How to Colour Match


by Ali |

Colour matching 
Colour matching is a major part of our every day process.  Not everyone opts for a colour change when they choose Rochele to paint their premises, with some stating “colours to remain the same” or “colours to match existing.” So when the colour isn’t going to be changed they choose for the remaining colours to be used which involves colour matching the existing colour.  We as painting professionals know exactly how to do this process however, we get asked on a daily basis how it is actually done by inquisitive clients or by people wanting to do it themselves.  We thought the following may be useful for anyone wanting to match their existing colours on their property:

For interior gyprock ceilings and walls
To colour match an internal colour which has been painted onto gyprock ceilings or walls you will need to cut a piece of the gyprock face off using a Stanley knife.  The piece you remove needs to be no smaller than a fifty cent piece.  You then need to take this sample to the paint store where they can colour match it for you.  You will then need to patch fill where you have taken the plaster off.

For Doors
The best practice to colour match a door would be to remove a door hinge that has been painted and take this into the paint store.  Alternatively, if the door is flaking you can take a 50c picece size of paint to the store to get colour matched.  It is not easy to get a 50c piece size of  paint however, it is essential. If either of these options is not possible you would need a professional to colour match on site.

For Render
You would need to chip off a piece of render which is loose and drummy and take this into the paint store.  If this is not possible you would need a professional to come to site to colour match.

Natural timber
It is difficult to chip off a piece of paint from timber as it is a hard surface the paint usually comes off in small pieces which is not the right size for a colour match. In this case, you would need an expert to come to site to colour match.
When it is not possible to get a sample to take to a paint store for your colour match the below options are possible:

Expert Onsite to Colour match 
A professional would come and have a look at the surface and determine what type of paint it is and go away and purchase paint and match the coatings they have and use paint tinters to tint onsite.

Fan Deck / Colour Card
You could get a fan deck or colour card from a paint store to take home and hold up against the paint you wish to match and try and find the closest match possible.  Keep in mind it is best to choose the lighter shade to what it is because you can add tinter to make it darker but it is near impossible to take tint out to lighten it.

Things to keep in mind….
The more coats you put on a surface the sheen level changes as it is a thicker film that builds on the surface.  That is why you should not just patch an area of a wall as it will always look a different colour due to the sheen level changing. Even if you wash a wall you need to wash the entire wall. The shinier it gets the more light reflects and makes it look like a different colour.

In summary

  • The correct procedure would be to remove a section off the paper face gyprock, render, timber who whatever surface you are looking at and take it to a paint store for colour matching (due to age of the coating sheen levels drop and colours fade even interior colours.)
  • Patch and sand affected area’s using a plaster filler.
  • This will need to be touched up using a sealer and then lightly sanded (needs to be painted the same way as previously done so if it was brushed use a brush if it was rolled then a roller would need to be used.)
  • 1-2 coats of the top coat would need to be applied.
  • Thick blotchy paint is an issue for appearance even if the colour is right.
  • Also you can’t touch up paint in the middle of walls etc. the complete wall will always need coating (even if the same paint was used the next day it will show up.)

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