Things You'll Need:
- Local hardware or paint store
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Step 1
Decide which room you would like to paint. Change the color in a single room, or create a whole new color palette throughout your home.
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Step 2
Choose a theme or mood for the room. Your goal may be as simple as brightening the room with a new coat of paint, or you may be searching for a whole new look. Zeroing in on a theme or mood for the room will give you a starting point when you begin looking at paint samples.
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Step 3
Look at paint chips or samples. Keep in mind that the color will look much more intense when it is covering your entire wall than it does on a two-inch sample. Bring home several different paint chips, and tape them to the wall to give you an idea of how they will look. Leave them up for at least 24 hours to get a good feel for how they look from different angles and various lighting conditions.
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Step 4
Once you've narrowed your color choice to two or three, paint 3-foot sections of those colors on the wall. Most major paint retailers sell sample sizes for this purpose.
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Step 5
Choose colors to give a room a certain feeling. Cool colors--those in the blue, green and violet family--have a calming effect, which is ideal for a bedroom. They also help make small rooms appear larger. Warm colors--those in the red, yellow and orange family--will give the room a more warm and energetic feeling. Neutral colors, often called earth tones, include tan, beige and brown, and have a calming effect.
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Step 6
Use a quality primer. It is always smart to use a primer on your walls before applying the new paint, but you will especially want to use it when making a drastic color change such as red to white.
