Why Your Paint Color Doesn't Match the Sample

When you're painting your home or refreshing your living space, you want the end result to look exactly how you planned. Between choosing a color, getting your paint matched, buying sample pots, and then painting a test section of your wall, there is an enormous amount of work that goes into preparing for your project. There is nothing more frustrating than putting in all of that time (and not to mention money!) trying to get the perfect end result, only to realize that the actual paint color looks nothing like the sample you tested with.

So why does your paint look so much different than your samples? More importantly, what can be done to fix it? Read on to understand what factors affect paint sample color and how to ensure you get the result you want.

How Samples Differ From Real Paint

After you've spent an entire day (or longer) preparing and testing your walls, it can be infuriating to realize that your color swatch or tester pot did not at all prepare you for how the actual paint would look in your living space. You've already put in a ton of work just trying to find the perfect color, making the thought of having to start from square one daunting or even exhausting.

But before you go back to the store, you need to ensure that you know the functions of different types of paint samples so you can understand why your paint samples aren't reflective of the end result.

Paint Chips and Paper Swatches

That big, colorful wall of paint swatches in the home improvement section is exciting to look at when you're in the early stages of planning. Under bright lighting in a massive room, the color options seem endless! But you should know that paper paint chips are highly unlikely to be an accurate representation of what real paint will look like in your space.

For starters, paper swatches and paint chips are printed with ink, rather than with real paint. Inks reflect and absorb light much differently than real paint, meaning that the depth of color and undertones can be drastically different. Furthermore, ink on paper samples have a flat or matte finish, and cannot accurately replicate what real paint will look like with a semi-gloss or gloss finish. This is why you'll often see real paint that looks several shades different from the paint chip you snagged from the store.

That said, if you're just looking to narrow down your options at the early stages of your project, paper swatches are an easy and low-lift way to begin the planning process. Grab a bunch... They're usually free!

Are Paint Sample Pots Accurate?

You might be thinking that the next logical step is to buy a paint sample pot to see what the real color will look like on your wall. However, the frustrating truth is that paint sample pots are not always accurate, either. 

Paint sample pots, or tester pots, are small containers of paint or paint-like coatings intended for color testing. Many people think that sample pots are simply smaller cans of paint, but that is not always the case! 

Most paint sample test pots are not made using the same formulation as the manufacturer's finished paint products. Instead, sample pots are often made using more cost-effective materials that have differences in the original paint's sheen, bonding agents, opacity, and pigment concentration. This means that testing pots can approximate the color you want, but can't always match it with complete accuracy.

If you didn’t know that going into your project, you might find yourself in a situation where you thought you did everything right, down to spending the money, gathering your tools, prepping your walls, and testing sections with your sample pot… Only to find out that your sample is several shades away from the actual paint shade you wanted, so now you have to start all over again. What a nightmare!

There are some brands, such as Farrow & Ball, that offer genuine paint samples of their paint products, but buying these can be expensive. If you choose to go with paint sample pots, check with your manufacturer to see if their tester pots are made with their actual paint formulas. 

Why Your Paint Samples Look Different on Your Walls

When it comes to paint samples, color accuracy heavily relies on a few factors, all of which will be unique to your living space: interior lighting, room orientation and exposure, and wall texture. If you don’t factor these considerations into your paint sampling process, you won’t know what the final result is going to look like.

Interior Lighting

Lighting significantly impacts how paint colors appear. This is because paint reflects the light that strikes its surface to produce a color. This means that a single color of paint can look vastly different from room to room… Or even on two walls in the same room, depending on the location of your light source. The color of your light bulbs can affect how you see a paint color, as well. Interior lighting can vary widely, from bright white to warm yellows. 

When testing, it’s crucial to evaluate your paint samples with these lighting differences in mind. View the samples at different times of day, and try experimenting with different lights in your space before you make a final selection on your paint color.

Room Orientation and Exposure

Unless you’re painting a basement without any windows, the natural lighting around your house will also greatly impact how you see a paint color in your space. Even the direction of the windows in your room can make the same can of paint look like a different color. For example:

If your room has north-facing windows, it probably doesn’t get a lot of light. If it does, you’re likely to have a lot of cool lighting throughout the day, making the tone of your paint look darker. This means that you might want to stay away from paint colors with cool undertones, or compensate with artificial lighting to achieve the look of the paint color that you want. 

Rooms with south-facing windows tend to get consistent warm lighting throughout the day. This makes it a very versatile room when it comes to paint color choice… Most colors will work great in these rooms, but be sure to test your paint samples during sunset hours, as that time of day can make some warm-toned paint colors appear overwhelming. 

If your room is facing west, it will be dark in the morning, but get a lot of light exposure during the late afternoon and sunset. If your room is facing east, it will likely get a lot of natural light with the morning sunrise, but much different under artificial lighting after sunset. Consider what time of day you’ll be using the space the most so you can get a clear idea of the natural conditions you should sample your paint under.

Wall Texture

Even the texture of your surface can impact how your paint sample will look. Testing paint on a sample board or piece of cardstock is unlikely to give you an accurate idea of what the color of your paint will look like on your walls. The walls of your room have their own unique texture that reflects light differently, altering the appearance of your color. This means that when it comes to paint sampling, it’s best to use your actual walls. 

Paint Store Color Matching Errors

When you take the time to choose a color swatch, go to the store, request a sample pot, and apply it to your wall, it can be maddening when the color of your sample doesn't look anything like the actual paint you end up buying. Not to worry, it isn't just you. There are quite a few reasons why paint stores can have color matching errors, so be sure to take this into consideration.

One way to ensure color matching between your sample and the actual paint color is to source samples through the specific brand's authorized paint store. Different brands have their own proprietary ingredients, tinting systems, and bases. When one brand tries to match another brand’s color using their own paint formula, the color and sheen of the finished product can look slightly different. Stick to getting tester pots directly from the branded paint store to get the most accurate samples possible.

Benjamin Moore CSP Colors: Why They're Harder to Match

Benjamin Moore’s Color Stories (CSP) collection can be especially tricky when it comes to color matching. CSP colors use a complex, full-spectrum pigment system of six to seven colorants, while traditional paint formulas only use two or three. These full-spectrum formulas aren't dulled down with black or gray, which gives CSP colors their signature vibrancy and depth, but it's incredibly difficult for other brands to match with their own standard machine formulas.

All of that said... If you're planning on painting with the Benjamin Moore CSP collection, be sure to get your tester pots directly from the source or their authorized retailers.

Paint Sample Comparison: Samplize vs. Paint Chips

So, what's the best way to test paint samples? Well, different types of samples have their own drawbacks and benefits. Let's compare and contrast the uses of paint chips and Samplize paint samples.

Paint Chips & Fan Decks

Paint chips, also known as color cards or paint swatches, are color representations printed with ink on paper or card stock. They don't have the same sheen or finish as actual paint, meaning they're unlikely to be an accurate representation of what the paint will look like on your wall.

On the bright side, they're usually free, and you can take as many as you want. Don't be afraid to snag a bunch to bring home if you're just getting started... They can help you narrow down your paint selections. The same goes for fan decks, the fold-out books holding every color in a brand's line that paint pros tend to carry around. They're handy for browsing, but since they're printed just like chips, they come with the same limitation.

Samplize

Samplize, on the other hand, offers a convenient, inexpensive, and highly-accurate way to evaluate color in your space without having to spend an entire day painting. These samples are made from peel-and-stick sheets coated with two coats of real paint directly from the manufacturer, ensuring high color accuracy. Plus, they can be moved throughout your space so you can get an idea of what the color will look like under various lighting conditions, so you can know what you're getting into before you roll up your sleeves and start painting. 

Are Samplize Samples Accurate?

In short... Yes, Samplize is as accurate as paint samples can get. The great thing about Samplize is that it provides an easier way to recreate the exact conditions of the room that you're painting. 

Unlike paint chips and swatches, Samplize uses real paint to create highly-accurate paint samples which can also be applied and re-applied on different walls in your space, so you can test out the color under multiple lighting conditions throughout the day. Compared to paint sample pots, Samplize samples are more color accurate and far less labor intensive.

Samplize has 1000s of samples with color options from leading brands like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams. Because Samplize uses two coats of real paint straight from the manufacturer, what you see on the sample is as close to the end result as you can get.

For color inspiration or more tips on paint sampling, check out the Samplize blog.