Tweaking Paint Color in Different Rooms?

Twister

Question: if a homeowner says he wants to use a particular color of paint in more than one room, how often do they ask the painter to tweak that particular color because though it looks good in one room, that same color does not look as nice in a different room?

Asking the question because I've got a particular color ("Beringer") that looks great in a master bedroom but doesn't look so good in an adjoining master bedroom closet (looks more grayish-green in the closet....bleah). My plan for now is to use the same paint color (the "Beringer") in both the bedroom and the closet but to have the Sherwin-Williams guys adjust some of the colorants a little when I paint the master bedroom closet.

My wife is giving me a hard time saying I need medication but I'd like to know if this is a common request among homeowners.

Guessing this is a question primarily for professional painters out there?, not because us DYIers don't have the skill, but since we're DIYers we're not painting several dozen homes every year.

I welcome your thoughts.

Brushjockey

The difference is the light. If it looks good in the room, don't worry so hard about the closet. In fact- use an off white in the closet- and you won't have to repaint that if you want to change the room color later.
Sometimes these things are over thought..
JMO..

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Twister

Brushjockey -

Yes, I know the difference is the amount of light in each room or perhaps even the source of the light (natural vs. electric) but my question was, how often do homeowners ask for a paint color to be slightly altered, not what causes it.

I do appreciate your reply. I'd still like to know from any painter out there if this is an unusual homeowner request. Since I've only received one comment I guess the answer is "yes"?

jsheridan

Is the wife recommending lithium or thorazine? Twister, I've never had such a request. I would give you the same advice that brushjockey gave you. Always paint closets white, and use an eggshell. The combo of the white and sheen will give better illumination. The eggshell will wear better. Closets for some reason seem to take a real beating. Also, as already stated, you won't need to tear the closet apart again when you want to change colors. White closets also look bigger when you sell the house. Work smart.

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Twister

jsheridan -

Hey, thanks for answering my question. I actually painted it last night. Looks pretty nice now but I hope I didn't make a mistake. I'ts a walk-in closet, 9' x 6', but I reeeeally hope the rich maple color doesn't cause lighting problems or make it seem too small. Bought some halogen light bulbs to put out more light and avoid it being too dark. The 'tweaking' of this particular color will come when I get to the master bathroom.

BTW, my wife doesn't care what it is as long as it works.

chrisn

Lucky you

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Gymschu

Never had such a request in 35 years of painting. That's the type of job where I would say, "Thanks for letting me bid on your painting project, but, I must graciously decline the work." Why? Because that li'l bit of tweaking is gonna be frustrating to the nth degree. You're gonna make trip after trip back and forth to the paintstore and the Homeowner's not gonna be happy with the tweaked color. Run, run as fast as your legs will carry you. Let's say you ARE successful on the first "tweak"...........they will expect that same type of over-the-top service each and every time they have you in their home to paint. In the back of my mind I'm thinking, "It's a *&!@#&^%* closet for cryin out loud."

sdsester

I have often been asked to lighten or darken a color between rooms being painted the same but not to tweak the color itself to match different lighting situations.

Trying to match a tricky color painted in a master bedroom with natural or even lots of artificial light to an adjoining bath can be challenging. It is really better to pick a new chip that flows with the bedroom color (analogous, complimentary, etc.) but does not try to be the same.

Lighting may help if you must try to match. Incandescents are cool K temperature but slightly warmer looking than other bulbs. Halogens are higher K and a bit cooler looking. Full spectrum daylight flourescents can be nice in a bath but we are not accustomed to seeing them and they take some getting used to. What you want in any situation is a bulb with a color rendering index above 95 percent. Halogens and incandescents usually fall in this category. Only more expensive florescents do.

chrisn

[quote=Gymschu;777426]Never had such a request in 35 years of painting. That's the type of job where I would say, "Thanks for letting me bid on your painting project, but, I must graciously decline the work." Why? Because that li'l bit of tweaking is gonna be frustrating to the nth degree. You're gonna make trip after trip back and forth to the paintstore and the Homeowner's not gonna be happy with the tweaked color. Run, run as fast as your legs will carry you. Let's say you ARE successful on the first "tweak"...........they will expect that same type of over-the-top service each and every time they have you in their home to paint. In the back of my mind I'm thinking, "It's a *&!@#&^%* closet for cryin out loud."[/quote]

My thoughts exactly

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