What Is The Best Way To Test Paint Colors?

You’ve selected paint colors for your home. Congratulations! Now it’s time to get samples. Why? Because the color on a paint chip doesn’t necessarily reflect how a color will look once it’s painted on your wall or the exterior of your home.

That’s why it’s best practice to get paint samples and test them. This will help ensure that you love your color choices once they come to life on your walls or siding.

Step One:
Get the paint samples. You have two options here.

You can purchase 8 oz. paint samples from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and other paint retailers. If you go this route, you’ll want to apply your paint to white paint boards (available on Amazon and at many hardware stores). This will allow you to move your paint colors around your room or outside your home. Make sure to leave a two-inch parameter of white around the edge of your board.

You can also order samples from Samplize (www.samplize.com). Samplize creates peel-and-stick samples that are painted with actual paint. They ship overnight in the U.S. and carry colors from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, PPG, and Farrow and Ball. They are a convenient alternative. You can also place these on white paint boards so you can move them around the room or around the exterior of your home.

✔ Pro Tip:
You don’t want to paint the colors you’re testing on top of an existing painted surface. For example, if you paint yellow on a blue wall, the blue may give your yellow a green cast which doesn’t accurately reflect how the yellow will look in your home. Using paint boards and leaving a white parameter on your paint boards eliminates this concern.

Step Two:
Correctly position the paint samples. Make sure you have your painted boards on the actual wall you are planning to paint. The same goes for the exterior – place the painted board against the side of your home or on the front door if you are painting that. For example, I’ve had clients evaluate paint colors by looking at them on their kitchen table. Put the color in the correct location.

Step Three:
Look at the colors in the morning, midday, afternoon, and evening. Natural and artificial light affect the color. You want to confirm that the color you love in the morning light still looks good in the evening. It’s also important to be aware that lighter colors can look two times lighter and/or brighter when painted on interior surfaces, while darker colors can look more intense or vivid. Colors on the exterior of your home will look two-to-three times lighter and brighter as well. It’s helpful to test potential colors on both sunny and shaded parts of your home, as colors may look quite different.

If you’re unsure what color would look best in your home, CertaPro Painters^® of Andover, MA offers color consultation services to help you find a color you’ll love year round. Contact us today for a free no-obligation estimate and get started transforming your home today!