You do not choose a paint colour from a chip in a store. You choose it on your own wall, in your own light, after you've seen it at several times of day. The chip gets you to a short list. Your room decides.
Most people can do this themselves, and the steps below cover it. If you get stuck between five greys, or you are doing a whole house at once, a second opinion from someone who does this every week can save you a costly repaint.
Step 1: Start with what is staying
Paint is the easiest thing in a room to change, so choose it last. Look at what you aren't replacing: floors, countertops, tile, cabinets, a large sofa, a rug. Paint makers suggest letting the colours in those items guide which colour families will work.
Pull two or three of those colours out and name them honestly. Is the floor a warm honey or a cool grey? Does the countertop have pink, green or yellow in it? That tells you which undertones will look right next to them and which will fight them.
Step 2: Read the room's light
The same colour looks different in each room. Paint makers group rooms by which way the windows face:
- North-facing rooms get the least direct light, and it is cooler. Warm neutrals and colours with warm undertones help. Cool colours can turn flat or grey.
- South-facing rooms get warm light for most of the day. Most colours work, but very warm colours can become stronger than you planned.
- East-facing rooms are warm in the morning and cooler in the evening. West-facing rooms are the reverse. Pick for the time of day you use the room most, or choose a balanced neutral.
Artificial light matters too. Warm and cool light bulbs can shift a colour noticeably. Test under the bulbs you actually use.
Step 3: Check how light or dark the colour really is
Every colour has a light reflectance value (LRV). It runs from 0 (reflects no light) to 100 (reflects all light), and it is often printed on the back of the chip or listed on the maker's website. In a dim room, a colour with a higher LRV keeps the space brighter. If a room already feels dark, check the LRV before you commit to a deep colour. Or commit to the deep colour on purpose and let the room feel cozy.
Step 4: Narrow to two or three, then sample properly
Paint makers' own advice:
- Brush out at least two coats. One coat shows the old wall colour through it and misleads you.
- Go big enough to judge. A sample pot typically covers about 2' × 2' with two coats. That is far more useful than a chip.
- Paint on the wall or on a board. Brush directly on the wall if it's white or a light neutral. Otherwise, paint a white foam board, which you can move around.
- Look at it all day. Check the sample in the morning, afternoon and evening, in daylight and under your lamps. Put it on different walls, and wrap it into a dark corner.
- Leave it up for a while. Live with the samples for a few days before you decide.
Put your finalists side by side. The one that looks right at the time you use the room is usually your answer.
Step 5: Choose the sheen with the colour
Sheen changes how a colour reads and how well it wears:
- Flat and matte hide wall flaws and give deep, even colour. Matte handles washing better than flat, which makes it good for bedrooms and dining rooms.
- Eggshell is a durable, nearly shine-free choice for most living areas and hallways.
- Satin is more washable, with a soft glow. It's used on trim, doors and busy areas.
- Semi-gloss handles humidity and scrubbing. It's the usual choice for kitchens, bathrooms, trim and doors.
The higher the sheen, the more any bump or patch in the wall shows. If your walls have a lot of old repairs, keep the sheen low.
Step 6: Plan how rooms connect
If you are painting more than one room, stand where you can see several at once: a front hall, an open kitchen and living area, the top of the stairs. Colours that are fine alone can clash when you see them together. A common way to handle this is one main neutral through the connected spaces, with stronger colours kept to rooms that have doors, or to a single feature wall. Keeping one trim colour through the house also ties it together.
When to get help
You likely don't need help if you are repainting in the same colour, or if a designer has already given you a palette. Help is worth it when you are doing several rooms at once, when your finishes have tricky undertones, or when you have repainted a room before and didn't like the result.
Colour help from Natik Painting
Natik offers colour consultation. Sameera, of Toronto, ON, wrote: "Natalie really went out of her way for us. Helped us pick out colors. Gave us some ideas on decor." (HomeStars review, as shown on natikpainting.ca.)
Natik Painting is a family-owned residential painter established in 1978, led today by Tony and Natalie, serving Mississauga, Toronto and the GTA. It paints interiors and exteriors, and also does custom murals and sophisticated finishes. It has won 11 HomeStars awards: three Best of the Best, including 2024, and eight Best of.
If you are planning a repaint, ask about colour consultation when you request your free quote. Call 416.409.4476, email sales@natikpainting.ca, or visit natikpainting.ca.
Sources
- Benjamin Moore, interior paint colour how-to guide (start from existing floors, counters and furniture; test with samples in natural and artificial light): https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/interior-exterior-paints-stains/how-to-advice/interiors/choosing-paint-colour
- Benjamin Moore, How to Use Paint Colour Samples (at least two coats; sample covers about 2' × 2' with two coats; wall or white foam board; view in natural and artificial light; leave samples up a while): https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/interior-exterior-paints-stains/how-to-advice/painting-101/choosing-paint-samples
- Sherwin-Williams, How to Choose Paint Colors Based on Room Direction (north, south, east and west light; LRV scale 0–100): https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/project-center/paint/color-by-room-orientation
- Benjamin Moore, How to Choose a Paint Finish (flat, matte, eggshell, satin and semi-gloss uses): https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/interior-exterior-paints-stains/how-to-advice/painting-101/choosing-paint-finish
- Natik Painting company facts: https://natikpainting.ca (read 2026-09-30)