Often customers ask us why they should buy a pint sample to test out their color before buying the paint for their project. We ask them if they would buy a shirt without trying it on first! Much as an ill-fitting garment ruins an outfit, a color chosen in haste can ruin a room. It is very difficult to visualize the true nature of a color from a small chip. Combine the size issue with the fact that most chips are printed with ink and not painted and the difficulty increases. Actual paint is the best way to “try on” a color in a space. To fill this need Benjamin Moore introduced the sample pint program. Paint samples are available in over 3,500 colors, as well as many competitors’ colors, in both interior and exterior finishes. We recommend the sample be painted on plastic sample sheets, foam core board, or spare drywall. Poster board is not recommended because it can absorb too much paint, throwing the color off, and it will curl up and not stay flat. It is very important to sample the color on a separate board and not directly on the wall of your home. This allows the sample to be moved around the room in order to see how the color will pick up the light differently, since lighting affects color dramatically. It also allows you to see the color away from the current wall color, which can influence the perception of the color that is being sampled. Samples painted directly on the walls can also occasionally be seen as patches under the fresh paint job, requiring another coat of paint to mask their appearance. Two coats over white boards is recommended and the pint sample will provide more than enough to cover. Blue Jay Paint and Blinds stocks all the Benjamin Moore sample pints, boards, and disposable rollers necessary to sample your new paint color. Come by today and “try on” a new look!