Getting Your Color Just Right
Once you’ve decided on a paint color, there are still hundreds of tints, tones and shades of that color to choose from. It can be hard to decide by looking at paint chips. It can be even more challenging when you’re testing colors on the wall. This video by Ace Hardware presents several tips for getting your color just right:
Choose 2-3 Test Colors
Sometimes a color looks great on the chip in the store but not so much when you get home. Before you choose colors to test, it helps to understand why colors can appear different and what to look for.
Paint is available in a range of matte to glossy finishes. The glossier it is, the more it reflects the light. This bouncing of color makes it appear a touch more vibrant. If you have glossy surfaces in the room already, choose more muted color for the walls in a flat eggshell or satin sheen.
Adjacent colors can help make colors pop, recede or bring out undertones of another color. Mahogany, cherry and oak flooring can pull warm undertones for your color. Light floors and ceilings will make your wall color seem brighter. Try the paint color next to items in the room. If you see an undertone of another color, it will come out even more on the walls.
Impact of Room Size and Light on Color
In a large room, color seems brighter because there’s more of it. In a smaller room, it’s more vivid because the color bounces around. This doesn’t mean you should stay away from deep colors. Actually, with higher ceilings you can go with bolder deeper colors without feeling closed in, no matter how big the room is. What is does mean is that a safer choice for your overall color is the grayer version as opposed to a brighter or more intense shade of it.
Lighting also affects a color’s appearance. Rooms that face east or south can get the most natural light, which has a warmer color temperature. Colors will seem brighter, and neutrals like white or beiges will pull in more peach, pink and yellow tones. In northern or western facing rooms, the color temperature of the light runs cooler. Tones of blue and green will come through more prominently.
When daylight fades, color changes even more as you turn on the lights. Before you decide on a color, test your colors in the room you’re painting to see if you like them in that room’s light.
Test Paint Color
The quickest way to tell which color is just right is to bring home sample sizes of your paint colors to test around the room. Paint two coats on the wall or on a large poster board you can move around. True color won’t come through from a single coat of paint. Make sure that the test swatch is big, at least 2′ x 2′. Try it on several walls because there may be a subtle difference from one wall to the next. Test the color next to the trim or surrounding colors instead of in the middle of the old color.
Really look at those test samples to get an idea of how the color looks at different times of the day. Look at it with the shades and blinds wide open to see the color in its brightest state of intensity. You’ll notice which tones come through the strongest. If it’s too intense, choose a more muted grayer version of the color.
Additional Tips
Undertones of another color will be amplified once paint is on the walls, so sometimes you may want to lean toward the muted version of the color. For example, when the space is larger or expansive, or when you want a classic look, the brighter the color, the more quickly it can seem out of date or juvenile. A muted version is also a good choice when your decor is large or heavy. A lighter softer color blends rather than competes with your look.
Brighter versions of a color can deliver a “wow” factor as long as you don’t choose the crayon box version of that color. Here’s when you can get away with vibrant tones – when your decor is more sparse, full color won’t be distracting. When you want a trendier look, brights can really pop on accessories or architectural features. When you have a lot of white furniture, even muted colors will seem brighter.
