Paint Color and Finish Ideas

Paint is the cheapest way to change a house and the easiest to get wrong, because almost everyone chooses color the same way — a small chip, in a store, under fluorescent light. Here is what actually decides how paint looks once it is on the wall.

Green Design and Build (CSLB #1110975), a licensed general contractor in Van Nuys, paints interiors and exteriors across Southern California. Painting a typical 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft single-story stucco exterior in Los Angeles runs $6,000 to $14,000 (see exterior house painting cost). For the work itself, see painting.

Test properly, or do not test at all

A paint chip is too small to judge and store lighting is nothing like your house. The method that works: paint large samples — at least two feet square — on more than one wall in the room, including the darkest wall and the one opposite the window. Look at them in morning light, afternoon light and under your own lamps at night.

Paint the samples on white poster board rather than directly on the wall if the existing color is strong, because a dark existing color will distort what you see.

Why the color changed when it went on the wall

Three reasons, in order of frequency. Light direction — a north-facing room pulls colors cooler and grayer; a south-facing room pushes them warmer and lighter. Scale — color intensifies across a large area, so a chip that looks like a soft gray-green becomes a definite green on four walls. Bounce — a green lawn outside, a terracotta patio or a strongly colored floor throws its color up onto your walls all day.

The practical rule: choose a shade or two lighter and less saturated than the chip you like.

Undertone is what makes a scheme work or fight

Every neutral has an undertone — gray leans blue, green or violet; white leans yellow, pink or blue. Trouble comes when two neutrals with opposing undertones sit next to each other, and it reads as “something is off” rather than as a color clash.

The reliable method: pick the undertone from something you are not changing — the floor, the counter, the stone, the roof — and choose wall colors that share it.

Sheen, which matters as much as color

• Flat or matte. Hides wall imperfections best, marks most easily. Ceilings, low-traffic rooms.
• Eggshell. The usual compromise for living areas.
• Satin. Wipeable. Kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, children’s rooms.
• Semi-gloss and gloss. Trim, doors, cabinetry. Highlights every imperfection underneath, which is why preparation costs more on trim than on walls.

Higher sheen also makes color read darker and more saturated. The same color in satin and in matte can look like two colors.

Ceilings, trim and the easy uplifts

Painting trim and doors the same color as the walls, in a higher sheen, makes a room feel larger and calmer, and it is free — it is the same labor. Painting a ceiling a shade of the wall color rather than default white makes a low ceiling recede. A dark ceiling in a room with good light is one of the most striking and least expensive things you can do.

Exterior: fewer decisions than you think

Exteriors are governed by what you are not repainting — the roof, stone or brick, window frames, the driveway. Those set the temperature of the scheme, and fighting them never works.

Three elements is the usual structure: body, trim, and a door or accent. Color reads much lighter outdoors in full sun than on a chip indoors, so exterior samples need to be large and looked at on the actual elevation at the time of day it matters. Test on the north side and the south side — they will not look the same.

What costs more than people expect

• Preparation. Repair, sanding, priming and caulking are most of a good paint job. Anyone quoting well below the others is usually quoting less preparation.
• Going from a dark color to a light one. More coats.
• Trim and cabinetry. Slow, and it shows every flaw.
• Exterior repair found during prep. Stucco cracks and rotten wood appear once washing starts.

What is cheaper than people expect

• Painting trim to match the walls. Same labor, different result.
• A color on the ceiling.
• Large test samples. Trivial against repainting a room you got wrong.
• Better paint. Fewer coats and longer life usually offset the price.

Decisions you cannot undo cheaply

Nothing in paint is permanent, which is exactly why it is worth testing properly — the cost of being wrong is the whole job again, in labor rather than materials.

Questions we get asked

Why does my paint look different on the wall than on the chip?

Light direction, scale and bounce. North-facing rooms pull colors cooler; large areas intensify color; and a green lawn or terracotta patio outside throws color onto your walls all day. As a rule, choose a shade lighter and less saturated than the chip you like.

How should I test paint colors?

Paint samples at least two feet square on more than one wall, including the darkest wall and the one opposite the window, and look at them in morning light, afternoon light and under your own lamps at night. Use white poster board if the existing color is strong.

What is an undertone and why does it matter?

Every neutral leans somewhere — gray towards blue, green or violet; white towards yellow, pink or blue. Two neutrals with opposing undertones side by side read as “something is off”. Pick the undertone from something you are not changing, like the floor or the counter.

Which sheen should I use?

Flat hides imperfections and marks easily; eggshell is the usual living-area compromise; satin is wipeable for kitchens, bathrooms and hallways; semi-gloss and gloss belong on trim and doors. Higher sheen also makes the same color read darker.

Should trim be a different color from the walls?

Not necessarily. Painting trim the same color in a higher sheen makes a room feel larger and calmer, and it costs the same in labor. It is one of the few genuinely free upgrades in decorating.

Why do painting quotes vary so much?

Preparation, almost always. Repair, sanding, priming and caulking are most of a good paint job and most of its cost. A quote well below the others is usually a quote for less preparation, which shows within a couple of years.

Related: All design ideas · Painting · Questions to ask an exterior painter · Window and door ideas · Roof design ideas

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