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Tips & Tricks For Buyers and Sellers
Paint Colors 101
Ever feel overwhelmed when choosing the right paint color? I recently painted 12 samples on a client’s wall. It started with four and as the week progressed I kept adding more and more to find the exact shade of white that worked perfectly for this kitchen, and in the end I found it! I know how difficult it can be when selecting your paint colors, so here are a few tricks of the trade to help.
Paint samples on the wall. Please do not rely on those tiny paint chips you get at the paint store. That paint chip will look quite different once it’s painted in your actual space. Choose a few colors that you like and order small samples (usually comes in 1 pint cans) as well as some small paintbrushes. For the first round of painting, try not to overwhelm yourself. I would recommend starting with just a few colors and then trying more later if you aren’t quite sold on a color. Keep it simple; you might hit it out of the ballpark with the first color you try!
Once you’re home in the space you plan to paint, start painting your samples on the wall. I typically do about 8”x 8” squares and about 2-3 coats of paint, depending on if you’re going from dark to light or light to dark. If it’s a large space, I will paint multiple spots around the room to see what it looks like when light hits it differently. A very important part to painting your samples is labeling your colors by taking a pencil and writing the color name directly under the square sample that you painted. This way once you live with the colors for the next couple of days, you’ll know which color is which when it’s time to go buy your paint.
Look at your color throughout the day. Do you love it in the morning sun but no longer like it when the sun goes down? Color will change with light, so it’s extremely important to give yourself enough time to live with it for a few days in all different types of lighting.
If you aren’t super happy with any of your selections, take note that maybe one looks too yellow and another seems to take on green tones. You can always have someone at the paint store help you find the tone that you are trying to achieve. Also, many interior designers offer color consultations, which can be very helpful when you are at your wits end trying to find that long lasting beautiful color to paint in your home.
I wish you the best of luck and hope that these tips will help make your paint selection process a breeze!
-Danielle
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