The right way to sample paint is to paint two full coats onto a large sheet of card or lining paper, let it dry completely, then move it around the room and look at it in daylight, in the evening and under lamps over a day or two. Small patches dabbed straight onto the wall, judged once in the afternoon, tell you very little.
It sounds like a lot of effort for a decision you could make on a phone screen. But paint is mixed to order, a room takes several litres, and colour is never quite what it seems until it is on your own walls, in your own light. A few pounds spent on sample pots and a little patience is the cheapest insurance there is.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Skimming Stone (241)
Why website colours lie
A screen gives off its own light, and every screen is calibrated differently, so the same colour can look warmer on a laptop and cooler on a phone. Paint does the opposite: it has no light of its own and only shows you what the room gives it. A north-facing room, a south-facing room and a room lit mostly by lamps will each pull the same colour in a different direction.
That is why a shade such as Skimming Stone (241) can read as a soft warm grey in one house and something closer to lilac in another. Use the website and colour cards to build a shortlist, then let samples make the final decision. If you want to understand how your room's orientation will affect a colour, our guide to choosing colours by room orientation is a good place to start.
Sample pot technique
Each brand pours its sample pots in a flat, matt finish. Farrow & Ball sample pots hold 100ml of Estate Emulsion, and Little Greene's hold 60ml of Absolute Matt Emulsion. Either is plenty for a couple of generous boards.
- Keep the shortlist short. Farrow & Ball suggest three to five shades, and we find three is usually enough. More than that and the colours start to blur together.
- Use a proper brush. A small brush such as our 1" Sample Pot Brush gives a smoother, more even coat than the lid of the pot or a sponge.
- Paint two full coats. Both Farrow & Ball and Little Greene recommend two coats, letting the first dry before the second. One thin coat never shows the true depth of a colour.
- Let it dry completely. Wet paint does not look like dry paint. Judge the colour only once it has fully dried.
Photo Credit: Little Greene; Colour Used: Haye White (346)
Testing in different lights
Colour moves through the day. Morning light, midday sun and the low warm light of late afternoon will all change how a sample reads, and artificial light changes it again. Look at your samples over a day or two rather than deciding in a single sitting.
- Daylight. Check each sample on the brightest wall and the darkest corner. Little Greene suggest holding each one against every wall in turn.
- Evening. For rooms you mostly use after dark, such as a dining room or a snug, Farrow & Ball suggest closing the curtains and switching on the lamps before you judge.
- With the room around it. Hold samples next to your ceiling, woodwork, floor, fabrics and furniture. A colour never sits on its own.
Large sample boards
The bigger the sample, the more honest it is. Little Greene recommend painting onto A3 or A4 card or lining paper rather than straight onto the wall, and we suggest painting four pieces and placing them on different walls. Off-white lining paper gives a more balanced base than bright white card, and painting right to the edges, or trimming away any unpainted margin, stops a white border distorting the colour.
Boards have other advantages. You can move them from wall to wall, take them to the window, lay them beside a sofa or a rug, and carry them into the next room to see how the two spaces sit together. When you have decided, they go in the recycling and the wall is untouched.
Photo Credit: Paint & Paper Library; Colour Used: Fuji (102)
Common mistakes
- Painting patches side by side. Neighbouring colours change how each other look. Both Farrow & Ball and Little Greene advise against a patchwork of swatches.
- Sampling over the old colour. A patch on an existing strong colour, or on brilliant white, borrows from what is underneath and around it.
- Deciding too quickly. One look on a grey afternoon is not enough. Give it at least a full day and an evening.
- Forgetting the finish. Samples are matt. The same colour in an eggshell on woodwork will reflect more light and can look a touch lighter and crisper.
- Too many options. Narrow it down early. Three good samples are easier to judge than ten.
If you are painting furniture rather than a wall, the same rules apply: try the colour on the back of a drawer first, as we suggest in our guide to painting IKEA furniture.
Questions we are often asked
Can I paint a sample directly on the wall?
You can, but a board is more reliable. The existing wall colour shows through and influences what you see, and you cannot move a patch to see it in a different light.
How many sample pots should I order?
Ideally no more than three per room, and never more than five. For a whole house, keep the same rule room by room, as we explain in the one question to ask before choosing a colour.
Why does sampling matter so much?
Paint is tinted to order for you, so it cannot be returned once mixed. A sample is the only way to be sure before you commit.
Shop Sample Pots
Colour Cards · Sample Pot Brush · Colours by Room Orientation
