When one decides to paint their home, They often struggle with colour choices. Interestingly, you see a home advertised on the internet with bright colours, but when you imagine yours, you think something will be off if you choose this colour palette.
Looking for paint or colours can be a painstaking process at times. Perhaps, the bright home you saw had one room in yellow and another one in pink, and they all looked great. But you continue to wonder what yours will look like if you choose such bold colours?
It has even been more confusing when you look at paints and colours at the local stores. Colour harmony can lead to even more confusion, giving homeowners a hard time committing. Understanding various terms when it comes to painting and colours, is paramount.
There are varieties of terms that are used. For example, you will hear someone mention shade, tint, or even tone. What do they all mean and how do you tell them apart?
People use these terms interchangeably, but if you are planning to paint your house, it is crucial to understand the difference.
Shade
What is a colour shade? Once you understand it, identifying colour shades is pretty simple. Essentially it is when black is added to a colour.
A good example is when black is added to blue. It creates a blue shade known as Navy. It is the same case when black is added to orange creating a brown shade.
Finally, the more the black, the darker the shade.
Tint
Now you are wondering what happens when white is added to colour? Well this is called a tint.
A tint lightens a base colour. For example, perhaps you want to paint a specific wall pink. This colour can be created when a certain amount of white is added to red paint.
Tone
Just like the name suggests, it means an individual colour has been toned down. The colour has some bits of white and black.
If there is a specific colour tone you want in your house painting, the contractor will add grey to it. For the ideal brilliance in the results, let a professional help with the tone that you require.
The ideal tone can be achieved as long as the right amount of grey is added.
Hue
What is a hue? Most homeowners will be asking a house painter this question. It is a pure colour that has no black, white, or grey in it.
For example, red plus white creates pink. Thus, the hue of pink is red.
Value
The value of a colour is not how much it costs but rather its degree of light reflectance (LRV). The reflectance is determined by how much black or white is added to the hue.
The value tends to be low when too much black is added, and higher when too much white is added. On the other hand, if the two colours are added to the hue, it will be muted. Another term is that it will be toned down.
Get Inspiration from the Colour Wheel
Despite it being a simple wheel, it is powerful when it comes to painting your house. Whether you are painting the entire house, sections of it, or just decorating, this tool will be useful.
How does it help though? It consists of 12 colours, and it is easy to tell how they can be combined. With this, you can comfortably and beautifully create colour schemes for your home.
Considering it is inexpensive, it is a good source of inspiration. You can turn the wheel several times and see how colours relate. You would be surprised to find harmonious colours that you never thought would work well together.
Consult a colour Expert
You have a house painter who will work on your project. They are experts when it comes to colours and paints, but you can also seek a second opinion.
There are colour experts that can offer great ideas as well. They will show you things practically, and you can make your decision based on what you see.
They will even go the extra mile to custom-design a colour palette to your preference. Before you consult one, make sure that you have an idea of what you want to achieve.
It is a good idea to consult one, since when they come to your home, they can make suggestions for the best results. For instance, they can offer alternatives on lighting, tones, and tinge of colours.
Be Unique
As you learn more about paints and colours for your home, choose to be unique. At times certain combinations may not work for you. It could be that it is not what you are looking for.
In this case, do not shy away from being unique. A colour specialist can create a palette for your home when being on-trend is not your cup of tea.
What is the problem with fads or trends? Yes, they might be in fashion at that particular moment, but how about in the next five years?
It will be out of fashion, and will you have to modernize your home with the trend again? This option is not timeless and is expensive.
Even when tempted to go with the crazing colours, you can still be unique. Add unique accents and accessories that will make it stand out.
Test First
You have decided on the colours that you want for your home. Before buying them and signing a contract with the house painter, test them first.
Most paint stores have sample pots that you can invest in. Get somewhere to test on and go to the actual walls that need painting to compare. See how it looks.
Conclusion
With the hundreds of colours that people have access to, it can be hard to decide on the best ones for your home. It becomes even more confusing when a house painter uses industry jargon.
One starts to wonder what is a tone, hue, tint, or even colour value? Having an idea of what they all mean, getting inspiration from the colour wheel, and consulting a professional is an excellent way to decide.
It will be a great step in making harmonious colour selections.
