Expert
Tips on Interior Paint Color Selection
Part
of the fun of painting a room is selecting just the right
color of paint. But with so many colors to choose from,
where do you start?
According to experts at The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality
Institute, color selection doesn’t have to be difficult.
By following a few basic steps, you can reduce your stress
level, and simplify the decision-making process of selecting
an interior paint. Here’s how:
• Collect swatches of fabric, a piece of carpeting,
accent pieces or other color cues from the room you want
to paint. Take them to the color display where you buy your
paint and look for families of colors that work well with
those cues. (Standing a few feet away from the display can
help you identify the best color options.)
• After selecting several color cards that appeal to
you, take them home so you can observe the colors where
you plan to use them.
• Next, tape the paint chips to the surfaces you plan
to paint, or hold the color sample at arm’s length
and walk around the room to see how the paint will look
on different walls.
• Colors may look very different under different lighting
conditions. For that reason, be sure to assess paint colors
at various times of the day – in both natural and artificial
light.
• If you still can’t make up your mind, purchase
small amounts of paint, apply the colors to pieces of wallboard,
and view these samples where you plan to use them.
• Remember that colors tend to intensify when applied
to a large area. To compensate for this, experienced painters
know that it is wise to err on the side of a lighter color
value, rather than a darker one.
• After taking time to find the perfect paint colors
for your home, be sure to use a durable, top quality interior
latex paint on your walls and trim. These paints go on smoothly
and evenly without spattering, cover well, resist stains
and cleaning, and won’t tend to crack or flake. In
short, they will continue to look the way you want them
to for a long, long time.
For more advice on paint color and interior painting, visit
The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute’s extensive
Web site at www.paintquality.com
