15 paint samples later - I wish I had found this product sooner (colors, lighting)

[Mary2014]

OK, I am closing in on a paint color after 14 paint samples on poster board. I went to pickup paint sample #15 at Home Depot and while waiting of the paint sample to be mixed I happened to see a product called SureSwatch Paintable Clear Film.

I was completely out of poster board so for 98 cents each I decided to pick up two of these paintable clear films. The product is 9" x12" and white on one side (the side you paint) and clear on the other. The clear side is sticky and adheres to the wall. It is sort of like the plastic decorations you can adhere to a window. You can remove and reposition again and again. No sticky reside left on walls - just a warning not to apply to freshly painted walls and be sure to remove from wall and throw away within 14 days.

I love this product because it allows me to wrap the paint sample around a corner of a wall and because it shows the true color of the paint and how it looks when it goes over the existing color of your wall. It also has a primer decider scale to help you see what the paint will look like based upon the shade of primer you use.

So much better than using poster board to paint your samples! I wish I had found this product a lot sooner.

Mary2014

[Pitt Chick]

Glad you found something that worked for you!

I never heard of anyone deciding between 15 colors. Usually it is around 2 to 4, and the samples are just painted on the wall(s).

[Mary2014]

Pitt Chick,

My painter suggested painting on poster board and moving it from room to room at various times of the day to see the color in various lighting.

I was looking for two colors of paint, one for the master bedroom and one for the rest of the house. The lighting is so different in my new place, so much so that the colors that worked well with my furnishings in my former home looked terrible in my new place. Add to this the fact that I am terrible at being able to visualize what an entire wall of a particular color will look like I am lucky I am only up to 15!

At this point I have got it narrowed down to using just one color for the entire house. Most of my color choices that looked light enough ended up being too dark once up on the wall.

I hate picking out colors. The only thing I am worse at is actually doing the painting . Fortunately I have a contractor coming in to do the painting. The color decision has to be made by Tuesday so one way or the other I need to commit to a color real soon.

I am one of those people who is "color challenged".

Mary2014