How to Choose Paint Color

Just like you should never be hungry when you go to the grocery store, you should never try to make a critical color decision when in a busy hardware store. Choosing paint colors involves—at a minimum—two separate visits. On your first visit, grab as many paint swatches as you want. That’s why they’re there. Any color you respond to—grab and go!

1. Take these swatches home to the room you’re considering painting and place them on a surface that you’ll pass by every day for one week.
2. You’ll find on the second day that you automatically eliminate about half the swatches. As the week progresses, note how you keep naturally gravitating toward specific colors.
3. By the end of the week, simply by the process of elimination, you’ll get down to the colors that you love.
4. Now it is time to pick three colors from the strip for the walls, ceiling and trim.  But what goes where?  There are usually two very light shades, two medium and two dark.  For the walls, go to the two medium. Paint the walls the darkest of the medium shades. I know, it will look dark, but trust me after you get it on the walls and add the other layers it won’t be. For the ceiling, yes ceiling, if the walls are nine feet or lower, paint the color two lighter shades on the strip. If your ceilings are higher, paint them one shade darker than the wall color. By using two shades of the same color for your walls and ceiling, the light will now reflect evenly throughout the room. The lightest color on the strip is for trim (moldings, doors, windows, and built-ins).
5. Now, on your second visit back to the paint department, don’t chicken out. Stick to your guns about your color choice, knowing that you’ve spent the proper time to make an informed decision. After the paint is mixed, make the guy behind the counter open the can (don’t freak, it will look really dark). Have him place a bit of your paint on a white sheet of paper and blow it dry—then compare it to the manufacturer’s paint chip you chose. Go for it!