How to Test Paint Colors Before Committing

This month we welcome our guest author, Doris Dixon of T-Square Real Estate Services in Seattle.  We run into issues from time to time where a customer isn't happy with the finished results because the color they chose from a small paint chip looked totally different once it was on the wall.  So we end up re-painting, and it costs the owner more.

Property management companies such as T-Square understand the importance of choosing the right colors, and she has some tips to help you get just the right shade for your next project

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Choosing the right paint for your home is hard work. There are so many colors and shades to choose from, that you are most likely going to end up feeling overwhelmed. And if you finally manage to decide on the colors you want, you are not completely sure of how they will look on your walls. A color might make perfect sense in the paint store and end up looking horribly out of place on your walls.

To save you from frustration and needless waste of time and money, you should have a tested guideline for choosing paint colors for your home. In this article, we explain the steps to make sure the paint you choose for your home turns out to be exactly what you hoped for. The post explains what to consider when choosing paint colors, how to test the colors, and why paint preparation is important.

Common mistakes people make when choosing paint colors

The colors you choose for your rooms will not stand in isolation. Other elements of the room will complement or clash with the colors. The most common mistakes people make is failing to consider these other details of the room before they choose their colors.

• Flooring: The flooring in a room affects how the paint on the walls will turn out. There are more paint colors than there are wood stains or carpet colors. So it is important to make sure the colors will work with the carpet or flooring in the room.
• Lighting: Wall paint changes according to the lights in a room. The type of light produced by your light bulbs matter. Colors can look right in a certain light and completely wrong when you change the lighting. So if you intend to change your lighting, do it before you choose paint colors. You should also test your chosen colors under varying levels of illumination.  We also suggest that once you've put some shades on the wall that you leave them up for a few days and view them at different times of the day. Natural light can dramatically affect how a particular paint color appears. Conversely, on a cloudy day a shade may look dramatically different.  So it helps to analyze your options under a variety of light conditions.
  

After you choose your colors, the next step is to test them before you commit to putting them on your walls.

how to properly test paint colors

It is not enough to test your colors; how you test them matters. Even if you test the colors, you may not get the right results if you use the wrong methods.

• Do not test with boards

A lot of professional and amateur painters, as well as homeowners do this. But testing paint colors on white boards do not work because paint acts differently on boards than it does on walls. The texture is not the same and the saturation rate is different.

(Editor's note:  At times North Pine Painting may do a board sample for a client, but the intention is to help the customer narrow down their choices. Test boards may be helpful in this regard but they are not intended as an accurate representation of the final result  And at times a homeowners' association may request a board sample to approve an exterior color.)

• Paint directly on the wall

Painting directly on the wall where you want to use the paint will give you the best sense of how it will look when you paint the entire room. And if you haven’t made up your mind on which colors you want to use, paint all of your short-listed colors on the walls. Place them side by side with some space in between the samples.

• Paint two coats in large swathes

Painting a two-inch swath makes sense if you are thinking of reducing mess. But if you really want to see how the paint will look on your walls, paint in swathes of, at least, 1ft by 1ft or larger. Paint two coats on the selected wall space; one coat will not give you a good sense of the final outcome.  (Depending on the color and type of paint you choose, your painting contractor may work with you to determine that only one finish coat is necessary. This is especially true if a primer was used. Paint quality matters; more expensive paints generally provide better coverage with one coat than cheap paints; it's one of the reasons for the extra cost. )

• For some colors, use a primer

If you currently have a rich color on your walls, you will need to use a primer before you apply the samples. That’s because the existing paint can distort the way the samples look when you put them on your walls. When using primer, always apply two coats.

• Paint on multiple walls

All the walls in your home do not receive equal amounts of light, so it is a good idea to test the samples on walls with differing levels of illumination. As noted above, you should also examine the samples under different lights and at different times of the day.

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At North Pine Painting, our goal is that our customers are completely satisfied with the results of their painting project, from start to finish.  And that includes the color.  If you're having trouble making up your mind, we offer free color consultations.  We can put several samples on your wall for you to look at over a short period of time and then decide.  Most paint companies offer trial-size paints for purchase, such as Sherwin Williams' Colors to Go.

You also might choose to work with an interior designer for a color consultation.  Some of our customers have done just that.