6 THINGS YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DO BEFORE PICKING OUT PAINT

If you want to avoid painter’s remorse, there’s more to choosing the right paint than picking out a paint chip, though that’s still important. Before you decide, consider a few more things, like how much light each room in your house gets and how the color looks in natural and artificial light.

You’ll also need to measure the space beforehand to know how many gallons to get. You can always paint again if you change your mind, but if you want to do a good job of painting the first time, this is the way to do it. Here are six things to do before choosing an indoor paint color.

Check out samples all-day

Most of us know that to be sure you love a color, you must get a paint chip and a jar of sample paint (or a color strip that you can stick on). Because the light in a room changes throughout the day, you shouldn’t just brush on color and pick it. Instead, you should look at it over time.

How does the color look in the morning versus in the afternoon? And what does it look like at night when artificial light replaces natural light? If you still like the color in these situations, you know it’s a winner.

Samples Can Be Painted Right on the Wall

If the walls you’re painting are plaster, rough, covered in wood paneling, or detailed molding, it’s a good idea to brush a paint sample right onto the surface. Textured surfaces reflect light differently than smooth surfaces, which changes how we see the color.

If you have a new home with smooth walls, you could paint a sample on a board to move from room to room. If you have an older home with a lot of roughness, you should paint directly on the walls.

Find a Good Finish

Once you’ve decided what color you want, you still have to decide what finish you want. A painted surface will generally last longer and be easier to clean if it has a better sheen. But dirt shows up on surfaces with a high gloss.

An eggshell or smooth finish is a good compromise on most internal walls. Trim and handrails usually have a semi-gloss finish because they get a lot of use.

How much paint do you need?

You can probably guess whether you need one gallon or two, but if you want to avoid another trip to the paint store, measuring the room ahead of time can help. Enter the height and length of each wall in the room and the number of doors and windows into a paint tool.

With this tool, you can determine exactly how many gallons you need to buy. You’ll be glad you didn’t have to run to the store while covered in paint.

Figure Out if You Need a Starter

Not every paint job needs primer, but it’s a good idea if you’re going from a dark color to a light one. Primer works better than paint to cover up the original color, so you won’t need to roll on five coats.

If you’re painting kitchen cabinets or furniture, a primer can help the paint stick to the surface and avoid chips a nd scratches in the future.

Spend Money on Good Tools

A good brush and roller cover make all the difference in painting. The cheapest brushes will lose hair as you paint and leave visible brushstrokes, and a low-quality roller cover will shed bits of fuzz onto a freshly painted wall.

To stop this from happening, buy good brushes and roller covers and learn how to clean them so you can use them for many more painting jobs.

Conclusion

Choosing paint for your house can be hard, but you can do a few things to make it easier. First, ensure you have enough paint by measuring your walls before starting. Second, consider how the room’s light will affect the color you pick. Third, try out different colors of paint before deciding on one.

Fourth, know the paint colors and hues you are considering buying. Fifth, pick a finish that looks good in the room. Lastly, if you need help choosing, talk to artists or pros. Using these tips, you can make sure you pick the right paint color for your home.