Five Quick Tips on Paint Color Bookmark and Share

  • Take a sample to the paint store. Bring a sample of the flooring or carpet as well as any fabrics that will be used in the room with you to the paint store.
  • Don't pick your paint color standing in the store. After you've identified colors that work with your samples, take home the paint sample cards to make sure the color will work with the other furnishings in the room. Some paint manufacturers even have larger samples or whole books of paint samples available for you to take home and decide on a color.
  • Paint a sample wall. Many paint retailers now offer sample sizes of their colors for you to try out on a patch of wall before you commit to painting the entire thing.
  • Look at your sample at different times of day. Natural light can dramatically change how we perceive a color, so be sure the color works in the bright morning sun as well as the cool afternoon shade.
  • Don't be scared of an intense color before you bring your furniture back in. A bare room in an intense color can be intimidating, but keep in mind that when you bring your furnishings into the room, the overall effect will be different. The tones in your furnishings will reflect on the painted wall and change or soften the effect.