So, you’ve read my blog, ‘How to Pick the Perfect Paint Colour- Part 1’, you’ve sat in the space you want to paint, you’ve considered the light, the furnishings and your colour preferences. You’ve even pinned a few ideas to a board on Pinterest. Now you’re ready to make some decisions about what colour(s) to buy. Here are the steps to make sure you buy the right colours for your space.

1 – Go to the paint store

 With your inspirations in mind, pick out a few colours of similar shade. For example, you know you want a deep, rich blue. But what blue? Grabbing a few options in a range will help you determine what to go with. Don’t be shy to grab a bunch. I’ve taken up to 8 samples of slight variations in colour at a time. Don’t forget that you will also need to pair it with the right trim colour as well! So grab some options for trim too.

2 – Bring your Samples Home to Observe in the Space

Hold your paint chips up in different areas of the room to see how they look in the light and dark places. Some of your options will be an obvious throw away. Then narrow it down to some of your favourites.

3 – Tape your preferred colours to the wall

For a couple of days, tape your narrowed down choices to different walls at different times of the day. Watch how the natural light affects the colours to decide which ones you would like to get tester paints for.

4 – Buy tester paints.

This is a very important step that a lot of people skip, either due to budget or impatience. You are spending a bit of money on testers, but you could end up spending a lot more if you buy a larger amount of paint and get it wrong. Tinted paint is not returnable and tester paints range from $2-$5 generally. It’s worth the investment if you want to get the colour just right. At many paint stores, you can buy a larger paint chip sample for about $5, but personally I like to see the actual product on the wall.

5 – Paint

Paint a 2×2 (or 3×3) square on a couple of walls of the room of each tester colour. Try painting one spot higher on the wall and one spot lower. Do 2 coats so that you can get a better idea of how the colour will look when it’s done.

6 – Wait Three Days

Whaaat? Three days?? Yes. Live with the patches of colours for three days while taking note of how the colour changes in the room at different points of the day. After the three days, you will know which colour is sitting with you the best. When you’re ready, GO BUY THAT PAINT!!!

P.S. –  I have said this in other blogs and I will say it here too:  PLEASE DON’T BUY CHEAP PAINT.
The finish, depth of colour and wearability are all factors to count in the end result of your project. Cheap paint just can’t offer the same finish

For the next how-to steps of your painting project, check out my blogs on:
How to Prep a Room for Painting and Painting a Room