Can we talk about hitting 100 paint samples before settling on a color?

I grabbed like 8 paint swatches for my living room remodel, thinking I'd pick one in a weekend. Six months and 100 samples later, I finally decided on a shade that looked totally different on the wall than the little paper card. How many samples did you go through before you landed on the right color?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithwalker20d ago

Honestly the lighting in the store is a total liar, right? I swear my swatch looked like a warm beige at the store and then on my north-facing wall it turned into straight-up gray mud. Did you ever try the peel and stick samples or just the little paper cards? I wasted so much money on those tiny pots before I realized I could just buy sampler jars online for way cheaper.

piper_reed20d ago

the lighting in the store is a total liar" is so real but honestly I kinda disagree about the peel and stick samples being better. I tried a bunch of those and they still didn't look right on my wall because the texture and sheen are totally different from real paint. The color might be close but the way natural light hits a smooth sticker vs actual painted wall changes everything. I actually prefer the little sample pots even if they cost more because you can paint a real patch and see how it dries. Plus you get to see how the paint handles coverage and brush strokes which matters way more than I thought. So I'm team tiny pots even if it hurts my wallet a bit.

taylor66813d ago

@faithwalker nailed it about north-facing walls turning everything gray. I learned the hard way with a greige that looked perfect in the store but turned straight up baby poop brown in my hallway. The peel and stick samples are fine for checking color against your furniture but they lie about the finish. Sample pots might cost more but you can paint a big enough patch to see how it changes from morning to afternoon light. Have you tried painting on a piece of foam board instead of the wall so you can move it around the room?