Do not get panicky with the idea of painting your room. Deciding the perfect color is of utmost importance and quite a difficult task. With so large a number of colors available, it’s normal for most of us to get perplexed while selecting a color for the walls. The ideal color gives amazing looks to your room, just like you dreamed. Unless you are very careful you may have your room looking like a pumpkin, while you sought a peach. Selecting the best color for your room becomes easy if you use the correct tools. This is how to go ahead with it.
Interior Designers patronize an item known as a paint sample board. This board has all the samples for a room they plan to design. Most big manufacturers of paints provide something similar to sample board. The broacher from Olympic paints has combinations of colors that jell together well. They provide 6-7 color samples and pictures to illustrate the combinations together in a room. It is the next best option to having an Interior Designer looking over your plan. I very much recommend using these. They are all well designed and with colors complementing each other.
Once you have narrowed down the search to a few options, get larger samples. The painting stores these days offer bigger samples, thanks to interior designers! You may have 3 or 4 of them, tape them together and put on the wall. Though small containers of paints are also available, the color selection is rather limited. It will be worth visiting a craft store that is sure to have hundreds of colors in 2 oz bottles, each costing about a dollar. That’s the best and most economical way of having many options. And, you can always mix colors to have any peculiar color you may have in mind.
It’ll be helpful to put color on cardboard samples to get a real feel of it. Have a couple of them so that you have some choices. Let them remain for a day or so and observe the color in different types of light. You should now that the color looks different in natural sunlight during the day than in artificial light at night or otherwise.
Apart from the shade of the color to be used in your room, you should also consider the finish or shine of the paint, which may vary from flat to hi-gloss and each one needs to be used at a different place. Going by the thumb rule, always use flat on ceilings and hi-gloss or semi-gloss in bathrooms. So, you are left with eggshell or satin. I prefer using eggshell a little less sheen, but it’s a matter of personal choice. However, do take into consideration the condition of your walls. Old walls with cracks should have something with less gloss.
Enjoy what you are doing. The best thing about deciding color is that in case you don’t like it…you can always paint over it!
While considering decoration of your room, the most important feature that causes the maximum effect is the color and quality of paint that is used therein. It’s not unusual for people to buy one specific shade of any color in anticipation of its looking good in the place but after it has really been applied, the results are quite contrary to expectations. A practical way of eliminating that embarrassment, not to mention the time and money spent, is to really try the chosen paint on one of the walls of your room. Most of the reputed stores dealing with paints willingly offer to sell you a couple of color samples, enabling you to try those before you make a bulk purchase.
The best way of making a perfect choice is to have three to four samples of paint in color that you think will go best and apply these colors on small areas of your wall to get a realistic effect. This simply allows you to check how the color would look and the effect it’s likely to create in the room on getting dried up. You are also able to get a fairly accurate idea of how the color looks in natural and artificial light.
It helps to use paint sample. You can know before hand which of the chosen colors will give a good appearance and jell with the space where these are to be used. By experimenting with different shades of the same color you can, for instance decide, if it would be pale yellow, bright yellow or greenish yellow that delivers the desired effect. With so many different hues and shades of each color available, it becomes easier to experience their effects. You really come to know how the chosen color would look during daylight with sunlight coming in and how artificial light in the room affects its appearance. You’ll understand and assess the continuity of the chosen shade to the next room or how it jells or contrasts with your carpet. In a nutshell use of samples eliminates the guesswork and you remain confident of getting the desired results.
Normally of two ounces, each paint color sample suffices to paint a surface area of 2×2 feet. What better way to ensure that the color you choose is the most perfect? Apply a couple of colors to different area and compare results after the paint has dried. See how these look in natural light and again in artificial light in the evening. You could test even on smaller areas in different parts of the house to get a more realistic feel.
While conducting your test squares be sure to prepare the surface appropriately devoid of any holes, shiny spots or gouges and be neat, spotless and dry. The best background for test squares of different colors is white or another light color. Having a dark color in the background altogether changes the overall effect of the color being applied on the wall. You may by use a disposable sponge brush or a bristle paintbrush for applying the chosen pant/s on the square. It’s important to apply at least two coats of the color to understand and appreciate its true effect. It’s fine to use disposable sponge brushes for doing samples but these are not meant to be used for painting the entire room. You’ll find a peel-off label on the base on your sample color. You can stick that to the sample square so that you don’t forget which paint was used.
