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How to Use Wattyl Colour Cards & Colour Samplers
20/03/2025
Wattyl in-store colour cards are a useful tool in the first step of selecting a paint colour, but should not be the only factor in the decision making process. They can be a helpful reference point when selecting a colour for an interior which you would like to match to elements in the room such as a rug, art or curtains, to help you co-ordinate and complement colours. These can be vital in narrowing down colour selection.
Tips for using Wattyl colour cards
- Hold them up against walls, flooring, décor items to help you narrow down your colour selection
- Palette cards which feature 10 colours are great for seeing the graduations of colour in a colour family, and enable you to compare and see if going slightly lighter or darker would work better in your space
- Group them together on a piece of white paper to compare variations in warm vs cool and the differing undertones in each colour chip or card
- If you prefer looking at larger colour swatches before testing, these can be purchased online at wattyl.com.au. They can then be adhered to the wall using painter’s tape to view the larger swatch at different times of day and lighting
- When you have selected your final colours, keep a copy of the colour chips or cards. Take these with you when purchasing any large furniture or decorative items for the space, to check if they will complement your chosen within the space.
When holding your colour cards up against an existing painted wall, the surrounding colours, as well as colours reflected from the interior (flooring and décor) and the exterior (greenery outside) can impact your impression of the colour. This is why it is important to test your colour choices in your home.
“Most people test three to five colours in their home after they have decided on a colour family for a specific space”, says Katherine Champion, Wattyl Colour Consultant.
Sampling colours is an investment of both time and money, so a colour chip or card can help to narrow down your selection.
Tips for using Wattyl Colour Samplers
- Paint large swatches in two coats on different walls (one which receives a lot of natural light and one that does not to see the different impact of light on the colour)
- Consider painting on a large piece of foam core board or MDF if the existing wall is painted in a darker or brighter colour, and which will also enable you to move the board around during the day to look at the colour in different lighting
- Look at your testing samples at different times of day and with both natural and artificial light, as light and the surroundings impact how colours appear.
Wattyl Colour Samplers are available in-store at Wattyl stores and stockists including Mitre 10 and Crowies. They are also available to purchase online from the Wattyl website with delivery to selected areas. Please note samplers are for testing only and should not be used for your final project.
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