How to Test Your Exterior Paint Color
The year is off to a great start and soon it will be time to start thinking about your home's maintenance. And that incudes paint! Here is the best way I've found for ensuring your home's exterior is looking it's best in the coming years.
Paint can be very tricky! Especially on the outside of your home. And you’ll most likely be spending many thousands of dollars with your contractor. I always recommend that before signing off on your color scheme, TEST your paint colors on key areas of your home’s exterior.
HOW TO TEST YOUR PAINT COLOR
Make sure to paint at least two coats of your color for good coverage and on more than one plane. Make your sample areas at least 2’ x 2’. The bigger the test area, the truer sense you’ll get of the outcome.
Try to paint near key elements of your home such as the stone façade, your roof and even your landscaping color scheme for easy assessment and comparison. Then, live with these sample patches for a few days so you can view them in different light at different times of day.
Most paint companies have sample "pots" which are small quantities of their most popular colors. These are for testing purposes BUT are usually only offered in an eggshell finish which is somewhat shiny.
A flat finish for instance, will appear darker than an eggshell finish, because the light will reflect off the eggshell’s surface more than it will the flat. This is why it’s really best to “bite the bullet” and purchase a quart of your colors in the finish you intend to use.
For the stucco areas of your exterior, you’ll most likely be using a flat finish and for the wood trim areas or accent colors; a semi-gloss.
You may not get the result you want the first time you test your paint color. But by taking the time to test, you’ll be able to quickly gauge whether to exchange your scheme for another and save yourself time, moneyand aggravation in the long run.
Note-Some specifications you may see on the back of a paint deck swatch:
LRV- Light Reflective Value
Hide- How opaque or transparent paint is or how well it will cover.
Spontaneous Color- This occurs when an adjacent color casts its hue onto another surface. Be especially mindful of this when testing a color that is much lighter or darker than the existing color.
What's on your list for the new year?
P.S. You may be under 6 feet of snow where you are. It's never too soon to start planning your projects though. Visit my DIY Outlet for plenty of planning and checklist tools to help you get started.
