Mix your own custom paint colors.
Custom colors are easy to do at home, though you may have difficulty hitting the exact mark on a particular swatch or color sample you are going for. One reason is that the pigments that give paint its color are not perfect pigments; they all have undertones that can cast different shades when mixed with other colors. If you must have a precise color, it's better to go to the paint store and get a sample matched. If you have a lot of leftover paint and want to have some fun, this is a good way to use it up and find some great colors you might not have thought of otherwise.
Instructions
1. Pour the white paint into the mixing bucket. This will be the base of your color. An inexpensive ceiling white is fine if you don't already have white paint. Most home colors are predominantly white. Dark colors are very strong and can take over a room. Use an amount of white that is commensurate with the area you are painting; figure 400 square feet per gallon. The other colors or tints will not add appreciable volume.
2. Add your next color, a color that will get you closer to your desired hue. Any color added to white creates a pastel. For pink, soft lime, butter cream or powder blue, for instance, add a small amount of the corresponding tint or colored paint (red, green, yellow and blue, respectively).
3. Find subtler colors by adding colors beside your existing paint color on a color wheel. These colors will move the paint color to a new color in between the two colors being mixed. For example, to make a powder blue more mauve, add purple or red. To make a green chartreuse, add yellow.
4. Neutralize color by adding black, brown or the complement of the existing color. Red will neutralize green, yellow neutralizes purple and blue neutralizes orange (and vice versa). Black and brown neutralize all colors. Don't overlook these hues. They may appear unspectacular, but they can be excellent on the wall, especially in a room that already has a lot of color. A dusty rose, with a hint of gray, or a mint green with an earth color undertone add hue without attracting attention.
5. Stir your colors thoroughly as you go to ensure you are blending the paint uniformly. The drill and paint apparatus is ideal for this.
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