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Answers to your questions from our colour experts, p. 15

Here's a taste of some of the Colour Expert questions and answers to help you with your own colour scheme.

If you would like more colour advice for your project, please ask our Colour Expert for help or come in and see our staff at your local Resene ColorShop or Reseller. Colours are a representation only.

 
 
 
 

Q&A   p. 15

Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.


Q. We need to paint the exterior of our 1968 modernist style house. We are told it can't be stained - we envisaged it being black. It's too sunny for black or dark paint - we've been told we need a paint of 40% or more LRV or 30% if it is CoolColour™. What would you recommend?

A. This is a bit tricky - the painter is very cautious and wants your house to have maximum protection from any absorbed heat problem - but this does limit you to very light colours. If White is 100 LRV and Black is 0 LRV you can see that pale colours fall between 45 LRV and 100 LRV. You might look at these paint colours to match LRV expectations - Resene Half Sandstone CoolColour - LRV 31% or Resene Quarter Sandstone CoolColour - LRV 39%.

I suggest you talk to the painter about what he indicates are appropriate colours to get some idea of why he is being so cautious. Paint after having a stain finish is more prep work and the cost reflects this as well. Is it possible to have the house re-stained? You could look at Woodsman Resene Tiri CoolColour which will give you a nice colour - a little bit deep (but definitely not black) but if deep is what you fancy and you are prepared to accept the limitations of the colour depth so you get the look (this could equate to re-staining more frequently to maintain the protective factor) then you need to talk it through with the tradesperson.

Resene Half Sandstone
Resene Half Sandstone
Resene Quarter Sandstone
Resene Quarter Sandstone
Resene Tiri
Resene Tiri
March 2014

Q. My villa is painted Resene Napa on the weatherboards and Resene Half Alabaster on the trims. What colour should I paint the deck?

A. You could check out Resene Double Friar Grey, Resene Double Pravda or Resene Evolution.

Resene Napa
Resene Napa
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Double Friar Grey
Resene Double Friar Grey
Resene Double Pravda
Resene Double Pravda
Resene Evolution
Resene Evolution
March 2014

Q. I used Resene Tuatara, Resene Malta, Resene Stonewall and Resene Millbrook in a previous house with Resene Soapstone as the predominant colour. Could you advise on a 'white' which would go with these other colours but which is closer to neutral as Resene Soapstone next to white bathroom tiles was a bit creamy?

A. You could try Resene Half Black White, Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Half Wan White. They don't throw pink or cream so they are more neutral/grey whites.

Resene Tuatara
Resene Tuatara
Resene Malta
Resene Malta
Resene Stonewall
Resene Stonewall
Resene Millbrook
Resene Millbrook
Resene Soapstone
Resene Soapstone
Resene Half Black White
Resene Half Black White
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Half Wan White
Resene Half Wan White
March 2014

Q. Thanks to previous advice, I have now chosen Resene Triple Tea weatherboards with bagged schist, Ironsand roof but am stumped on the colour for the garage and front door. I am considering Resene Lichen as I think Ironsand would be too obvious and stand out. Would you have any other suggestion? Also there will be external beams which will be stained in a brown such as Resene Shadow Match.

A. I am inclined to agree with you in regard Resene Lichen. It is slightly more shaded than Resene Triple Tea and a bit yellower but it works as a powdercoat colour with the others. You might also look at using COLORSTEEL® Sorrell which is deeper in tone but nowhere near the depth of Ironsand. I like the idea of using Resene Woodsman Shadow Match on the external beams.

Resene Triple Tea
Resene Triple Tea
COLORSTEEL Ironsand
COLORSTEEL® Ironsand
Resene Lichen
Resene Lichen
COLORSTEEL Sorrell
COLORSTEEL® Sorrell
Resene Shadow Match
Resene Shadow Match
March 2014

Q. I am looking for a warm neutral and I quite like Resene Half Truffle but I am worried it may have a slightly mushroomy look. Is there another grey/brown that has a warm look to it that I could consider?

A. You could try Resene Quarter Cloudy, Resene Eighth Napa or Resene Eighth Pravda.

Resene Half Truffle
Resene Half Truffle
Resene Cloudy
Resene Cloudy
Resene Eighth Napa
Resene Eighth Napa
Resene Eighth Pravda
Resene Eighth Pravda
March 2014

Q. I am looking for a house colour that would go with an Ironsand roof and white windows. I don't want to use the colour Resene Tea. Can you suggest some colours and would an Ironsand roof go with a Resene Biscotti painted house?

A. Yes Resene Biscotti would go nicely with an Ironsand roof and white windows. Some other colours that would work also are – Resene Double Merino, Resene Fossil and Resene Half Perfect Taupe. Any of these colours would look good.

Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Biscotti
Resene Biscotti
Resene Double Merino
Resene Double Merino
Resene Fossil
Resene Fossil
Resene Half Perfect Taupe
Resene Half Perfect Taupe
March 2014

Q. What would be the best Resene ceiling colour to be go with the three following wall colours: Resene Half Sisal, Resene Quarter Sisal and Resene Flotsam.

A. You could try Resene Quarter Rice Cake, 'whiter' Resene Eight Rice Cake or Resene Alabaster. The first two options are slightly warmer than the third option.

Resene Half Sisal
Resene Half Sisal
Resene Quarter Sisal
Resene Quarter Sisal
Resene Flotsam
Resene Flotsam
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
March 2014

Q. I have Matai floors and oiled radiata ceiling, wooden furniture with red and also blue coverings. My house is Resene Pioneer Red corrugated iron and natural unstained pine plywood with battens. I face north-west and am coastal. I am thinking of some sort of terracotta for my lounge walls with possibly off-white contrasts. Do you have any suggestions please?

A. Facing north west and getting a lot of warm natural light (and possibly heat as well) coupled with the rich tones of the Matai and oiled radiata I think you may be overdoing 'hot colours' in the lounge and minimising the rich wood tones you have now if you do go to a another warm tone i.e. terracotta. If you have a coastal aspect and a nice view perhaps you could look at these colours – Resene Bluegrass with Resene Rice Cake, Resene Seachange with Resene Quarter Spanish White, Resene Lemon Grass with Resene Half Wheatfield or Resene Periglacial Blue with Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta. Or try a terracotta to blend into the wood floors and ceilings – Resene Twizel used with Resene Bianca.

Resene Pioneer Red
Resene Pioneer Red
     
Resene Bluegrass
Resene Bluegrass
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Seachange
Resene Seachange
Resene Quarter Spanish White
Resene Quarter Spanish White
Resene Lemon Grass
Resene Lemon Grass
Resene Half Wheatfield
Resene Half Wheatfield
Resene Periglacial Blue
Resene Periglacial Blue
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
Resene Twizel
Resene Twizel
Resene Bianca
Resene Bianca
   
March 2014

Q. I have Resene Half Spanish White on my walls and Resene Quarter Spanish White on ceilings for almost all my house. What colours do you suggest to go with this?

A. You are fortunate in that the warm neutrals that you have used already allow you to venture into many types of colour - dependent upon personal taste. The only types of colours that often don't relate so well are the very clear bright tones (they tend to make the Resene Spanish White palette of colours look muddy and dense) or sweet pastels as they like to be associated with clearer cooler whites. You could try Resene Pioneer Red, Resene Koru, Resene St Kilda, Resene Quarter Lignite, Resene Double Biscotti, Resene Bluegrass or Resene Forbidden.

Resene Half Spanish White
Resene Half Spanish White
Resene Quarter Spanish White
Resene Quarter Spanish White
Resene Pioneer Red
Resene Pioneer Red
Resene Koru
Resene Koru
Resene St Kilda
Resene St Kilda
Resene Quarter Lignite
Resene Quarter Lignite
Resene Double Biscotti
Resene Double Biscotti
Resene Bluegrass
Resene Bluegrass
Resene Forbidden
Resene Forbidden
 
March 2014

Q. We are looking at painting the outside of our weatherboard home. We are looking at Grey Friars or Ironsand for the new roof which we are also replacing. We have silver window joinery. We like the Resene Half Tapa and Resene Quarter Tapa but wonder if it is too cold. Are you able to give us some more ideas that are warmer in the grey/green tones?

A. Warmer grey/green tones that you might investigate are – Resene Half Taupe Grey or lighter Resene Quarter Taupe Grey, Resene Half Ash or Resene Half Delta. It may help you if you pop into a Resene ColorShop and view the A4 paint samples and compare them with the Resene Half Tapa and Resene Quarter Tapa and also the large colour samples of the Grey Friars and Ironsand as colour needs to be judged in reality and with the possible roof colour as it will change because of the relationship.

Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Half Tapa
Resene Half Tapa
Resene Quarter Tapa
Resene Quarter Tapa
Resene Half Taupe Grey
Resene Half Taupe Grey
Resene Quarte Taupe Grey
Resene Quarter Taupe Grey
Resene Half Ash
Resene Half Ash
Resene Half Delta
Resene Half Delta
March 2014

Q. Our 1922 American Bungalow exterior is currently Resene Pure Pewter with white trim and black painted wooden doors. We like Resene Pure Pewter but would like a change as we are about to repaint and are in the process of reroofing in True Oak, Sandstone Grey. We have a cottage garden full of roses with box hedges, one boundary of citrus and another is a hornbeam hedge.

A. When you have had a colour that has worked well for you it is often hard to change. The new roof colour is a warmer type of stone grey so you might investigate the following colours to see if they 'ring your bell' – Resene Double Truffle, Resene Quarter Cloudy, Resene Eighth Tapa or Resene Half Taupe Grey. Or for a completely different colour – Resene Secrets.

Resene Pure Pewter
Resene Pure Pewter
Resene Double Truffle
Resene Double Truffle
Resene Quarter Cloudy
Resene Quarter Cloudy
Resene Eighth Tapa
Resene Eighth Tapa
Resene Half Taupe Grey
Resene Half Taupe Grey
Resene Secrets
Resene Secrets
March 2014

Q. I have a 1926 bungalow. The roof and windows are New Denim Blue. I have tried Resene Sea Fog, Resene Black White and Resene Merino. Resene Merino is a better colour. I prefer a 'white' colour but not too white. I would like some colour but not brownish.

A. You could try Resene Barely There, Resene Half Concrete, Resene Wan White or Resene Quarter Ecru White.

Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Merino
Resene Merino
 
Resene Barely There
Resene Barely There
Resene Half Concrete
Resene Half Concrete
Resene Wan White
Resene Wan White
Resene Quarter Ecru White
Resene Quarter Ecru White
March 2014

Q. I am painting my walls Resene Quarter Merino and the woodwork semi-gloss enamel finish Resene Quarter Merino. What colour should I do the ceilings?

A. You might look at these 'whites' to see if they work for you - Resene Half Alabaster or Resene White. They will add crisp clean light and slightly emphasis the wall and woodwork colour.

Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene White
Resene White
March 2014

Q. Have just painted my kitchen Resene Half Silver Chalice. Need to paint the other rooms as well. Should I do them the same colour or different shades of Resene Silver Chalice? Was thinking a darker shade for the lounge and dining rooms (Resene Silver Chalice), a lighter shade for the hallways (Resene Quarter Silver Chalice) and the bedrooms the same as the kitchen (Resene Half Silver Chalice). Am I on the right track?

A. What you suggest (and where you want the relevant different levels of colour to be) achieves a simple monochromatic single colour scheme. It should look smart and well balanced and as long as all the rooms get a huge amount of warm bright light all day it will work for you. If, however, the rooms are dim or on the cool shady side of the house you may notice the greys look chilly/severe or very 'no nonsense/business like'. That is the general ambiance of greys. Using bold and warm accessories, curtains and furniture and lots of real white as trims and ceilings will modify this general ambiance however.

Resene Half Silver Chalice
Resene Half Silver Chalice
Resene Quarter Silver Chalice
Resene Quarter Silver Chalice
March 2014

Q. I am looking for a colour that best matches the Pacific Ocean in order to create a view without boundaries.

A. I hate to put a damper on your desire for the perfect sea blue but seeing as the colours one sees in the ocean change minute to minute, hour to hour, daily, weekly, monthly according to the season, the sun, the weather, plus of course the area of country that you are looking at it may be difficult to get a match. The best idea would be to look at colour charts and collect colour samples to shortlist the possibilities. Also taking photos of the sea at your favourite or most viewed time of day will also give you a good startpoint for the colour.


Q. I would like to paint my house Resene Half Lemon Grass but just wondered about the roof colour? I am leaning towards Resene Cathedral or Resene Gauntlet roof colours.

A. Resene Cathedral may give you a nice level of contrast - roof angles and natural light often makes roof paint colours look quite a bit lighter which is my main concern with Resene Gauntlet. Another option might be Resene Jurassic which is similar to Resene Cathedral but not a metallic paint colour. If you do decide to go with Resene Cathedral metallic it is important to always work away from the wet surface of the paint and avoid overbrushing across the already painted surface.

Resene Half Lemon Grass
Resene Half Lemon Grass
Resene Cathedral
Resene Cathedral
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Jurassic
Resene Jurassic
March 2014

Q. If we paint the kitchen walls Resene Eighth Parchment, what colour could we paint architraves? We have Resene Pohutukawa as a glass splashback and the kitchen units are silver white Melteca.

A. You might like to check out these two options which could be used for the ceilings as well – Resene Quarter Black White or Resene Half Sea Fog.

Resene Eighth Parchment
Resene Eighth Parchment
Resene Pohutukawa
Resene Pohutukawa
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
March 2014

Q. We have a new build in progress and we can't decide on a weatherboard colour. The roof is Sandstone Grey and joinery Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta.

A. You could try Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Quarter Sisal and Resene Truffle. They are all colours that will work with the roof colour but are from quite different palettes so you do have choices.

Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Quarter Sisal
Resene Quarter Sisal
Resene Truffle
Resene Truffle
March 2014

Q. We are using Resene Grey Friars on our roof and doors. What would be a mid grey that has a green tinge that you recommend we put with this for the body of our house? We have Mist Green around all the windows/doors.

A. The colours that bridge the gap between the Grey Friars roof and the Mist Green windows are not many I am afraid but you might look at these ones – Resene Half Lemon Grass, Resene Pumice, Resene Half Delta or Resene Foggy Grey.

If there is too much grey in the tone, the green windows pop out in an alarming way, and if there is too much yellow or blue in the green/grey the windows pop out as being wrong with the new main colour. Too light a colour over-emphasises the depth of colour in the windows and too deep a colour makes the window colour look brighter. So you could say - rightfully- that you are being held to ransom a bit by the Mist Green powder coated windows. Definite coloured windows cause definite problems when changing to a new look.

Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Half Lemon Grass
Resene Half Lemon Grass
Resene Pumice
Resene Pumice
Resene Half Delta
Resene Half Delta
Resene HalfFoggy Grey
Resene Half Foggy Grey
March 2014

Q. I have a three storey house with garage and entry basement, living (second storey) and bedrooms top storey. As none of the floors are stepped back I want to break up the mass a bit. I like Resene Quarter Napa for the top two storeys but wonder what colour I might go for on the basement, fascia boards, garage and front door? The window frames are brown aluminium.

A. The basement area is shadowed by the deck above and the carport at the side so even a slight deepening of the house colour might cut the height a bit - perhaps look at using Resene Napa for the garage door and all fascias, including the carport fascia and posts which are white at the moment. You might consider an interesting complex neutral like Resene Innocence, a strong definite green like Resene Kereru or a deep/muted slate inspired blue like Resene Avalanche. For the door you might consider Resene Triple Stonehenge to integrate the window joinery colour a bit.

Resene Quarter Napa
Resene Quarter Napa
Resene Napa
Resene Napa
Resene Innocence
Resene Innocence
Resene Kereru
Resene Kereru
Resene Avalanche
Resene Avalanche
Resene Triple Stonehenge
Resene Triple Stonehenge
March 2014

Q. We're looking for a colour to use on our window framing. Our cladding is Hinuera stone. The current window frame colour has a slightly pink tinge to it. We'd like an off-white that works well with the stone, but also with a deeper bush-green colour that is used above some of the windows and in a few other places where there is timber cladding. Our windows are large and we have bifold doors, so there's quite a lot of framing to be painted. We think we'd prefer something tending towards green, rather than a straight beige.

A. You might like to try Resene Eighth Ash, Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene Merino or Resene Double Sea Fog. They are all off-white with complex undertones of green - these may not be noticeable until you see them alongside pure white so if you are trialling them I suggest you undercoat the window framing in white to remove the influence of the existing window frame colour.

Resene Eighth Ash
Resene Eighth Ash
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Merino
Resene Merino
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Double Sea Fog
March 2014

Q. The interior of our house is being repainted and we have chosen Resene Half Parchment for most of the rooms. Could you please advise what colours would be suitable for the door, door frames and window trims? It is a modern country home that receives lots of light.

A. Does it have very minimal skirting boards and door frames? If that is the case you might look at using the same colour as the walls - Resene Half Parchment but in a semi-gloss enamel so the detail is subtle and understated. If you want more emphasis with a much lighter colour then you could look at using Resene Eighth Parchment or even a brighter 'white' - Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta.

The modern approach to doors and other woodwork does tend to favour under emphasising and merging in the woodwork with the wall colour but a lighter colour does lift the whole colour scheme and add visual interest. Sometimes people like the doors to match the wall colour (practical as it isn't too light and forgives constant touching and finger marking) and all the rest of the woodwork to be lighter.

Resene Half Parchment
Resene Half Parchment
Resene Eighth Parchment
Resene Eighth Parchment
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
March 2014

Q. We are about to paint the exterior of our white three bedroom Lockwood home. The roof is black longrun iron, windows aluminium bronze and bargeboards dark khaki. Could you please give us a choice of light colours that would update the look?

A. If the windows are bronze and the roof is black you may need to change the bargeboards as well as the new main colour. You could try Resene Double White Pointer or lighter variants of this palette as the main colour with a deeper colour for bargeboards such as Resene Stonehenge, or Resene Half Taupe Grey or a lighter variant of this palette as the main colour and a deeper colour for bargeboards such as Resene Half Chicago. If the windows changed (bronze does tend to keep you tied to brown based colours) to a silver aluminium or a white then you would have a wider range of colour options.

Resene Double White Pointer
Resene Double White Pointer
Resene Stonehenge
Resene Stonehenge
Resene Half Taupe Grey
Resene Half Taupe Grey
Resene Half Chicago
Resene Half Chicago
March 2014

Q. We have an older style house that we want to paint the outside of to make it look more modern. It is currently a dark beige/yellow colour with trim in Mission Brown and dark green with a dark green COLORBOND® roof. It also has aluminium cream coloured Clearview windows throughout. We would like to go with light cream walls with a grey roof and decking and white woodwork. Do you think those colours would work?

A. It sounds like the new colours will definitely give you a modern look. The only query I have is about the very cream powdercoated windows. Are you replacing them? If you aren't then you must ensure the main house colour is very sympathetic to the cream of the windows otherwise it will be over-accentuated and they will 'pop' out strongly.


Q. I would like a colour to tie in with duvet and blind. Wardrobes are being changed to Resene Alabaster. I have tried Resene Quarter Escape but am wondering whether it is too dark.

A. If you are trying to co-ordinate with a duvet and a blind that has a duck egg colour in the fabric is there any way you can take one or both into your nearest Resene ColorShop to check out the large A4 samples of colour in the Colour Library? This will allow you to see all of the subtle duck egg colours with the elements you want it to go with. Some colours you might like to try to get you started are Resene Breeze, Resene Half Emerge or Resene Cut Glass.

Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Breeze
Resene Breeze
Resene Half Emerge
Resene Half Emerge
Resene Cut Glass
Resene Cut Glass
March 2014

Q. We are going to paint our 12 year old daughter's bedroom. She wants a feature wall of a colour like Resene Surfie Green, Resene Java or Resene Kumutoto, and the remaining walls an off-white. We have Resene Parchment in the hall and lounge, and deep raisin brown curtains. Her room gets bright sun in the morning, and the feature wall will be seen at the end of the hallway. Can you recommend what off-white colour would go with her feature wall colour? She likes Resene Java but I think that could be too intensely bright?

A. I do believe that young people have happier, healthier lives in they have lots of colour in their environment. Is the wall that the feature colour is going to be painted on the only wall that it can be on? Just thinking if it was another wall - not seen from the hallway - then you wouldn't have to see it as you walk past. If you look at Resene Quarter Parchment with either Resene Java or Resene Surfie Green and paler Resene Eighth Parchment with Resene Kumutoto you will find that the very light versions from the Resene Parchment palette will work very well with your main interior colour. Smart alternative ideas might be – a super bright new duvet for your daughter (her choice) so that she is happy not to have a feature wall or painting old furniture or book shelves in the bright colour she wants so she is happy not to have a feature wall. These are ways that parents can let their children have what they like without the walls being involved. But seriously, colour is magic and even if the only wall that can be a feature is the one you see from the hallway then it won't take long before you fall in love with it too. Intensely bright colour may have a shorter life as a wall colour but it is fun, invigorating and exciting.

Resene Surfie Green
Resene Surfie Green
Resene Java
Resene Java
Resene Kumutoto
Resene Kumutoto
Resene Parchment
Resene Parchment
Resene Eighth Parchment
Resene Eighth Parchment
March 2014

Q. What colour would go with a COLORSTEEL® Sandstone Grey roof, matt Ghost Grey windows and a Resene New Denim Blue door. This is a brand new plastered house by the sea on a hill. I don’t want to go too light. It blends well into the hill with trees around it

A. Dependent upon what plaster system has been used on the house you may need to compromise a little bit. You say it blends well into the hill with trees around it now - is that because the existing house colour works well? Perhaps look at these options – Resene Double Truffle (LRV 44%), Resene Quarter Stonehenge (LRV 48%), Resene Triple Rakaia (LRV 40%) or Resene Quarter Tapa (LRV 45%)

I have included the LRV % in case you get asked to provide that information in regard the plaster system recommendations. All of these colours are available as a CoolColour™ also, which helps reflect more heat than the standard version of the colour.

COLORSTEEL Sandstone Grey
COLORSTEEL® Sandstone Grey
Resene New Denim Blue
Resene New Denim Blue
Resene Double Truffle
Resene Double Truffle
Resene Quarter Stonehenge
Resene Quarter Stonehenge
Resene Triple Rakaia
Resene Triple Rakaia
Resene Quarter Tapa
Resene Quarter Tapa
March 2014

Q. We need some help choosing exterior colours. We have just had our concrete tile roof repaired and recoated a charcoal colour. We now need to replace the guttering. The house is currently pale peach with brown aluminium joinery and a blue front door. Unfortunately at this stage the house has to stay the same colour but I would like an overall scheme to work towards. What colours would you suggest for the gutters, barge boards, soffits, garage doors and front door?

A. You don't say if the guttering that you are replacing will be powder coated metal or white pvc. I am hazarding a guess that you will be getting a powder coated metal guttering. If you can get a charcoal powder coated metal, perhaps Resene Grey Friars, then it will at least relate to the roof. Don't get a brown powder coated metal - even though it may look reasonable with the windows it keeps you 'stuck' on the brown theme and doesn't let you proceed colourwise to a new look. If the underside of the soffits and the bargeboards are painted a slightly tinted white like Resene Double Alabaster the benign neutrality lets any other colour work with it.

If the garage doors are painted to match the powdercoated metal guttering - Resene Grey Friars - and the front door is picked out in a happy colour (this is where you get to choose a colour that you really adore) it will afford you a little bit of 'gorgeous' and a lot of fundamental neutral charcoal and white which when you come to choose a new house colour you can have just about anything at all.

Yes, you will still have the older brown aluminium joinery to contend with but you can integrate this by using a similar brown for fences. If you were replacing the window joinery at some stage, perhaps because you want double glazing, you might choose a white powdercoat or a charcoal powdercoat.

House colours come and go in fashion and everyone feels passionate about a colour theme one moment then a bit later on you may change your mind so by just changing what you can at this point allows you to choose completely new later.

Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Alabaster
March 2014

Q. I am looking to repaint the interior of our house in a fresh white. I'm looking at either Resene Bianca or Resene Half Bianca with Resene Sea Fog skirtings and architraves. Can you suggest a white for the ceilings?

A. I would usually tie the woodwork and the ceilings together as the same 'white' so instead of randomly using completely unrelated whites I would be trying for a harmonious relationship. Walls would be painted in a low sheen finish, woodwork in a semi-gloss waterborne enamel and ceilings in a flat waterborne finish so that the different levels of colour and the different gloss levels create visual interest.

As an example – Resene Bianca on walls and Resene Quarter Bianca on woodwork and ceilings, or Resene Sea Fog on walls and Resene Quarter Sea Fog on woodwork and ceilings, or Resene Half Bianca on walls and Resene Alabaster on woodwork and ceilings.

Resene Bianca
Resene Bianca
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
 
March 2014

Q. I have a small room that I am making into a home office. It has a small window and faces south. The room comes off my hallway which is painted in Resene Rice Cake. The existing woodwork and ceiling is Resene Alabaster. I would love to paint this room in Resene Quarter Iron. I have a white desk and bookshelf which I think will blend in wonderfully. However, I am a little worried that the colour might be a little cold and also the fact that the doorway remains open to the hall and Resene Rice Cake. The other colour I have got it down to is Resene Eighth Rice Cake which I know would lighten up the room but then I have white on white and the Resene Quarter Rice Cake has quite a yellow tinge looking at the swatch I have painted on the wall.

A. It seems a shame not to have what you really fancy. South facing rooms always get a bad rap because they grey off a lot and can look chilly. So perhaps a compromise may be needed. Could you consider these options – use a lighter/warmer main colour such as Resene Eighth Rice Cake with one wall only of Resene Quarter Iron (perhaps in front of the desk), or use a deeper grey as a feature on one wall - Resene Iron (not so cold as a 'whiter' grey) and Resene Eighth Rice Cake, or use the colour you fancy - Resene Quarter Iron - and modify the cool look by adding some red accessories, a red office chair or a red blind at the window.

Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Quarter Iron
Resene Quarter Iron
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Iron
Resene Iron
March 2014

Q. I have Resene Truffle walls in the lounge and will carry this through into the kitchen. What colour door fronts would be the best colour? I was thinking of greens. The oven door is a grey aluminium colour. The benchtop has grey with some hints of pastels pink, brown but it may get replaced.

A. If you do favour a green for the door fronts you may find that it doesn't sit so well with the benchtop and you need to replace it sooner rather than later. These lovely greens look fabulous with your main wall colour of Resene Truffle – Resene Pure Pewter, Resene Lemon Grass and Resene Bud. Or for something different, a slate blue/grey – Resene Bluff.

Resene Truffle
Resene Truffle
Resene Pure Pewter
Resene Pure Pewter
Resene Lemon Grass
Resene Lemon Grass
Resene Bud
Resene Bud
Resene Bluff
Resene Bluff
March 2014

Q. The wall in our living room, dining room and kitchen are painted in Resene Milk Punch. All three rooms are connected. The floor in the dining room and kitchen would be brown cork tiles. Would Brownstone carpet in the living room complement well with the walls and the brown cork tiles in the dining room and kitchen? In the living room there is a lot of wood. You are right that very light yellow can multiply in intensity.

A. I think if you choose a carpet that has a warm gold/brown or a brown/grey look to it rather than a definite chocolate brown tone you may find it suits the colour scheme better. The main thing to remember is the carpet must look good overall not just with the wall colour but all the other flooring and furniture.

Resene Milk Punch
Resene Milk Punch
March 2014

Q. I am having a new kitchen installed and they use Resene paints. I want a nice industrial grey... not black. I've tried Resene Bokara Grey, Resene Foundry, Resene Ebony Clay and Resene Grey Friars but all seem very black. I like charcoal but want to see that it is grey. Everything else I looked at seems to be smoky grey.

A. You seem to have looked at samples that have very black tones - if you want an industrial grey they are just back from charcoal - perhaps these ones may suit you – Resene Half Baltic Sea, Resene Half Friar Grey - or slightly lighter Resene Quarter Grey Friars, or Resene Half Tuna - or slightly lighter Resene Quarter Tuna.

If you are using a lot of white (any sharp/clean white) close to the industrial grey it may well seem twice the depth of colour. The contrast forces the eye to judge the depth of colour in quite different way. Always look at real A4 samples of paint colour at your nearest Resene ColorShop. It is only by comparing that you get a reality check on what the colour really looks like. Slide a sheet of white printer paper between the A4 samples and see how deep they appear to be. It is amazing!

Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Foundry
Resene Foundry
Resene Ebony Clay
Resene Ebony Clay
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
 
Resene Half Baltic Sea
Resene Half Baltic Sea
Resene Half Friar Grey
Resene Half Friar Grey
Resene Quarter Grey Friars
Resene Quarter Grey Friars
Resene Half Tuna
Resene Half Tuna
Resene Quarter Tuna
Resene Quarter Tuna
March 2014

Q. In the house we have just bought the downstairs bathroom is rather chilly. Not a lot of natural light comes in as the house is nestled in native bush. There are white Subway tiles halfway up the walls and a blue and white tiled splashback around the bath. Mid grey tiles are on the floor. These are all in excellent condition and are not being replaced. The top half of the walls are concrete block and these will be plastered over as well as the ceiling. Can you please suggest an eye popping colour to distract from the bunker style nature of the room? The rest of the house has loads of Rimu joinery and we are painting it with Resene Quarter Merino.

A. It will make a tremendous difference to the room when the concrete block and ceiling is plastered. At the moment - apart from the chilly aspect - the room is somewhat held to ransom by the configuration of the tiled floor, tiled splashback, tiled half walls and concrete block all doing a 'blocks and lines' scenario. Plain walls will look rather less fussy. Is the downstairs bathroom an extra bathroom - does it service downstairs bedrooms only and is there a main bathroom upstairs? If this is the case you may need to think of all those bedrooms as well as the bathroom. I think an 'eye popping' colour may be going a bit far but I do feel that the top half of the walls and ceiling may need to be the same colour - otherwise you have multiple blocks of colour presenting: floor tiles 1st colour, bath surround splash tiles 2nd colour, subway tiles on most of the walls 3rd colour, upper wall - 4th colour and ceiling - 5th colour ie 5 elements of colour plus bath, vanity etc which is quite a lot in one small space and can be very fussy. You might like to try these colours – Resene Caper (fresh and invigorating with blue splashback tiles, grey floor tiles and white subway tiles and bath etc), Resene Splash (warm/sunny and balancing the grey, blue and white tiles) or Resene Eighth Drought (warm pale biscuit neutral possibly looking slightly deeper alongside the white subway tiles but co-ordinating well with blue and grey tiles). By carrying some of the chosen bathroom colour into the bedroom/s as a colour featured in the duvets or curtains or as a few well chosen small accessories this will link the spaces and make them seem nicer and more co-ordinated.

Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Caper
Resene Caper
Resene Eighth Drought
Resene Eighth Drought
March 2014

Q. We are building an extension and the new roof colour is COLORSTEEL® Ironsand. We need to select an external paint colour for weatherboards and a COLORSTEEL® garage door. We like the idea of the garage door being the same colour as the weatherboards. Could you recommend a colour? We have looked at Resene Half Truffle and Resene Half Tapa but these are not listed as a COLORSTEEL® colour. Could you suggest a match?

A. COLORSTEEL® roofing comes in a much more limited palette than paint colours. Perhaps you could look at – Resene Gauntlet, Resene Atmosphere or Resene Ironsand for the garage door to match the roof and use one of the lovely lighter colours you favour on the house instead of matching the house and garage.

If you decided to paint the weatherboards Resene Ironsand to match the garage door I definitely recommend you use the Cool Colour™ version of the colour so that the weatherboards don't react badly with the heat absorption due to the darkness of the colour. There are two slightly lighter versions of the Ironsand colour but I would still recommend using the CoolColour version of the colours - Resene Half Ironsand or Resene Quarter Ironsand as they are still quite dark.

COLORSTEEL Ironsand
COLORSTEEL® Ironsand
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Atmosphere
Resene Atmosphere
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
March 2014

Q. We are beginning to paint our orange brick and cement plaster house and think it's time to change the colour scheme. We have just had our tiled roof painted 'Old Fire' grey which is a dark grey/blue colour. The cement plaster at present is white and we want to change this to maybe the likes of a taupe/beige or light mushroom colour. The window ledges trim at present is kind of a rustic red and we're possibly going to change this also. We are not such a fan of 'one coloured houses'.

A. Only paint over the bricks if you absolutely hate them and they are stopping you from enjoying your house. There are many colours you might choose for the cement plaster on your house but perhaps you might check these ones out to see if any of them work for you – Resene Thorndon Cream, Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Half Cloud or Resene Quarter Fossil.

I personally wouldn't pick out the window edge trim as it interrupts the eye seeing how large, clean and white the window sashes/surrounds and sills are but if you were hanging out for a little something extra then perhaps the same as the roof colour might be nice and co-ordinated.

Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Half Cloud
Resene Half Cloud
Resene Quarter Fossil
Resene Quarter Fossil
March 2014

Q. Do you have a camouflage colour to paint a shed that is in the bush, so that it will sort of disappear or blend in with the surroundings please?

A. Try these colours – Resene Rimutaka, Resene Hibernate, Resene Middle Earth, Resene Lush or Resene Bathurst. I just had a very excited couple of kids who used testpots of these colours all over the walls of their shed up on a bush clad hill and their father couldn't see it with his field glasses from the road below.

Resene Rimutaka
Resene Rimutaka
Resene Hibernate
Resene Hibernate
Resene Middle Earth
Resene Middle Earth
Resene Lush
Resene Lush
Resene Bathurst
Resene Bathurst

Q. We are wanting to repaint our house. At this stage we will keep the grey coloured bricks as is but were wondering about painting the yellow bricks on the bottom Resene Lattitude, the roof, garage door, downpipe etc Resene Nocturnal and the weatherboards Resene Helium. We are also going to stain the deck a darker colour. After using testpots we wondered if we may need something darker than Resene Lattitude for the base.

A. You have a number of totally opposing neutrals on the house especially as you do have a lot of colour in the bricks and what looks like dark bronze aluminium or powder coated windows. You might want to consider doing the roof, garage door etc a warm charcoal like Resene Ironsand to tie in the windows and the main colour component of the bricks. The base of the house is large and quite dominant so I suggest you look at either of these two colours to try and soften the look a bit – Resene Half Friar Grey or Resene Quarter Friar Grey and pull every element of the house together with a softer colour for the weatherboards – Resene Eighth Friar Grey.

These suggested colours play off a tonal palette of warm brown charcoals or earthy/brown toned greys to relate to the many colours in the bricks.

A darker colour stain for the deck might be a good idea but please do trial the colours you are considering as stain often allows the existing colour to gleam through giving a unique new shade combining new and old stain colours. You might look at Resene Shadow Match from the Resene Woodsman range.

Resene Lattitude
Resene Lattitude
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Helium
Resene Helium
Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Half Friar Grey
Resene Half Friar Grey
Resene Quarter Friar Grey
Resene Quarter Friar Grey
Resene Eighth Friar Grey
Resene Eighth Friar Grey
Resene Shadow Match
Resene Shadow Match
March 2014

Q. We are trying to decide on a colour for our bedrooms. We have decided on Resene Black White for the trims, but are having difficulty choosing a neutral colour that will complement this. We were thinking Resene Quarter Tea, but are unsure if the beige undertones will look right.

A. There is nothing wrong with using Resene Quarter Tea with Resene Black White but the trims may look a little greyish and the contrast is not clean. Perhaps you could look at either of these colours as alternates to use with the Resene Black White – Resene Half Cougar or Resene Half Truffle. The slightly deeper grey/taupe undertones of these two options relate well to the trims.

Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Half Cougar
Resene Half Cougar
Resene Half Truffle
Resene Half Truffle
March 2014

Q. I am painting a vintage wood tea trolley to go in our 1950s house. The wall colour in the kitchen and dining room is Resene Tea and Resene Sisal. The floors are wooden. The room is very sunny. Can you please recommend a Resene colour to go with the wall colour (blue, green) and also a more neutral colour as an option?

A. Please be bold - it is lovely to see a vibrant statement in a world that has a great need of a colour injection! You might check these colours out – Resene Maestro and Resene Green Room and softer tones like these – Resene Patriot, Resene Calypso, Resene Serenity and Resene Seachange. I think you will find it easy to fall in love with one of these gorgeous colours!

Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Sisal
Resene Sisal
Resene Maestro
Resene Maestro
Resene Green Room
Resene Green Room
Resene Patriot
Resene Patriot
Resene Calypso
Resene Calypso
Resene Serenity
Resene Serenity
Resene Seachange
Resene Seachange
March 2014

Q. After looking at a scores of different whites, we settled on Resene Quarter Merino as the main colour for our 1970s house which has a lot of Rimu woodwork including skirting boards, doors and a massive staircase. We have painted one bedroom which has a cathedral ceiling where the highest pitch is 4 metres. We painted the walls and ceiling Resene Quarter Merino to minimise the height but I am thinking there might be a warmer option as I am detecting a subtle greyness to this. The house is surrounded by bush and the bedroom photographed in late morning sun is one of the sunniest rooms. My son's room and the family room are south facing and I am now wondering if we should have gone Resene Double Bianca or even Resene Pearl Lusta for light and warmth. Our other family room is flooded with sun and warmth so maybe we should be looking at different shades of white?

A. All of the rooms will reflect colour in quite a different way according to the natural light, colours already in situ (carpet, curtains etc) and it may be that what works in one space won't work in another so you may need to take this into account.

South facing rooms may reflect a sour or greyish light so you may need to carefully test both the colours that you are thinking about to see which one doesn't throw a bit of green/sourness. The best way to test colours is to paint large A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) with all of the Resene testpot (two coats) leaving a unpainted border all around the edges so your eye is forced to see the reality of the colour, and move it from wall to wall and room to room so that you get a better idea of what the colour truly looks like. If it appears too coloured you can always reduce the depth of colour. Colour in an interior often looks twice as strong because of angles, shadows and close proximity of walls.

Rooms that face into westerly light are naturally warm and mellow because of that quality of light so perhaps once you have decided what works for the south facing rooms you could use a lighter/whiter version of the chosen colour for these rooms or alternatively a denser/greyer colour to absorb the bright light and make it appear more restful and not so glary.

If you compare the Resene Quarter Merino to the warmer yellower colours you will definitely see the greyness - the N in the colour code means neutral/grey.

Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Double Bianca
Resene Double Bianca
Resene Pearl Lusta
Resene Pearl Lusta
March 2014

Q. My bathroom ceiling and skirting is white, with a white shower, vanity bath and toilet. The new floor is a taupe/grey fake wood look. What colour should I paint the walls?

A. Try these colours – Resene Half White Pointer, Resene Quarter Fossil, Resene Eighth Joss, Resene Sea Fog or Resene Half Albescent White. Even though they are pale they may well look a lot deeper in a 'white' environment. You need to check them out carefully in the environment that they are to be used in.

Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Quarter Fossil
Resene Quarter Fossil
Resene Eighth Joss
Resene Eighth Joss
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Half Albescent White
Resene Half Albescent White
March 2014

Q. We have a red roman brick house (1969) with grey mortar and some wooden windows. We are building a new addition in Linea® board with Grey Friars joinery. The whole house needs a colour for the roof (COLORSTEEL®), Linea board and soffits.

A. You might consider using the same colour for the COLORSTEEL® roof as the joinery on the new addition. It would help the new joinery look well chosen and appropriate. Generally speaking under the soffits is always a light or white colour so you might consider tying it in to match the windows on the existing house if they are painted - perhaps not too stark but it might be worthwhile looking at Resene Eighth Rice Cake (warm/clear) or Resene Quarter Black White (muted grey white) which might be used also for doors. The Linea might be a soft grey with a subtle green undertone - Resene Quarter Tapa or deeper Resene Kensington Grey picking up the grey mortar colour and relating to the joinery charcoal colour or a deeper version of the 'white' - Resene Double Black White or Resene Double Rice Cake.

COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars
COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
 
Resene Quarter Tapa
Resene Quarter Tapa
Resene Kensington Grey
Resene Kensington Grey
Resene Double Black White
Resene Double Black White
Resene Double Rice Cake
Resene Double Rice Cake
March 2014

Q. Due to earthquake damage to our house we are going to render over existing brickwork. I love Resene Double Tea but as we are keeping our Resene Karaka green roof which was painted approx 10 years ago, I would like to get suggestions for another colour for gable ends and trim that hopefully ties these two colours together.

A. If by trim you are including the front and back door and window surrounds or sills as the same colour as the gable ends then you might look at these colours – Resene Ecru White (this is a lovely intermix of cream/green that relates well to the main colour and the roof colour), Resene Quarter Gravel (this would work well if you had windows and under the eaves in Resene White to stop it being overly dark looking) or Resene Quarter Tea (this is tonally related and subdued but still very nice).

Resene Karaka
Resene Karaka
Resene Double Tea
Resene Double Tea
Resene Ecru White
Resene Ecru White
Resene Quarter Gravel
Resene Quarter Gravel
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
March 2014

Q. We have a very modern house which at the moment has a very large dining room wall painted red. We want to paint this a dark grey colour.

A. I think this new look that you are considering sounds great. What you need to know is that all greys carry other colour influences/undertones and in changing qualities of light/different times of day and night and when associated with other colours close to them this can become very obvious. Some dark greys are warm and some are cool. Because of the chameleon characteristics you may need to trial your colours very carefully to see which dark grey works best for you. As a start point I suggest you undercoat the red wall with white so that you are able to judge colour better without the existing wall colour unduly influencing your possible choices detrimentally.


Q. I have a flooring contractor who is painting the floor in a kitchen dining room area and I need to choose the colour. The walls are Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream and I am wanting to go quite dark (kind of a brown/black type look) on the cork tile floors.

A. You might look at these dark brownish/black colours to see if they might suit – Resene Blackout (very blackish), Resene Coffee Bean (very dark but not so black) or Resene Sambuca (brownest colour).

You may need to check out large A4 samples of these colours at your local Resene ColorShop in their colour library and compare one with the other at floor level (as that is where you will need to judge them) and alongside a sample of Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream held vertically to see how the colours look in relationship with the walls. A word to the wise - when the flooring is completed never wear hard soled shoes or high heels inside as the cork floors can be damaged by hard footwear.

Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Blackout
Resene Blackout
Resene Coffee Bean
Resene Coffee Bean
Resene Sambuca
Resene Sambuca
March 2014

Q. I am designing my new kitchen. I am thinking of a lemon or baby yellow splashback and same colour glass top to the island cabinet. There is a 200mm wide strip of clear glass in the middle of the glass top (overall size of 800mm wide x2000mm length).

A. It sounds fine to me. There are two types of glass used for splashbacks and one is totally clear (low iron oxide clear) and shows the colour behind it as it really is and the other (standard float glass) has a green cast to it and colour is seen quite differently through it - you need to check out this. It would be terrible if you chose a beautiful yellow and when the kitchen was all finished the yellow looked very unlike (and possibly not nice) what you expected to see because of the wrong glass being used.


Q. We recently had advice on colour and the main exterior house colour suggested was Resene Tuna and the second colour Resene Sea Fog. We have a large home that heats up in summer and my initial thought was Resene Silver Chalice and Resene Sea Fog. I know about Resene CoolColour™ technology but I was wondering what is the normal life expectancy of a repaint and what is the impact of CoolColour? Also we have a large roof made of galvanised iron and if we painted the roof in a CoolColour to match would this help with the heat in the house in summer?

A. It is very wise of you to question what depth of colour will do to a house that already absorbs a lot of heat in the summer.

Personally I am inclined toward caution - years in the paint industry have taught me to consider all possibilities when it comes to environmental influences on paint and the substrate colours are applied to. I worry a lot less if the substrate is concrete, or a cementitious surface like Hardiplank or Linea as the substrate is generally less affected by heat. Timber (real wood) is dimensionally unstable and expands and contracts with changes of temperature and this is more acute when dark colours are on the timber surface.

Cool Colour™ technology has allowed a lot more deep colour choices to be made for exterior surfaces as the overall heat absorption is reduced because of infra-red reflection off the surface. But if a surface, facing north or west - hottest aspect, already reached 30-40 degrees of surface temperature with a light to mid toned colour then using a dark colour may make that temperature reach 50+ degrees and if modified with CoolColour technology it may drop back to 36 degrees. The exact numbers vary depending on the colour.

Is there any reason that you wouldn't go with the colours that you favour – Resene Silver Chalice and Resene Sea Fog? They sound nice to me.

Resene Silver Chalice
Resene Silver Chalice
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
March 2014

Q. We have signed a contract to build a house and the painter uses Resene paints. The style is contemporary with a mono pitch roof. However we do not want to use the current white, off white and shades of grey that are popular. We like pale shades of cream for the exterior and pale green for the interior, with the windows and roof a shade of green.

A. If you are having a COLORSTEEL® roof you need to check out what green colours are available and shortlist some favourites. Your windows appear to be listed as just aluminium (not powdercoated a colour - though at this stage you may be able to change to a coloured window joinery if preferred) and then when these elements are decided on that is when you look to see what cream looks best to your eye (and heart - never forget the heart!) to tie it all together.

All colour used on an exterior looks lighter than you imagine it will look.

Here is an example but it may help you see a clear forward path for your project - main colour - Resene Thorndon Cream, roof (and garage door) – COLORSTEEL® Gable Green (more of a slate green) or COLORSTEEL® Thunder Grey (sort of sludgy green grey). If the windows were just aluminium they would merge a little in bright light with the main house colour but if the spec was changed to allow for powdercoated windows perhaps Bone White might be considered with the above colours. Interior - wall colour options follow when your choices for flooring, kitchen cabinets and worktops and hard flooring and tiles have been short listed - these elements are more limited than you imagine and paint colours are more extensive.

Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene
COLORSTEEL® Gable Green
COLORSTEEL® Thunder Grey
COLORSTEEL® Thunder Grey
March 2014

Q. We are building a new home and would very much like to use Resene Stonehenge on our exterior weatherboard. Can you advise if this colour is suitable for weatherboards?

A. If you are building in real timber weatherboards then Resene Stonehenge has a LRV (light reflectance value) of 29%. This means a lot for consents through council who may be inclined to want lighter colours and BRANZ (Building Research NZ) have recommendations for weatherboards of lighter colours with the maximum LRV of 45%. I suggest you discuss this with the builder and do your own research also so you have valid information in regard the specific weatherboards you are planning on. Just as an indication of an appropriate depth of colour - Resene Quarter Stonehenge has a LRV of 48%.

Resene Stonehenge
Resene Stonehenge
Resene Quarter Stonehenge
Resene Quarter Stonehenge
March 2014

Q. After painting up many sample whites for the walls, doors, kitchen cabinets, and trims of our new house, we settled on Resene Merino, with Resene Half Merino on the ceilings. However, the walls have a grey tinge. There is one coat to go, and the Resene Half Merino on the ceiling seems whiter, or is that our imagination? There is plenty of natural light, and the house is in a lake location with powerful colours in the landscape. Also, the floors are still raw concrete. I wouldn't call the house dark.

A. Colour is always tricky. Resene Merino has a distinct shaded (you might call it grey) green oxide undertone in it. This is why it is described as a light off-white with a green oxide undertone. When you tested the colour you might have noticed this - and it is very very noticeable when you compare it to pure white. You can be deceived by what colour is really like if testing it on a non-white background - even plasterboard is a colour.

A half strength version of a very pale white/neutral colour usually looks lighter and if the ceiling is large and well lit (natural light or artificial light) you should see the difference in colour. Colour no matter how pale always reacts with other colours and light - part of the mystery of colour - any change of colours close to it and any change of light and the colour undergoes change. Essentially it is a chameleon.

People often think they won't have this problem with colour undergoing changes if they choose real pure White but in actual fact it undergoes more change - sometimes greyish, creamy, or bluish according to the axis of light and angles in the rooms. Also colour often looks stronger in an interior because of shadow, angle and light and the close proximity of walls intensifying colour depth.

Sometimes using deeper colour in some way - this could be flooring - because it challenges the eye to judge colour differently it forces the eye/brain to see the mostly neutralised white to look 'whiter' because of the contrast and this is why if you are having coloured flooring (carpet, tiles or wood) going through a lot of the space it is the dominant colour factor and the wall colour will look different again because of that. Window coverings - especially some that are sheer - diffuse light and you see coloured walls as quite different again.

Resene Merino
Resene Merino
Resene Half Merino
Resene Half Merino
March 2014

Q. I have a small, older house. Lots of rimu and rimu furniture. Big windows thoughout, north facing lounge and main bedroom. What neutral/white colours go well with rimu? The lounge rimu French doors open onto the garden. The curtains in the lounge are cream/silver/vaguely green.

A. It sounds as though you may have a lot of neutrals to choose from - you might check out these ones to see if they will work for you – Resene Half Rice Cake, Resene Bianca, Resene Half Albescent White and Resene Eighth Ash (this one might be described as vaguely silver/green in comparison to the others). The influence of the wood, natural light and all other elements that are coloured (especially flooring) will influence strongly how these colours are seen to your eye.

Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Bianca
Resene Bianca
Resene Half Albescent White
Resene Half Albescent White
Resene Eighth Ash
Resene Eighth Ash
March 2014

Q. We have just had our cedar cladding stained with Resene Crowshead. Now I need to choose a complementary colour to paint the concrete block walls on the side of the house next to the newly dark cedar. I'd like something light in colour, but white seems boring.

A. Real white could be quite stark alongside of the house colour - Resene Crowshead - perhaps you could look at these 'whites' to see if they are light enough and not boring – Resene Sea Fog, Resene Black Haze or warmer options – Resene Quarter Bianca and Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream.

Resene Woodsman Crowshead
Resene Crowshead
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Black Haze
Resene Black Haze
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream
Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream
March 2014

Q. We should soon be having our old 1960s house repaired and I have started thinking about colours. We have a house on a hill and most rooms face north. I am looking for a cool white that would go with black leather furniture, wood floors and red gold curtains in the living room. My daughter has a large bedroom and likes it mainly white. She has white crisp linen and off white curtains and her room leads onto the deck and faces north. We are keeping with the white for the toilet/laundry and hallway all on the darker side of the house. Any suggestions are most welcome.

A. Cool whites always have an element of grey or blue within them and these ones might suit but they will look decidedly chilly in dim spaces or rooms that face to the south and the east – Resene Half Wan White, Resene Half Black White or Resene Half Sea Fog. Of these three colours Resene Half Sea Fog is slightly warmer/less grey. All of the colours listed come as lighter and deeper variants if you should need to adjust the colour to suit the light within the rooms.

Resene Half Wan White
Resene Half Wan White
Resene Half Black White
Resene Half Black White
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
March 2014

Q. Our roof and spouting is Grey Friars. What colour should the bargeboards be? Grey Friars as well? The house is part Darfield brick and half mid brown stained shiplap and is 30 years old.

A. It may be the simplest thing to do - if you introduced another colour it could only be the 'white' from around the windows and I think it may look a little stark up close to the roof and guttering. If you are unsure - perhaps because of the depth of the colour on the wooden bargeboards - there are two slightly lighter variants of the colour Resene Grey Friars that you might consider using - Resene Half Grey Friars and Resene Quarter Grey Friars. Because the bargeboards get a lot of sun/heat and general weather related weathering I would strongly advise you to use the Cool Colour™ reformulated version of these colours to try and modify any possible heat/U.V. related problems.

Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Half Grey Friars
Resene Half Grey Friars
Resene Quarter Grey Friars
Resene Quarter Grey Friars
March 2014

Q. We need to select paint colours for our new cafe bakery. Our brand colors are green (pastel), charcoal grey and white (not yellow white).

A. You can look at these types of colours as they offset the brand colours nicely and add a certain fresh appeal – Resene Green Room, Resene Cream Can, Resene I C Red, Resene Surrender or Resene Double Alabaster.

Resene Green Room
Resene Green Room
Resene Cream Can
Resene Cream Can
Resene I C Red
Resene I C Red
Resene Surrender
Resene Surrender
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Alabaster
March 2014

Q. We have painted our lounge black sand beach colour and we have cream coloured carpet. What colour would you recommend for our hallway and our three bedrooms?

A. Hallways aren't usually blessed with lots of natural light so it may pay to do them and the bedrooms in a pale cream that co-ordinates well with the carpet. This will give you the opportunity to use colour in the drapes, duvets and in the hallway artwork. The black sand colour can feature as accessories or furniture in the rooms if you feel the need to use the lounge type of colour in other rooms. I am sorry that I can't be more definitive with colours but there are so many creamy colours and it is important to tie the wall colour in with the carpet.


Q. We have Resene Double Spanish White on our living room walls with a dark green/blue carpet and a green floor in the kitchen – the area is open plan. We have Resene Tia Maria on the living room wall that runs the length of the open plan area (kitchen to living room). This has all worked nicely until we put in a new benchtop that is similar to Resene Sublime.

A. Which colour is the discordant factor? I suspect you know the answer already as you have indicated that all worked nicely until the new benchtop was put in. Falling in love with a new item and it not fitting into the overall look can be a pitfall.

Your options are not many but you could consider getting rid of the Resene Double Spanish White and replace it with a pale neutral like Resene Rice Cake or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream so there is one less strong colour vying for attention and causing a discord. Both the pale colours I have mentioned will hopefully work with the bench, the flooring and the Resene Tia Maria. Yes it will change the look you have now but that has happened already because of the bench colour but it will allow the bench and the feature wall to be the only eyecatching colours.

Resene Double Spanish White
Resene Double Spanish White
Resene Tia Maria
Resene Tia Maria
Resene Sublime
Resene Sublime
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
March 2014

Q. I would like two brown colors to paint the exterior of our house, a darker colour over the brick and lighter on the weatherboards. Our roof and garage door are black and the windows are white.

A. You might like to try these lovely browns – Resene Oilskin (bricks), Resene Eighth Oilskin (weatherboards), Resene Triple Napa (bricks), Resene Half Napa (weatherboards), Resene Rocky Road (bricks) or Resene Double Malta (weatherboards).

Resene Oilskin
Resene Oilskin
Resene Eighth Oilskin
Resene Eighth Oilskin
Resene Triple Napa
Resene Triple Napa
Resene Half Napa
Resene Half Napa
Resene Rocky Road
Resene Rocky Road
Resene Double Malta
Resene Double Malta
March 2014

Q. We are building a new home and are trying to choose colours for each of our exterior claddings. We like dark grey or charcoal for the LINEA® (Resene Triple Stack or darker) and a contrasting light grey/off white for the Axon® (maybe Resene Triple Concrete). The gabled iron roof colour is slate, and the fascia is Gull Grey. The window frames are silver pearl and we were planning matt black for the front door and garage doors.

A. You might like to think of keeping your greys (for LINEA and Axon) within a related palette of colours so that they don't have a discordant relationship, such as Resene Triple Stack for LINEA and Resene Quarter Delta, or Resene Armadillo for Linea and Resene Atmosphere.

I mention this because the Gull Grey powder coat, the Silver Pearl powder coat, the Matt Black powder coat are 'fixed' colours that you already have decided upon and then if you use the Resene Triple Concrete (which is a little bit silver lilac) and Resene Triple Delta (which is a little bit grey/green) your greys are all over the place in regard the underlying tints and tones and it may look messy and unrelated.

If you really favour a darker colour for the Linea, instead of looking for a darker colour perhaps you could go to a lighter colour on the Axon which will achieve the same effect by increasing the level of contrast and as long as you relate the colour palette that you put together you create a really stylish strong look with lots of distinct contrast.

Resene Triple Stack
Resene Triple Stack
Resene Triple Concrete
Resene Triple Concrete
Resene Triple Stack
Resene Triple Stack
Resene Quarter Delta
Resene Quarter Delta
Resene Armadillo
Resene Armadillo
Resene Atmosphere
Resene Atmosphere
March 2014

Q. I am living overseas. My NZ house is being painted in a week and the painter will use Resene X-200 followed by Resene Sonyx 101. I need to make a quick colour choice. Can you advise recommended colour for this type of cladding and what colours are trending for new homes in the Wellington area?

A. Light - mid tone colours are still appropriate for this type of cladding and where in very recent times earthy cream, light beige and warm brown tones have been favoured there is a subtle shift toward grey based taupes and greyed greens and whites. These are a few colours that might work for your house – Resene Cloudy (grey based taupe), Resene Ash (grey/green based neutral), Resene Sea Fog (greyed white stone) or Resene Half Thorndon Cream (muted grey/green cream/white).

Resene Cloudy
Resene Cloudy
Resene Ash
Resene Ash
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Half Thorndon Cream
Resene Half Thorndon Cream
March 2014

Q. We have recently painted our bedroom in Resene Double Blanc (top) and Resene Inside Back (bottom)with a rimu dado rail. However the overall effect is a bit cold and uninviting. Can you suggest some colour options for the bottom that will look warm and cosy?

A. I think the Resene Inside Back is casting too much grey undertone in the room and coupled with the slightly shadowed mushroom tones of the Resene Double Blanc and the natural light in the room it may be what is making the room less cosy.

You might need to investigate alternate colours very carefully as the lower walls will always seem shadowy and any colours need to be judged with the natural light - plus a change of lower wall colour may make you see the upper wall colour as less warm and it may need to change also. Don't apply testpot colours directly onto the existing wall colours as they will influence your eye and make you see the colours wrongly. Try painting the testpots onto A2 card ($1 from your local Resene ColorShop) - use all of the testpot (two coats) and leave an unpainted border all around so there is a gap between existing wall colour and new testpot colours. This will help you in several ways - the existing colours won't unduly influence the new colours, you can see enough to make a judgement and you can move it around to see what changes of light and angle make of the colour.

Check out these options to go with the existing upper wall colour – Resene Heirloom or Resene Minx. Or check out a completely new upper and lower wall scenario - Resene Quarter Biscotti (warmer than Resene Double Blanc) used with Resene Tom Tom (warm/dusky) or alternatively - if you still favour a colour similar to Resene Inside Back, but warmer, you might investigate Resene Boulevard.

Resene Double Blanc
Resene Double Blanc
Resene Inside Back
Resene Inside Back
Resene Heirloom
Resene Heirloom
Resene Minx
Resene Minx
Resene Quarter Biscotti
Resene Quarter Biscotti
Resene Tom Tom
Resene Tom Tom
Resene Boulevard
Resene Boulevard
 
March 2014

Q. I live in a timber kit home with cyprus pine floorboards that need resanding and cyprus pine wall panelling that needs painting. The house faces west but because it is under a lot of trees it is often cold. I'm wanting to get a very light, white scandinavian look throughout with lots of neutral furnishings. What Resene whites can you recommend for the walls that won't clash terribly with the floorboards?

A. To maintain light and warmth I would suggest that you look at the following colours – Resene Bianca, Resene Eighth Spanish White or Resene Quarter Wheatfield.

Even though the natural light from the west is usually warm and mellow the combination of trees obscuring the light and the low cast of the sun can combine to create shadow and that may be making it feel cold. The colours I have suggested come as deeper variants in case they look too cold/white (which will make the house feel colder), so you can go a bit stronger to get more warmth.

Resene Bianca
Resene Bianca
Resene Eighth Spanish White
Resene Eighth Spanish White
Resene Quarter Wheatfield
Resene Quarter Wheatfield
March 2014

Q. What exterior house paint colour will go with a terracotta colour tile roof. I am thinking of a grey colour with green undertone? What matching colours would you recommend for window trim etc?

A. There are several colours that might suit you – Resene Quarter Delta, Resene Bone White, Resene Inside Back, Resene Edward or Resene Moon Mist.

If you use a really crisp 'white' it will enhance even the lightest of the colours and make a nice palette of colour – Resene Eighth Rice Cake or Resene Alabaster.

Resene Quarter Delta
Resene Quarter Delta
Resene Bone White
Resene Bone White
Resene Inside Back
Resene Inside Back
Resene Edward
Resene Edward
Resene Moon Mist
Resene Moon Mist
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
 
March 2014

Q. I have chosen Resene Cararra or Resene Half Cararra for our walls - what is a good colour to match for ceilings, doors and jambs? It’s a new house with grey sandstone joinery.

A. You might check out these two lovely colours to see if they suit – Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta or Resene Half Rice Cake. Both will work well but it is all about your personal preference.

Resene Cararra
Resene Cararra
Resene Half Cararra
Resene Half Cararra
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
March 2014

Q. We are looking at a mid green to spice up our kitchen with some gloss to go with Satin White Dezignatek doors - one unit and some negative detail. The doors throughout the house will be Resene Streetwise so it needs to go with that too. Walls will be a warm off-white. The bench is engineered stone Trethewey White Ice. Which green would work?

A. I really like the thought of a bit of green to spice the kitchen up with whites. Look at these greens to see if you fancy any of them – Resene Flourish, Resene Koru or Resene Woodstock. They certainly look good with whites and Resene Streetwise.

Resene Streetwise
Resene Streetwise
Resene Flourish
Resene Flourish
Resene Koru
Resene Koru
Resene Woodstock
Resene Woodstock
March 2014

Q. I have a house with half wood, half cinderblock walls. I have chosen Resene Villa White for the wood and Resene Hermitage for the cinderblock. I now am deciding on a roof colour. I am leaning towards a grey such as Resene Montoya but would like some advice about which colours might be best with my other choices. The roof is iron.

A. I really like the Resene Villa White and Resene Hermitage but I am not at all sure about Resene Montoya as it is a unrelated grey/brown. As an alternative grey for the roof - a bit more related to the Resene Hermitage - perhaps you could look at Resene Regent Grey, Resene Atomic or Resene Half Tuna. If you really love Resene Montoya it will work with the Resene Villa White but might look better with colours like Resene Foggy Grey, Resene Pumice or Resene Archive Grey.

Resene Villa White
Resene Villa White
Resene Hermitage
Resene Hermitage
Resene Montoya
Resene Montoya
Resene Regent Grey
Resene Regent Grey
Resene Atomic
Resene Atomic
Resene Half Tuna
Resene Half Tuna
Resene Foggy Grey
Resene Foggy Grey
Resene Pumice
Resene Pumice
Resene Archive Grey
Resene Archive Grey
 
March 2014

Q. We're painting the exterior of our house and have chosen the following scheme... Weatherboards: Resene Foggy Grey, Basement/Lower storey: Resene Friar Grey, Windows: Resene Black White, Roof and garage door: Grey Friars. I'm concerned that the Grey Friars roof might be too 'blue' in its undertone when combined with the others.

A. I don't think it will be too blue in its undertone. If you compare it to f your eye will tell you that Grey Friars is a charcoal and the New Denim Blue is a blue grey - sometimes you have to compare to really ascertain what the colour is. However if you need to look at alternatives you could go deeper to Resene Nocturnal or to a browner/charcoal - Resene Ironsand.

Resene Foggy Grey
Resene Foggy Grey
Resene Friar Grey
Resene Friar Grey
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
 
COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars
COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars
Resene New Denim Blue
Resene New Denim Blue
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
March 2014

Q. We are having to paint the inside of our new home before having chosen any carpet or curtains which makes it difficult. However, in our kitchen we will have an engineered stone bench top, which is white with grey flecks, white cupboards and a summer green quartz Subway tile for the splashback. It is an open plan kitchen/dining/lounge. I thought I would use the green tile as a starting point and looking at the colour charts I quite like Resene Half Secrets for the walls, but am unsure as to what to put on the ceilings, skirtings and doors.

A. I really love Resene Half Secrets so I understand you finding it appealing as well. If this colour is what you ultimately choose for walls might I suggest you use Resene Half Alabaster for ceilings and any other 'white' trim on woodwork, doors etc.

I am not sure whether you have popped into a Resene ColorShop with your samples, tiles etc and seen the A4 sample of Resene Half Secrets in the Colour Library and checked that it is absolutely perfect but if you haven't it would be worth doing so. And then if you need reinforcement paint a Resene testpot on large A2 white cardboard and move it around - wall to wall and room to room - to see what it really looks like at your house. The reason I say this is that colour is deceptive and mercurial and changes a lot in different qualities of light, often doubling in intensity. It will work with the white cupboards and benchtop but it really has to be 'best friends' with the green coloured tile.

Resene Half Secrets
Resene Half Secrets
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Half Alabaster
March 2014

Q. We have recently bought a 12 year old house with low light levels (which we are looking at addressing). The walls are currently painted Resene Pavlova and the ceilings are Resene Spanish White. The effect is a very dirty, muddy look, adding to the dark feel. I want to keep the walls neutral (maybe Resene Tea?) but feel the ceilings may need to be repainted in a whiter white. Unfortunately the doors are cream. Can you suggest a colour scheme that will give a much lighter, cleaner look please?

A. Firstly - if you undercoat in white all walls and ceilings you will suddenly see light where there was less light before. All colours that you subsequently trial will be seen truly and not be altered by trying them on existing coloured surfaces - this is the single most important thing for you to do. Yes, ceilings need to be much 'whiter' to reflect light but you need to short list the possible wall colours first and then choose a slightly tinted obliging 'white' for the ceilings that looks good with the new wall colour.

If the doors aren’t being repainted they may always look a little discordant with the new wall colour if you opt for whiter and cleaner colours.

I am a little worried also that with low levels of light you may still have areas or rooms that are not flooded with natural light so they may still look a bit dim/cool. What about existing carpet etc? Is that going to be replaced? Or is it important that any new colour work with the existing flooring? It is important that not just the light situation be rectified but all new colours work harmoniously with elements that are there already and are not being changed.

If Resene Tea looks great with existing elements and doesn't double in strength or look a little greyish in dim or south facing rooms then you might look at ceilings and perhaps woodwork in Resene Double Alabaster or if Resene Tea doesn't look quite as you expect it to then perhaps you might look at Resene Half Fossil and Resene Half Bianca - these are slightly lighter/warmer.

Resene Pavlova
Resene Pavlova
Resene Spanish White
Resene Spanish White
Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Half Fossil
Resene Half Fossil
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Bianca
March 2014

Q. I live in a street of state housing in a urban green valley and have recently stripped and repaired the window joinery and painted it in Resene Alabaster (Resene Lustacryl). I am now ready to repaint the concrete brickwork currently in white. One neighbour has a brown grey scheme similar to Resene Half Perfect Taupe and so I would like to stay away from brown greys. I have been interested in a light grey with a hint of blue. Some choices I have considered are Resene Solitude and Resene Link Water. Is there a choice of colours you could recommend in that colour spectrum? Also it has been suggested I paint the basement level of the house a different colour. The house is small, what impact does a split colour scheme have? Two sides of the house do get a lot of sun and so is using a semi-gloss paint like Resene Sonyx 101 still applicable over Resene Lumbersider which is low sheen?

A. The colours that you mention are a lot bluer (very pretty blues) than you might imagine. Is that what you want to achieve? Perhaps if you do favour a light grey with some blue undertones you might look at these – Resene Iron, Resene Zumthor, Resene Designer White and Resene Geyser.

They will all work beautifully with Resene Alabaster. If you paint the basement a different colour it effectively halves the height of the house . You may be able to drive around the neighbourhood and see that effect in situ. See if you like it or not. If you did the basement a different colour I would suggest Resene Alabaster. I would definitely recommend Resene Sonyx 101 semi-gloss as it is easier to wash down, weathers very well and seems to suit the stucco surfaces. Resene Lumbersider is also very nice if you want something that many people may feel is a matt paint - it isn't - it is a low sheen - but people tend to see it as flatter. The choice is yours.

Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Half Perfect Taupe
Resene Half Perfect Taupe
Resene SolitudeResene Solitude Resene Link Water
Resene Link Water
Resene Iron
Resene Iron
Resene Zumthor
Resene Zumthor
Resene Designer White
Resene Designer White
Resene Geyser
Resene Geyser
March 2014

Q. We have a small two bedroom home and are refurbishing at the moment. We want a colour which will help the rooms appear bigger. One small wall in the lounge (surrounding the fireplace), and one wall in the master bedroom will be wallpapered as a feature. We do not like yellow based colour and are leaning towards grey/greenish tones.

A. All colour must be considered in relationship with existing coloured elements or new coloured elements - i.e. existing carpets, new kitchen cabinets/worktops and curtains. A benign neutral that will allow you to have feature wallpaper and works with the things that aren't being changed may limit your options for buying new things.

Ideally colour comes last - after you have chosen other elements and this would definitely include your choices of wallpapers.

Grey/green tones may be like these colours - Resene Merino - a strange stone neutral that can be greyish, green, pinky or almost beige according to what it is close to; Resene Thorndon Cream - this may appear yellowish until you place it next to Resene Pearl Lusta; Resene Quarter Ash - shadowy colours often look deeper in dim natural light and south facing rooms and Resene Triple Sea Fog - not essentially a grey/green but can throw that type of colour in certain situations. Lighter colours, which are best to open up space, are available in variants of the colours I have suggested that you might check out. You might consider using a true white for ceilings and woodwork to increase light and space also. You need to test colour in the environment to get a better judgement of whether it works or not.

Resene Merino
Resene Merino
Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene Pearl Lusta
Resene Pearl Lusta
Resene Quarter Ash
Resene Quarter Ash
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Triple Sea Fog
March 2014

Q. I'm currently building and have chosen Resene Surrender as a wall colour throughout the majority of the house. However now the first topcoat is up it looks very purple most of the time. We don't have carpet or lights yet which I understand can influence the appearance of the colour but is this common? Is there a ‘better’ shade of grey that would not be so purple? We have Resene Half Merino on the ceiling and I’m thinking of a dark carpet.

A. Colour is totally reactive and every change of light, natural and artificial, and every colour seen adjacent to it will considerably alter how it is seen. So the answer to your question - 'is this common?' is yes. Resene Surrender is slightly inclined toward purple but all greys are inclined to an underlying colour.

It is incredibly important to trial colour the right way and in association with those other coloured elements you have or are hoping to have, such as carpet, tiles, kitchen cabinets, work tops, drapes and blinds to see how it reacts.

It is a case of back to the testing of colour to see what happens to it. Never put a testpot patch of colour on a surface that is already coloured - even unpainted plasterboard is a colour. My best advice to you is to get some A2 white card from your Resene ColorShop, use all the testpot colour in two coats on the card leaving an unpainted white border. Move the card from wall to wall, room to room to see what changes occur. The unpainted border holds the colour away from any existing colour so you can focus on the reality of it. If you roll the card into a cone shape with the colour innermost you will see it deepen, as if all four walls were painted. All interior colours deepen and you need to know this before you buy large amounts of a possibly wrong colour.

If you can pop into a Resene ColorShop to look at the A4 samples of Resene colours in their colour library you can compare the colours side by side and if you place a sheet of white printer paper between A4 samples of colours it helps your eye to judge how coloured and how deep it is. Always view colour with what you have or hope to have with it so the carpet samples and ceiling paint colour sample need to be viewed at the same time.

A better grey is the one that looks good with the ceiling colour, the carpet colour and in your house with your light and shade.

Resene Surrender
Resene Surrender
Resene Half Merino
Resene Half Merino
March 2014

Q. We are repainting some rooms in our house. When we moved in the whole house had been painted in cream/white tones with grey/brown tones for carpets. Grey lino runs throughout our laundry, toilet and bathroom which sit next to each other as separate rooms in that order. We wanted to add some colour to these rooms. We have decided on Resene Half Beryl Green for the laundry. We are considering using the Resene Ebb (pinky tone) for our toilet as it is a small room. And were considering Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue for our bathroom. We are unsure as to whether to use the same colour for toilet and bathroom. Also whether the Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue is too cold for that room.

A. Are the toilet and the bathroom getting the same quality of natural light? Does the bathroom have a lot of white in it - apart from shower, bath, vanity - do you have white wall tiles? or white wet wall cladding? This could make a huge difference to how much of the Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue is seen and how cool it appears - it does have a greyish undertone and this might be emphasised in a dim room. Resene Ebb is a cool mushroom pink and it will appear to be pinker but not necessarily warmer in a small dim room. Toilets are generally small rooms with walls close to each other. I suggest you trial it - carefully - by painting all of the testpot, two coats, onto A2 card from Resene ColorShops leaving an unpainted border all around the edges so that a large amount of the colour is seen. You can move it around onto different walls and roll it into a cone shape with the colour innermost and look into that and see how it doubles in depth like all four walls are painted in it.

Resene Half Beryl Green
Resene Half Beryl Green
Resene Ebb
Resene Ebb
Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue
Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue
March 2014

Q. I would like a recommendation for an exterior colour scheme that includes teal for the trim (as per true teal on colour chart M32), a mid silver/grey with blue overtones for the accent, plus a lighter silver/grey/blue for the body of the walls.

A. You might like to try these colours – Resene Quarter Iron and Resene Iron, Resene Mystic and Resene Gull Grey. They look nice with Resene Teal Blue palette M32 and even better with Resene Marathon palette M34, which is also a lovely teal blue.

Resene Quarter Iron
Resene Quarter Iron
Resene Iron
Resene Iron
Resene Mystic
Resene Mystic
Resene Gull Grey
Resene Gull Grey
Resene Teal Blue
Resene Teal Blue
Resene Marathon
Resene Marathon
   
March 2014

Q. Can you suggest colours to go with this red brick? Each end of the flats is concrete block and around each entranceway is fibreboard.

A. Perhaps just use a tonal one colour look, instead of several quite different colours, for both the block dividing walls, the fibreboard and the fascia across the roofline as there is a lot of colour in the brick. Try these colours – Resene Rice Cake (fibreboard and fascias) and Resene Triple Rice Cake (block walls) or Resene Quarter Grey Olive (fibreboard and fascias) and Resene Grey Olive (block walls) or Resene Quarter Cougar (fibreboard and fascias) and Resene Cougar (block walls). If the roofline fascias are lighter in colour the building won't appear as height challenged as it does now.

Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Triple Rice Cake
Resene Triple Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Grey Olive
Resene Quarter Grey Olive
Resene Half Grey Olive
Resene Half Grey Olive
Resene Cougar
Resene Cougar
Resene Quarter Cougar
Resene Quarter Cougar
   
March 2014

Q. We are looking at repainting our exterior. I would like a dark colour. We have painted the fence Resene Bokara grey. Do you think it would look OK if the house was painted the same colour? We have large decking and screens to provide a contrast. Also we will be putting in a new door, potentially red. Eaves will be white. If you don't think it would look ok can you please suggest another colour?

A. I think Resene Bokara Grey would look very smart on the house. Sometimes too much of 'gorgeous' makes something look less 'gorgeous' as it isn't special any more - it is just everywhere. With this colour the north and west sides of the house may show deterioration and need repainting more frequently than the east and south sides of the house. If you use this colour I recommend you use a CoolColour™ variant to reflect more heat than the normal colour.

A.Have you thought of -
Doing the house a white with Resene Bokara Grey trims instead?
Or alternatively using a deep grey on the house - Resene Tundora - and using the Resene Bokara Grey in a slick full on gloss for the new door as a '#10 Downing Street' look. Very nice!

Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Tundora
Resene Tundora
April 2014

Q. We are renovating our existing house and also adding on 80 square metres. Our existing roof is Ironsand so the extension roof will have to be that as well. I want to paint the house in a grey colour to match the Ironsand and also what colour aluminium joinery would match?

A. You might consider having Ironsand as the powdercoated window joinery as well or if you feel it is too dark a neutral coloured powdercoat like Titania would work well. This can be painted on other elements that you want as lighter/whiter - Resene Titania. The Ironsand colour does come as slightly lighter variants also - Resene Half Ironsand and Resene Quarter Ironsand. A couple of really nice lighter colours to work with Ironsand and Titania are Resene Taupe Grey and Resene Triple Truffle - and both of these colours come as lighter variants also.

Resene Titania
Resene Titania
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Half Grey
Resene Taupe Grey
Resene Triple Truffle
Resene Triple Truffle
 
April 2014

Q. What colour should I paint the addition to my house? The original part of the house is Huntly brick with New Denim Blue roof and aluminium joinery.

A. You could try these options:

  • A colour similar to the main colour of the Huntly brick
  • Or a colour as close as possible to the aluminium joinery.
  • Or even a slightly lighter but related version of the roof colour.

So perhaps look at similar but lighter to the Huntly brick as a start point – Resene Spanish White and Resene Quarter Canterbury Clay. You may find it helpful to collect random paint charts and take them home to look at them with the brick to find other colours that may work too.

Resene Spanish White
Resene Spanish White
Resene Quarter Canterbury Clay
Resene Quarter Canterbury Clay
April 2014

Q. We have decided on Resene Half White Pointer as our main colour for the house. We like it a lot but are unsure about the best colour combinations to liven it up. Maybe feature walls or some added shading? Anything but red we will take into consideration.

A. In order to create visual interest you need a tonal variant, a deep colour, a 'white' and a bold colour or two so these ones may get you started -
Resene Double White Pointer (tonal variant of main colour), Resene Quarter Masala (deeper neutral), Resene Alabaster (white) and Resene Koru (possible feature colour) or Resene Fuel Yellow (possible feature colour).

These colours are a nice palette but there are many other options that could suit. Usually feature wall colours naturally evolve from colours already favoured by you, and we are unique in our colour taste, or that are in other elements of the house - curtains, duvets, prints and paintings, accessories like cushions etc.

Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Double White Pointer
Resene Double White Pointer
Resene Quarter Masala
Resene Quarter Masala
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Koru
Resene Koru
Resene Fuel Yellow
Resene Fuel Yellow
April 2014

Q. Can you please advise what colour to paint above the windows, which are currently yellow. Bricks are a red colour with charcoal pieces. The roof is COLORBOND® Pale Eucalypt, window frames are bronze. Fascias are COLORBOND® Classic Cream. Was thinking a dark green/charcoal colour.

A. You might look at these dark greens to see if they suit – Resene Butterfly Creek, Resene Cliffhanger and Resene DNA, or alternatively you might just match the roof colour with Resene Paddock.

Resene Butterfly Creek
Resene Butterfly Creek
Resene Cliffhanger
Resene Cliffhanger
Resene DNA
Resene DNA
Resene Paddock
Resene Paddock
April 2014

Q. Our interior walls are Resene Spanish White. The window and door frames are white. I want to paint the doors - they are currently a mahogany colour. Which colour do you suggest?

A. Are the doors painted a mahogany colour or are they a mahogany sapele veneer? If they are a veneer you will have to prep thoroughly - sand, seal, undercoat and topcoat.

If you want them to co-ordinate well with the existing walls you might consider just going a little deeper tonally like Resene Double Spanish White or slightly browner like Resene Eighth Colins Wicket but if you are fearful that they will be too coloured then you could just use the wall colour, (in a semi-gloss enamel finish) so the doors just merge in completely.

Resene Spanish White
Resene Spanish White
Resene Double Spanish White
Resene Double Spanish White
Resene Eighth Colins Wicket
Resene Eighth Colins Wicket
April 2014

Q. I need colour advice for the exterior. Front of house has stained NZ redwood in a brown, grey, mud colour. Wanting to repaint roof (which is low and facing the school next door) and eventually walls which are blueish now. Also looking at a bright colour, possibly red, for the feature wall and front door which is presently blue. The side of the house is quite low but you can really only see the roof from that angle. We live at the beach in Gisborne. We’re wondering about a dark roof to blend in with lots of large Pohutukawa and other trees and possibly doing the walls a lighter brown/sandy colour. Windows are the 1980s bronze aluminium and the spouting is white. I was wanting something different from greys.

A. To deepen and blend the roof into the trees you might check out either of these colours – Resene Karaka or Resene Squall.

And several colours that you might check out for the hardiplank cladding in earthy tones – Resene Half Stonewall, Resene Triple Ash or Resene Quarter Evolution.

And last but not least some delicious reds to check out for the feature and the front door – Resene Tall Poppy or Resene Dynamite.

Resene Karaka
Resene Karaka
Resene Squall
Resene Squall
 
Resene Half Stonewall
Resene Half Stonewall
Resene Triple Ash
Resene Triple Ash
Resene Quarter Evolution
Resene Quarter Evolution
Resene Tall Poppy
Resene Tall Poppy
Resene Dynamite
Resene Dynamite
 
April 2014

Q. I would like a feature wall colour - main walls are Resene Joanna. I would like to stay with the green base I think?

A. The right colour will depend on the size of the feature wall, the amount of natural light it receives and the colours that are in your flooring, curtains and furniture - colour is totally reactive so you need to consider this aspect of a feature wall colour. You might like to check out these colours to see if you fancy them - Resene Bluegrass, Resene Double Lemon Grass, Resene Port Phillip or Resene Bach.

Resene Joanna
Resene Joanna
Resene Bluegrass
Resene Bluegrass
Resene Double Lemon Grass
Resene Double Lemon Grass
Resene Port Phillip
Resene Port Phillip
Resene Bach
Resene Bach
April 2014

Q. We have just purchased a new house. We are planning on getting new lounge furniture and new curtains to suit the look we are going for. The main inspiration will be the colours we put on the walls. I like cool crisp colours. I was thinking of painting the lounge, as it is such a bright and sunny space, a colour like Resene Reservoir or Resene Cut Glass. And the kitchen/hallway a cool grey like Resene Double Concrete as this is also very sunny. Do you think these colours would work well together? If not do you have any other suggestions that would work well in similar colours. I don’t want the lounge however looking too green. We will also be painting the deck.. and I would like a suggestion that is a grey colour perhaps a lighter shade.

A. I would almost consider reversing where the colours might go and using something like Resene Cut Glass or Resene Breeze in the kitchen and a soft silver grey like Resene Double Concrete or Resene Iron in the lounge - as long as you use the same 'white' on all ceilings and painted woodwork and perhaps as the hallway colour you will tie the cooler colours together - perhaps Resene Alabaster or Resene Quarter Black White.

I note that the kitchen cabinets aren't white but a warm cream tone so that is why I suggest the Resene Cut Glass or Resene Breeze. I am unsure about Resene Reservoir as it is quite a retro minty aqua. I think that the silvery grey may be more flexible as a lounge colour and allow you lots of options for drapes and furniture - not sure about using that sort of colour in the kitchen as it may not work as well with the kitchen cabinets and if the hallways were kept simple and light/white you can add heaps of accessories - photo frames, prints etc - to put colour into the hallway.

If you do paint the deck I suggest you consider using Resene Lumbersider in either Resene Delta cc or Resene Boulder cc – these are both available as CoolColour™ options which is definitely my recommendation as the deck surface gets a huge amount of sun and it might be too hot to walk on in bare feet if you don't use this technology to try and reduce the heat absorbed into the deck surface.

Take your time. Test your colours carefully. If you have a slight hesitation in regard colour - that means it isn't quite right so don't proceed thinking it will all be ok when it is dry. Don't ask for anyone else's permission to have what you like in your house. Enjoy making this new house personal to you - it has to be a delight for your eye and your heart.

Resene Reservoir
Resene Reservoir
Resene Cut Glass
Resene Cut Glass
Resene Double Concrete
Resene Double Concrete
   
Resene Breeze
Resene Breeze
Resene Double Concrete
Resene Double Concrete
Resene Iron
Resene Iron
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Delta
Resene Delta
Resene Boulder
Resene Boulder
     
April 2014

Q. I am doing a complete renovation (new COLORSTEEL® roof and all) and would like some ideas about exterior colours. I have seen houses in Resene Tea, Resene Ash and Resene Silver Chalice (with white/Resene Alabaster trim) that I like. I live in a bungalow style house (1950s) on a tree lined street facing west. Would grey be too gloomy? Pros and cons of the other palettes? Roof colour ideas?

A. COLORSTEEL® don't have a huge selection of colours available so I think you need to short list the ones you like. There seems to be a trend related tendency toward dark grey or charcoal at the moment but unless you really love dark grey or charcoal don't choose it because everyone else has.

West facing house facades show greys such as Resene Silver Chalice as warmer in the later afternoon but can look a bit more muted/serious/smart when the west facade is in shadow. Slightly greener greys are nice, such as Resene Ash. and benign neutrals that have been used by a lot of the population in the last 10 years are always easy to live with, such as Resene Tea - and the white trim adds a little clean crispness which is lovely. How do you feel about greying the neutral a bit - not as grey as Resene Silver Chalice but adding a bit of something different to a colour similar to Resene Tea or Resene Ash? You might like to try Resene Cloudy with Ironsand for the roof, Resene Foggy Grey with Thunder Grey for the roof or Resene Triple Sea Fog with Smokey for the roof.

There are no short cuts - testing the colour or at least seeing larger A4 samples of real paint at your local Resene ColorShop would be a great boon I think - and yes the roof colours can be seen in large swatches in the in-store colour library also.

Colour seen on the exterior often looks lighter because of the way light diffuses the strength of colour and roof colours are like that too as they are usually at a 45 degree angle to the sun which lightens them. Each facade of the house will show the colour in a different way and sometimes not at all like what you may have seen on someone else’s house. Take your time - test and think - the ultimate choices you make will be with you for a long time.

Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Ash
Resene Ash
Resene Silver Chalice
Resene Silver Chalice
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Cloudy
Resene Cloudy
Resene Foggy Grey
Resene Foggy Grey
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Triple Sea Fog
 
March 2014

Page 15

Colours are a representation only. Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.

 

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Colours shown on this website are a representation only. Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.   See measurements/conversions for more details on how electronic colour values are achieved.

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