As a self taught DIY painter, I clearly remember the first time I painted a room in my home. It was in our first home, a cute little 1960’s ranch. The color I chose for our bedroom was a dusty mauve/rose pink color and I am quite surprised my hubby agreed to it (maybe he didn’t agree to it now that I think about it.) Before this, I had only painted a few things, like some bookcases and maybe even my bedroom in high school.
Since my first few paint jobs, I’ve learned a lot of tips and tricks along the way as a DIY painter. I paint everything including walls, ceilings, trim, cabinets, doors, furniture and decor. I often get messages from friends and family asking for help with either picking out paint colors or what type of paint and supplies to purchase.
If you follow me on social media or know me in person, then you know I often paint rooms in my home at the drop of a hat. As a DIY painter it isn’t uncommon for me to wake up and decide I want to paint a room. I love transforming a space with just a gallon or two of paint! For a while, I even had a side gig painting homes for people.
One question I am often asked is how do I decide what color to paint? Having worked in a paint store, I stared at color chips all day long. More often than not people generally have a good idea of what color they are looking for. They just need help narrowing down their choices. Occasionally people come in and have no clue what color they want, all they know is that they need paint. Usually it’s because they hate the current wall color, they are moving and need a good neutral for selling. And sometimes, they are buying a hot mess of a house with rainbow walls.
Thankfully, finding a paint color is easier now than ever before thanks to Pinterest and Google! When someone is unsure of a paint color I have suggested, I usually send them to Google. Simply type in the paint color and then click on images. You will get a variety of photos but it gives you a pretty good idea of what the color will look like. And of course there is always Pinterest. Be warned, this is where you can fall down a rabbit hole of blog posts and designer photos of paint choices! Sometimes it can be overwhelming and there’s always social media to ask others for their opinions-people are always more than willing to share.
Grays and whites are super popular paint colors right now and I see this trend continuing for a while.
It’s replacing the beige trend we have seen for the past ten or so years. While being “on trend” can be great not everyone loves what is trending. So, if you are not selling your home for a while and really hate neutrals, I have some advice for you. Choose colors that you love. It’s YOUR home! YOU have to live there, not your friends, not your know-it-all relative, not the editor of House Beautiful. While red walls may not be “in” right now, if you have always wanted a kitchen with red walls, I say go for it!
While helping customers choose a color, I ask about flooring, trim, cabinet and furniture colors in the home. If you have ever picked out a paint color at the store, you know that it almost always looks different in the lovely florescent store lighting than in your home. And as mentioned above- your flooring, trim, furniture, the direction your room is facing and especially the exposure to sunlight all play a part in how the paint color will look in your home. While you may love that gray with a purple undertone in the store, it may not look so hot when you place it next to your yellow toned flooring. Taking a closer look at what undertones already exist in your home is just one step in the process of choosing a paint color.
Another question I often ask is, “How do you want the room to feel?” Some people love warm or darker colors because they love the cozy feeling. Others want the room to feel light and bright. I know that I am drawn to light grays that have blue/green undertones in them. I love for my rooms to feel really bright and airy. Figuring out how you want the room by writing down some describing words on paper.
Now, for the most important piece of advice::
Listen up friends! Once you’ve narrowed down your paint choices to just a few, I suggest that you buy some samples of paint. Purchase a few poster boards from the dollar store and some foam brushes. Now you can easily put the sample paint on the poster board. I like to leave about an inch or so around the edges unpainted. Painting the sample directly on the wall over your current wall color is not a good idea. In fact, it’s a horrible idea! Don’t do it!
The undertones and color of your current wall color will affect how you read the sample color. The poster board easily allows you to move it from room to room or wall to wall. Then you can see how the lighting affects the color during the day and at night, how it looks next to cabinets or furniture, etc. I believe it’s better to try before you buy a lot of paint. Or worse yet, buy a lot of paint and pay someone to paint a color you may hate. Trust me, that few extra dollars you spent on a sample will be well worth your time and money it if you decide you don’t like the color.
So, now that you are prepared to find a color you love, here are some popular gray or white paint colors right now. The only paint that I will use is Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore, as a long time DIY painter I love the quality of their paint, but you may have other experience.
Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray, Mindful Gray, Repose Gray
Alabaster, Dover White, Pure White
Benjamin Moore
Gray Owl, Revere Pewter, Stonington Gray
White Dove, Decorators White, Swiss Coffee
And some of the favorites from our very own Rochester MN Moms Blog Contributors are listed below!
Sherwin Williams Favorites::
Aloof Gray, Amazing Gray, Analytical Gray, Classic French Gray, Collonade Gray, Dorian Gray, Functional Gray, Light French Gray and Passive Gray by Sherwin Williams.
Agreeable Gray and Mindful Gray also made the list which are shown above.
Benjamin Moore favorites::
Kingsport Gray, Nimbus, Sleigh Bells and Smoke Embers by Benjamin Moore. Gray Owl and Revere Pewter also made the list which are shown above.
Are you a DIY painter? We would love to know what your tips ans tricks are!
