The Pain of Purchasing Paint

There are now two things I will no longer be held responsible for purchasing for my house. The first is a bed. When I last took the responsibility of buying a bed, it did not get Mike’s approval. I will do anything once – so buying the bed had its chance. I replaced it (all by myself) with one that Mike did approve of, but that’s it. If there is a new bed to be bought (and there is), Mike must do the buying.

And now we have something else. PAINT!  We have a room to paint and it’s got to be done this week. So I went last week and bought an off white “soft stone” colour. My colour probably would have worked, but I have friends and family who definitely know better and sometimes it is wise to listen to their much more experienced advice. So, the paint went back and new paint was bought, but I’ve done it once and now I never need to make that decision again! Next time, it can be either Mike, or friend Riana who has an eye for decorating and describes herself as “an incredibly fussy decorator!” Certainly the wall colour will be in safe hands!

I did learn a few things about buying paint in the process of having to take one back and find another. With Riana’s help, here’s what I learned.

1. Not all paints are created equal. 

Buy a good quality paint. Ask about durability, scrubbability and quality. It must be easily washable. If you buy a cheap paint, you will get a cheap look. This is not an exercise you are going to do often, so spend a little more and get a decent pain. Don’t buy the cheapest paint. Also be sure to ask which is the most popular paint colour  & what the supplier sells the most of.

2. Choose a paint supplier close to home.

There is a good reason for this. I bought the first paint ‘OTM’ (Over The Mountain)  and so when I had to return the paint, I had to go back  ‘OTM’. The second time round I bought close to home. It had to be mixed, so I left and returned a few hours later to pay and collect. It was no big deal because it was just a kilometre from my house. 🙂

3. Try paint out on the walls.

If you are going to be painting the entire inside of your house, you are going to be living with these colours for many years to come. Get it right first time by painting swatches on the wall to see exactly what the colour looks like in your house. It’s a worthwhile exercise. You’ll be surprised how different the paint looks on the side of the tin compared to on the wall of your home.

4. Neutral is safe.

Choose a neutral canvas and stick to the same colour throughout. If you like colour, paint accent walls with the colour you want. Colour is very personal. If in doubt, got for a light stone with a slight grey undertone. I made the mistake of choosing a paint with “stone” in the name, but it had a pink undertone!

Soft Stone5. Carry swatches around with you. 

All paint suppliers have swatches of paint colours. After you’ve selected your paint, take a couple of the swatches with you, so that when you are matching curtains or other linen, you can compare the tone to ensure it matches. This may look white, but it’s not….

Paint swatchesIt’s perfectly neutral with a grey undertone and it’s called…

Fancourt slateGot the paint, done the prep. All that is needed next, is to get the paint out of the tin and onto the walls!

I’m not a perfectionist, but I do appreciate those who are! Thank you Mike & Riana!

Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might

Keep the smile going!

God bless you!

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

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