How to Use Paint Swatches to Pick the Perfect Colour

How to use paint swatches. When it comes to picking a paint colour for the interior or exterior of your home, the first step is to head to your local hardware or paint store and browse the many paint swatches on display.

When hit with the sheer quantity of shades, hues, and finishes, you might be left wondering how to use paint swatches effectively to select the perfect colour.

In this article, we’ll share a few tips and tricks that will help you find the ideal hue for your project, all with the help of paint swatches.

Know what you’re looking for

Before you start browsing the paint swatches, know exactly what you are looking for. Have a colour in mind, and decide whether you’d like a warm or cool tone.

Conduct a little research into paint brands (always opt for the best quality you can afford), and know what sort of finish you are after.

For example, before you start looking at specific colours, you might decide that you’d like a warm-toned white with a matte finish by Dulux.

These types of decisions will help narrow your search.

Find two or three colours and branch out

Once in the paint aisle, pick two or three colours that fit your paint project. Then, grab the paint swatches.

We also suggest branching out – picking up swatches for colours on either side of your favourites. Paint looks a whole lot different spread over an entire wall in natural light than it does on a small cardboard square in a hardware store.

Take your swatches home and hold them up to the wall throughout the day. Notice how the colour changes with the light. Your favourite pick in the paint aisle may now be your last choice!

Narrow down your swatches to the top two or three.

Purchase sample paint

Head back to the hardware or paint store and ask for a sample of your two or three favourite colours. The store should sell you a small container of paint for a couple of dollars.

Paint sections of your wall in these colours, ideally at eye-level. Avoid painting a coin-sized area – the bigger the section, the better you can evaluate the colour.

Live with these sample for a few days. Notice how they take on a new life in different light. What might look cool and calm on a sunny day may be a bit drab on an overcast day, for example.

Pick your favourite and call in the pros

After pondering your paint samples for several days, select your favourite and call in the professional painters. Expert painters know exactly how to produce flawless results. Here at Kraudelt Painting, we invest time into preparing your walls, so the paint dries true-to-colour and lasts for years.

Give us a call on 07 3829 5735 or fill out the form on this page, and we’ll get right back to you.