Paint Samples: Definitely Worth It!

Painting is not my favorite thing to do.  Not even close.  So, when I do paint a room I really want it to be done for awhile.

I’ve decided it is finally time to paint over the hideous green color I picked for our kitchen and entryway 5 years ago.  I’ve been putting off because someday we will be renovating the whole kitchen anyway.  Realistically, though, that is probably 10 years away.  I can’t look at that color for 10 more years!!  When I picked it I wanted a nice country green – maybe sage is the word? – like my Mom had in her kitchen.  Instead… it looks like mint ice cream.  Seriously.  Yuck.

This time I’m not taking any chances.  For less than $10 total I picked out three different colors of paint and had little samples mixed.  I bought mine at Menard’s.  The lady at the paint desk assured me it won’t really matter that the sample size paint is a different brand than what I will ultimately go with.  Likewise, I was able to pick from all of the paint chips and not just those available for that brand.

I want gray this time.  Here are my top picks, with a sampling of mint ice cream in the background:

I’ll carry over the same color or a complimentary color in to the living room.  I love it that I get to see what a big swatch looks like with our existing lighting.

For $10 it is well worth it to me to buy samples.  I will never be stuck with a paint color I hate again.  The samples are supposed to cover a 2’x3′ area but I did two stripes about 1’x3′ or larger and I still have at least 2/3rds of each color left.  They will be perfect to have around for touch ups and accent pieces!

Have you ever tried paint samples?  Are you contemplating any room makeovers?

Find this helpful? Share to easily find it later!