The Impact Lighting Can Have on Paint Colors

Did you know that the lighting in your home can affect the color of your paint? Before redoing the paint throughout your home, pay attention to the lighting to know how it will impact the look of the paint.

The paint colors you choose will not exactly match the samples you view in the store. This is because the lighting is going to be different in your home. In fact, the lighting in your home can change throughout the day thanks to natural light that comes in. It is best to talk with a professional painter about what you want and how the color of the paint will actually appear when considering natural light and artificial light.

Natural Light

Natural light will come through your windows and affect the appearance of your paint color, especially if it is in the position where it will see the sun often. A room that is facing north will bring in soft light and a warm look to the paint colors. This will lead to darker colors appearing more dark and lighter colors more mellow, adding a touch of blue from the light. A room that is facing south with receive more intense light leading dark colors to appear more bright. This will also cause white or light walls to wash out a room more. During the evening, a room that faces the west will bring in a warmth, adding orange and red hues to more deep colors. A room that faces in the east will see more green hues and the natural light will brighten the room.

It is a good idea to always test the colors in the room with actual natural light. You can do this by adding a sample of color to the wall in the morning and checking it throughout the day. This will give you an idea on how the color will look at each time of the day.

Artificial Light

Most artificial light comes in the form of either fluorescent, incandescent and halogen bulbs. The light in each room will change the look of the color of the paint. Fluorescent light will cool down the color of the pain and tends to go well with blue or green colors. Incandescent bulbs will add warmth to yellow and amber colors while brightening red and oranges. This lighting will dull out cool colors. Halogen bulbs are the closest to natural light and can cool down some colors and brighten white walls.

Always check samples of the paint color in the room that you are going to paint so you can see how it will look with the correct lighting. Keep in mind that an empty room will also affect this, so make sure there is some furniture in the room when doing this for a more realistic look.

 

Let the Experts Do It!

Leave it to the professionals at East Valley Painters to paint the interior of your home. East Valley Painters has been proudly serving Sun Lakes, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Chandler, and east valley cities for the past 30 years.

Calli Varner
Calli Varner