How many times have you finished painting a room, and the color wasn’t at all what you had in mind? You really wanted a gray wall and it ended up being blue. You were going for a nice neutral beige, but somehow it has a green cast. I’m going to let you in on a little secret that I use when picking out the perfect paint color.
Every color has a predominant undertone. As you know, there are many, many different shades of white when you look at a wall full of samples. And, each of those whites have a predominant color. Some whites look pink. Some whites look blue. It’s easy for some people to see those undertones and, for others, it’s pretty difficult. I have a trick for those of you who can’t see the undertones.
I’m using gray as an example, but it works with every color.
We’ve all done it. We’ve all gone in the paint store and grabbed an entire handful of single color samples of gray. They were all called “something gray” or “gray something.” All of them look gray to you. You picked out the most perfect shade of gray that you just know is exactly the look you are going for and spent all day painting your living room. The furniture is all pushed back into place and pictures all hung. You sit down with a glass of wine, (maybe that’s just me) and, your walls are a lovely shade of purple. Violet to be exact. ☹️ I’m not at all dissing on violet walls, but you wanted gray.
If you are one that cannot see the predominant undertones of color, this trick works every time. As you know, single paint swatches also come in larger swatches of 7 colors, with the top being the lightest. That light color may be called “gray something” or “something gray”. It looks gray to your eye. Grab a full color swatch of the colors you already have picked out. On that same full color swatch, head all the way down to the bottom color. What color does that “darker gray” appear?
The darkest color on your “gray something” sample is what color your gray is going to appear once painted. It can be dark green, dark purple, or even dark brown. All of those “grays” are fine, if you wanted a gray color with green undertones. If you want a “true” gray, you need to find a sample with the darker sample being black.
I used gray as an example above because gray is the HARDEST color to pick. Finding a “true gray” is difficult. I’ve heard of people painting their entire room “gray something” three different times because it looked purple, then blue, and finally gray. This trick works for all colors. If you pay attention to that bottom color, you will be fine in your choices. If you have dark brown furniture and want gray walls, your paint choice could be the gray with brown undertones. And it would look fantastic.
When picking out a “true white” without pink, blue, or yellow undertones, don’t forget about Paint Boy’s store brand of white….. right out of the can. Every brand has a “white” for mixing, etc. That white is a true white. Paint Boy will know exactly what you are talking about. White right out of the can doesn’t need to be mixed because it’s just plain old white. (That’s what I use, by the way.)
Oh….. and one more tip. Once you get your paint color picked out with the full swatch, grab a few of the single swatches of that color. Take them home and tape them to the wall in the room you are going to paint and look at it for a few days. Both direct sunlight and ceiling lights especially make a color appear different, at different times of the day. This should help you, too, pick out the perfect paint color.
I hope this helps you all. I shared this tip on my Instagram stories a few days back and had an overwhelming response to it. Stop by Instagram and Facebook to chat. I love hearing from you guys.
Thanks so much for stopping by!!! You know how much I pledge my love to each and every one of you!
Buh bye now, said in an old lady’s voice whose wifey just finished a breakfast casserole that I’m going to shove down my hatch! ????
Danelle
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I’ve started doing that on the actual Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, etc. sites before I ever go to the store. Anytime I’m on a blog or see a photo where a paint color is mentioned, I look it up. It has really been an eye opener to color tones.
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OH! MY! GOSH! I know this is an old post but I started at your very first post & have been reading them all in order.. 🙂 That’s how much inspiration I get from you & Deb! It started on Instagram 🙂 This is THEE answer I have been searching for my whole life ! haha I have an AWFUL time picking paint colors! So much so that I often just leave the walls because I am SURE I wont be able to pick what I really have in my head. Thanks so much for this post! I am no longer scared to paint me walls & may start this very weekend!!
Omg this is the best paint post I’ve ever read makes so much sense and could’ve saved me a lot of work throughout the years had I known lol. I’m the same with the white too. I literally just use the white out of the can haha. But I am trying to find the best creamy white to paint my bedroom. So I’ll want it to pop against the trim a little bit. But I’ll try this trick and I should be fine. Love you both and love your stories. Thanks for sharing your lives with us! Xoxo Cristina
Awwww. thanks for the kind words. And Yes.. this trick is usually fool proof.
This is literally the BEST trick!! Also, I take my swatches out into natural sunlight. It’s WAY more true than harsh store lighting!! You ladies are seriously the best!! Hope that breakfast casserole was delish!! Blessings to you!!
These are great tips. My study window faces the neighbors house. I painted the room RH Silver Birch. A subtle green colour. The neighbors house was gray. That gray reflected into the room and turned my walls blue. I was so disappointed. Nevertheless, I repainted Navajo white. The house sold and the new residents repainted a white with a pink undertone. So now my Navajo turns slightly pink. The room will never be right! 🤨
hahahahahah Yep… colors will look different in every single house.