It is not uncommon that we are contacted about paint consultations. Even when we are called into a project for other purposes our client's houses are often littered with a plethora of tiny squares, taped chips, or blotchy patches of prospective paints. For those of you who want to select your own paint here are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Bigger is better. Smaller samples are hardly representative of what the paint will look like writ large.
2. Border with white. Colors pick up reflected light from things they are near, add a visual separation for your eye between old and new.
3. Time and space. As the light changes both daily and seasonally consider what the light will be like in the room at various times and from various angles.
4. Shine on. Color can look dramatically different depending on the sheen level of the paint. Always try to use the same sheen level on the sample as what you will paint with.
5. It's all about the base. The type and base of the paint will have a dramatic effect on the final product, just like the sheen. Purchasing even a single gallon of the actual paint can save you from a very costly mistake. Paint costs much less than labor. Even if you are painting yourself, your time has value.
6. Your time has value. Seemed important enough to repeat. You can choose your own color, you can paint your own walls...or you can engage a professional and not have to lift a finger.