How to Choose Paint

Whether you are decorating your home or staging it to be sold, painting is likely on your "To Do" list. You've heard it before and it's true that paint is the most effective and least expensive decorating tool. It can instantly update, renew, and even change the mood of a room - if the right color is used. That's where it gets tricky. How do you choose just the right color? Well, it's not as hard as it seems.

Have you ever really watched the machine at the paint store add the color to your gallon? If you have, you may have been surprised to see red, green, and even black among other colors being added to your gallon of yellow paint. You probably asked yourself how such strong colors could possibly create your soft shade. The answer is in color theory.

Basically, all colors have different amounts of other colors in them. Take a look at a fan deck, that hinged tablet full of possible paint hues that painters and decorators live by, and you will see that yellow has its own section of cards sandwiched between greens and oranges. The colors are organized this way because they have different undertones. Every color has an undertone, though some are more visible than others. Taking a look at the colors in the fan deck that are nearest your selected color will help you determine its undertone. If it is nearest the greens, then it will likely have a green undertone and likewise for those tones nearest orange.

Colors may also appear different at home than in the paint store. This is because the undertone can be made more or less dramatic due to the colors next to it. So if you select what appears to be a nice buttery yellow at the paint store and it turns to macaroni and cheese on your walls, it may be the red-toned wood floors doing the cooking. There are steps you can take to avoid this change:

1. Get a fan deck! Even if you have to purchase one it is worth the investment. Take the deck home and assign a paint chip to every surface in your room. It is a common mistake to forget about the color of even the most neutral carpeting or beige furniture but even these "neutrals" have undertones. Also take a look at your lighting. Does it glow yellow, peach, or even blue? Lighting will definitely affect color.


2. Spread all of your existing color paint cards on a white sheet of paper and then put the card with your new color next to them. Does the color still seem true or has it shifted? If it has shifted, do you like how it looks with the other colors? Look also at the other colors next to the new one and see if you like how the paint will change their appearance. Continue to try paint colors next to your existing shades until you find one or two that you like.


3. Now it's time to shop. You need to purchase a small amount of the paints you are considering in the sheen that you prefer. This is important because flat paint colors look different than satin, semi-gloss, or gloss paints. Also purchase a large piece of white foam core. Paint squares of each paint, at least 12" by 12", on the foam core and allow them to dry. Cut the squares apart and tape them to the wall in your project room. Step back and take a look at the colors to see which you like best. Be sure to try them on different walls and at different times of day as well. In a day or two, you should be able to determine the paint you prefer.


4. Now it's time to paint your room! If you follow these steps you should have a pleasing outcome and will have, quite possibly, transformed your room for the low cost of a gallon or two of paint.

If you use this process for selecting every color you add to your room (fabric, wood tones, etc.) you can avoid the biggest decorating mistake we see - fighting colors. Often harmony can be found in selecting the right paint for the walls to neutralize the competing undertones. If you find yourself stumped by the color selection process, don't fret. Give us a call at 302.526.4268 or send us an email at info@TribecaDesignStudio.com and we can do a color consultation for you.