How To Pick The Right Paint Color

Raise your hand if you have ever gone to the paint store taken home a few (or a lot) paint swatches, taped them to the wall, picked the one to be, painted the room & then said, "Oh my gosh!  That color looks SO different from the paint swatch!  I don't like it!"

Most of us have probably had that experience!

Right now, I am selecting new dining room paint for our new house. This is the process I am going through to make sure I pick the right color before I paint the entire room.  So here we go: 

Buy a sample of it.  This cost me $2.98 + tax.

Once you have your sample(s) buy some poster board & paint the poster board leaving the white exposed a few inches all the way around.  Once your paint is dry, cut off one side so that the paint goes all the way to the edge on that side only.

***Edit 9/2/14 - Foam core works so much better than poster board.  It doesn't get wavy like the poster board does once the paint is on it, and I think it better simulates what the paint will actually look like on your wall.  Also, try and use a roller instead of a brush:)***

Attach the poster board to the wall right where it will be meeting up with the trim (or chair rail in my case - below the chair rail will be painted white).  If you were painting your walls all in one color, from top to bottom, put the poster board right above the base molding like shown below.  This way you can see how the paint looks up against your flooring.  Make sure you move your sample around the room to see how it looks in different light.  Also, pay attention to how the paint looks in the morning, evening & night.

Now that you have your large paint sample on the wall you should feel more confident on whether or not you selected the right color.

You may be wondering why I suggest leaving a white border.  This helps you separate & focus on the new color rather than the old.

You may also be wondering why I didn't just put the paint directly on the wall (that's what my husband asked anyway!)  This way you can move the poster board to different places around the room to see how it looks.  Also, if you decide it is the wrong color you can throw out the large sample & begin this process again with a new pant sample & not be distracted by a color you already decided isn't right.

Happy Painting!!

If you would like help designing your home, visit my website to see the services I offer.