Painting Pitfalls: Color Chameleons

Here’s a familiar story: a homeowner does their research, looking for the “perfect hue” of interior paint for a room. They spend a considerable amount of time on various aspects such as décor and color psychology before finally selecting and purchasing a color. Unfortunately, once the paint finally dries, they are left with a discouraging end result. The paint looks nothing like it did in the store.

Standing in the middle of a home improvement store, it’s easy to get lost in ideas of grandeur and caught up in minor details. The variables involved with the paint selection process make this mishap far more common than just a simple “rookie mistake.”

It may seem like basic knowledge, but shadow and lighting can significantly impact the overall appearance of a color. Maybe a room has very little natural light, leaving the desired brightness of sunshine yellow to fall flat during the daytime. Factors such as window size, number and the room’s location within the house (upstairs or downstairs) will ultimately play a part in how the finished product looks as well. Here’s how to be sure to get the right color.

Narrow it down

Making a choice is arguably one of the hardest parts. However, once a decision is made, grab samples to bring home and place on the wall. Note: after determining the desired color, grab a sample of hues that are a couple shades darker and a couple shades lighter. That way, if the original color is offset by lighting or other factors, another one may hit the “sweet spot.”

Testing, Testing: 1…2…3…?

Place the samples on the wall at different times of day to get an idea of how the paint colors will look in different lighting. The sampling method is one way to achieve a realistic expectation of how the new paint will interact and fit the room. When it comes to being completely sure, painting a few “test” lines of a color is the next step. Paper samples are great, but knowing exactly how the light (and other variables) will interact with the dried paint. While these may seem like inconvenient preparation steps, it’s far less costly than painting a room twice; or worse, living with a room that didn’t meet expectations.