Find Your Inspiration: Choosing a Paint Color

By Sandra Crook, Selections Manager at Greymark Construction Co.

Are you thinking about painting a room in your home? It can be daunting, especially if you are painting the entire inside of your home. There are so many versions of white and gray and these colors tend to be overused.  Color is a great way to change an interior room without changing the footprint. If you like a color that seems to be trendy, make sure you love it and stick with your selection as one you LOVE!

The first place to start is to find your inspiration. Inspiration can come from many places… perhaps a favorite vacation spot. Try to recall how the environment made you feel. Was it your trip to Paris, where you saw vivid colors, ancient stone buildings with greenery and beautiful interiors?  Was it a beach you loved with shades of blue and green water with sandy beaches? Or a trip to Mexico where everything is a beautiful coat of primary colors, blues, greens, yellows and reds. Another way is to find inspiration is to search for pictures online, collecting your ideas in a folder by room using Houzz.com or Pinterest.  Also, the old-fashioned way, in magazines.

Dream big. When selecting, pick several colors so that in the end, they can be narrowed down to one.

After you choose your color you will need to choose a qualified painter. This is one of the most important choices you will make besides the actual color. The process the painter takes to paint is so important and it will not be inexpensive in the end, so you want to make the right decision in picking a professional painter. Know who you are looking for in a painter, know what makes a great painter in your opinion so look at their traits and skills. 

Think about these questions:

  • Will they communicate their schedule so that you can plan around it if you need to leave for a couple of days due to fumes? 
  • How do they prep the walls and the trim/doors/baseboards/crown? How long will this take and what do they need to handle this part of the job? 
  • Will they provide you with samples of the paint choices you have made? Some painters charge to put up samples, so ask them to include this in their pricing. You will need to look at these painted samples in the daylight and at nighttime because light will change the way they look.
  • Do you know the finish you should use on the walls, cabinets, trim, baseboards, ceiling, crown? Here is the guide that Sherwin Williams uses: Eggshell on walls, Semi-gloss on trim/baseboards/crown/doors, and flat or matte on ceilings. 

Ask your painter to sample on walls and cabinets/doors/baseboards/crown/trim for your viewing before you finalize your selection. Don’t be afraid of color and good luck with your choices!