Your Guide To Selecting The Best Paint Color Using Color Swatches
There is definitely a right and wrong way of choosing the perfect color for your rooms. Popping into the store and grabbing a can of paint without doing any research is not the way to go about it, that’s for sure.
Painting a room takes a lot of thought, and a hastily selected hue will only leave you unsatisfied with the results. Here is a better process for choosing the right paint color.
Always Choose Two or More Paint Colors from Swatches
When you’re in the paint aisle of a home improvement store, select several different colors to take home. The more, the better! Gathering a large number of sample paint chips will give you more options to choose from.
Once you get home, try visualizing how your room will look in the multiple hues you picked out. The perception of color is strongly affected by varying lighting conditions, so observe how your favorite colors might look during certain times of the day.
A color might look completely different in the light of dawn versus the dimness of the evening. In addition, see how the colors look against the furniture in your room.
Test the Paint Samples
After narrowing down your choices to a handful of two or three finalists, head back to the store and purchase some paint samples. Then, you can test them out on the walls of your home.
The most effective way to understand how a color will look in your room is by applying the paint directly on large sections of the wall.
Pixel-Shot – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Let the paint dry and test them against artwork and furniture. The fabric of your furniture, throw pillows, curtains, and area rugs contribute to the view as well.
Consider which color is in harmony with the decorative elements and accessories of your home.
Inquire About Sheens With a Paint Expert
Now that you have picked a final color, ask the paint experts at the store about recommendations for sheens. Sheen is a measure of how much light reflects off a painted surface.
It can impact how color appears and even add dimension to a room.
When determining the right sheen, you must take multiple factors into account. The type of wall surface plays a huge role in what sheen to choose.
Sheen ranges on a scale from flat to high gloss. Flat-sheen paint does not reflect light and allows the original color of the paint chip to come through.
On the other hand, high gloss offers a brighter shine; however, the reflective light can accentuate blemishes and imperfections on walls.
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