The roof and siding color combinations that work on Michigan homes follow two rules: the roof should contrast with the walls, and both should share an undertone. In practice that means black or charcoal shingles on red brick and white vinyl, gray shingles on cool brick, greige siding and cedar, and brown or weathered wood shingles on tan brick and cream siding. One thing up front: Roofing Army installs roofs only. We do not install siding or paint trim. That work goes to The Exterior Painters through our referral partners page.
What Roof and Siding Color Combinations Work Best in Michigan?
Nearly every roof we install is an architectural shingle in one of five color families. The Atlas names below are Pinnacle Pristine colors we have installed on published roofs, so you can see each one on a whole Michigan house instead of a chip. We also install GAF, CertainTeed and Owens Corning, each with a close equivalent in every family; our brands page explains the lines.
| Roof color family | Siding colors that work | Trim | Brick it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black and charcoal (Atlas Black Shadow) | White, light gray, cream, sage, dark gray or navy fiber cement | White or black; black gutters and drip edge on dark siding | Red, orange and brown brick; painted brick |
| Gray (Atlas Pewter) | White, greige, cream, blue-gray, stained cedar | White or charcoal | Gray, buff and tan brick; gray stone |
| Brown (Atlas Burnt Hickory) | Cream, tan, beige, clay, olive | Cream, almond or dark bronze | Red and orange brick, brown brick |
| Weathered wood and tan blends (Atlas Morning Harvest, Weathered Wood) | Sage, cream, greige, light tan, white | White or almond | Tan, buff and cream brick; fieldstone |
| Green and blue (accent roofs, rarely chosen) | White, cream, pale yellow | White | Tan or cream brick; best on farmhouses and cottages |
Which Roof Color Goes With Red or Orange Brick?
Red and orange brick ranches from the 1950s and 1960s fill the inner-ring suburbs we work in, from Royal Oak and Berkley out to Sterling Heights. The brick is the strongest color on the house, so the roof has to work with it.
Two families do that reliably. Black or charcoal keeps the brick as the focal point and looks crisp with white trim. Brown warms the brick instead of framing it. The ranch on Hi Crest Drive in Lake Orion is the clearest example we have published: orange-red brick, cream siding and burgundy shutters under Atlas Burnt Hickory. The shingle picks up the red in the brick without copying it, and the shutters tie roof and walls together. The drone photos and the price are on the job page.
Avoid a cool, blue-leaning gray on orange brick. Next to orange it reads blue, and the house looks like two different projects.
Which Roof Color Goes With Tan Brick, White Vinyl or Greige Siding?
Tan brick colonials. The 1970s to 1990s colonials around Rochester Hills, Troy and Shelby Township are usually tan or buff brick below and siding above. Tan brick gives you the most room of any masonry: Pewter, Weathered Wood and Morning Harvest all sit well against it, and black works when the trim is white. The mistake is a brown roof within a shade of the brick, which flattens the whole front of the house.
White vinyl. White siding takes almost any roof, so the choice is about mood. Black is the crisp answer: the bungalow on Columbia Road in Berkley pairs Atlas Black Shadow with white siding and a red brick chimney, and the chimney is the only warm element it needs (photos and price). Pewter reads quieter; brown looks more traditional.
Gray or greige vinyl. If the siding is a light cool gray, a gray roof close to it in tone looks unfinished; go darker with Black Shadow or warmer with Weathered Wood. If the siding is greige, which leans warm, Pewter can work because the roof is cooler and darker than the wall. The ranch on Bellcrest Boulevard in Fenton does this with Pewter over beige vinyl and burgundy shutters (job page). The ranch on Hollow Corners Road in Almont goes the other way, with Morning Harvest over pale sage siding and a red brick base, so the roof carries the warmth (job page).
Which Roof Color Goes With Cedar or Dark Fiber Cement Siding?
Cedar. Red-brown stained cedar wants contrast, not more brown. The two-story on Lawndale Avenue in West Bloomfield pairs Atlas Pewter with red-stained cedar, and the gray roof is what makes the wood look intentional instead of heavy (job page). Cedar that has silvered to gray is the opposite case: a brown or weathered wood roof puts warmth back into the house.
Dark fiber cement. Charcoal, iron gray and navy siding are common on new builds and remodels, and a black roof on top can turn the house into one dark block. Pewter or a weathered wood blend lifts it. If you want black on black, break it up with white trim, a light garage door and stone at the base, and order black gutters and drip edge so the metal disappears into the roofline.
What Order Should You Decide Roof, Siding and Trim Colors In?
- Brick and stone first. They are fixed, mortar included, and mortar is a bigger share of what you see than most people expect.
- Roof second. It is the longest-lived finish on the house, the most expensive to change, and the largest surface you see from the street.
- Siding third. Paint and siding can be changed later and are the easiest way to correct a combination that is not working. We do not do this work; The Exterior Painters handles siding and exterior painting for our customers. If both are being replaced, we go first so the new step flashing and kick-out flashing end up behind the new siding.
- Trim, gutters, garage door and front door last. Each should pick up one tone already in the shingle blend or the brick. Gutters are a referral too, through Ackerman Seamless Gutters, so decide gutter color with the roof.
What Do Warm and Cool Undertones Mean for a Roof Color?
Every color leans one way. Warm colors have red, orange, yellow or brown underneath. Cool colors have blue, green or gray underneath. Brick is almost always warm, and so are cream, tan and cedar. White vinyl and most grays are cool, but greige and some grays lean warm, which is why they are so easy to misjudge from a chip.
The rule is simple: the roof and the walls should lean the same way. Contrast in lightness is good; fighting undertones is not. Architectural shingles are blends of several granule colors, so judge the lean from a distance. In our installs, Black Shadow reads neutral, Pewter reads cool, and Burnt Hickory and Morning Harvest read warm. A quick test: hold the sample beside the brick in shade. If the gray turns blue or purple, the undertones are fighting.
How Do You Test a Roof and Siding Color Combination Before You Commit?
- Use a full bundle, not a chip. Open a bundle and lean it against the foundation brick. A two-inch chip cannot show you a blend.
- Look at it in sun and shade. Check at midday and late in the afternoon, on the north side as well as the south. Michigan light is flat for half the year, and a color that glows in July can go muddy in November.
- Look at it on a whole roof. Our shingle colors page groups every published roof by manufacturer and color, with drone photos taken in Michigan light next to the brick and siding each roof lives with, and each one links to the job and its price.
- Drive your own street. Your roof will be read against your neighbors' roofs. A color that matches the whole block disappears; one that clashes with all of them stands out for the wrong reason.
- Check the HOA or historic district first. Some review the exact shingle product and color. Our guide on how to choose a shingle color covers the districts in our service area that do.
What Roof and Siding Color Mistakes Do We See Most?
- Matching the roof and siding too closely. Gray on gray and brown on tan are the two we see most. The house loses its edges and looks smaller from the street.
- Ignoring the garage door and gutters. The garage door is the biggest flat surface after the roof and walls, and the gutters run along every roof edge. A new charcoal roof over an almond garage door and off-white gutters is the most common regret we hear.
- Choosing from a tiny sample. Blends look darker and flatter on a chip than on a roof, and the undertone is impossible to judge at that size.
- Forgetting the drip edge. It sits against the shingles on every edge. We order it to match the roof unless you tell us the fascia is a deliberate trim color.
See the Combination on a Real Roof First
I am Aaron Scott, a licensed Michigan residential builder and the owner of Roofing Army, and everything above comes from standing in driveways with sample boards, not from a catalog. We are an Atlas Pro+ Diamond contractor and we install Atlas, GAF, CertainTeed and Owens Corning. A project manager is on site for every job, we never take a deposit, and every finished roof is published with its price and photos in our job gallery. Browse the shingle colors gallery, then schedule a free inspection and get five written quotes with the color spelled out on each. For the rest of the exterior, our referral partners handle siding, painting and gutters. Learn more on our roof replacement page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best roof color for a red brick house?
Black or charcoal and brown are the two families that work most reliably on red or orange brick. Black keeps the brick as the focal point and looks crisp with white trim; a brown blend like Atlas Burnt Hickory warms the brick without copying it. Avoid a cool, blue-leaning gray next to orange brick, because the gray reads blue and the two fight.
Should the roof be darker or lighter than the siding?
Darker, in most cases. A roof that is clearly darker than the walls gives the house a defined edge and hides streaking better. The exception is dark fiber cement siding, where a lighter gray or weathered wood roof keeps the house from becoming one dark block. Whichever way you go, keep the undertones matched.
Does Roofing Army install siding or paint trim to match a new roof?
No. We install roofs only. Siding and exterior painting go to our referral partner The Exterior Painters, and gutters go to Ackerman Seamless Gutters. We coordinate the handoff, and when both the roof and siding are being replaced we go first so the new flashing ends up behind the new siding.
Can I see a shingle color on a real house before I order it?
Yes. Our shingle colors page groups every roof we have published by manufacturer and color, with drone photos taken in Michigan light and a link to each job and its price. You can also ask for a full bundle or large sample board during the estimate and lean it against your brick in sun and shade.
What roof color goes with gray or greige vinyl siding?
Avoid a gray roof that sits within a shade of the siding. On light cool gray siding, go darker with a black or charcoal shingle, or warmer with a weathered wood blend. On greige siding, which leans warm, a cooler and darker gray like Atlas Pewter works because the roof is clearly darker than the wall, especially with a warm accent on the shutters or door.
