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How to Test New Paint

Try, try, and try again: It’s an age-old adage that can be unfortunately quite costly when it comes to paint. Especially if you’re painting more than one room or your whole house, you won’t want to end up with a shade you aren’t completely satisfied with. As a long-term investment, your paint should embody your personal style and deliver steady performance year after year.

Testing new paint for a wall at ED’s Paint and Decorating near Lexington, South Carolina (SC)

E.D.’s Paint and Decorating is a trusted vendor of Hunter Douglas window treatments and Benjamin Moore® paint—meaning we only offer the highest quality of window coverings, paints, primers, and stains that customers have trusted for decades. However, with a wide range of blinds, shades, shutters, and drapes, and with over 3,500 colors to choose from, your next interior design project can seem overwhelming. We’ve compiled a few color-matching tips to consider that will ensure your project’s success:

1. Start small

Choosing the wrong colors is costly: both time- and money-wise. You don’t want to paint a room only to find the next day that the color is a shade off what you expected. Test a new paint color in an inconspicuous spot—especially if your walls are previously painted. Testing just a small patch of paint will not only help you envision your project’s final look, but also help you determine how many paint coats will be necessary.

2. Use your walls

Need more than just a patch of paint to realize your creative vision? Accent walls let you visualize what your paint will look like on an entire wall, while still being more economical and efficient that painting your whole room. If you’re deciding between multiple colors, creating a two-tone wall or using stripes are paint-savvy methods for testing colors alongside each other.

  • Paint a test swatch next to your window coverings so that you can see how they look together. We carry window coverings from Hunter Douglas in a wide variety of natural materials, fabrics, and other materials to get that perfect match or complementary color.

3. Get inspired

Looking up “blue bedroom ideas” or “brown living room” online pulls up millions of results to draw inspiration from. Benjamin Moore itself has suggestions for every room and makes it easy to find the particular colors you’ll need—you can even see how your room’s natural lighting might affect your paint shade. However, it is important to keep in mind that colors on the computer screen can differ slightly from the real thing. Once you have a few ideas for your paint color, show our experts in our store or during a consultation. We can show you paint samples in person and determine together how to make your “dream” room a reality.

4. Use us!

E.D.’s Paint and Decorating has been your local decorating resource since 1980. With over forty years of experience working with customers in the Lexington, SC area, we understand that each project is different from the last. To make your decorating process stress-free, we offer free consultations to our customers. When you work with us, we can suggest complementary Hunter Douglas Window treatments in color combinations that complement your paint selections and uniquely show off your home’s design. Our designers work with the local pride and individualized attention you won’t get from national franchises.

Contact Us

Call or contact us today to get started with your next painting project. We carry paint and all your interior decorating needs in our showroom in Lexington, South Carolina, and are proud to provide our design expertise to Lexington, Columbia, Chapin, Irmo, and West Columbia, SC, as well as the surrounding communities.