DEAR TIM: I recently modified my living room curtains. This required patching numerous small holes. It is now time to match the flat wall paint adjacent to these patched areas. I have never had luck in getting an exact color match from the paint store. The shades are close but you can always see the painted area. Is there a way to match the color so I don't have to paint the entire room? Have you ever had success in matching colors in a situation like this? Vivian S., Cincinnati, OH

DEAR VIVIAN: Color matching has driven many people close to the edge of insanity. I recently met a frustrated woman in a paint store who said that she had over 50 quart cans of paint in her basement. These cans represented failed attempts at trying to perfectly match a wall color.

Matching existing paint colors can be done. If you expect a paint store to do it for you, you need to bring in a clean sample of the paint color. You also need to allow the paint store employees several days to work out the color. If you decide to attempt it yourself, the process requires patience, excellent lighting, soap and water, and a little luck. I have had great success in the past. Recently I successfully matched a 9 year old light beige color in a client's living room.

To match colors, you need to know a few facts. The color or hue of an object is actually generated by the light that is illuminating the object. Sunlight produces all of the wave lengths or color possibilities that we can see with our naked eye. Standard light bulbs do not do this well. As a result, an object viewed in natural sunlight can look very different when observed under artificial light (paint store flourescent lights, living room lamps, etc.). Parking lot lights are good examples. Have you ever noticed how your car sometimes appears a different color under harsh sodium vapor lights?

The sheen or gloss of paint also makes it very difficult to match colors. It is much easier to match flat colors than those with gloss. High gloss paints are very unforgiving. It is almost impossible to touch up a defect using the same high gloss paint just days after a new paint job!

To match your living room walls, you first need to wash them with soap and water. This process is necessary even if you decide to repaint the entire room. Paint should always be applied to a clean, dry surface.

The washing will remove accumulated dirt, grease, and smoke particles. It is virtually impossible to get an exact match on a dirty wall surface.

Once the walls are clean, proceed to your local paint store and ask for numerous color chip samples that are close or match your wall color. Take these back and hold them against the walls in different spots on a sunny day. Attempt to select a color on a wall that receives indirect sunlight. Never hold a chip on a wall illuminated by a sunbeam. If you are lucky, a color on one of the chips will match closely..

Proceed to the paint store and purchase a quart of flat paint that will be custom tinted to the color chip you feel is the closest match. I have had the best luck matching colors when I select a color that is slightly darker than the color I am trying to match. Purchase an additional quart of plain white paint at the same time. You will need this to adjust the color back at your house.

Apply a small amount of the pre-mixed paint to your wall. It may look like a perfect match when you first apply it. Many flat paint colors deepen as they dry. The wet, glossy nature of the paint and the fact that the color pigments concentrate as the paint dries cause this phenomenon. If the paint dries darker, that is fine. You will now start to make micro-batches of paint on your own using your plastic measuring spoons and paper cups.

Take a teaspoon of the tinted paint and a teaspoon of the pure white paint and mix them together in a paper cup. Always rinse and dry the measuring spoon completely before you scoop paint from a different can. Apply this to the wall and allow it to dry for 20 minutes. The use of a hair blow dryer will accelerate the drying time. Adjust the proportions of white paint and colored paint if you do not get a perfect match. Keep track of the test paint areas and the proportions of paint that you mix with one another. With a little luck and lots of patience you will probably get an exact match.

Related Articles:  Color Wheel,  Paint Colors - Tips & Tricks,  Paint Colors - Mix to Match

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Comments: Welcome! I, Tim Carter, don't answer questions here. If you post a question here in the Comments Area, perhaps another visitor will help you. You need to go to the Ask Tim page if you want a question answered. Once there, look closely at how many weeks behind we are. Please be patient as you use this free service. If you have an emergency and need to talk to me, there is an option there for you. Robert Bontcue 24 Apr 2008, 19:16 I'm looking to match my tool box paint the code is pn2809908a if you can match it please contact me. Roger 25 Apr 2008, 06:17 Robert, You need to take that paint code to a local real paint store. They should be able to match it. AsktheBuilder is not a paint store. ren 06 May 2008, 17:07 Dear Tim, My bedroom and bathroom are both painted with dark gray on the wall and light light gray on the ceiling, it looks dark and sad. What color you could suggest to match gray that will also lighten the rooms. . . . ren . . . . . Canton,Oh. Danielle 19 May 2008, 12:32 Hey im a 14 year old teenager and im looking into painting my room... im also buying new headboard the color is black. the new sheets that im looking at a black and blue but i dont want all of my room black and blue. What im looking for is kindof a bright blue and all most of my dressers black. would that look ok? i wanted some green in there too but im not to shure now..could you help me and picking those coulors out please!!?!! Please sned me an e-mail (i now i type alot :P) dee manzo 26 May 2008, 13:47 I can't seem to find a warm white paint color. We put champagne on the wall and it is very cold with shades of gray. Is there a warm color white that you can recommend? Thank you! Dee ashley 18 Mar 2009, 12:12 I am thinking of painting my room im a very mature 16 year old but i have a very difficult time putting colors together. I am not sure which colors to pick -green as the 3 wall colors and purple on 1 wall or a nutraul color on one wall and read or purple as the other. Really i have not been able to decide on a color choice for a year. PLEASE HELP -thanks so much, Ashley Tiffany 24 May 2009, 12:36 Hey... We've decided to paint our decks... Our house has grey siding... The previous owner painted the decks white and burgundy.. so we've scraped them and are debating on a color since we can't go stain.. He wants to paint the decks grey and maybe white... but I duno... any suggestions? jay 29 May 2009, 13:03 Hi Tim, I had done some accent colors over the standard pinkish beige color in my rental townhome. I am moving out and took a sample scraping from the original color to my local paint supply store and they computer matched it. However, when I applied a test coat over the accent color, it appears different ( a little brighter) The accent colors are: green; light blue; light tan. Do I have to apply a primer over these colors first? Thanks much for your professional tips! mostafa 17 Aug 2009, 15:10 hi I had painted my room with light green but i used too much shiny paint that almost i can see my self on the wall any way to fix that thanks zana 15 Nov 2009, 20:54 hai I got problem to match the black tiles 2x2 with the wall colour. My cafe is 22 x32.I want my cafe look english style.should i add white wall paper n paint.kindly pls advise me. thnaks      View all comments *Name: Email: Notify me about new comments on this page Hide my email *Text: Security Image: Security Image Text:   Remember, Tim Carter doesn't answer questions here in the comments. You need to go to the Ask Tim page.