First things first – choosing the wrong color for any room of the home really isn’t a huge deal. Even if you are completely dissatisfied with the result after painting your interiors, you can always start again from scratch.

That’s basically the beauty of painting over other types of wall coverings – do-overs are always on the cards!

Of course, starting the whole thing again is far from the most desirable option.  Particularly when it comes to the more time-consuming and laborious home painting jobs, getting things done first time is where it’s at.

At Homm CPS, we often find that it’s not typically quality of the result most DIY painters find themselves dissatisfied with. Instead, it’s the fact that the colors they chose for their interior spaces don’t pair with their expectations. The final result doesn’t look nearly as good as they hoped, simply due to having picked up the ‘wrong’ color in the first place.

We say ‘wrong’ because color choice is purely a matter of personal preference.

Still, when chatting with homeowners who’ve come out on the other side of a project deeply dissatisfied, it’s usually attributed to one of a handful of issues.  In all instances, mistakes that are easy to make, but are just as simple to avoid.

If planning on giving your interiors a fresh coat of paint this spring or summer, here’s a brief rundown of five common mistakes to avoid when selecting the perfect paint:

1) Trying too hard to match it with your décor

First up, it’s common for home painters to make the mistake of getting carried away with attempting to make everything match seamlessly and flawlessly. When choosing paint colors, they assess and evaluate the color and design of pretty much everything in the entire space.

This shade would look good in contrast with the couch, but might not be perfect for the ottoman or the ornate picture frame on the wall. Truth is, you cannot and will not find a paint color that goes with literally every bit of furniture, every feature and every fixture in your home. Not unless you start from scratch with an interior designer on hand and pair everything with everything else from the ground up.

2) Not taking any risks

One guaranteed recipe for disappointment is to spend days on end painting your home, only for it to look exactly the same when you’re done. This is exactly what will happen if you choose identical colors, shades and tones to those you’re currently using.

Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this – it can be a great way of revamping walls and ceilings that have become downy and dull with time. But if your intention is to breathe new life into your interiors, you need to take at least a couple of risks with bold color choices. Don’t forget, you can always paint over them if you’re not entirely happy with the new color scheme.

3) Not taking lighting into account

The paint you choose for your walls will look completely different depending on how the space is illuminated at the time. Daylight, moonlight, artificial light, mood lighting, task lighting and so on – all guaranteed to have a dramatic effect on how the paint looks when it has dried.

Before getting started, it’s a good idea to paint a couple of boards, pin them to your walls and see how they look in different lighting conditions. They may look fantastic during the day, but switch the lights on at night and it could be an entirely different story.

4) Forgetting to choose the right finish

Make the mistake of painting interior walls in their entirety using the wrong paint finish and you’ll live to regret it. It doesn’t happen too often, but we occasionally encounter someone who’s unwittingly painted an entire room in the most glossy, shiny and reflective paint imaginable, having completely overlooked finish when choosing their paints.

Some rooms call for flat finishes, others semi-gloss and accents look great in eggshell finishes. There’s no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ paint for all surfaces, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking there is.

5) Making it up as you go along

Last but not least, you need a concrete objective to work towards and a plan of action to work with. Making things up as you go along when painting interiors is another recipe for disaster. Think carefully about how you want the room to feel, what kind of vibe you want to create and so on.

This way, you’ll be in a much better position to choose an appropriate color scheme and invest your time in a makeover you’ll be proud of come completion!