I think we can ALL agree that it’s HARD to choose a paint color. It can be (very) confusing and overwhelming because there are literally thousands of choices and the samples are so microscopic. 

But don’t worry, I’ll walk you through four EASY steps that I use to get a much better idea of what a paint color will look like on a larger scale and this will help you choose the perfect paint colors for your home.

This four-step method is easy to follow and the best part is that you’ll feel great about the final color when it’s up on your wall.

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Real quick, I’m gonna give you the four steps and then we’ll go into a little more detail about each step.

STEP 1: GATHER YOUR PAINT COLOR INSPIRATION

STEP 2: NARROW DOWN YOUR COLOR CHOICES

STEP 3: CREATE A LARGE PAINT SAMPLE

STEP 4: TINT YOUR PRIMER

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FOUR STEPS TO CHOOSE A PAINT COLOR

STEP 1: GATHER PAINT COLOR INSPIRATION

Any time you are choosing a paint color for your home, start by looking for color inspiration anywhere that you like to find design inspiration.

For me, that’s Pinterest or Instagram, but you might like home design magazines or Google images or even in real life by asking your friends what color their walls are.

Wherever you like to get inspired, start there and make a list of potential colors that you think might work for your home.

DO keep in mind that what looks great on your iPhone or your computer screen or an edited magazine photo or even in someone else’s house might look VERY different in your home.

That’s why it’s SUPER important to follow the rest of the steps to help you choose a paint color.

STEP 2: NARROW DOWN COLOR CHOICES

After getting some paint color inspiration, it’s time to narrow down your inspiration and make a list of potential colors.

What I do to narrow down my color options and to make sure a color looks good in my home is that I choose 5, 10, 20 (however many I need) paint colors and I order a Samplize peel and stick paint sample of each color.

I have personally tested these peel and stick samples in my own home and the color is SPOT ON so you can rest assured that you’re getting an accurate look at a paint color in your home.

Once you test out these samples in your home, it’s time to narrow down to your top two or three choices and move on to the next step.

STEP 3: CREATE A LARGE PAINT SAMPLE

The reason this step is important is that you want to see the paint color on a larger scale so you can get a much better idea of how it will look when your entire wall is covered in paint.

You have two options when it comes to creating a large paint sample.

OPTION 1: USE POSTER BOARD OR DRYWALL REMNANTS

1. Purchase a sample size of each of your desired colors from a local paint retailer.
2. Purchase large white poster board sheets to use as your canvases. Another (even better) option is to use drywall remnants if you happen to have them lying around your house. You also have the option to paint samples directly on your wall … this freaks me out, but a lot of people do it.
3. Paint each piece of poster board (or drywall remnant) with a different paint color. I suggest applying two coats of the paint color to get a good idea of how the finished color will look IRL (in real life).

OPTION 2: PURCHASE PEEL-AND-STICK PAINT SAMPLES

• If you want to go the mess-free (and easier route), you can purchase multiple peel-and-stick samples of the same color and place them on the wall together (like a puzzle) to create one large sample. If you purchase four peel-and-stick samples of the same color, for example, you’ll have roughly a wall sample of about 40” x 40”.

Either option is great … it’s just a matter of what you prefer. If you like working with real paint, go for that. If you’re like me and prefer the mess-free experience of peel-and-stick paint samples, go that route.

Either way, you need to view your larger paint samples in both natural and artificial lighting as well as in different parts of the room because paint color can vary significantly in various lighting.

If your home is already built, you can view your paint samples IN your home. If you haven’t built yet, just look at the samples in different lighting in your current home.

Once you decide on the ‘winning’ color, it’s time to tint your primer.

STEP 4: TINT YOUR PRIMER

This little tip is a game-changer. Simply ask your painter to tint the wall primer with your desired paint color so that once your walls are primed, you’ll know how the paint color will look on your walls.

If you end up hating the color, it’s ok because it’s just primer so you can choose a different color and paint right over the primer.

This is exactly what we did when we built our home. 

I *thought* I wanted ‘Manchester Tan’ on all our interior walls throughout the main parts of our house. However, I HATED the color once the tinted primer was up … HATED IT! So I chose another color (Sherwin Williams ‘Accessible Beige’) and never looked back.

Same with my daughter’s bedroom. I chose a pink paint color that ended up being WAY too bright … luckily I figured this out because our painter tinted the primer. I was able to ditch that paint color before it was too late and choose something better for our style.

CONCLUSION

There you have it … my four steps to choose a paint color (or multiple paint colors) for your home. 

Step 1: Gather Paint Color Inspiration

Step 2: Narrow Down Your Paint Colors

Step 3: Create a Larger Paint Sample

Step 4: Tint Your Primer

Following these steps takes a little time, but the result (i.e. a paint color that you LOVE) is SO worth it.

Be sure to follow these steps the next time you need to choose a paint color for your existing home or your future dream home that you’re building :). 

Again, I have personally tested (and LOVE) Samplize peel-and-stick paint samples. Learn allll about this amazing product in my Samplize Peel and Stick Paint Sample Review.