Picking out the wrong paint colour for your home is not an easy mistake to fix. Considering that they’re plenty of shades and options you can choose from, it can be quite easy to choose a paint colour you’ll later regret.

We have noticed at Porter Decorators that a few common habits lead people to choose the wrong paint colour for their homes and gardens.

You may have made some yourself but knowing what to watch out for will help you avoid these mistakes and choose the colour for your home.

6 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Paint Colours

Here are six common mistakes you can make when choosing paint colours:

1.) Picking Your Paint Colour Before Any Other Thing

If you’re about to move into an empty room or house, your paint colour should be the last thing you choose. If you pick a paint colour first, you get backed to a corner looking for something to match.

Ensure you have selected all the furniture, fabrics, and items in the room while considering the natural and artificial lights in the room before choosing a colour. It is far easier to find a colour that matches the items in a room than to find items that match your colour.

2.) Placing Samples Close To Each Other

While you’re trying to select a colour, it is only natural to check your options with samples. It is best to avoid painting the samples right next to each other on the same wall.

Looking at them on the wall can get you distracted and make it harder to decide. Test samples in separate places – an ideal option is on large sheets of lining paper, and you can place them in different rooms to see the best fit.

3.) Ignoring Natural Light

While you’re selecting paints, lighting is crucial, as colours look different depending on the lighting. Testing paints under harsh florescent lights might not produce accurate results, and you might not see the paint.

You should take samples home and evaluate them in the rooms you want to use under different lighting conditions. An effortless way is to paint the samples on boards and quickly move around and vary the conditions.

4.) Not Considering the Importance of Paint Finishes

Flat and matte paints are water-based, which tend to come off when you touch them too often. So, it’s only natural to use those colours for ceilings and other walls that aren’t in high-traffic areas.

On the other hand, Satin is a bit glossy, and you can wipe it down quickly, making it an excellent option for many rooms. You can use semi-gloss for rooms that have high moisture, like kitchens and bathrooms. 

5.) Avoiding Bold Colours

While neutral colours will work anywhere, they tend to make your room too dull. It can be a little risky decorating with bolder colours, but they can brighten up the space in beautiful ways if done correctly.

6.) Doing too much at once:

When you start a renovation or a paint job around your home, it’s natural to want to complete to task quickly. We want our homes looking their best as soon as possible, but while this is admirable it often leads to jobs being rushed.

We suggest working from one room or another, completing each job as it comes. In that way, you can get a better feel for what colours work in what rooms.

Conclusion

The mistakes highlighted above should get you on the right path towards choosing an appropriate paint colour for your rooms. Whatever the case, always make sure you do adequate research before selecting a colour and take your time to think about it.

Of course, if you are still feeling unsure, ask the team at Porter decorators, we have an eye for detail and may produce a few suggestions that you did not think of yourself.