Choosing the Perfect Paint

You've decided to change your atmosphere by changing the paint in your home. Good for you. Paint offers a door to expression and individuality and now you have the opportunity to decide what you love and what you are willing to live with for the next few years.

Color Me Warm...Or Cool

If you remember the wardrobe consultants from years gone by, you'll remember the idea of warm and cool colors. Some things don't change and "color temperature" is one of them. Warm colors include such colors as orange, red and pink while the cooler colors are blue, green and violet. It's really worthwhile to learn something about color theory before you go galloping off into the wonderful world of color.

White Is Not Necessarily White

White is not necessarily white. Here, again, you have a wide variety of tones and hues to deal with. Before you choose the final color, compare paint chips to discover whether the "white" you need will be warmer with yellow overtones or cooler with bluish overtones.

Make Notes - You'll Be Glad You Did

Please, don't be like some people and forget to write things down. Make proper notes on the backs of your color chips indicating which store you found the perfect color in and the name of the producer of that paint. There is absolutely nothing worse than finding the perfect color and not being able to remember the name or the store you found it in. Save yourself hours of anguish - write things down.

Don't Be Too Hasty and Measure Your Space

Don't choose until you've had the opportunity to check your color choices in all sorts of light. Take the color chip outside and see it in the sunlight. Put it under fluorescent lighting (which can dramatically change a color) and under incandescent light. Most important, take it home with you and measure it against the fabrics, accessories and lighting in the room it is destined to cover.

Measure your space. You want to be sure to have enough paint to finish the job and to have enough left over to handle retouches if necessary. There are great helps on the internet to assist you in determining how much paint you'll need for your project, or you can talk with the professional at your paint store who will be able to help you with quantities.

Asking for Help is a Good Thing

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Today, paint stores are staffed with very knowledgeable professionals who can help you by recommending paints that are low-odor, by showing you stain-killing primers, and by introducing you to washable paints.

If you want to match a paint that has been on the walls forever, your color professional can help you find the perfect match. Or, if you have a unique color in mind, they can do some color mixing for you. By bringing a color swatch of your fabric or other color reference, you will be able to get exactly what you want.

What's Overhead

Ceilings are often left in the shadows, so if you want to paint your ceiling the same color as the walls, choose a paint one or two shades lighter than what is on the walls. Or, you can dilute your paint color using a 3:1 ratio of white to color.