How to Paint Your Room: Color

Painting color on white walls makes a dramatic change in a room for relatively little cost and effort. You might hesitate to use a dark or vibrant color, thinking the room will look smaller. Colored walls paired with a light ceiling, however, actually make a small room look larger by drawing the eye up and around the perimeter.

Paint swatches
Paint samples

Instructions

- 1
  Take digital photographs of the room. Upload the photo to a color selector site and "try on" different paint colors. (See Resources.)
- 2
  Choose complementary paint colors for more impact, or matching shades for a more subtle effect.
- 3
  Pick a color you love. Rather than choosing a color because it's currently trendy or looks great in a model home, choose a color you already gravitate toward for inspiration.
- 4
  Regard the ceiling as a fifth wall and don't assume that because it's a ceiling, it should be painted white. Consider a lighter hue of the wall color, a complementary color that matches the flooring---or paint it a darker color than the walls to make a large room appear cozier.
- 5
  Purchase quarts or small testers and paint samples in the room. Live with the colors for a day or two to assess them in different lights.
- 6
  Ask the paint store staff to recommend a primer. Often colors can be applied in two coats without a primer, even if they are much lighter or darker than the existing colors. If the color change requires more than two coats, prime the walls, ceiling or trim with a primer tinted close to the new color.
- 7
  Paint your room. The standard steps are surface preparation, ceilings, walls, and finally trim. (See Resources.)

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