Painting your walls is generally not something you want to do every day, or even every year. So, when it’s time to choose a new paint color you want to get it right. Even if you have a basic color in mind there are So. Many. Choices. There can be hundreds, sometimes thousands, of options for that one color. Warm or cool? Light or dark or somewhere in in between? Just because it’s gorgeous in a magazine or on a card in the paint store doesn’t mean it will look good on your walls. So …

BEFORE YOU HEAD TO THE PAINT STORE

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Take a long hard look at the room you want to paint. Is it on the north or south side of your home? North-facing rooms tend to get cooler color of light, so colors with a warm undertone generally look better. The opposite applies to south-facing rooms. Speaking of light, does your room get a lot of the natural kind or do you rely on artificial lighting? That will also affect the way a color looks.

Now you’re ready to dive into the world of color. Once you’ve found some you like, it’s time to …   

GO HOME AND GO BIG

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Don’t even think about making a final decision on a wall color from a tiny square on a paint color card. That’s a good place to start, but once you’ve narrowed it down to a few favorites, you’ll need something bigger. Many paint companies have apps that allow you to upload a photo of your room and virtually paint it. That’s a great way to narrow the field but remember that the color on the screen may not be an exact match to the color in real life.

You can buy stick-on color samples (like giant Post-it notes) that are about a foot square. You can move them around without leaving marks on your wall, but the texture won’t be the same as your wall, and texture matters. The best option? Buy a sample or quart of your top contenders and paint a big ol’ area of each of your walls—like two-to-four feet tall and wide big. Then, once you’ve got some color on your wall …

TAKE YOUR TIME

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First, give your sample area(s) time to dry. You might need two coats depending on the current color. Then live with it for at least a couple of days. Why? Your mood can affect the way you see the color. Other members of the household may have opinions that could sway yours. You could change your mind. Remember, paint in haste, repent in leisure. While you’re pondering your choice …

LIGHT IT UP

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Study your color options at different times of day and in different lights. Daylight vs. artificial. Morning vs afternoon. It can make a huge difference. The color that makes your heart sing in the morning may become a “what was I thinking?” shade by evening. Finally …

BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

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Are there other colors in adjacent rooms that can be seen from this one? Will your new color play well with the one “next door” or will it clash? If contrast is what you want, that’s perfectly fine. Just make sure you know how much contrast you’re getting to avoid a shocking surprise.

Don’t worry, you’ve got this. It’s just paint, after all. When you’ve made a decision and you’re ready to take the plunge, contact us to take your chosen color from dream to done.