Milwaukee House Painters

How To Use A Paint Color Wheel

Picking the perfect paint color combo for your home can be difficult. Looking through the endless house paint colors in a fan deck for the first time is overwhelming to say the least.

What’s more, you often have to pick multiple paint colors that both compliment each other and contrast well with interior or exterior house fixtures such as furniture or your home’s roof shingle color. Given these points, where do you start when choosing paint colors for your home?

Without question, a great starting point would be learning how to use a paint Color Wheel.

The paint color wheel is a nifty tool used by interior designers and painting color experts alike that makes the entire process of choosing colors for your home much easier.

Here are a few fantastic resources to help you understand how to use a paint color wheel to choose paint colors:

• Lowes Paint Color Wheel Guide
• Painting Using A Paint Color Wheel by BHG

How to Use A Paint Color Fan Deck

Paint color fan decks contain the full spectrum of colors that a particular paint brand carries.

It is worth noting that any paint color from any painting company can be easily matched in most major paint stores. As much as a certain paint brand would like you to think they have the rights to a certain shade of blue or particular hue of white, that is just not the case. Paint stores like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams have the exact color formula on hand for every color from every major brand of paint, ready to match and test patch!

Paint Fan Deck Quick Tip: Typically, you can find a full glossary list of paint color names and color numbers in the back of most paint fan decks that will help you find particular colors easily.

Using A Paint Color Fan Deck

Paint color fan decks contain the full spectrum of colors that a particular paint brand carries.

It is worth noting that any paint color from any painting company can be easily matched in most major paint stores.

As much as a certain paint brand would like you to think they have the rights to a certain shade of blue or particular hue of white, that is just not the case.

Paint stores like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams have the exact color formula on hand for every color from all major paint brands, ready to match and test patch!

Paint Fan Deck Quick Tip: Typically, you can find a full glossary list of paint color names and color numbers in the back of most paint fan decks that will help you find particular colors easily.

Paint Finishes and Sheen Are Important

Another commonly overlooked tool that most paint color fan decks have is a paint sheen guide (likely located next to the glossary).

Paint color sheen simply refers to the reflective value of the paint and also referred to as the luster or finish of the paint. Basically, the sheen is what makes your baseboards and trim look shinier than your walls.

Confusion Surrounding Paint Finishes and Sheen

While painting sheen guides in fan decks help to a certain extent, there are a number of other factors you have to consider with choosing paint finishes (which is why you need to hire a Milwaukee painter that will help guide you through the paint color process).

To start, paint brands typically have different names for the same or similar paint sheen versus rival paint companies. For example, Benjamin Moore refers to their Satin Paint sheen as “Pearl” while Sherwin Williams refers to their Satin paint as “Velvet” in some case.

Furthermore, just because a paint brand has a particular sheen you may like doesn’t mean it carries that sheen in every type of paint product they sell.

To illustrate, the highest gloss option of Sherwin Williams SuperPaint product is “Semi-Gloss”.

Given that, if you wanted a paint in the “Gloss” or “High Gloss” sheen category, you would need to switch over to either their Cashmere, ProClassic, or Promar200 paint product lines.

The Pros and Cons of Different Paint Sheen Finishes

Typically speaking, the more sheen a paint has, the more durable and easier to clean it is. Simultaneously, lighter sheen paints are also much harder to touch up later and usually show imperfections quite a bit more than flatter sheen paints.

Another key point is that higher sheen finishes like satin or semi-gloss paints are often too shiny for rooms with adequate light or exterior siding. As with many things regarding paint, the choice of paint color sheen comes down to your stylistic preferences as a homeowner.

In any case, choosing the right Milwaukee house painter to help you through the process is key to finding the perfect home painting color combo. Notwithstanding, you have to find a Milwaukee painter that provides you with all the resources you’ll need to find the perfect paint color and sheen.

Choosing a Paint Finish or Sheen

Indeed, the type of sheen you choose will change based on the type of surface you are painting.

Have said that, here are a few rules of thumb that’ll be helpful to consider when choosing the paint finish or sheen of a particular surface.

Interior Paint Color Sheen

When it comes to interior painting, flat or less reflective finishes are best reserved for ceilings and low traffic areas.

In addition, an eggshell sheen is best suited for most walls in your home including bedrooms, living rooms, and hallways

Furthermore, a satin sheen (also known as Pearl or Velvet) is typically reserved for areas of high moisture like the bathrooms or high-traffic areas like a mudroom.

Finally, a semi-gloss or high gloss paint sheen is best suited for trim, baseboards, staircase railings, risers, or side skirting along with wainscoting and crown molding areas inside your home.

Exterior Paint Color Sheen

Luckily, exterior paint color sheen finishes are a bit less complicated when compared to interior paint finishes.

Generally speaking, the siding of your home should be a flat, matte, or satin finish while the trim, eaves, and fascia should be a semi-gloss or high-gloss. Exterior trim can also be painted with a satin or soft gloss finish.

As a whole, exterior solid body stains usually only come in a flat or matte finish. Additionally, exterior fixtures such as wrought-iron stairs or metal railings can be either a flat or high gloss enamel depending on your preference.

3rd Gen Painting Makes Picking Paint Colors Easy

Certainly, picking paint colors is much easier when you hire a great Milwaukee house painter like 3rd Gen Painting and Remodeling.

Without question, you can count that 3rd Gen’s friendly Milwaukee painters will guide you every step of the way to ensure you make the best choice when it comes to your home’s painting colors.

As soon as you reserve a spot for your painting project in our calendar, you will be given a complimentary paint color fan deck along with access to our entire paint color toolkit.

A week or two before the start of your paint job, your 3rd Gen representative will schedule a time to meet for a paint color consultation. In your complimentary paint color consultation, you will narrow down your color preferences to find a few favorites we can test patch for you.

Next, we will provide you with paint color visualization mock-ups and apply a few  paint color test patches to really help you envision the space with the new color.

Finally, in case you are still stuck between a few paint color candidates, you will have full access to a dedicated Sherwin Williams paint color design expert when you choose to work with 3rd Gen Painting in Milwaukee.

No doubt, with 3rd Gen’s award-winning paint color consultation process, you can trust that you’ll be able to find the perfect interior or exterior painting color combination for your house, guaranteed.

As a whole, when it comes to finding Milwaukee painters near you that you can trust every step of the way, 3rd Gen is always the best choice.

After all, when you choose to work with the #1 Best Rated Painting Contractor in the state of Wisconsin of 2019, you can Expect Amazing.