Oleg Podgorny is the Painting Supervisor for Mosby Building Arts. His 25+ years of experience with painting, patching and mixing colors makes his tips on choosing paint colors a must-read.
A paint chip is NOT an accurate representation of a color because the quality of light constantly changes, as does the optics of your eye to keep up with the tricks of light.
A paint chip is merely a record of what quantities of tints were used to create a color so it can be recreated in the cans of paint you take home. Where that paint will be applied and what time of day it is will dictate what color it really is.
When you select a color, you need to be a fan of all the colors it will become every day. Depending on the time of day, a beige paint can change from yellow (morning) to tan (noon) to orange (sunset). Once daylight is gone, the types of artificial light in the room will alter the perception of the color, as does the colors of the furniture, flooring and accessories that reflect off the walls.
The only way to assess the full spectrum of colors it will become is to paint a large sample of it directly on the walls of the space in question and keep an eye on it.
But before the sample goes on the wall, we have to rely on paint chips to give us an idea of where we’re heading. Keep these tips in mind when looking at paint swatches:
• Mid-day indirect natural sunlight is the truest representation of a color. That is the type of light used at in-store paint chip displays.
• Early morning and late evening sun is the strongest, most dramatic light so avoid choosing colors in these circumstances. But if you like the color at those times of day, half the battle is won!
• North-facing rooms skew blue (cool), while west-facing rooms skew orange (warm). This is a quality of light that will change the tone of your color.
• With artificial light remember that incandescent light is orange; fluorescent is blue; LED is neutral white. These will change your perception of a color.
Custom Colors Tailored to Your Home
Because wall color is constantly changing based on the type of light and time of day, we at Mosby regard the paint chip as a starting point.
After patching and prepping a wall, we apply several large swatches on every wall of the room of the paint color unadulterated from the can. Then we ask the client to observe the swatches during all times of the day and night, noting what they like and dislike.
Based on their impressions of the ever-changing tones, we use tints to alter the paint to a color that works best with their tastes and the lighting of the space.
Customizing a color is the surest way to satisfaction with your room every day and all day (and night) long. It’s a simple solution with long-lasting benefits, and we’re happy to help you find that perfect color.
To work with Oleg and his paint crew, call the Mosby Building Arts office at 314.909.1800 or contact him here.