Those are bases. Depending on how dark the color is, you start with a base that is already somewhat dark so that you don't have to pump a ton of colorant into the paint to reach the color you have selected. Every manufacturer calls their bases something different...BM has white base, medium base, pastel base, etc. Others have bases 1,2,3, etc.

So -- generally speaking -- I buy first a base color (called the base?) and then I add colorant to it to get the color I want? Is the colorant an additional cost?

Paint 101...
Every line of paint has thousands of paint strips, which show all their colors. Look first at those and once you have decided on a color, then you can decide which specific paint to use.

For example, Sherwin Williams (SW) and Benjamin Moore (BM) are two readily available decent paints which are sold at stores of the same name. So say you find a SW color you like... that paint can be mixed in a variety of formulas depending on your need. For a kitchen or bath, for example, you might want a scrubbable paint. The salespeople can be very helpful in understanding their different lines. Then you have to decide on how much sheen you want the paint to have. Most people paint walls in a flat or matte sheen, or 'eggshell' or satin (which is just an ever so slight sheen. Trim and doors are usually painted in a semi-gloss, which is a higher sheen than matte. Of course, all of these 'rules' can be broken. I would recommend going to a SW or BM store if you have one near you. Go at a slow time, and start educating yourself. If you don't have those stores, try Home Depot or Lowes. In HD and Lowes, we are fortunate to have people in the paint depts. who are very knowledagble. This is not always the case, so you will have to judge for yourself.

You can pay from $9.99/gallon to $50 or more a gallon. And just as with most products, there is a reason for that. To me, even $50/gallon is a small pittance compared to the work and other expense in re-doing a room -and in general I find the more expensive paint to go on much easier, to cover better, look better longer, and to be easier to maintain.

One last tip, most paint lines now offer small sample cans for about $5 or less. It is enormously difficult to pick a color from a paint strip. After you have narrowed down your choice, get a sample and paint a big swatch on the wall to see what you think. Also, try the decorating forum on this website. You can search under "Favorite Greens" or "Favorite Reds" etc. to find colors people have really loved.

Hope this helps! Good luck!
Lynn

OK, thanks for your informative reply. So when I choose a color, they formulate it for me using the base which includes how much sheen, etc., I want? OK ... about that sample. When they formulate it, I suppose they can duplicate it if I decide to use it so there is no difference in application between the new application and the older one? And, what happens if I apply it and don't like it? Will it be difficult to cover over?

Hey Cindi,

1st off...
* Most paint companies are greatly reducing &/or eliminating Oil paints from production.
* ACE Paints (has made their own line & others since 1986), for instance, dropped most Oils production over a year ago.
* Now, they've dropped ALL Oil-paints.
* As of this Spring, our store cracked the "Top-40" of U.S. ACE-Paint retailers. Many, many loyal fans of ACE-Royal (ACE'S top grade) paint here! We're getting in another 1,100 gallons in early Oct....ohhhhhh My achin' back...again!!!

I mention this because many people forget that the smaller hardware stores have very good lines of paint too.
* Ask what their BEST grades are.
* Normally...when you're in the $25/gal. range and higher, you're gettin' a good bucket of paint.
* Ultra-Premium lines include C2, BM's Aura, SW's Duration, P&L's Accolade, etc.
* You'll be in the $40-$60/gal. range here.

We're one of the "50-something" U.S. C2 retailers. If you're near a C2 store, check this line out. It's been well-received here. Avg's. $42-$49/gal.
* We're phasing in their new "LOVO" (lower-VOC) line now.
* Couple weeks ago, I mixed ~ $2500 worth of C2 for a new home here...can't wait to see their house!!!

Lower-VOC formulations are now trickling out from many companies. Ask about those versions as well.

Faron

Hi-
Once you choose a color, they know exactly how to formulate it. You do not need to know anything about base etc. But you WILL have to decide which specific paint you want (for example, at Sherwin Williams, you could have that color made up in Duration Home, Cashmere, Harmony, Superpaint, etc. These are all different paints but can all be made in your color. All you have to do is tell them which room you are using it in and have a brief conversation with them about your expectations, how much you want to spend, etc. and they can steer you to the right product. Once you pick the specific paint, you then tell them how much sheen you want. i.e. flat, matte, satin, eggshell, semigloss... Usually they will have painted samples of each to show you so that you can see the sheen yoursef.

So---
Step 1: Pick a color. Let's say you like Convivial Yellow (SW6393)
Step 2: Tell the clerk you would like to buy some paint in Convivial Yellow. He'll ask you which paint line you want. After a brief discussion with him, you decide on Harmony.
Step 3: He asks you, "You want that in Flat?" After another brief discussion, you decide, yes, flat.
Step 4: How much do you need? It will take at least a gallon to paint a room. I always buy two gallons.
The end result: You walk out with a gallon of Convivial yellow Harmony paint, in flat.

Regarding the sample paint. There should be no difference between it and the eventual paint you buy. Also,you will be able to cover over it just as easily as the paint that is already on your wall.

If you are doing the painting yourself, do a little reading here about paint prep and tools. Or go talk to the paint store guy. At the least you are going to need to spackle and fill small holes and things in the wall. You also need to wash the walls. And you will want to tape off stuff that you don't want the paint to get on (i.e. around doors and windows).

Go to youtube.com and search "how to paint a room" -you'll be a pro by the time you are finished!

A pro...just like that?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm...

Michael

Yeah, I still have yet to see a youtube video of a pro painting that I actually would recommend as the video to watch if you want to learn to paint. But it is true that you don't need to pay attention to the bases. Just pick your color and sheen and the clerk will take care of the rest.

My 2 cents would be to avoid wall mart,k mart, lowe's, home depot,etc and go to a paint store and ask anything you want. They will be glad to help and will most likely have some knowledge of painting.( not necessarily so in the big box stores)

Okay paintguy and brushworks.... you have both helped me with paint questions before so I'm trying not to get bristly here... but you are reminding me a bit of the software geeks I used to work with. God forbid somebody untechnical should ask them what kind of pc to buy. They'd invariably convince the poor person that they had no business even THINKING about buying a pc without first earning a degree in a related field. Is a youtube video going to turn you into a professional painter -I would hope not! But most of us are visual learners and it is much easier to watch someone do something than to just read about it and try to apply the knowledge. Sometimes I think experts cannot remember what it was like to know nothing about their field of expertise. It may be because I am a teacher, but I think when the op asked for some basic paint help, we should take her at her word...and pointing her to a few videos is certainly a step in the right direction.

Yeah, I guess, but watching someone do something the wrong way can do more harm than good sometimes. Watching those clowns on HGTV paint for example just hurts!

Michael: "A pro...just like that?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm...

Michael"

mmmmmmmmm is what I say too. I've been asking questions now for about a month, am still looking at my damaged walls and am now beginning to even think about paint, rather than merely (?) prepping the walls. Still have lots of prep work to go. But I thank the person for 1) his confidence in me, and 2) the brief pep talk. I need that, even if I know I'll probably wind up hiring a pro to undue the damage I've done and do the job right.

Hey brushworks and paintguy...it seems like based on your comments, you should stop just providing great information on this forum and get off your butts and make some videos for youtube!

Well, what are you waiting for?

A video is priceless. Show us how to maintain that wet edge, let us see how you lay it on and then leave it for waterborne, etc...

Seriously, that would be pretty cool, but I am just giving you guys some good-natured ribbing. Your advice here has been almost as good as a video.

Pete

Paintguy -I DEFINATELY agree with you about the painting that goes on at HGTV. I don't think I've EVER seen any prep. I always cringe and think what it must look like in real life. And of course there are lots of painting videos on youtube, some better than others. But when I was stripping wallpaper recently, I first did lots of reading, and then went to Youtube -and it REALLY, REALLY helped to watch someone do it. There were videos on there from professional wallpaper people, and I thought they were terrific.

On a whole house project where you are wanting to diy, an avenue is to hire a reputable pro to do a room and watch them asking questions. This will probably lead the "pro" to go a tad insane, but a decent painter will be more than happy to fill you in on techniques. Offer to pay them hourly for the lesson, as they aren't going to want to be slowed down otherwise. The rest is "practice makes perfect"!

sierraeast, not a bad idea. What I was thinking was to ask a couple of guys (or gals) to come in and give me an estimate and ask how they are going to do it...frankly, if I think the estimate is worth my time I might just take one of them up on their offer to do it and save me the mistakes and grief I'm going through by having my whole small apt. in such a mess. We shall see. Meantime, I am having fun stripping the wallpaper -- LOL -- oh, I forgot my DAP is soaking and I need to check to see if the paste will come off easily now! See ya.