rain gutter options by size, shape, and material (you can find that guide here), we have yet to talk about how to choose the right gutter color for your home. Can you guess today’s topic?

Thankfully, gutter colors have not even broached the complexity of interior paint colors. For example, there are only 2 white gutter colors, not 150,000. Thank goodness. With that in mind, choosing a gutter color for your homes exterior can be straightforward and headache-free.

There are multiple routes you can take when it comes to picking a color. In this post, we’ll discuss the different ways to decide on color as well as some helpful tips to keep the process painless & stress-free.

What are the different gutter color options?

Cream and gray gutter color sample swatches
Gutter color sample swatches

The number of color choices depends primarily on the gutter material.

Copper gutters, for example, only come in their natural color. But, depending on the supplier, you can request different material finishes such as burnished finish, satin finish, or brushed finish.

Likewise, zinc gutters can typically only come in the standard zinc color, but they also have different finish options.

Comparatively, both steel and aluminum gutters offer a wide variety of colored gutters. There is a typical set of colors available, regardless of the supplier. However, the colors go by different names and vary in availability by the supplier.

Common gutter color choices

  • Black
  • (Terra/Dark) Bronze
  • (Musket/Royal) Brown
  • Clay
  • Wicker
  • Ivory
  • Cream
  • Cameo
  • Eggshell
  • High Gloss White
  • Low Gloss White
  • Gray
  • Green
  • Red
  • Copper Penny

As you can see, the most common and overlapping color is cream. Most suppliers have at least 3 to 4 different cream and off-white options for gutter colors. Why all the cream? Because cream and off-white colors are very common with trim and siding. Naturally, suppliers want to provide gutter colors that will match the various colors on a house.

The most common color we see in North Carolina is High Gloss White, with Black and Cameo being the second most common colors. The least common colors include copper penny, green, red, and gray.

As a final note regarding the different color choices, some companies that will paint new or existing gutters to match the color of your home. While this is a viable option, the color will be less permanent than if it was the original color applied by the manufacturer. For standard colors, manufacturers use polyester paint and enamel primer that is baked onto the metal, creating a lasting color and finish. If you opt to paint your gutters, the paint is likely to chip and wear down over time.

Now that we’ve reviewed the different color options, let’s dive into the different ways to choose a color for your home.

The Matching Approach

Black gutters matching dark gray roof on a residential property
Black gutters match the roof color

The simplest and most tried-and-true way to select a gutter color is to match it to another major part of your home exterior. Why? Because you don’t need to introduce any new colors to the house. Typically, this would mean matching the siding, trim, or roof. Let’s take a look at each option.

Siding

Unless you have a large, steep roof, the siding takes up most of the exterior. We say siding, but we really just mean the exterior walls of your house. So this could be brick, stone, or siding. Gutters that match your siding will blend in and act as a smooth border around the house. They don’t stand out, and they allow other parts of your home to remain the focal point.

There are multiple scenarios where it’s best to match the siding.

First off, if you like the color and look of your siding, why not have your gutters match? This way, the gutters do not detract from the overall color and look. They blend in.

Secondly, this option works well for homes with neutral-colored siding or stone.

Thirdly, consider matching to siding if your gutters aren’t necessarily going to follow the trimline of the house. For example, some homes have downspouts that run down along the side of the home instead of the corners.

Lastly, you can match the gutters to the siding when you have very little or narrow trim and fascia.

Trim

First off, what is trim? It is the woodwork around the house that acts as a border or outline, rather than wrapping the house. You’ll find it on corners and edges throughout the house as well as on windows, doors, and some chimneys.

White is the most common trim color. Along with the fascia, it acts as a natural border and accent to the rest of the house.

Matching gutters to trim is the most straightforward approach to picking a color, and for good reason. The gutter system usually runs parallel to and along the trim and fascia. Therefore, by matching the gutters to the fascia, you are guaranteeing a seamless look and allowing the gutters to blend into the accent trim already on the house.

Roof

Finally, you can match the gutters to the roof color. This is a less common, but fun approach. By matching the roof, you bring the themes and color scheme of the roof down to the rest of the house. Additionally, this method creates a nice border along the eaves of the roofline.

If you have a darker roof with lighter walls, you can match the gutters to the roof to add some extra contrast to your home without overdoing it. It’s also a good option if you want to add a little pop and boldness to your house without overdoing it.

To match the roof, you don’t have to pick the exact color. Instead, you can pick a color that is a close match or that brings out some of the hues and accent colors of the roof.

The Design Approach

Residential home with bold black gutters - provide accent that complements the black window and door trim
Black gutters match the window trim and add extra pop color to the home

Accent

If you want to use the gutters to add a nice outline to the house, consider picking a color that is found in small quantities on the rest of your house. This could be a shade in the brick, the color of the shutters, or the hue of your roof. You’ll add vibrance and contrast while still keeping it subtle. A common choice for an accent color is brown, bronze, or gray.

Pop

If your home has a lot of gutters and you are interested in making an eye-catching or fun look, consider picking a different color altogether than the rest of the house. Just be sure the color at least matches the other colors (don’t pick cream gutters for a white house and silver roof, for example). Some examples of this include adding green gutters to a lodge, red gutters to a white cottage, or even black gutters to a white house (can you say modern farmhouse?).

Blend in

Here, you are simply matching the gutters to another major part of the house so that the gutters don’t take the stage. As discussed in the last section, it’s most common to match the gutters to the siding, trim, or roof.

This is a good idea if you already have a complex or vibrant house, or a house with nice brick or stone. In these scenarios, there is less need to have the gutters stick out and provide an accent. 

The Goes-With-Everything Approach

Residential home with white gutters and trim and gray siding
White gutters go well with most residential properties

Last but not least, we have the goes-with-almost everything approach. By that, we mean high gloss white, the standard color option. High gloss white is more common than low gloss because the gutters naturally fade over time, so people prefer to start with a brighter white. White gutters will look good on 99% of homes, even if the home is primarily cream or brown. This is because white is a neutral color, and because most homes have white trim.

When in doubt, go white, even if it’s after Labor Day.

Some questions to consider when picking a gutter color

If you’re still not sure what is best for your home, consider asking yourself these questions.

Do you want the focal point of your house to be your gutters or something else?

What is your interior decorating style? How can you apply that to the exterior?

What are the accent colors of your house?

Are you looking to keep or change the current exterior aesthetic?

By asking yourself these questions, you should be able to decide what’s most important to you and narrow down your options.

Home Visualization Tools

As a side note, many suppliers have color selection tools where you can actually upload a photo of your house & test out different exterior colors on the house. While these are somewhat helpful, we have yet to find one that allows you to specifically try out different gutter colors.

Instead, they tend to combine trim & gutters, so when you pick a gutter color to test out, it displays the color on all the house’s trim. This is fine if you are looking to paint or match the trim. However, if you want to pick a unique color that matches the roof or acts as a pop of color, chances are you aren’t planning on painting all the trim that color, too.

We recommend using these tools to test out different siding and roof options, but probably not the gutters.

Stress-reducing tips to choose the perfect gutter color:

Now before we go, let’s go over a few additional tips that can help you decide what gutter color for your new gutter project.

Ask if there is a price difference or longer lead time on different colors.

Consider the potential need for repairs if it is a rare color.

Check with your HOA to see if they have any regulations.

Ask to see gutter samples onsite so you can see the colors against your house.

We hope you found this guide helpful! Be on the lookout for more home improvement guides coming your way soon!


Interested in new gutters, or just need help choosing the right color for your house? Contact us for a free estimate or inspection. We offer seamless gutter installations, gutter replacements, gutter guards, & gutter cleanings.