How Do I Pick Out My Paint?

You’re finally ready to paint that guest room. It’s been bothering you for a while now, and you need to prepare it for the upcoming holidays when you’ll have visitors stay. But when you approach the paint section of the home improvement store, you feel your heart pound. Who knew there were so many shades of white? And which brand should you use? Does the sheen really matter? How on earth are you going to pick out your paint? Read on to learn how you can make this decision simpler.

Select a High-Quality Brand

Even if you pick the most beautiful shade of paint, if it is low quality, you’ll likely be disappointed in the end results. Do a little bit of research to find brands of paints you can trust. Whether you’re tackling interior or exterior surfaces, many brands these days allow you to skip the priming stage and require only one coat to cover what’s beneath. However, you may want to consider applying a second coat, especially if you’re painting on a darker surface, just to make sure everything has a uniform look.

Choose Your Sheen

Paints come in various sheens or finishes for interiors and exteriors, including flat, eggshell and satin, and semi-gloss. Each type has advantages and disadvantages, and you can choose the finish you want based on your needs, the room you’re painting, and the smoothness of the surface you’re painting. For example, if you’re looking for a stain-resistant paint for your child’s room, eggshell and satin are likely your best bet for sheen, but for smooth, high-traffic areas, such as the kitchen or a bathroom, semi-gloss can give you easy-to-clean surfaces.

Test Out Your Color

When you first approach the color options for paint, take a deep breath. There are thousands of shades to choose from, and it can quickly feel overwhelming. Try to find the largest paint chips in the store and look at them in different lighting, especially natural lighting. Take them home and hold them next to the trim to see if they complement each other. Narrow your choices down to three or four and get samples of those options; then, paint small patches of the wall and view them at different times of the day to see how the shade looks with the changing light, including with light bulbs at night. By then, you should feel ready to move forward with painting.

After considering all this, you should feel confident and comfortable in your selection. Then comes the laborious, time-consuming task of actually painting the room. If, however, you don’t want to take care of painting the room on your own, you can turn to the residential painting experts at Platinum Painting. Not only will we handle the painting, but we can also lend a helping hand in determining the right brand, sheen, and color for your space.

About Platinum Painting

In more than a decade, Platinum Painting has served over 10,000 homes in North Texas. To help their customers pick the right paint for their project, the Platinum Painting team offers a free color consultation with an industry expert, who can provide advice on color trends and finishes, so that customers feel confident in their choice. To schedule your free estimate, you can call 214-758-8625 or click here.