COLORS

Because of the millions of colors that can be used to decorate a room, choosing the right one can sometimes be a tedious task at best. Many people worry they are not going to like the colors they have selected while others seem to be able to 'see' them before they are applied. Understanding color systems and a few simple terms relating to color can help you make better color decisions. The color wheel below is provided for you to come back to as you go over the information below.

The color wheel's primary colors are pigment colors that all of the other colors stem from. These colors are blue, red, and yellow. Secondary colors are two primary colors mixed together while Tertiary colors are a combination of primary color and a secondary color . Groups of colors, referred to as 'family colors' are made from these same colors. Neutral Colors are gray , white, and black, that contain no other identifiable colors. Monochromatic colors on the wheel are one basic color (hue), but have different values (lightness (tints) or darkness (shades)). Adjacent colors combine two or more colors located next to each other.

Colors that are opposite each other actually complementary each other. Use a subtle color and a dominant color to avoid clashing. Triad colors are three colors that are used together, with one being the dominant color and the others being accent colors.

Using the color wheel and mixing various colors together can be a good starting point. However, people often select colors based on fabrics or furniture that may already exist in the room they are having painted while exterior colors can be decided upon from the colors in roofing shingles, siding, brick or other exterior surfaces.

If in doubt as to what color to use, buy a small amount of a paint and try it out to see if that is the most desirable. Color chips provided at paint stores can sometimes make it difficult to decide but can provide a good starting point.

Keep in mind that light colors make a room or the exterior of a house appear larger while dark colors have the opposite affect. The amount of lighting, particularly sunlight, can affect colors dramatically. Depending on the source and quantity of light, the same color in a room will almost always appear to have different shades of the same color.

Always look at the paint chips/samples in the actual room where the colors will be used to get a better idea of how the color will look. Consider some other important facts when selecting colors. Darker or more dramatic colored paints contain less titanium (see Primers and Paints) and may take multiple coats to cover. If applied incorrectly, Hatbanding (see Paint Failures) will appear. Darker colors are extremely difficult to touch up and like sheen finishes, will most often betray any attempts at correcting something that was touched up.