Paint is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to change the look of a room. But when it comes to choosing the right color this “easy” job becomes very difficult. You soon realize that there is no such thing as “just white” or “plain beige”.
There are three parts to every color: hue, value, and chroma.
- Hue is the actual color i.e. blue, red, green.
- Value is how light or dark the color, or hue, is.
- Chroma is the amount of saturated color the paint has. The saturation changes when a hue is mixed with black or white to dilute or increase the intensity of the color.
This is more than you’ll need to know to choose the perfect color, but understanding the terminology does help the process. The old tried and true method of painting swatches on the wall is the very best method around.
Follow these steps and you should be able to pick out that just right color in no time.
- Choose three or four shades of one color that you think will work.
- Paint a large 24” swatch of paint on every wall in the room. Be sure to paint next to any existing trim, countertops, plumbing fixtures or painted area that is going to remain in the room.
- View these samples in the daylight, dusk and evening hours with the lights on. You will be surprised at how much the color changes during the day.