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GENERAL COMMENTS THAT WILL HELP WITH COLOR SELECTION

A. One of the greatest frustrations of a paint store is the difficulty in finding the words to communicate the description of color. To each person a term pertaining to color may mean something different to another person. Descriptive words like sandy, plum, avocado, gold, taupe, teal, mauve are worthless words to someone trying to match a color. The person speaking the words may know exactly what is being thought, however conveying that concept will more than likely be misinterpreted by someone else. In our industry, terms like lighter, darker, redder, grayer, too blue, too muddy, and cleaner have more descriptive value when evaluating color. It is said that it is impossible to match the "pigments of your imagination". Ideally a person matching a paint color wants to SEE a sample of what is desired; a non moving target.

B. Until an entire room is painted and furnished including carpeting, window treatments, art work, furniture, you will not have the true realization of the actual color of the paint. Color will reflect or broadcast itself to other surfaces. For example, a green carpet will make a painted wall become a different color than a gray carpet. This is part of the reason our customers say they like a color in one room but not in another room.

C. We advise our customers to decide on as many of the colored elements as possible that will be used in a room before they select the color of paint for that room. There are an infinite number of paint colors but a limited number of colors of bed spreads, shower curtains, towels, carpets, upholstery, etc. Select the paint color last, if possible.

D. Although each "Wet Paint" Color Swatch has been made according to the manufacturer’s tinting formula, we have prepared them with our tinting machines and the paint and tinting materials which were sent to us by the manufacturers. Variations may occur from our testers and the actual paint you purchase from your paint store. Another variable related to paint color is the slight difference in a color choice that is tinted in different products within the manufacturer’s family of products. By purchasing and applying to a larger area, a quart of your final color choice in the actual product you intend to use you will be able to confirm you have made the right color decision.

E. As mentioned earlier, some colors may take several coats before they cover (or hide) the existing color. Bright, deep reds, yellows, oranges are famous for poor hiding ability. As many as 5 or 6 coats have been required for some of these colors. This is due to the tendency of light to easily pass through the pigment particles that are used to make those colors. The testers will help you get an idea of how many coats will be required to paint your surface. If you see that many coats will be required, ask your paint store for the option of using a primer, tinted closer the color of final paint color.

F. When selecting a roller cover, request one with as short a nap as possible (as short as 3/8" for latex). The reason for using a roller cover with a thicker nap would be if you have a heavier texture on the wall. Unnecessarily thick nap roller covers tend to create a heavy orange peel texture in the paint, wasting the paint in thick bumps and causing the paint to be too transparent in the areas between the bumps.

G. You may want a better understanding of the paint industries quality standards. Each batch of paint and each batch of colorant made by the manufacturer is different from the next batch. Hopefully these differences will not be detectable by the human eye. Although each batch is compared to a strict standard, one batch may vary in one direction from the standard and another batch may vary in a different direction from the standard. These variations from batch to batch may be great enough to be seen. Another variable that can cause color inconsistency is inaccuracies of the tinting machines in the paint stores. They are more accurate than using a snow shovel to measure our a gram of salt but they are not precision measuring instruments in proportioning out the colorants. With these limitations in mind, there are some tips or techniques you would be wise to remember when applying your paint:

NEVER apply paint from two different cans of paint on the same wall as a final coat. The exception to this is if you are using a ready mixed color and the cans are all the same batch number. If you know you are going to need two coats, anyway, you are safe ignoring this caution on your first coat only. If possible, mix together (called "boxing") all paint to be used as the final coat. A new problem could occur if you did not purchase enough paint to complete the entire job. Save the most inconspicuous wall for last in the event you do need more. Another option is to simply look in the can of paint and determine if you have enough paint to complete the next full wall. If not, go buy more paint before beginning that wall. You can mix partially filled cans together to complete another wall. Any slight color difference will be undetected from wall to wall.

Always test the dried color of every can of paint you purchase. Unfortunately, human beings work in paint stores and mistakes do happen. Just do not make things worse by applying a miss tinted can of paint. 

H. Your perception of a color will change depending on the color of the background. For example, a light shade of yellow may appear almost white if placed on a larger background painted with a deep yellow. If placed on a pure white background, the light shade of yellow will show much more color.

I. Due to the extreme intensity of sun light, colors will appear more faded or lighter than you would expect when viewing in the shade or with interior lighting.

J. Apply your test samples thick enough or in enough coats to be sure the previous color is entirely covered. Be sure your sample is dried, as wet paint may be entirely different in color than dried. Evaluate your test samples, most critically, at the time of day when you plan to spend the most time in that room. The color will change as the lighting in the room changes.

K. Paint on a textured or rough surface (e.g. brick or stucco) will appear darker than on a smooth surface. This is due to the little dark shadows created by the bumps or grooves in the surface which tend to darken or gray the paint color.

L. If you decide to apply the "Wet Paint" Color Swatches directly to your walls, do not apply them in a nice square pattern. Feather out the edges in a random fashion so when painted over there will not be a physical depth difference showing underneath your final paint coat.  Layering several tester coats in the same area may tend to fill in any texture on the wall, so move around to different areas.

M. The paints in the "Wet Paint" Color Swatches are actual paint supplied by the paint manufacturers we sell in our store. Technical data and Safety data for the products are available from the manufacturers or from us.

N. Your paint store will need your help before they can advise on the proper amount of paint you should buy. Measurements such as length, width, ceiling height are very helpful to determine before going to the paint store. Generally, the paint manufacturers recommend you apply one gallon to approximately 400 square feet. This is not to say you may not need more than one coat of paint for that 400 square feet. We recommend to our customers that, if they are purchasing a color we must tint in our store (and therefore not returnable) they purchase conservatively. We would rather see someone have to come back for more paint than to have much more than they need.

O. As you work your way through the color selection process, keep good records. Without good notes it is easy to get confused when you try to decide what color to try next. If the color you are currently testing is not right, write done the color number or name and, next to it, record what was wrong with that color. With this information, the people in your local paint store may be more helpful in helping you select a better color to try next. We have provided a "COLOR SELECTION WORKSHEET" that may helpful for you to make your color selection notes.