Why do people waste so much money on painting mistakes?

Jace

Jace

Well-known Member
• Choosing a paint color on how it looks in the store is a mistake.
You have to consider how it will look in the lighting of your own home first.

• A common mistake is choosing a color that is too pale for a dark room.
Without enough light, the eye cannot discern the color, and the paint will appear
as off-white.

Sound familiar?
Have you made paint choice(s) mistakes?

Care to share?
 

Most of my painting efforts have been mistakes. I couldn't stand the gray color of the bedroom and picked what I thought was a very light blue/green color. But it is way too strong of color on the walls (better than gray tho).

Then after covid started I had ordered paint for another bedroom, but it was all thin and watery and apparently was supposed to have some other paint added to it. So then I ordered different paint, but it turned out to be ghastly white, and after I got the room painted I realized what I thought was a white ceiling and white crown molding turn out to be distinctly off-white and look horribly dingy in contrast with the ghastly white.

My worst mistake is that I don't take the blue tape off soon enough (and in some places apparently I will never get around to removing it!) and it either leaves a little blue tape behind or worse, removes some of the paint.
 

You can buy a small can of the paint... I think it's a pint, or half-pint, not sure. It's supposed to be enough to paint a test-area much bigger than just a paint chip to get a better idea.

I once made that mistake with white...it came out a grayish off white and I've always disliked gray. I had to re-paint the room.
 
RadishRose said:
You can buy a small can of the paint... I think it's a pint, or half-pint, not sure. It's supposed to be enough to paint a test-area much bigger than just a paint chip to get a better idea.

I once made that mistake with white...it came out a grayish off white and I've always disliked gray. I had to re-paint the room.
Click to expand...
we have tiny tester pots here... they cover about a foot square of the wall..., still make mistakes tho'..
 
I like the new grayish colors.....grayish green, grayish blue.
The last time I had painting done I bought the small containers to try out first...The color was especially hard to get right in the bathroom with no windows and overhead recessed lighting only, when I tried the same paint that was in the bedroom in bath, it was way off, had to go with another color.
 
Bonnie said:
My husband always dictated the paint color on the walls of our home, as he did the building and remodeling of the house too.
So it was always white, or shades of white everywhere.
I can't say that I ever gave it much thought.
Click to expand...
Shades of white is the conventional wisdom in construction. One of my personal favorites is a warm shade called coffee cream. Another is called Tequila.
 
I have ran the whole gamut of color schemes. I think from now on I will stick to variations of white. Add color with decor, etc. always easy to add colorful throw pillows and throws.
 
I once spent an afternoon painting the kitchen wall, it wasn't until I had almost finished and daylight was getting dim that I stood back and realised that the soft cream paint had definite tones of green - it looked like a can of mushy peas had exploded!
 
A light "neutral" color is Always a better choice for wall paint. Not only does it usually blend in well with most household furniture, etc., but it makes resale of the house much better. Those who chose to cover their walls with a "vibrant" color, usually take a hit if they have to move.
 
Me, too.. like light colors, not really colors, white(s), off-whites, cream.
Moved into this house, whole inside..off white, didn't have to do a thing..
And, when have to paint.. off-white, again.

Yes, boring..but no mistakes...and never get tired of it!😉
 
Alligatorob said:
I avoid these mistakes by always going with white.
Click to expand...

I remember reading years ago in a magazine feature about an interior designer whose home was all white. She used six! different shades of white throughout her home to have a uniform white depending on the light. It was a large, modern house with lots of floor to ceiling windows.
 
My wife always picked the colors, till one day she made a big mistake on the light color she wanted. The painter we use said to her why not just paint all walls the same color. "Eggshell white?" He said it will go with any furniture you change in years to come.

We did that & now it's easy to patch a small section. Also, the paint is always in the store. Like John, our painter said stores change colors in their computers every few years to a different shade of blue, gray, green, or whatever. So you take the lid back in & ask for this color, you will get some off-color of whatever was on the lid numbers.
 
I cringed when I read this post.
My son who is a cabinet maker by trade decided to gut my kitchen and give me all new cabinets, move the appliances and fixed the window frame which was always out of wack because the builder used stock cabinets. He didn't have a problem with me wanting them painted which I said I would do. Before he installed them he put them in our living room on plastic and patiently marked every cabinet that he finished to exactly what to paint to insure a perfect job once they were installed.

Then the problems started. I knew I wanted a very light tan to match the floor and to go with my dark counter top.
I though I had it. I even asked others what they thought.

I was soooo sure. My son bought top of the line Sherwin Williams paint.
I painted all the cabinets. He installed them and then I realized they looked horrible.

I lived with them for over a year before I got up enough nerve to tell him I couldn't stand the color.
He was furious. He said I ruined his work but finally gave in. He took the doors off. I promptly mixed up the hinges, I thought they were all the same.
I ended up with an ivory color which I love but my son will never let me live it down.
The photo with the trim around the doors on the cabinets was the color I hated. I put the trim on thinking it would help but it didn't.
The 2nd photo is the ivory that I love and its not so busy as the one with the trim.first color.JPGkitchen now.JPG
 
All walls are white. They were all Benjamin Moore Decorator white until my husband said he wanted a little warmer white in the basement. I tolerate it. I have enough colour with the art and couches, etc.
 

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