Once again we’ve had one of those busy weeks. Between stenciling the floor in our bath and closet, squeezing in some seasonal crafts, and installing hefty crown molding in Clara’s room, we’ve been sealing floors, finishing a canopy wall, pulling up old stair carpet, and anxiously waiting to grout the sunroom tile once the weather clears. In the middle of all that, a reader asked a great question about paint mistakes—so we decided to share what we’ve learned after years of painting walls, trim, doors, ceilings, and even floors.
Q: Do you two ever make painting mistakes? I feel like I’m always choosing the wrong color or getting so intimidated I don’t choose anything at all. After all these years of painting, do you have tips? I’d love a roundup of paint mistakes you’ve made and what they taught you so I can avoid the same fate. – Marta F.
A: Short answer: yes. We like to think we have a decent eye for color and we usually hold swatches against the plane we’ll be painting, observe them in different light, and buy test pots when needed. But we’ve still made plenty of mistakes—and they’ve taught us valuable lessons. Here are the biggest lessons we picked up along the way.
#1 – The Amazing Technicolor Dream House
In our first house we painted nearly every room a different, unrelated color: tiffany blue here, mint green there, and a few questionable combinations elsewhere. The result was a disconnected, choppy flow that made the whole house feel smaller and chaotic. We eventually repainted most rooms to build a more cohesive palette and the house instantly felt calmer and larger.
Lesson learned: Consider how colors flow from room to room. If your home is small or you want a harmonious feel, limit the number of contrasting colors and choose shades that work together—bold palettes can succeed when they’re coordinated rather than random.
#2 – The Unappetizing Glow
We once used a yellow-leaning color in our kitchen that cast a warm golden hue onto white cabinets and counters, turning them creamier than we preferred. Though we liked the color itself, it affected other surfaces in the room. Repainting the kitchen a medium blue removed that yellow cast and restored the crisp white appearance we wanted.
Lesson learned: Pay attention to how a color affects other finishes, especially glossy or reflective surfaces. Bold or warm hues can cast noticeable color onto counters, floors, and trim.
#3 – Subtle Looks Different at Scale
Neutrals and desaturated tones behave differently when enlarged from a swatch to a full wall. A color that looks lovely and muted on a small sample can read as too bright or too intense once on a large surface. We try to choose desaturated versions of a hue—shades with a bit of gray or brown mixed in—so they remain calm and sophisticated on the wall.
One time we picked a very pure, light pink for Clara’s bedroom ceiling. It looked soft and perfect on the swatch and even in our initial tests, so we painted the ceiling. On a whim we painted the small closet the same pink and discovered that in the confined space, especially under bright closet lighting, the pink read much stronger than expected. Since Clara loves it, we’re embracing it in small doses and adding elements to soften the effect.
Lesson learned: Don’t assume a color will translate the same way across different rooms, planes, and lighting conditions. Test swatches in each unique space before committing.
#4 – Exterior Colors Can Mislead You
We learned that exterior paint behaves differently because sunlight hits it directly. After repairing siding on our house we chose a lighter exterior shade that looked fine in the paint store and on the swatch, but in bright afternoon sun it washed out. We caught it in time and switched to a darker shade, but it was a close call.
Lesson learned: Exteriors often need a darker or more saturated version of a color than interior swatches suggest. Test sample areas at different times of day to see how sunlight alters the appearance.
#5 – Don’t Judge Paint Until It’s Installed and Dry
We also nearly overreacted to a very subtle blue we chose for our sunroom ceiling. While spraying the planks outside the color looked almost nonexistent and we debated changing it. However, once the boards were installed on the ceiling and out of direct light, the color read perfectly—exactly as we’d hoped.
Lesson learned: Paint can look dramatically different as it dries and once it’s installed on the intended surface and in its final lighting. Avoid making snap judgments based on primed planks lying on the ground or wet test strokes in harsh light.
After all these experiences we’ve accepted one simple truth: you can take all the right steps—hold swatches against the wall, observe at different times of day, paint big samples, and even live with test pots—and still be surprised. That’s okay. Mistakes are part of the process, and often the second attempt yields a much better result.
The most reassuring mantra we repeat when we’re anxious about a color choice: “It’s only paint.” It’s fixable, and every misstep teaches you something about light, scale, and how colors interact with your space.
Our Favorite Paint Colors
If you’re struggling to choose a color, here are a few of our go-to shades and posts that go deeper into specific favorites:
- The 12 Best White Paint Colors
- Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
- Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Sherwin-Williams Pure White
- Sherwin-Williams Extra White