Painting tips: 7 designer tips for choosing the perfect paint color

Do you get those tiny paint chips from the store and try to choose a color only to get frustrated and put off painting indefinitely?

I am going to share with you my secret to choosing a paint color.

But before rushing to the store, consider your lighting, the color of your furniture and accessories. Then settle on one or two color families. Beige, taupe, gray, blues, greens, etc.

1. Choose a brand with sample size jars (2 or 3 oz) for testing. Recently many paint brands including the ones at your local hardware stores offer sample sizes. I like Behr and Glidden because they have a large selection of samples. Pratt and Lambert and Benjamin Moore also have  samples. Call your reputable retailer and find out what they sell and how knowledgeable they are. Ask if they have zero and low VOC paint and primer.

2. At the store, find the color chips that match the jars before you buy the jars. Get as many different shades of the color family you picked and bring them home and stick them to your walls with removable tape. Look at those colors at different time of day and night. Color changes drastically with light. Do you have the proper lighting to make that color look good at night?

3. Narrow your options to maximum 3 possibilities and buy the small jars and disposable paint brushes, and paint two or three 6"x6" or larger cardboard sheets and label each on the back so you can keep track.

5. Remove the little chips and stick the larger sheets on the target walls.

6. Now you really can see the paint color. Live with these at least for 24 hours and pay attention to how they look through out the light changes and at NIGHT.

7. Choose the winner. Measure the area of your wall in square foot before you head out to buy paint. You may need only one or two quarts or you may need a gallon or two. Consult your retailer. They should be able to tell you what the coverage of the paint is and how much you need.

If you are painting dark over light or vice versa, you need priming. See my post: Painting tips: Achieving flawless RED wall in 6 easy steps.