To help you visualize how color can flow throughout your home, we’ve created two beautiful paint color palettes. One illustrates the use of soft colors and the other bold colors.

We display both paint color schemes in the same rooms so you can easily see the effects of the different color palettes in the same space. Just click on the link below to see these two options and get some ideas to help you choose coordinating room colors.

Simple Tips on Achieving Color Flow

Selecting the right colors to connect your rooms starts with inspiration. Use a work of art that speaks to you, a favorite vacation spot, home accessories—anything can inspire your new palette of coordinating interior paint colors.

Harmonizing color seamlessly is based on continuity. To achieve this, keep in mind that room and color coordination relies heavily on choosing hues with similar undertones. So if you love reds with blue undertones, look for other colors with blue undertones.

To help you achieve color flow, here are a few tips that can make coordinating your room colors easy:

• Choose one or two common colors for all of your rooms to share (the trim color, for example)
• Alternate primary wall colors with accent colors between rooms (crown molding, French doors, shelves, a fireplace mantel)
• Let each room’s color scheme be a slight variation of the adjoining room’s color palette
• Use the colors of your design accessories—artwork, draperies, area rugs, throw pillows, upholstery—to help colors flow room to room.

Here are some examples of color flow:
Images provided by Benjamin Moore and Pottery Barn. (Click for larger image)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Squares Technique:

• Prime the surface with Fresh Start® Primer.
• Decide where you want your color division to occur. Then paint one side one color, and the other side the other color. Use low-tack masking tape to make the line clean between colors.
• When both colors are dry, mask off squares that will bridge each color. For our wall, we used six squares. They run from just under the ceiling, down to just above the floor molding.
• Paint each square a different color. Our color recommendations for the pictured wall are in the supplies list. The colors are lighter and darker versions of the two wall colors.

“S” Technique:

• Prime the surface with Fresh Start Primer.
• Paint your first color, and allow to dry.
• Mask off your “S” shape on the painted section. Thinner tape, ½ inch or 1 inch, is easier to use when making an “S” shape.
• Repaint your second color up to the “S” border.
• Make the circles using the lid off a gallon can of paint. Simply trace the circle with a pencil and mask off with tape. Then paint it the opposite color.

Stripes Technique:

You can create a gradient effect by painting stripes varying in size from wide to narrow.

• Prime the surface with Fresh Start Primer.
• Paint your first color (this should be the lightest color) and ensure that it covers the wall well past your selected color transition point. Allow to dry thoroughly.
• Mask off your stripes with tape. Our stripes measure approximately from 1 inch wide up to 4-inches wide. Keep your width exact (for example, for a 4-inch stripe, place two rows of 2-inch tape down the wall).
• Paint second color (this should be the darker color) on the open stripe section and continue to paint the balance of the wall. After stripes are painted, remove tape immediately while paint is still wet.

White Wide-Stripe Technique:

This method creates a border zone where you can hang decorative objects.

• Prime the surface with Fresh Start Primer.
• Select your display objects. They can be pictures, photographs, ceramic plates—almost any collectible that can be hung.
• Add an additional 8 inches to the width of your display objects to determine the width of your border zone.
• Decide where you want the white border section to occur. Ideally, it will not be behind a piece of furniture.
• Mask off the border section with low-tack masking tape.
• Paint each side of the wall outside the taped off section with the two wall colors you have chosen.
• Remove the tape, and allow the wall to dry.
• Hang your display items.

Supply List

Supplies:

• Drop cloth
• Benjamin Moore rollers
• Roller tray
• Benjamin Moore paint brushes
• Low tack masking tape

Paint:

• Fresh Start Primer
• Wall colors: Regal® Eggshell Finish interior latex paint in Twilight Blue 2067-30 and Semolina 2155-40.
• Squares for Square Technique: Regal Eggshell Finish interior latex paint in Gold Mine 2155-20,Yellow Marigold 2155-30, Suntan Yellow 2155-50, Summer Blue 2067-50, Blue Lapis 2067-40, and Starry Night Blue 2067-20.

Begin by removing as much furniture as possible from the room. Use drop cloths to cover the floor and any remaining furniture. While plastic is ideal for furniture, canvas drop cloths absorb paint, are not slippery, will not move, and can be reused.
Next, remove any pictures, mirrors, window treatments, and electrical/light switch plates. Loosen the ceiling plates of hanging light fixtures and cover the fixtures.

Washing the Walls

Because surface dirt can cause poor adhesion, use a light detergent to wash surfaces that are soiled, that are touched often, or that may have any oily residue from cooking. Take care not to leave any residue from the detergent.
Wash doors and trim, particularly where they are handled. After they are clean, wipe surfaces with a damp cloth and allow them to dry before painting.

Removing Pen, Crayon, and Water Stains

To prepare a wall for painting, use a liquid detergent to remove as much of the markings left by pens, crayons, and water stains as possible, and wipe with a clean wet cloth. For any remaining marks, spot prime the affected areas with Moore’s® QD 30® or Fresh Start® to prevent “bleeding” through the finish coat.

Dull Glossy Areas

To ensure proper adhesion, sand glossy surfaces with fine sandpaper. Be sure to remove sanding dust. Vacuum surfaces clean and wipe with a tack cloth.

Spackling

Examine floor, wall, and ceiling surfaces for nail holes, cracks, or any other surface imperfections. Use a putty knife to rake out any large plaster cracks or loose particles in your walls and ceilings.
Firmly press spackling compound into crevices with a putty knife and smooth until the compound is flush with the surface.
To fill mitered trim joinings (which are open) and door or window trim that is separated from your wall, press the compound into the crevices, and smooth it with your finger. Allow it to dry and then sand lightly.
Because patching compound shrinks when it dries, it is often necessary to apply the compound a second time after the first coat has dried.
When preparing your walls for painting by performing spackling work of this kind, we recommend Moorlastic® Lightweight Compound and Moorlastic Vinyl Spackling Paste.

Removing Loose Paint

Use a putty knife to remove any loose or scaling paint. When you remove paint from walls or ceilings, sand paint edges to ensure a smooth surface. This will marry the two levels of paint so the edges will not be noticed when it is re–coated.
When removing paint from the sash, trim, or doors, use a fine sandpaper to sand the entire surface.

The correct sequence of steps is the key to giving any room a quick and refreshing paint makeover. Tip: Start with the ceiling first and then paint the walls.

Step 1 — Clean Ceiling and Walls

Remove dust, dirt, and grease spots (which can ruin a smooth finish) with water, a little mild dishwashing detergent, and a cellulose sponge. Rinse ceiling and walls with clean water to remove the soap residue.

Step 2 — Cut in Around Edges

Beginning at the corner of the room, use a two-inch or 2.5-inch trim brush to “cut in,” applying a three-inch strip of coating along the perimeter where the wall and the ceiling meet.

Cut in a section at a time, alternating between cutting in and painting the ceiling to maintain a wet edge and prevent a visible line between the cut-in area and the rest of the ceiling.

Step 3 — Rolling the Ceiling

Before you begin painting the ceiling, remove excess paint on the roller by slowly rolling it back and forth over the ridges of the paint tray.

Start painting near the corner of the room, blending the coating into the ceiling line painted previously. Paint across the width of the ceiling, rather than the length, and make sure to roll in a motion across your body, rather than along your body, to avoid straining your neck and back.

Step 4 — Painting the Walls

Once your ceiling is dry, return to the spot where you began painting. Use a trim brush to carefully cut in along the wall-ceiling line. Extend out two to three inches from windows, doors, and moldings. Once you’ve cut in around an entire wall area, use a roller to fill in the field.

For efficiency, start in the corner of a wall and roll on a three-by-three-foot W pattern, then fill it in without lifting the roller. Continue in sections until you’re finished. Paint one wall at a time.

Step 5 — Painting the Trim

Once the walls are completely dry, place painter’s blue tape where the trim meets the wall. Paint the moldings, baseboard and the door and window frames with a two-inch angled brush. When painting your trim, paint the tops of the doors and windows first and work your way down so that you can remove any runs as you go. Paint your baseboards last.

Boxing paint is the process of combining all the paint you will be using into one large container. This is especially important when painting a large surface area, such as a home’s exterior, where even a slight color variation from one can of paint to another is markedly visible.

For most interior jobs, an empty 5-gallon container works fine. To use the paint boxing technique, simply pour all cans of the same color paint into the large container, and stir to combine. Whether you are mixing 2 or 20 gallons of paint together, the key is to make sure all the paint is combined to ensure a single, uniform color. Once the paint is combined, you can pour it into a smaller can or paint tray for ease of application.

There is a common myth that priming walls – especially those that have been painted before – isn’t necessary. But many layers of latex paint can actually result in a surface that is very absorbent and requires priming.
It is usually not necessary to apply primer to sashes, trim and doors that already have an enamel finish. If extensive repair work has been done, however, you should apply a primer to these areas.

Interior & Exterior Paint Primers

For patched wall surfaces, spot prime with Regal First Coat® or Fresh Start® (023) interior paint primers. For new drywall, we recommend using a latex primer.
When applying primer to previously painted drywall, use Moore’s® Alkyd Enamel Underbody, Moore’s Alkyd Primer Sealer, Regal First Coat, or Fresh Start.
For walls and ceilings with a porous, flat finish, use Regal First Coat or Fresh Start. For interior or exterior wood surfaces that are unpainted or that have been previously painted and sanded, use Moore’s Alkyd Enamel Underbody or Fresh Start.

Alkyd Paint Cleanup

Cleaning Paint Brushes:
When it comes to cleaning paint brushes that are saturated with alkyd paints, you should work solvent into the bristles, squeezing out as much paint and solvent as possible. Repeat until paint disappears from your brush.
Rinse your brushes in a clear solvent, then wash in soapy water. Rinse and let dry. Wrap and store in heavy paper.

Cleaning Paint Rollers:
Disassemble your roller and submerge the cover in solvent. When most of the paint has been worked out, wash the cover in mild detergent, and rinse in clear water.
Remove paint from frame and hardware with a solvent. Hang your roller to dry.

Latex Paint Cleanup

Follow the paint brush cleaning procedures noted above for alkyd paints, substituting soapy water for paint solvent.

Proper Paint Disposal

Use paints until they are nearly empty, reserving a small amount for touch-ups. Be sure to save alkyd products for hazardous waste collection.
In most states, latex house paint disposal is allowed along with your regular household trash – after it has dried in the can. To accelerate the drying process, leave the can lid open and allow the can to bake in the sun. Then, leave the can open in the trash to show sanitation workers that the paint has hardened.
Recycle your dry, empty containers in your local recycling program. Also consider donating any products you do not use to a nearby community group or civic organization.

What Causes It?
Wax bleeding is most often caused by:
Dark paints, which show discoloration more readily than lighter paints due to their tendency to absorb heat.
Areas without adequate coats, which are more likely to show staining.
Paints with low levels of binder, which are more likely to allow wax to migrate from hardboard.
Direct sunlight and heat.

How to Solve It
To correct discoloration caused by wax bleeding, it is first necessary to figure out whether wax bleeding is indeed occurring. Do this by:

• Placing a few drops of household bleach on the discolored area. If no whitening or bleaching occurs, the stain is probably wax.
• Placing water droplets on both normal and discolored areas. If the water beads up and runs off, it is likely due to wax bleeding.
• If the surface wax is light, use a detergent solution to clean any discolored areas. With severe cases of wax bleeding, clean the surface completely by wiping it with a solvent such as mineral spirits. Change your rags frequently as you clean, and allow the surface to dry thoroughly before painting.

Note: Images provided by The Rohm & Hass Paint Quality Institute.

What Causes It?
The most likely cause is that the vinyl siding was repainted with a darker color paint than the original color. Dark paint tends to absorb the heat of the sun, transferring it to the substrate. When vinyl siding expands dramatically, it is not able to contract to its original dimensions.

How to Solve It
Paint vinyl siding in a shade no darker than the original. Whites, off-whites, pastels, and other very light colors are good choices. Top-quality acrylic latex paint is the best type of paint to use on vinyl siding, because the superior flexibility of the paint film enables it to withstand the stress of expansion and contraction cycles caused by outdoor temperature changes.
Siding that has warped or buckled should be assessed by a siding or home repair contractor to determine the best remedy. The siding may have to be replaced.

Note: Images provided by The Rohm & Hass Paint Quality Institute.

What Causes It?
The paint film may deteriorate if an interior paint has been used outdoors or a lower-quality paint has been replied.
Using a gloss alkyd or oil-based paint in areas of direct sunlight may also cause poor gloss retention.

How to Solve It
Direct sunshine can degrade the binder and pigment of paint, causing it to chalk and lose its gloss. While all types of paint will lose some degree of luster over time, lower- quality paints will generally lose gloss much earlier than better grades.
The binder in top-quality acrylic latex paint is especially resistant to UV radiation, while oil and alkyd binders actually absorb the radiation, causing the binders to break down. Surface preparation for a coating showing poor gloss retention should be similar to that used in chalking surfaces (see Chalking).

Note: Images provided by The Rohm & Hass Paint Quality Institute.