Painting for the Novice DIY-er: Part One

Welcome to my three part series on painting a room for beginners. This post will focus on the introduction to the series as well as my first topic: deciding on a paint color. Part two will focus on how to prep your walls for painting, and part three will feature my painting process as well as the final result complete with my new bedding, which I hope to have everything done by Sunday.

In short- painting sucks. What sucks even more? The preparations for painting. When I decided I wanted to paint my room in my parents' house, I had no idea how much work went into it before you even start painting. It is, by far, more tiring then the actual painting. Who knew you had to fill in every single little hole in my wall before you could paint? I literally want to stab my younger self for the millions of posters put up with push pins in my preteen years.


I knew when I decided to redo my room that I wanted gray walls because the bedding can be mixed and matched to complement the gray. But what surprised me next was the options- brand, shade, matte vs. glossy- and how many things I had to think about. I thought the hardest part was over then I suddenly found myself staring at 15 color swatches on my wall.

Light gray, dark gray, cool, warm, blue/purple tint- what?! I never knew there was so much to take into consideration. 

How to Choose the Best Paint Color for your Room 

1. Decide on a color- neutral, bright, etc. Have a color in mind before you go look at swatches. Think about the purpose of the room or the colors you are trying to use and find something that pairs well with them.

2.Pick out swatches- head to your local paint or home improvement store and find swatches in the color you want.

3. Test your swatches. Cut them and tape them on the wall a few inches from each other. I did this and immediately took out the ones I did not like. Once you have it narrowed down, take the swatches to a different wall and see how the lighting affects their colors on a different wall. You may find that you love the lighting a certain shade has on one wall, but you may hate it on another wall. Move them around and see what you like!

4. Get paint samples! Once you have it narrowed down, the easiest way to make a decision is to get the samples of paint from your local store and test them on your wall.

5. Pick the best shade and roll with it! (Before you change your mind ;) )

Stay tuned for part two within the next few days!

P.S. I'm still unsure of whether it is gray or grey.... lol

xo,