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Choosing a Paint Color

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Colors can transform a room. Pale shades open it up and give it a sense of spaciousness. Because paint colors with a lot of white in them reflect light, they brighten dark hallways and rooms with a northern exposure, which get the least sunlight. White ceilings seem higher because the color makes them appear to recede.

Dark colors make a room cozy and intimate. They are often used in quiet places like studies and dens. Dark colors can also disguise architectural faults like uneven walls, and they hide signs of wear in heavy-use areas.

When choosing colors, blues, violets, greens, and grays in any number of tints and shades give a cool, serene feeling to a room. Intense cool colors are refreshing, while subdued cool hues have a tranquil effect. Reds, oranges, and yellows warm a room. Intense warm colors create excitement; subtler hues, sociability.

Pure colors like those found on a color wheel, are neither diluted by white pigment nor darkened with black pigment. This makes them vibrant, energetic, and, in too great a quantity, a little tiring. Expanses of bright, intense color belong in active spaces like recreation rooms. Bright accents, however, can add excitement to soft color schemes.

Using a Color Wheel

“A Color Wheel – shows the interrelationships of the 12 basic colors. Color schemes based on the wheel – even in lighter or darker values – maintain color balance.”

A color wheel helps you see the relationships between colors. Red, yellow and blue are primary colors. Orange, green, and violet are considered secondary colors: each is created by combining two primary colors. Tertiary colors are a mixture of a primary and a secondary color.

Harmonious color schemes can be diagramed on the color wheel. Choosing colors that are opposite each other – blue and orange, for example – are complementary colors and good decorating partners. For three-color harmony, use colors equidistant from each other on the wheel (triad scheme), or pick a base color and the two colors on either side of its complement (split complementary scheme).

Selecting Your Paint Color

When it comes to painting, most of us are in love with paint swatches. We grab them by the handful from every display we see. Even though most paint dealers will formulate a color for a customer through computer matching from a swatch, a lot of people come in with a sample to match to a paint chip when choosing colors.

Because paint chips are small and walls are large, paint chips are only the first step in choosing colors. Paint chips help to narrow choices, but they do not eliminate the need to test a color on the wall where it is influenced by surface texture and lighting.

Most paint companies sell small samples of paint so customers can apply them directly to a wall or can apply them to a plywood board to move around to really live with the color.

We suggest painting sample colors right up to trim or other surfaces that will not be painted to see the color in relationship to other colors in the room. It’s always best to try the samples on all the walls of the room since each wall will take on different lightings.

Keep in mind that your furniture and other decor will play a large part in your paint color selection. Try to complement your surroundings like the couch, floorings, accent pillows, etc.

I’ve found a very nice tool on the Benjamin Moore’s website that is called Benjamin Moore’s Personal Color Viewer.

The Benjamin Moore Personal Color Viewer (PCV) is a color visualization program that allows you to experiment with color before picking up a paintbrush. First, you select an exterior home or interior room image from the PCV’s vast pictorial library, or import an image of your own home. Then create the look that you love.

They offer a Professional version of the software that you can download for a cost. The website version is free and the only limitation is that you are unable to upload your own photos.

Preparing the Paint

If you plan to start soon after you purchased your paint, you may only need to stir the paint lightly before you use it.

For a single can, pour off the thin paint at the top of the can. Stir the thick paint at the bottom, then pour the thin paint back in and stir.

If you have several cans, the pain in them could vary slightly in color, especially if it was custom-mixed. To get a uniform color throughout your ‘job, box the paint. Some paints may also require gaming or thinning.

Boxing Your Paint

Pour all the paint for the job into a 5-gallon pail or bucket. Stir until it is thoroughly mixed and uniform in color. Boxing eliminates slight color variations among cans of paint. Drive small nail holes into the grooves in the can rims, then pour the boxed paint back in the cans. Trapped paint will drain through the holes in the can. Tightly seal the lids on all but the first can.

Straining the Paint

If the paint is separated, stir the thick paint up from the bottom of each can until it is as free of much lumps as possible. Then, box as described, pouring it into a cloth paint strainer into the pail. If the paint has thick scum or skin, don’t try mixing it back into the paint. Instead, remove the skin and set it aside.

When it has dried, wrap it in a newspaper and discard it. Box the paint as described, pouring through s cloth paint strainer into the pail.

Thinning the Paint

If the paint has been stored for some time, it may need to be thinned as well as stirred. Box the paint and, as you stir it, decide how much thinning, if any, the paint needs.

To determine how much thinning your paint needs, make several test strokes with the boxed paint. If your brush furrows or your roller nap pulls the paint away from the wall, it needs thinning. Add an ounce of water or paint thinner, as appropriate; stir thoroughly; and test again. Continue this process until the paint makes an even film on the wall.

Don’t over-thin. If you have thinned and the paint still does not flow or adhere properly, talk to your paint dealer. You may be using the wrong brush or roller cover, or your surface may not be clean.