Choosing Colors The procedure of picking paint colors for your home may appear totally subjective--you simply select the colors you like. That is only partly true. While it makes sense to begin with the colors you like, other elements enter into play. For instance, do the colors you've determined work well alongside one another? Do they compliment furnishing, carpeting, and draperies already in place? Picking paint colors is part art and part science. Let's start with the science part first.
Working with the Color Wheel The color wheel arranges the color spectrum in a circle. It is a sensible way to see which colors work well together. It includes primary colors (red, blue, and yellow), secondary colors (green, orange, violet), and tertiary colors (red-blue, blue-red, and so on). Secondary colors are made by mixing two primaries together, such as blue and yellow to make green. A primary color such as blue and a secondary color such as green can be combined to make a tertiary color--in this case, turquoise.
Now that you've got a color wheel in front of you, put it to use to help you envision certain color combinations. An analogous design entails neighboring colors that share an underlying hue.
Complementary colors lie complete opposite each other on the color wheel and often work well in concert. For instance a red and green living room in full strength might be hard to stomach, but consider a rosy pink room with sage green accents. The same complements in differing intensities can make attractive, relaxing combinations. A dual complementary color design involves yet another group of opposites, such as green-blue and red-orange.
Alternatively, you could go with a monochromatic scheme which involves using one color in a number of intensities. This ensures a harmonious color design. When developing a monochromatic design, lean toward several tints or several shades, but avoid way too many contrasting values, that is, combinations of tints and shades. This can make your scheme look uneven.
If you want a more technical palette of three or even more colors, go through the triads formed by three equidistant colors, such as red/yellow/blue or green/purple/orange. A split complement comprises three colors- one primary or intermediate and two colors on either side of its opposing side of the wheel. For example, instead of teaming purple with yellow, shift the mix to purple with orange-yellow and yellow-green.
Last but not least, four colors equally spaced round the wheel, such as yellow/green/purple/red, form a tetrad. If such combinations seem somewhat like Technicolor, remember that colors designed for interiors are seldom undiluted. Thus yellowish might be cream; blue-purple, a dark eggplant; and orange-red, a muted terra-cotta or whisper-pale peach. With less jargon, the color combinations fall into both of these basic camps:
Harmonious or analogous; techniques, derived from neighboring colors on the wheel less than halfway around.
Contrasting or complementary; plans, derived from colors that are directly opposite on the wheel.
Color Schemes for the Interior Don't just choose one color; think in terms of picking a color design. Study your furniture, curtains, window treatments, and carpets and rugs, and note which colors might go with them.
Next, make note of just how many colors you think you might be using. Will the baseboards be considered a different color than the walls? They usually are unless the trim is in bad condition and you don't want to call attention to it. The same will additionally apply to other trim, such as windows casings and chair rail.
How about where the walls meet up with the ceiling? Will you install crown molding or some other kind of cornice treatment there? Or are you considering painting the walls and demarcating the ceiling and wall junction with a color change?
In addition to paint colors, you'll also need to determine the level of surface finish or sheen the paint will have. The options range from the most shiny (high gloss and semi-gloss) to the dullest (eggshell and flat). These designations differ with paint makers, but they are essential because the sheen of paint influences the color. A rule of thumb claims that walls usually receive flat or eggshell finishes whereas ceilings are almost invariably coated with a flat finish. Trim is normally coated with a semi-gloss or high gloss. These finishes are more durable and simpler to clean than duller coatings.
Think in terms of groups of colors.
Paint manufacturers group like colors together like below:
Interior Walls All paint stores provide color chips of the paints they sell. Color chips will give you a small scale idea of what the specific colors can look like once applied. You need to do more than take a look at color chips to get a true sense of your colors... nevertheless they are a good place to start. Actually, a seasoned sales rep at your neighborhood paint store can help you select color chips in a scheme. In the event that you choose a buttercup yellow for the walls, the sales rep can suggest color chips that are usually associated with a design that has buttercup yellow as its anchor color.
When you yourself have whittled down your color options, go through the color chips or swatches in several types of light including natural light at differing times of the day and in varying degrees of artificial light. Even then, this color chip process is merely to get an idea of paints that you'll sample in bigger swaths of color. Very few professional designers select from chips, even though they could start their color selection from chips. If they do examine chips, they examine them individually over a white background.
Color Changes Take into account that large surface areas make any paint color show up darker than the color chip. The amount of deviation is usually equal to two shades. If you select the color chip you want, step "back" two shades darker for a true representation of what the color will look like when dry. Also, paint always appears darker once it dries. So, when you finally apply the paint, don't worry if the color doesn't look right initially. Wait until it dries.
When you are zeroing in on your final colors, paint a 2 x 3 foot poster board or fabric with the anchor color and stick it throughout the house so that you can view it in different light and near different colored carpets and furniture.
Size and Color Colors make a difference the way you perceive the size of an area. Warm colors like reds, yellows, and oranges can make a space appear smaller because they can offer a cozy feeling to the space. The so called cool colors like blues and greens appear to recede from you, making a room appear larger than it really is. If you actually want to make an area seem large opt for an old standby such as a shade of white (there are dozens) or a neutral color.
Estimating Room Size While you get closer to buying paint, determine the square footage of the room you will paint. Multiply the length of each wall by the width. Subtract the area occupied by the entry doors, glass windows, and other openings. Add all the measurements together to obtain a total square footage of the area you must paint. If you're applying two layers which is normal for some paint jobs, you'll be painting the area twice.
Sound Quality Painting
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