How to sample a colour so it actually tells you something

Size and placement matter more than people expect

A sample smaller than roughly half a metre square is hard to judge honestly, because the eye reads it against the surrounding wall colour rather than as a standalone shade. Painting onto board and moving it around the room, or painting a large patch on more than one wall, gives a fairer picture than a single small square.

• Use a patch at least 500mm square wherever possible
• Sample on more than one wall, including one that gets least light
• Move a sample board to corners and near the window to compare

Two coats, not one, and the right sheen

A single coat of sample paint rarely matches the depth of colour a finished wall will show, and sampling in the wrong sheen can mislead entirely, since gloss and matt versions of the same colour name can look surprisingly different once light hits them.

Judging it over time, not on the spot

Paint colour changes appearance across the day as daylight moves, and again once artificial lights come on in the evening. Living with a sample for several days rather than deciding within the hour catches problems that a first glance misses, particularly with colours that look fine in the afternoon and flat by evening.

• Check the sample morning, afternoon and after dark
• View it from where you actually sit or stand in the room
• Compare it against existing flooring, furniture and trim colours

What to do when the room has already changed hands

On a refurbishment, existing flooring or furniture may leave before decoration finishes, so it is worth sampling against whatever will genuinely remain in the room rather than judging the colour in an empty, unfurnished space that will not represent the final look.