What color?

Choosing a color is the most straightforward question, and yet it's sometimes the hardest one to answer. Ultimately, the choice of a paint color is yours. You are buying the paint, and it is for your home, so the choice is in your hands. With that in mind, here are a few helpful hints to help yo choose a color:

Colors darken over large areas.	When you choose a color from a smal chip, dark colors appear eye catching and rich. When that same dark purple is spread all over the wall, that same rich color has darkened the room considerably. A little bit of color can go a very long way when you paint a room. What seems too light in the store may just be perfect in your home. Children often choose dark colors when they are allowed to pick colors, and their parents are usually back for another gallon of a lighter color the next weekend to paint over the dark walls. (If this has already happened to you, jump down to "Dark colors are difficult to cover" just below for a recommendation.) This does NOT mean that dark colors don't work in the home. If that is your design choice, we are certainly able to custom tint your paint to exactly how you want it. What we recommend is that you bring a paint chip home and look at it in the room where you are thinking of putting it on the walls.	Paint fades over time.	If you are trying to "touch up" a few rough spots on an older wall, it is unlikely that you will find a paint that matches so well that you won't notice the difference between the fresh paint and the older paint. If enough time has gone by, even paint from the same can will look different. The sun fades colors over the years, and touching up walls will show you just how much work the sun has done. In the case of matching an older stain, there is very little way for us to match it exactly. Wood darkens over time, and while we do have some stains that can simluate that aging process, there is no guarantee that they will continue to look the same over time. Wood that was stained 50 years ago will have a rich patina that might be closely matched today, but you will notice some difference if you look hard enough.
Touching up walls	The best way to insure that you can paint a small spot on the wall without repainting the whole thing is to get extra paint when you do it the first time. Even stock colors can have a little drift in color over time, so that the match is less than perfect. If you keep the excess paint from the job, and make sure that it doesn't dry out, then you will know that you have the same color. Be aware that the paint on the wall may still fade or change color slightly with age, so that the older the can of paint, the less likely it is that it will still match perfectly. It should be close enough to paint over a nail hole or repair, but it will not look exactly like new.	Paint draws colors out of patterns	When you choose a color, keep in mind that if there is a subtle color in the fabric of your furniture that matches or resembles the wall color, that hue will be drawn out of the fabric by the eye. This can be a very useful trick in decorating and room design. It helps to create a small contrast against the main coloring of the furniture or picture, but a contrast that helps to draw the whole piece into the room. In many cases, using a pattern in upholstery or in artwork can create a nice combination of coloring and liven up a room that might otherwise seem a little bland.
Dark colors are difficult to cover	If you decide that the dark magenta room is too dark, and that it should be simple white, there are a few tips that will serve you well. 1. Use a primer over the dark paint. It will help to hide the darker color and save you money in the long run, because it will take fewer coats to cover. 2. Be prepared to do at least 2 topcoats, especially if you are using a paint roller. Doing 2 coats is the only way to ensure an even coat of paint on the wall. This is a good idea even when you are doing a wall for the first time.	Primer is a great idea	Priming a new wall, whether it is plastered, drywall or even raw wood, is a very good idea. Paint manufacturers often will not guarantee their products fully without a coat of primer underneath them. Primer binds the surface and prepares it so that the paint will bond to it properly. This means less chance of peeling later, and a longer lasting paint job.