A paint chip is about the size of a business card. Your wall is about the size of a garage door. Under a store's bright lights, that chip can look nothing like it will at home on a grey February afternoon.
This guide shows you how to test paint colours properly before you buy gallons. It's for anyone with a shortlist, whether you picked it yourself, found it on our YouTube channel or got it from a colour designer.
The short answer
- Narrow it down to 2 or 3 colours
- Paint big patches, at least 2 × 2 ft, with two coats
- Test on more than one wall, or on poster boards you can move
- Look in morning, afternoon and evening light, with your lights on and off
- Hold them against what's staying: floors, counters, trim and furniture
- Live with them for two or three days before you decide
Why colours change in your home
- The direction of the light. North-facing rooms get cool, even light that makes colours look greyer and darker. South-facing rooms get warm light that makes colours look brighter. East rooms are warm in the morning and cool later. West rooms are the opposite.
- Your light bulbs. Warm bulbs push colours yellow. Cool, daylight bulbs push them blue. Test with the bulbs you'll actually use.
- What's around it. Wood floors, a green lawn outside the window or a red brick fireplace all bounce colour onto your walls.
- The size of the wall. Colour gets stronger on a large wall. Most colours look a shade or two deeper on the wall than on the chip.
- The sheen. The same colour looks softer in a matte and richer in a higher sheen. See our paint finish guide.
How to test paint colours, step by step
- Start with a short list. Two or three colours is ideal. Testing ten at once makes them all look alike.
- Get real paint samples. Chips and screens can't show you how the paint looks on a wall. A Benjamin Moore colour sample is a 240 mL (8 oz) tester tinted to order. It covers about 4 × 4 ft with two coats, or four 2 × 2 ft patches.
- Go big. Paint each patch at least 2 × 2 ft. Small dabs are hard to judge.
- Use two coats. One coat looks streaky and lets the old colour show through.
- Leave space between patches. Keep a few inches of the old wall between colours, or they'll blend together in your eye. If your walls are a strong colour, paint the patches on white poster board instead so the old colour doesn't skew them.
- Test on more than one wall. The wall beside the window and the wall facing it can look like two different colours. A painted poster board lets you move each colour around the room.
- Check it all day. Look in the morning, afternoon and evening, with the lights on and off. A colour you love at noon might go muddy at night.
- Put it next to what's staying. Hold your boards beside the floor, counters, cabinets, tile and trim.
- Wait two or three days. Your first reaction isn't always your best one. Live with the patches for a few days before you decide.
Ready to test?
Every Benjamin Moore colour, tinted to order in a 240 mL tester.
Testing a whole palette, not just one colour
If you're painting several rooms, test how the colours work together, not just one at a time. With a Palette Pyramid, here's what to look at:
| Palette tier | Where it goes | How to test it |
|---|---|---|
| Main colour | The walls you see most | Test in the room with the most light and the room with the least. It needs to work in both. |
| Support colours | Trim, ceilings, doors and adjoining spaces | Paint a board in the support colour and hold it right against your main colour, the way trim meets a wall. |
| Finishing colours | Feature walls, cabinets and accents | Test them next to the main colour and in the actual spot, like beside the cabinets or on the wall behind the bed. |
Stand in a doorway where you can see two rooms at once. That's where a palette either flows or doesn't.
Common testing mistakes
- Judging from a phone screen. Screens and cameras change colour. Use them to shortlist, never to decide.
- Testing only one spot. One patch on one wall tells you how one wall looks at one time of day.
- Painting tiny dabs. They're hard to read and get lost against the old colour.
- Stopping at one coat. The colour won't be true until the second coat is dry.
- Deciding at night only, or day only. You'll live with the room in both.
- Testing in the wrong sheen. If you're torn between two very close colours, know that the sheen you buy can shift them a little.
Where to get samples
In Canada: order Benjamin Moore samples from us and we'll ship them across Canada. In Mississauga, choose free pick-up at our Rockwood Village store. Most orders are ready within 4 hours. Prefer to see the full range of colours first? Browse our fan decks and colour books, or visit any of our three stores.
Outside Canada: pick up samples at a local paint store that carries the brand on your palette. Every Palette Pyramid comes with exact colour names and codes, so any counter can mix them.
Still choosing between doing it yourself and getting help? See what a colour consultant costs and what you get for it.
Still stuck between colours?
Let James build a palette that works together, room to room, from your photos.
FAQ
1How big should a paint test patch be?
At least 2 × 2 ft, with two coats. One Benjamin Moore 240 mL sample covers about four patches that size.
2Should I paint samples on the wall or on a board?
Both work. Painting the wall shows the colour in place. A white poster board is better if your current walls are a strong colour, and you can move it around the room.
3How long should I test a paint colour?
Two or three days. Look at it in morning, afternoon and evening light, with your lights on and off, before you decide.
4Why does my paint look different on the wall than on the chip?
Colour looks stronger on a big wall, and your light, bulbs and surroundings all change how it reads. That's why testing a large patch at home matters.
5How many colours should I test at once?
Two or three. Any more and they start to look alike, which makes the choice harder.
6Do you ship colour samples to the US?
Our Benjamin Moore samples ship across Canada. Outside Canada, pick up samples at a local paint store that carries your brand, using the colour names and codes on your palette.
Sample coverage is from our Benjamin Moore colour sample listing. Always follow the directions on the can.