Most people don't plan to paint their house Pepto Bismol pink or Smurf blue. It didn't look that pink or blue on the little chip down at the paint store. There are a few helpful hints that can prevent just such a painting nightmare. Below are a few guidelines to choosing the proper colors for your taste.

• Keep in mind; colors may look different on a house than they do on a small chart. When using colors such as blues, yellows or pinks you might want to choose a color that is one or two shades lighter than you want. Bear in mind you're only seeing a one-inch square; a color will almost always be more intense when covering a large area.
• Before ordering 20 gallons, first, pick up a quart and paint a sample area, preferably on the back of the house or in a back bedroom.
• Colors are relative to what you place next to them. For example using white next to a color will make it look much darker.
• Another factor to consider is your landscape. Lighter colors on the house tend to show off your yard. Painting your house a darker color will tend to make your yard fade away.
• Colors that are already present such as roof tiles, brick or rock are good visual points to start with, you should choose colors that compliment them. For example if your roof tiles are brown, your house would probably look nicer with a light brown rather than a grey.
• Color placement is just as important as the colors you select. If you have the ugliest garage door in the neighborhood, painting each square won't make it look like the White House. You should only highlight what you want people to look at. In this case you should paint the door the same color as the house and then highlight parts of the house such as shutters and window trim.
• There is no replacement for an experienced painter in choosing the right colors. Remember they have seen many color combinations and can probably give you some very good advice.

Sherwin Williams Color Assistant

There is no such thing as a maintenance free home, whether painted or sided. Any house, regardless of age or building material, requires routine maintenance. Homeowners frequently ask a painter's opinion about vinyl or aluminum siding. Siding covers areas that need attention and hides a problem, but siding sometimes aggravates a problem. The most debilitating aspect of the current siding epidemic is the false sense of security it gives the homeowners.

A siding cover-up gives us a false sense of security because it prevents a homeowner from monitoring the condition of the house. People are misled into thinking that if they can't see the problem, it isn't there. Wrong. Unsightly exterior damage, badly peeling paint, warped clapboards all reflect deeper problems that require more attention than a cosmetic fix-up. These problems are related to water or humidity condensing within the walls. It is important to deal with these moisture problems before making the home look good again with paint or with siding. Demand for insulated, airtight, climate controlled houses puts new strain on older homes. Peeling paint, mildew, musty odors and moisture damage are symptoms the wise homeowner will heed.

Beyond the physical blemishes to vinyl or aluminum siding (dents, cuts, worn surfaces, and rust spots on older siding), siding detracts from the historic appearance. Decorative details like corner boards and cornices are removed thereby eliminating the qualities that give an old house its character and beauty. Aluminum and vinyl siding marketing strategies tout the rewards of never having to paint again. But, vinyl and aluminum siding both require an occasional face-lift, just as a wood-sided home does. Today, every major paint company sells paint specifically recommended for aluminum siding and if you are thinking of repainting your siding go ahead because if the job is done right by a qualified, licensed painting contractor it will last along time and be well worth the price you paid. Remember when the ad says, "vinyl is final," think again. American Painting Contractor magazine reports a high incidence of vinyl siding repaint work. Apparently the deteriorating effects of ultraviolet light cannot be underestimated.

Most homes that were aluminum sided 30 years or so ago have already been or need repainting today because the original coatings have broken down under the elements of the sun and weather. Granted most sidings last longer than paint, you have to weigh the difference in cost and decide what your preference is. While siding your house usually costs four to six times as much as painting it one could say that there are benefits to both. Painting your house every five years can offer a nice change in colors. Giving your house a fresh look every so often is a wonderful thing! When you're making your siding decision, search out homes sided five years ago. Look for amount of dents, faded colors, siding that sags. And if you have an older home, remember the decision to apply vinyl or aluminum siding is a serious one. It is a decision not to be made lightly.

You have finally selected the paint color you adore from hundreds of swatches and chips. Your painter brings it to your home or business and applies his first brushstrokes.

To your dismay it looks nothing like you imagined! You check it against the paint chip sample and find it is in fact the exact match. How come it looks completely different on your walls?

We perceive color differently depending on lighting conditions, the space the color occupies, time of day, and the other colors in the environment. In fact, dozens of factors are involved in our color response.

Before you commit to buying all of the paint for the job, bring home a small amount of the color and apply it to a limited area on the wall or on your house's exterior. Wait for it to dry and then look at it at various times of day and at night. An interior color that seems fine in bright sunshine may be too dark by lamplight or on a cloudy day. An exterior paint color that looks great on the chip may appear very different applied to wood siding or masonry in different lighting conditions.

You can have the shade made lighter or darker and then try the test again until you're satisfied with the color. Remember to always view a color in the room where it will be used (under those lighting conditions) or on the exterior at different times of the day to determine if that color is right for you.

Consider the function of the room being painted and choose an appropriate color. Look at the exposure the room has, as lots of sunny southern exposure may be a good spot for cool color tones while a shaded and northerly facing room might be best served with warmer hues.

Consider who spends the most time in the room. They should probably be involved in the process and allowed to voice their personal preferences.

Review the adjacent room colors. There should be some relationship between them and the new paint color for the sake of flow and continuity. If you want to manipulate the perceived size of the room with color, choose an appropriate palate; light monochromatic colors and white ceilings to increase size, dark bold tones with a darker ceiling color to shrink.

Decide on the mood you want the room to evoke for its inhabitants and visitors and then explore the psychology of colors.

Consider the style or decor of your home. Is it modern, traditional, or eclectic? You may want to research colors from different periods like Victorian, Colonial, or Arts & Crafts for the color roots of an old house, or for colors appropriate to the period that inspired your home's design details. If you have already chosen the furnishings for the room bring swatches and samples when choosing the paint color.

Color and Decorating Trends Light Green and Taupe continue to be the "new" neutral shades... as opposed to white and tan. "Metallic" color finishes with silver, gold, or bronze are popular for high-end kitchen appliances. Bold colors are used more and more, in all types of rooms, including small spaces. Multi-colored exterior paint schemes with attention to the architectural and historical features are being employed. Decorative painting is being used more and more by do-it-yourselfers as well as by contractors for distinctive interior work. Many paint sellers are now stocking water-based glazing compounds that are mixed with varying proportions of latex paint to obtain different effects, including translucency. Latex paints can be used as-is with rag rolling and sponging to obtain application with profile. There are many choices to choose from and picking the right colors takes patience so relax, sit back in your favorite chair with a nice glass of Shiraz and have fun!