How to View Paint Colors in My Home
Choosing a new color for a room can be a daunting experience. Colors each have their own personalities and qualities, but when combined, they take on different characteristics. Lighting is another element that can completely change the look of a color by adding either bluish or yellow tints. Follow this plan to view colors inside your home, and you'll be able to choose a color palate with a degree of confidence that the design you've chosen will be the one you achieve. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- White poster boards
- Paint sample quarts
- Paint brush
- 2-inch masking tape
Instructions
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1
Select possible wall colors based on the other elements in your room. Consider the woodwork, carpet or flooring, furniture, curtains, bedspreads, lamps, artwork and other accessories in making this selection.
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2
If your walls are not already white, tape off two adjoining edges of the poster boards to leave a white border when you paint. A white border will help you see the color of the painted board clearly rather than as it appears against the existing wall color. Use one sheet of poster board for each color you intend to view in your home.
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3
Paint two coats of each color onto the poster board. Paint all the way to the edges on the two sides without masking tape. Let them dry for several hours. Pull the tape off the boards.
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4
Tape the boards onto the walls (without covering the white border) so you can view at a distance. Observe the walls during the day with curtains drawn and again at night without natural light.
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5
Walk the sample boards around the room and hold the colored edges next to your furniture, woodwork, flooring and other important elements. The painted edges of the boards will make it easier to see the potential colors next to each other.
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Tips & Warnings
Another option is to paint a white border around each sample color directly on the wall. However, you won't have the benefit of being able to move the sample colors around the room to furniture and woodwork.
Make the final decision based on how the colors look in your space, not how the colors look under light boards in the paint stores.
Painting sample colors directly on walls will confuse your eyes. You will see both the old and new colors, and you won't get a true feeling for the result.
