Hey there, luv. I had a minor screw up, and I need to tell you about it. So I recently had a client who was going to paint a room themselves. I gave her the color swatch and sent her off to the hardware store. You’d think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, except there was a problem. She’d never bought paint before! Sure she could’ve asked for help, but let’s be honest. Finding someone who could answer your question is hit or miss, even outside of a pandemic era. So, completely lost and overwhelmed she left the store, resigned to have someone else do it. I realized my mistake after she called. I took for granted the fact that I know how to get paint, not even considering that she might not. Lesson learned. Now I’m going to share with you what I eventually shared with her about picking up your own paint.

Pick a color, any color. Whether you look online, grab samples from in-store, or have your interiors pro send them off to you, you need to know exactly what color you want. If you’re picking the color on your own, it’ll be easier to you select a color from a brand your local hardware store already carries. At Home Depot you might go with Behr, and at Lowe’s you might go with Sherwin Williams.

Pick a finish. This is much easier than picking paint colors, as their are only about 6 finishes you need to worry about. For a quick reference, walls for dry spaces like living rooms and bedrooms usually get an eggshell finish. Check out the article on selecting paint finishes.

Time to get the color mixed. Now, this part does require an in-store attendant. Once you know what color and finish you’d like, you need to go to the paint order area. Hand the attendant the color swatch and let them know which finish you’d like. Then they’ll mix it, secure it, and add a paint barcode sticker and dab of paint.

Purchase and go. Check out for paint is a breeze. The cashier, or you if in self check out, just scans the barcode on the side of the paint can. Then the system will ask you to scan the added code for the color of the paint (the one that’s now on top of the can). That’s it. You pay for it and go.

BONUS: For those who are doing all the paint shopping on your own, a key piece of advice: do not get the cheapest paint you can find. When it comes to paint, you really get what you pay for. You do not want to start a paint job and have to buy more because the paint is too thin or you it comes off in droves if its cleaned. Quality is greater than quantity (cost) in this case.

Now you should have no problem going into your local hardware store to grab your paint. Make sure you like this post and subscribe to the blog if you haven’t already done so. Talk to you soon!