Why does paint look different on wall! help!

So I not good at this home decor thing and Dh and I choose a paint for our den. My SIL did us a favor and painted the room while we were at work and we went there last nite to see it.

OMG, it was horrible. SO did not look like the swatch.

Now we have to repaint that room.
I want a neutral color room to go with brown couches but I dont want to be boring with the color.

Any suggestions???

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!

Posted by Smileyd17

So I not good at this home decor thing and Dh and I choose a paint for our den. My SIL did us a favor and painted the room while we were at work and we went there last nite to see it.

OMG, it was horrible. SO did not look like the swatch.

Now we have to repaint that room.
I want a neutral color room to go with brown couches but I dont want to be boring with the color.

Any suggestions???

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!

What color did you pick? Are you using BM paint? I'd go with them so you can get the samples.

We went crazy with this. We actually tried a bunch of samples in the den and decided on BM Cornsilk. Then DH didn't find it masculine enough to go with his big TV so we changed to BM Van Courtland Blue.

Message edited 7/19/2007 4:25:58 PM.

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!

Is there only one coat on?

DH painted a room in a color I picked out and I went home after he put the first coat on and I was horrified at the way it looked, so upset. The next day he put on a second coat and it looks a million times better. It was a dark color too, a bright green (I thought it wasn't going to be quite as bright - which it wasn't after the second coat).

Good luck!

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!

I bought like 10 different samples of tan paint for our LR. It was a really hard decison. I have pics in an album, but we used BM Springfield Tan.

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!

BM has samples of some of their shades--some other companies might offer these as well, but I'm not aware of any.

If you really like a shade and there is no sample, you could also buy a quart. It's a lot of paint if you don't like it, but less than a gallon can.

We just painted our kitchen, and the green we chose (Pale Sea Green) looks different at night than it does during the day. It's a brighter green than it appeared on the swatch, though we think we like it (or we like it enough to keep it). We actually did try a sample, but we put it on the existing paint before we primed, and I think the color looked a little different because of that. I would also suggest testing your samples on a coat of primer.

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!

Not really sure what color tone you want to go in. Since we have an open floor plan, we have Richmond Bisque throughout the house. Here is a pictures of the kitchen


Our dining room I know has 2 different colors (can't remember) but i have them at home, let me know if you want to know the colors

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!

What kind of paint are you using?

We use BM and all 6 colors were an exact match to the swatch.

We used Huntington Beige in the living room/dining room & hall, Van Cortland Blue in the den, Georgian Green in a guest room, Litchfield gray in the bathroom, Phillipsburg Blue in the office & Chelsea gray in master.

Some colors have samples.

A lot of people have used Chesterton Buff (Tan)

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!

My IL's recently painted and the paint store people gave her a piece of White foamcore to test the samples on so that we could see what they would look like on the wall without any colors behind it. Why don't you try that with your next round of colors?

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!

-was the room primed first?
-did you use BM? If you do repaint, buy the samples.
-one coat or 2?
-is the swatch a satin finish and you can color is a matte finish?
-def wait a day or to before repainting, you never know, you may like it.

Message edited 7/20/2007 8:59:45 AM.

Re: Why does paint look different on wall! help!