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.
Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.
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Q. Why do the large Resene BigColour colour samples have a white border around them? A. They didn’t use to have a white border around them but it has been added. We recommend the white border for when you test colour as the border helps separate the new colour from the old colour and helps you to see them as two separate colours. Our A4 drawdowns don’t have the borders around them so if want things that are painted to the edge they might suit better. The reason they don’t have borders is because the way they are printed we can’t create a white border, which we can on the larger ones. July 2015
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Q. We would like to have a colour scheme that works with polished concrete yet is a coastal scheme. We feel the colours need to be warm. A. Whether these suggestions are warm relies in part as to whether the rooms are bathed in bright sunlight all day on all walls. Most people aren't that lucky and there will be spaces that are dim or facing to the east or the south where colours that are warm in other rooms aren't in those spaces. You may need to address that and compromise a little to get the look you want. Most coastal inspired schemes favour whites, greys and blues - which are cool - but sand, pumice, marram grass and driftwood hues may be the sort of 'warm coastal' colours that could appeal to you. You might look at these colours to see if they are appealing – Resene Half Fossil, Resene Quarter Craigieburn, Resene Merino, Resene Half Sea Fog, Resene Linen or Resene Half Tea.
July 2015
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Q. I am wanting to repaint the 'feature' walls in our house. I quite like the brightness of the green in our spare room (photo attached) but its just a little bit too much. I want something bright but a little toned down from what we currently have. I am also looking to brighten up the main bedroom and lounge. What colours would you recommend to achieve a bright but soft and not too bold feature wall? I don't want anything dark and like greys, greens and yellows. A. Check out these colours - they may seem a bit 'blah' compared to what you have now but they are lovely colours and are worthy of consideration – Resene Half Chicago, Resene Bluff, Resene Westwood, Resene Paddock, Resene Melting Moment or Resene La Luna.
July 2015
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Q. I have a 1960s stucco house. It gets full sun for most of the year and so the current glaring white is too harsh. I would like to paint it half Resene Clouded Blue, and wonder about complementary colours for windows, doors, roof etc. A. Colours to try are Resene Quarter Wan White (windows, under the soffits, fascias), Resene Grey Friars or Resene New Denim Blue (roof) and perhaps a bit of excitement for a door colour – Resene Madam M or Resene Bittersweet.
July 2015
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Q. We have a lounge on the south side of our house in Wellington. What colour would you suggest? It needs to be light. We have Jarrah flooring, also Jarrah bi-folds. It also needs to add warmth and make the room appear bigger. A. You don't mention what colour the drapes are or the upholstered furniture - will you be purchasing these after the painting in order to work with the new wall colour? If you have these already and aren't changing them will you mind if they don't co-ordinate as well as you would like with the wall colour options? South facing rooms can be a bit of a challenge - too white a colour looks chilly and grey and too yellow a colour looks sour because of the quality of light. You might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Moscato, Resene Clotted Cream, Resene Half Sandcastle, Resene Quarter Drought or Resene Quarter Fossil. These colours are warm and light and harmonise well with Jarrah timber.
July 2015
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Q. We have a new kitchen, dining room and family area, an open plan with large bi-fold glass doors on north west walls and windows on north wall. There is a distant sea view plus paddocks and trees. We have warm wooden floors with a centre island, which has a dark green, black with flecks of bronze, gold and ivory granite top. Which white do you recommend for walls and ceiling plus which colour for the splashback above the hob and along the wall of the island? A. You don't mention what the kitchen cabinets and the other work tops are - this may have a definite influence over what might be used on the walls. Check out these 'whites' to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter Villa White, Resene Eighth Spanish White or Resene Half Rice Cake. These might be used for both walls and ceilings but if you wanted a 'whiter' colour for the ceilings and any painted woodwork so that the wall was more coloured you might consider using Resene Alabaster, which would work with any of the suggested colours. A splashback might be almost any colour but seeing as you have the ultimate feature - the coloured granite top on the centre island - I suggest that it may be wise to downplay the splashback a little bit. You might look at using a low iron oxide crystal clear glass over the wall colour (protection but not colour feature) or even a metallic colour (a little shimmer but not an out there bold colour) like Resene Alcatraz or – lighter - Resene Strobe which might pick up the bronze and gold from the granite top.
July 2015
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Q. What is the relationship between Resene Triple Black White, Resene Double Black White and Resene Black White - is it the same colour base formula, but just two thirds strength and one third strength? A. Yes they are all related to the same colour. So if you start from Resene Black White, Resene Double Black White has double the tinter of Resene Black White. Resene Triple Black White has triple the tinter of Resene Black White. Resene Half Black White has half the tinter of Resene Black White. Resene Black White is off a white tone. Some colours off darker tones have other tint variations if the tone changes when going up or down the strength scale.
July 2015
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Q. I have full strength Resene White Pointer on my walls and want a feature wall. My curtains are a beige which tie in with the scheme. I just want to give them a boost but not too in your face and bold - either a green or a grey or muddy blue? A. You might look at these colours – Resene Inside Back, Resene Revolution or Resene Snapshot. All of the suggested colours are soft and muted with subtle grey undertones, which look rather lovely with Resene White Pointer.
July 2015
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Q. We are building a weatherboard house in the country with two main gables featuring board and batten to give some vertical interest and painted the same colour as the weatherboards. The question I have is regarding the roof colour and trim. We really like Resene Silver Chalice for the weatherboards and gables. We will have box framed windows with sills. We were thinking white trim with darker roof for contrast? But with so many options I can’t decide. We will also have a chunky pergola with boardwalk at the front entrance - should we paint it white or Resene Silver Chalice? A. I think the chunky pergola might look good as the same white (perhaps Resene Eighth Black White) as the trims to enhance the Resene Silver Chalice. A deep colour could be one of these colours if you are having a powdercoated COLORSTEEL® roof – FlaxPod, Grey Friars or TernStyle.
July 2015
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Q. I have Lichen metal windows and doors. I would like to keep to a light colour for my external walls. What colour would you suggest? A. You might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you - they all look good with the Lichen joinery you have – Resene Double Rice Cake, Resene Thorndon Cream, Resene Parchment, Resene Ash or Resene Ecru White.
July 2015
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Q. I have a very thick wool carpet in two bedrooms. It’s navy blue and I want to paint the walls to lighten it down with warm colours. I’m thinking a very soft lemon? A. Yellows - and anything in the sharp lemony range - may look nice but they are often far, far brighter than you might imagine the colour to be. Might I suggest that you 'sneak up' on the yellow range of colours and use one of these softer, more mellow cream based yellows – Resene Half Colonial White, Resene Sidecar, Resene Splash or Resene Double Dutch White.
July 2015
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Q. Can you please tell me if Resene has a paint colour that matches Warm White Pearl aluminium joinery colour? We are needing to match the paint with the new joinery. A. Because this colour has a pearlescent sheen on it which alters how the colour is seen it is a real problem trying to match a colour to it. The short answer is ‘No but sometimes’ - dependent upon how much direct sunshine is reflected off the surface - one of these colours almost works – Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Quarter Rice Cake. Nothing is a true or perfect match - apart from more of the same powdercoated metal - and it may be that you choose not to put two different types of paint (ordinary domestic and powdercoat pearlescent) colours in close proximity to each other in order not to draw attention to their differences.
July 2015
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Q. I have an Ironsand fascia and roof with a light cream brick. I am looking for a colour to put on small timber areas under the gables. Would Resene Quarter Ironsand look good? The builder wants to use Resene Delta but it looks too different and too light. A. Resene Delta is a warm slightly green toned grey - I am unsure why the painter wants to use it with a light cream brick and Ironsand which is a brown based charcoal - it wouldn't be a colour choice I would think was well matched and harmonious. Are they trying to match the window joinery - is that a similar type of colour? Resene Quarter Ironsand is nice and it works well with the roof etc but it is quite dark. You might look at slightly lighter colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Gauntlet or Resene Quarter Masala.
July 2015
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Q. I would like to find a nice colour for our upstairs bathroom. Currently it is dark blue with a white ceiling, with rimu trim and a reasonable sized cupboard with rimu doors. It doesn't get much sunlight. I think I would like a light/bright colour so wondering what would you suggest? A. It is always tricky changing from such a definite dark colour to a lighter brighter colour. I suggest you undercoat the room in white to get rid of the existing colour and so you can see the space in a better way prior to testing some new colours. You may find it looks larger and much brighter because of this. You might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Coriander, Resene Boulevard, Resene Haystack or Resene Sidecar.
July 2015
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Q. We're renovating our small bathroom which only has a shower over the bath (with a curtain), a vanity and a large window which allows ample light in. We want to go with white (white vanity, white bath) chrome fittings, timber vinyl flooring (which I thought would give it a warmer feeling). What kind of white would you recommend? A. I recommend a white that is different enough to not compete with the white vanity, bath etc. Because of the warmth of the timber floor you might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Merino, Resene Sea Fog, Resene Eighth Parchment or Resene Seashell. They all carry different underlying tints and tones in them but they have a common factor - any real whites (vanity etc) will definitely stand out in a clean sharp way and the walls will have their own look.
July 2015
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Q. We have Resene Quarter Tea on walls. We are painting a small south facing entrance way hall. Would like to paint it a white that would go with the Resene Quarter Tea. Would Resene Black White work? A. Resene Black White may not look like a white when used with Resene Quarter Tea but if you used a lighter version of Resene Black White - i.e Resene Quarter Black White you may see a little more clean contrast.
July 2015
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Q. We have recently added a second storey to our 1950s red/grey brick house. Our new roof is tiled slate grey and gutters COLORBOND® Basalt; we will also carry these colours to the ground floor. We are unsure what to paint the clad upper storey and all the window frames. We were thinking a beige to tie in with the mortar and limestone foundations and fence but really have no idea where to start. A. Mortar between bricks often picks up a warmer grey tone - have you considered that type of colour? You might look at these colours as they relate really well to the roof and guttering colours – Resene Half Taupe Grey, Resene Quarter Friar Grey or Resene Half Foggy Grey, or much lighter – Resene Triple Sea Fog.
July 2015
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Q. I have some old paint. Are you able to re-tint it? A. It depends on what colour it is, the condition of the paint and what colour you are wanting to achieve. Assuming it is Resene branded paint the best idea would be to take it into your local Resene owned ColorShop and see if anything can be done. There is a risk when tinting paint further that the colour doesn't achieve the one you want and you end up with unusable paint. Sometimes the best option is to use the unwanted colour as a basecoat or on another project (painting pots etc) or as an extra protective coat on the surface that is already that colour. Generally speaking the more paint on a surface the better the protection. July 2015
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Q. We are currently renovating our kitchen, dining room and lounge and are struggling to come up with a wall colour. We are getting high gloss white kitchen cabinets and will be using Resene Alabaster for the ceilings. We are looking for a neutral colour that can run through the three areas but will set off the white cabinets. We will be painting the outside in Resene Double Tea at some stage. A. A good neutral needs to be able to harmonise not only with the cupboards but with the flooring, existing curtains or blinds and furniture. You could try these colours to get you started – Resene Half Tea, Resene Half Fossil, Resene Half Truffle, Resene Thorndon Cream or Resene Double Merino.
July 2015
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Q. My floor tiles are terracotta. I have a brown corner leather lounge suite - what colour can I paint the walls? My cushions are sea green. A. What colours do you like? What colours are in the other rooms? You could look at warm neutrals as a start point and use more of the sea green (from the cushions) in other accessories or even as the drapes or blinds. These colours may appeal to you – Resene Quarter Solitaire, Resene Eighth Drought or Resene Quarter Sandspit Brown.
July 2015
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Q. We have used Ironsand for our joinery and our floor is made out of bamboo, a light coffee colour. Our surroundings are bush clad and the exterior cladding is cedar. I would like to use Resene Quarter Black White in our interior. Would this work out well? A. If you like Resene Quarter Black White you might also check out these colours as well and compare them – Resene Quarter Merino or Resene Quarter Wan White.
July 2015
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Q. We have cream tiles (almost a match to your Resene Half Sisal colour) through most of the house and a dark brown wooden floor in the lounge and dining. There is cream carpet in bedrooms but we will be replacing this. The current wall colour is Resene Eighth Pavlova with Resene Alabaster trim/doors. The Resene Pavlova is too bland with the tiles so we would like to repaint and add some depth of colour. What colours would you suggest? A. It depends on what depth of colour you favour and what other colours are in the rooms - curtains, blinds, duvets etc and the overall effect that natural light in the rooms will bring to bear upon the new colour - light changes all things and must be considered carefully. You could stay within the Resene Sisal palette - i.e perhaps Resene Sisal - this way it relates to the tiles or alternatively you can go earthier like Resene Bison Hide. Another option is a coffee colour like Resene Malta. I think you may need to look at the carpet options first - as it is a far more limited range of options than paint colours - and tie that in to the hard flooring - and then look at each of the rooms to see if using the one/same colour in all rooms will work or if you need to address it room by room dependent upon the mood of each space and any other existing colours that are in these spaces.
July 2015
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Q. I have a house with white walls and blinds. The floor is a browny and cream floorboard and I have a Raisin couch. What floor rug what match nicely? A. You are very fortunate because you have a huge amount of options available to you. Almost any colour will work. You might start looking for green/blues and teals, navy and red/brown colours and possibly creams and terracotta oranges and charcoals. I suspect when you see a rug that really excites you will buy it for the 'feel good' factor alone. July 2015
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Q. I need a white for my new kitchen cupboard fronts. It's a renovated villa in rural Auckland. The bench is stainless and the island top is concrete coloured composite stone. A. You might check these 'whites' out to see if they appeal to you – Resene Sea Fog, Resene Quarter Merino, Resene Black White or Resene Wan White. If you can pop into your local Resene ColorShop to view the A4 real paint colour samples in their Colour Library and compare them with a sheet of white printer paper you will be able to judge the reality of the colours and that will help you in the decision making.
July 2015
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Q. We need to choose the exterior colours for our house. The exterior will be plaster over poly. The roof, fascia and gutter are COLORSTEEL® Slate, the windows are high voltage pearl (similar to the roof colour). We like Resene Half Merino but are concerned it may look too white. We would like it to be off-white. A. If you like Resene Half Merino but are worried it might be too white why not try a deeper version of the colour? Colours on an exterior often appear a lot lighter than you might expect because of the way bright natural light diffuses them making lighter/brighter. So with that in mind perhaps look at these colours to check out (after careful testing) what looks best – Resene Merino, or alternative colours – Resene Black Haze, Resene White Pointer or Resene Double Black White. If you paint all of the testpot (two coats) onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving a narrow unpainted edge all around the sides of the card then your eye focuses on the reality of the colour, you see a really large sample and you can move it around from wall to wall of the house to see how changes of angle and natural light alter the colours.
July 2015
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Q. Can you please advise whether you think this exterior colour scheme will work nicely? For the grey we were thinking Resene Smokey Ash stain and for the vertical ones we were thinking Resene Pitch Black. And Grey Friars for the roof. Our joinery, soffits and fascia will be matt Appliance White/Resene Black White. A. It all sounds really lovely. Your house will look really smart.
August 2015
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Q. We are building a new home and I am after some colour advice for the interior. A. I usually suggest that you choose colours last - after picking kitchen cabinets, worktops, hard flooring and carpet. This is because if you choose colours first it stops you having what you really like for the other things. There are hundreds of choices in paint colours but hundreds of choices in regard the other elements and they are usually far more expensive also. I think once you have gathered together all of the samples of the other things and related them to the things that you may be having in your home - existing furniture, precious things etc that you aren't going to get rid of - then it starts to be very apparent what types of colours will work to tie it all together. Be cautious about asking other people what you should have - it is really important that it be your choice/your home - not theirs. If you are considering colour features - i.e a splash back in the kitchen or bathroom, dramatic colours in the lounge or exciting wallpaper - choose what has always appealed to you and not just something that is a 'now trend' or a recommendation from a friend who has that in their home. You could regret that a little further down the line - unless of course you like making frequent changes in the house - some people do but most people just live with their choices for years before considering making major changes in their homes. August 2015
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Q. Wanting to refresh and subtly warm my long hall and entrance way that gets little light. It’s currently Resene Half Thorndon Cream. Other communal areas are Resene Quarter Pravda (kitchen) and Resene Eighth Oilskin (lounge). A. The colour you have now is light but possibly not all that warm. A lighter/brighter colour that you might consider is Resene Rice Cake. Alternatively a warmer light colour could be Resene Eighth Biscotti. I am wary of suggesting a 'whiter' colour as all too often in dim areas all that achieves is a cool greyness. You might use mirrors opposite doors that lead into brighter rooms to 'capture' light and redirect it around the hallway or feature artwork in bold colours to add warmth to the hallway that isn't related to what colour is on the wall. Or you might consider 'daylight' LED lighting to add the brightness that isn't in the area.
August 2015
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Q. I am looking for a cool colour from Resene to match the COLORSTEEL® Ironsand as I am partially cladding my house with COLORSTEEL® Ironsand and partially cladding it with board and batten with a paint finish. Can you help guide me as to a colour that would match COLORSTEEL® Ironsand? A. If you want a Resene match to COLORSTEEL® Ironsand it is Resene Ironsand. There are lighter variants also - Resene Half Ironsand and Resene Quarter Ironsand. If you are just asking about a colour that looks good and co-ordinates with Ironsand then you might consider Resene Half Masala or Resene Friar Grey.
August 2015
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Q. We are building a new Linea® board home with a metal tiled roof and schist feature at the front of the house. We are looking to have a Grey Friars roof and Grey Friars on the Linea®. The joinery and garage door will be Silver Pearl and we were thinking Resene Alabaster or similar for fascia, soffits and boxed corners. We are wanting to do a bright red front door too. Do you think these colours would work well together? A. Yes! it will be gorgeous. But if you want a little more lighter tonal aspect for the Linea® you might consider using Resene Quarter Grey Friars - just a thought. The Resene Alabaster may seem stark and pop a bit - is that what you would like? Considering the Silver Pearl joinery and garage door is quite grey by comparison - have you thought of a grey white - i.e Resene Double Black White perhaps which may soften and blend a bit but still look 'white' compared to the Grey Friars. A bright red front door sounds very exciting - if you are painting the front door please do use a tinted undercoat so that the topcoats have 'depth and body' and don't look semi-transparent with the richness of the red diffused by a white undercoat - sort of like bright torchlight seen through red cellophane.
August 2015
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Q. We have recently painted the interior of our house Resene Black White with the ceiling in Resene Half Sea Fog. What colour would you recommend for the doors? The carpet is a charcoal colour. A. Do you want the doors to be a 'colour' feature or to blend in? If you want slightly deeper coloured doors you might look at Resene Double Black White or Resene Triple Black White. Too dark or too definite a colour can make the doors a strong bossy feature, which might not be a good look unless you think they are more gorgeous than anything else in the house and want people to notice them and not the rest of the decor. If you want a blended look you could use the same colour as the walls but in a semi-gloss enamel so there is just a sheen level difference not a colour difference. Or alternatively a lighter/brighter colour - Resene Quarter Black White - makes the walls seem a little more 'coloured'.
August 2015
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Q. We are building a new home and I love the colour Resene Tasman for the master bedroom. I am after some ideas for the bedroom and ensuite colour scheme combinations for both rooms (walls, trim, ceilings). Both are sunny north facing rooms. A. If you use a clean bright white for all the trim work and the ceiling it will enhance the Resene Tasman – Resene Eighth Black White. Deep maritime blues look good as accents or even a feature wall behind the wall i.e Resene Cello and Resene Elephant. Silver framed prints or mirrors suit the cool watery mood of Resene Tasman. The ensuite wall colour could be the white (Resene Eighth Black White) and using watery green glass, silver and white mosaic tiles as a feature (splashback or as a detail around a wall mirror) with the blues, whites and grey pewter/green colours for towels you could achieve a delicious look. For a bit of a 'surprise' you could paint the ensuite ceiling in the Resene Tasman - coloured ceilings are an exciting new look when rooms use a 'white on white' look for walls.
August 2015
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Q. For our new house we have selected the roof sheeting as COLORBOND® Dune. We would like a green/beige external wall colour scheme so the house blends in. The windows and door frames are clear anodised and the glass is tinted green. I was thinking of using these colours externally – Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream to walls with the lower floor level Resene Knave and others in Resene Triple Truffle or Resene Half Linen. I need a paint colour to match Dune as the fascias are RHS beams - can you recommend on please? A. A paint colour match to COLORBOND® Dune is Resene Settlement.
August 2015
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Q. We are currently getting our roof restored with Grecian terracotta. I am also painting the exterior of our two storey contemporary home and would like some advice on what colour would go best with it. A. You might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Solitaire, Resene Spanish White, Resene Eighth Canterbury Clay, Resene Clotted Cream or Resene Parchment.
August 2015
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Q. I am currently designing a small beach cottage which consists of two Linea® clad (to be coloured Resene Trojan) mono pitch roofed blocks (roof and trim Grey Friars) and separated by a flat roofed connection with smooth panel cladding. I would like your suggestions for the flat panel colour. I want a dull finished black colour that will make the wall appear as if it is almost not there. Which of your many blacks do you think would suit the purpose and the other colours best? A. Perhaps you could check out these colours to see whether they appeal to you – Resene Nocturnal - this isn't harshly black but it does relate well to Resene Trojan, or Resene Blackjack - much blacker but with a warm undertone, or Resene Black - sometimes standard black works better than a 'coloured' black.
August 2015
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Q. We are using Resene Double Alabaster on our ceiling and skirting/scotias, with a feature wall of Resene Quarter Duck Egg Blue. What white could we use on the other three walls of our bedroom? It’s a west facing room in the front of an old villa, with a verandah so no direct sunlight. A. It may be wise to use the same colour on the wall as you are using for the ceiling and woodwork as any other 'white' may look either grey (because of the fact there is no direct sunlight) or too coloured and not provide enough contrast for you to see the feature colour. Alternatively - if you don't mind the ceiling and woodwork looking darker - you could use a lighter variant - i.e. Resene Alabaster. Have you tested your feature wall colour - which because it is the quarter formula may be super pale and subtle - to ensure it doesn't look too grey/white?
August 2015
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Q. I am interested in using Resene Quarter Silver Chalice for most interior walls with Resene Silver Chalice for a bedroom, scullery and bathroom to get a traditional look. There is dark grey flooring and a white traditional kitchen, with light trims and ceiling. Please advise suitable trim colours to retain a warm but smart finish. There will be a lot of rimu and recycled pine furniture. I am also looking at Resene Shady Lady and love the look in the bedroom. Will this merge with the ideas above? A. I love your ideas - especially the thought of the 'romantic' bedroom in Resene Shady Lady, which has a lovely smoked grey almost lilac undertone. Resene Quarter Silver Chalice (and the full strength version) need a warm/crisp trim colour and I think you could look at either of these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Eighth Rice Cake or Resene Alabaster. The first option may pick up the colours from the rimu and pine furniture and the other option may sit better with the white traditional kitchen. Both work well with your main colours and the Resene Shady Lady.
August 2015
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Q. We are wanting to paint our lounge/dining area which is not a very light room. It's close to the kitchen, a sunny room, which is painted Resene Beryl Green. I was thinking a pale green like Resene Quarter Beryl Green or Resene Half Secrets might work, but am not sure if these would make the room seem cold. The area is currently a horrible yellow... A. I suggest you undercoat the room (white) to get rid of the yellow so that you can better test colours and see how your natural quality of light in the room makes them appear. Making the room white for a while will also let you see which walls do get natural light and which ones don't. You may find your ideas about possible colours change also. My main worry would be that lighter colours in a dim room might make them look grey (rather than green) and cooler - as you have indicated. If you did want a green for a dim room then I would suggest you test Resene Beryl Green first as it may look quite different and possibly deeper in this space and perhaps warmer also. Sometimes dim rooms that have a slightly cooler aspect need deeper warmer colours as no amount of trying with light colours truly enhances the ambiance of the room.
August 2015
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Q. If I paint Resene Quarter Tea on the walls which colour kitchen cabinetry will suit? A. If you are painting your kitchen cabinets you could look at deeper toned colours or whiter colours - Resene Tea or Resene Double Alabaster. If you preferred definite colours you could use reds or blue greens - whether they would work or not depends on what coloured benchtops you have – Resene Pohutukawa or Resene Imprint.
August 2015
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Q. I am looking for something different to paint the exterior of a cladded house with Smooth Cream aluminium windows and sliding doors. I live amongst bush and water. A. Your window and door joinery is a really strong yellow which makes it much more difficult to choose colours to go with it - apart from very similar - lighter or darker but for something different you might look at these ones – Resene Forest Green, Resene Double Tapa or Resene Triple Friar Grey.
August 2015
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Q. Does Resene Half Merino for the doors work with Resene Half Gravel (walls) in south facing bathrooms - trying to avoid them feeling like ice boxes? Floors are polished concrete, ceilings are Resene Quarter Merino. We have macrocarpa benchtops. A. Yes these colours work really well together - I suspect you could even go to full strength Resene Merino as it could be a warmer 'white' and might make the bathroom fittings - shower, bath, vanity - stand out crisply. Perhaps you could choose towels that are rust/copper and gold/tan to add that rich warm ambiance. I like the sound of the macrocarpa benchtops.
August 2015
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Q. I want to paint our nursery a grey of some description. It's a small (2.5m x 3m) east facing room and I'd like to create a monochrome scheme of greys with a splash of colour (it's currently my 14 month old son's room). I quite like the idea of a dark grey but am worried that going too dark may be too much for such a small room although being a villa we do have 12ft studs. I got a testpot of Resene Revolution but I think it's a little too cold. A. You may need to look at slightly lighter warmer greys – try Resene Transmission, Resene Mountain Mist or Resene Triple Rakaia. These colours have the potential to look a lot stronger if a really sharp crisp white is used with them as well as any splash of colour that you might be considering.
August 2015
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Q. We have just purchased a beach house with avocado green joinery. The weatherboards are currently mint green - yuck! What colour would you suggest to paint this cute two room Hardiplank® bach, with a verandah out the front and aluminium ranchsliders across the front, to match its avocado green joinery. The roof is brown Decramastic. A. The avocado green colour on all the joinery is a bit of a problem - it does exert quite an influence over what might be used.
August 2015
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Q. With Quantum Quartz 'Polar' for benchtops what white would you suggest for joinery drawers and cupboards? A. Your choice of benchtop - in this instance - shouldn't control too much what 'white' you might use for the cupboards. You might check out these colours to see which one appeals to you personally – Resene Alabaster, Resene Black White, Resene Eighth Rice Cake or Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream. If you have a high gloss finish it may make the colours look brighter/whiter.
August 2015
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Q. We have Resene Golden Glow in one of our bedrooms and would like to use this colour but at quarter to half strength in the living areas and hallway of our house. Is it possible to get this mixed or do we need to select the nearest colour from the existing range? If we need to select from the existing range can you tell me how to find the colour closest to what we want? If we can get it mixed, is it possible to get a testpot of this colour or are only the standard colours available as testpots? A. You might look at Resene Buttermilk, which is a lighter variant of Resene Golden Glow. Other colours that may suit you are Resene Pipi, Resene Honeymoon, Resene Barley White or Resene Oasis - it is possible to get testpots of these colours. A special colour is harder to get small amounts of for testing purposes. Usually a litre is the smallest amount of a non-standard light colour.
August 2015
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Q. We are freshening up our home. We've used Resene Alabaster for the internal doors and staircase. Now it's the kitchen with flat black cabinets. Would Resene Alabaster white work with the flat black? Do you think another white would go better with the flat black? A. If you want your painted woodwork, trims and ceilings to stand out in a crisp way and are worried that the level of contrast may be too stark with the black cabinets in the kitchen then you might look at using a slightly toned white to differentiate between the whites. Check out these whites to see if they appeal to you – Resene Black White, Resene Sea Fog or Resene Wan White.
August 2015
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Q. I am painting my kitchen and bathrooms with Resene Alabaster, and bedrooms and other areas with Resene Half Spanish White. Would Resene Double Spanish White be a good colour for doorframes etc? The doors are flat wood grained. Should I paint these also? A. Resene Double Spanish White is a very strong yellow/biscuit colour. If you want people to notice all the door frames and none of the other elements in the house then you could use it. I suggest you use either of the other colours - one or the other not both - and keep the look simple and elegant.
August 2015
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Q. We are building a new house which will have Rockcote cladding. We want a black roof, spouting and downpipes and double garage door. The aluminium joinery will be a colour called Tique Steel, which is a slightly metallic very dark grey. We want a grey for the cladding which needs to be 40% LRV or above. Would Resene Half Stack work in your opinion?. We have seen a house which was a darker shade of grey with black joinery etc we thought looked good. A. Resene Half Stack meets the criteria - 41% LRV. Please check out several greys to ensure you have the best one - if you only look at one then you have nothing to compare it to. You could try comparing it to Resene Atmosphere, Resene Quarter Friar Grey or Resene Mountain Mist.
August 2015
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Q. I've painted the hard exteriors of my house Resene Double Masala (they were a light off white) and my garage doors Resene Masala. There are also some red brick areas on the exterior with dark mortar. I'm not sure what colours to paint the wood cladding. I was thinking Resene Double Black White, but this may look harsh? There is quite a bit of the cladding on the other side of the house and that side doesn't get a lot of sun. It's not used much and isn't visible from the road. A. Because of the warmth of the bricks, the colour of the metal window joinery and the Resene Double Masala and Resene Masala I am inclined to agree with you in regards to Resene Double Black White. Perhaps you might look at these colours – Resene Half Merino, Resene Triple Sea Fog or Resene Half Titania.
August 2015
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Q. We have just put down new carpet. The colour is a dark brown/black with a lighter brown fleck. The windows are white with newly painted white surrounds. All door surrounds and trim are also white and most doors are rimu. Our current wall colour is Resene Pavlova in the lounge, family, hallway, study, entrance and laundry. The laundry floor is a dark grey tile same as the fire hearth and both match the carpet well. The kitchen floor and entrance are dark brown bamboo. We would like to change the Resene Pavlova walls and were thinking about Resene Half Perfect Taupe to match the carpet. The rest of the house, the kitchen and one bedroom, are currently in Resene Perfect Taupe. A. I suggest you undercoat all the walls (white) to get rid of the Resene Pavlova and then test the colour very carefully to make sure it is exactly right in these new spaces with different qualities of natural and artificial light. It may be perfect but until you test it you are in danger of getting a colour that doesn't look like what you expect it to look like. Testpots are your best friend. I suggest you paint up all of the testpot (two coats) onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and move it from wall to wall/room to room and judge for yourself where it looks great and where it may need to be changed for another colour.
August 2015
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Q. We have a 1970 rusticated weatherboard house that has several levels in a native bush setting. It is a big house with lots of straight lines and concrete block and weatherboards. My thoughts of doing a grey colour scheme have fallen by the way as I think it will end up looking like a military fortress. We are quite keen on Resene Half Ash for the rusticated weatherboards. Can you please suggest a suitable roof colour please? Because of the design of the house, we can see the roofs of other rooms from a number of windows so as much as I like charcoal grey, it might be a bit oppressive. We have a high block wall fence close to the front of the house - I was thinking Resene Double Ash but would welcome any suggestions to bring the house into this decade. Also a colour that will add a bit of zing for the letterbox and the external archway. Our front door is a double set of large cedar doors which is cool but can look a bit Hogwarts castle. There is a path of terracotta tiles to the front door that are staying. A. You could check out Resene Touchstone or Resene Double Friar Grey for the roof - both of these are earthy and not too deep but they look good with Resene Half Ash and Resene Double Ash. Other colours that might be worth investigating for the letterbox and external archway - or any other little bit of detail - might be these – Resene Pioneer Red, Resene Fiddlesticks, Resene Karaka or Resene Half Bokara Grey.
August 2015
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Q. Our house is painted throughout with Resene Eighth Parchment walls. We are finding the living area on the south side cold in winter. Can you suggest a colour for the living room without having to change the rest of the house? A. South facing rooms are often chilly, dim or sour due to the aspect and the quality of natural light in them. Using warm, dense colours often makes the room feel cosy but if you don't want deeper wall colours to compensate the drapes, throw rugs, cushions might feature these types of colours. Try Resene Akaroa, Resene Spanish White or Resene Nougat, and perhaps some small touches of red in a colour like Resene Pohutukawa - in accessories as they always enrich with a spot of 'hot' colour. The use of textural fabrics (not shiny or smooth) like rough linen, plush velvet and chunky woollen weave and deeper coloured woods (mahogany or jarrah) and soft lamp light in the corners of the rooms will help create an ambiance of glowing cuddly comfort to help dissipate the cold feeling.
August 2015
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Q. What ‘white’ would you recommend for the walls of a bedroom that doesn't get much sun and is cold during the winter? I would usually go for a cream – Resene Half Spanish White - but I think I need something with less yellow in it. A. Usually bedrooms that are cold and don't have good natural light benefit by warmer colours as pale or 'whiter' colours look either greyer, colder or sour. You don't indicate in your email whether you will change bedroom curtains or bedspreads to work with a new colour so it’s also worth taking them into account. If you compare the following colours with Resene Half Spanish White your eye will see that the colour is nowhere near as yellow as you think it is - it pays to compare colours for this reason - Resene HALF Dutch White and Resene Pearl Lusta. If you pop into your nearest Resene ColorShop to view A4 real paint samples in their Colour Library you may be better able to see differences and make good judgements. If you want a warmer colour then that may mean investigating colours with an orange or red undertone like these ones – Resene Eighth Biscotti or Resene Quarter Solitaire. Alternatively using a slightly deeper colour will make a cold room feel warmer and cosier but may not address the lack of sunshine. You might look at these to see if that will help make the room feel nicer - Resene Nougat or Resene Biscotti.
August 2015
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Q. Time to update the lounge and get rid of the old wallpaper above the picture rail. But I am lost on what colours to use - a darker colour at the bottom of the picture rail and lighter on top? Also with the kitchen straight off the lounge, do I repaint the blue kitchen to match the new lounge colours? Do you have any suggestions on colours to use? I like blues, greys and soft tones like Resene Alabaster. The windows are north to north east facing. A. If you did use a slightly deeper colour below the picture rail, and above the picture rail the colour was the same as the ceiling it would lift the visual height and open up the spaces. Is this the look you are considering? It would certainly update the lounge if you did that. Are you painting or wallpapering? If you are painting you could look at light grey/blues used with Resene Double Alabaster and pulling into the lounge some warmer colours like rust, red and deep slate blue as accessories/cushions etc so they tie together and relate well. Try these colours to see if they suit – Resene Shinto, Resene Bali Hai, Resene Half Duck Egg Blue, Resene Dusted Blue, Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Sea Fog. Colour contrast colours to warm up the look are Resene Red Red Red, Resene Dynamite or Resene Biscay. August 2015
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Q. My beach house is being rebuilt and I have retained the rimu flooring. How can I modernise the floor in the kitchen, laundry bathroom area? I don't want the old polyurethane look. Can I tint it to look lighter and brighter? A. Have you considered using Resene Colorwood Whitewash on the old polyurethane floors to get that soft 'whitish' beach look? Or sanding it back and painting the floor a definite colour - sounds radical but people are doing it a lot these days. August 2015
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Q. My doors and trim are Resene Spanish White. I am about to paint the walls. What would be a nice neutral colour? Have looked at Resene Half Tea. I want to make sure I have the right toning with the Resene Spanish White. A. You may need a little more depth if you were wanting to use any of the Resene Tea palette of colours so there is more contrast between the doors and trims - i.e Resene Tea. Alternatively other colours that work well with Resene Quarter Spanish White are Resene Half Akaroa or Resene Sandspit Brown.
August 2015
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Q. I am struggling to find a paint colour for my fence. I have an Oamaru stone house, light grey roof and cream joinery. I am looking for a charcoal colour for the fence, warm, not blue grey. I have looked at Resene Half Baltic Sea - too light, Resene Tuna - too blue, Resene Half Nocturnal - bit too light, Resene Baltic Sea - about the right depth but a bit cold and Resene Fuscous Grey - which in some angles looks perfect and on others too brown with even a hint of purple. Could you make any other suggestions? It will be a back drop to lots of green and some dark purple foliage. A. You are now more aware than a lot of people about how colour changes constantly - and sometimes it is about choosing to compromise as no one colour will completely suit the situation at all times. Perhaps look at darker colours - i.e. Resene Nocturnal, Resene Foundry or Resene Gumboot. It may pay to think about how much foliage will be planted in front of the fence, how close this will be to the fence and whether it will create shadow on the fence and what percentage of the fence will be viewed when the planting is completed. These things may in fact alter how any colour is seen.
August 2015
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Q. We are currently renovating a 1990s style single level home with dark bronze aluminium joinery with Hardie® stucco cladding with Tudor look battens etc. We looked at the gallery on your site and see almost all the houses show white joinery. We want a beach look colour and we would like a modern colour that will go with the new Ironsand COLORSTEEL® roof and give a beach bach look as we are right by the ocean. A. I know what you want but I think that it is the dark bronze aluminium joinery that is the bugbear here. It is OK with the roof colour – Ironsand - and if the Tudor style battens were painted in a colour somewhere between the roof and the joinery then it might help tie it together. If you are not replacing the joinery with white powdercoat I suggest you stick to the lighter/whiter types of colours for the main house colour and allow the house to look classical rather than 'coastal trendy' as it may be a little hard to transform it into a beach bach. Try these colours – Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene White Pointer or Resene Eighth Truffle. They aren't exciting but they are sand and pumice colours so are slightly beachy. A lighter variant of the roof colour - i.e Resene Quarter Ironsand - might be appropriate for the battens. If you have doors (or wooden garden furniture) that you want to zoosh up you might consider using a definite maritime toned blue colour - Resene Barometer, Resene Deep South or Resene Regatta.
August 2015
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Q. We have Resene Taupe Grey kitchen cupboards, Resene Ecru White walls and a white flecked stone bench. We are trying to decide on a colour for a glass splashback. It will be coming straight down from the extractor so it’s not a huge space. We would like something different for the cupboards but not really 'out there'. I quite liked the Resene Powder Blue and Resene Half Smalt Blue, which came up when searching your site. A. Try these colours – Resene Imprint, Resene Inside Back, Resene Seachange, Resene Explorer, Resene Pure Pewter or Resene Aluminium. The last two colours are metallics - so a bit exciting but more neutralised than the definite colours. This is a good default choice. There is only one type of glass that shows the colours true to reality - it is called low iron oxide crystal clear glass. The other one is called standard float glass and it has a bottle green cast to it and the colours behind this glass bear little resemblance to reality.
August 2015
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Q. We are building a one level pine weatherboard home with little vertical shiplap cedar panels at the entry and alfresco area. I am thinking of warm grey tones. The cedar is finished in Resene Tiri wood stain, the roof and garage door are Grey Friars with Arctic White joinery. We are looking for a light to mid grey that would complement these colours for the weatherboards. A. The Arctic White joinery is a very chilly grey white - is it possible to change to a slightly warmer white powdercoat - i.e Appliance White? It may work better with your Resene Tiri wood stain and Grey Friars roof and garage door and allow a lot more (easier) options for the weatherboard colour options. These colours would work well with the warmer powdercoat white and the warm earthy toned stain – Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Eighth Friar Grey, Resene Quarter Taupe Grey or Resene Atmosphere. But if you want a cooler grey to work with the Arctic White powdercoat joinery you might look at these ones – Resene Surrender or Resene Half Grey Chateau. A word to the wise - they may make the Resene Woodsman Tiri look a lot earthier/warmer/browner by comparison and cause a 'discord' of colours that don't really like each other.
August 2015
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Q. We have a new build two storey with Woodland Grey roof and gutters and a fascia in Surfmist. The building is clad in half bond cement sheeting 2400x1200. We have painted the front façade that will house the garage door COLORBOND® Basalt. It looks good. Should we opt for a basalt garage door to match or a timber coat colour? We chose to paint the remaining major facades in Shale Grey. The Shale Grey painted façade looks similar to the raw cement sheeting and appears unfinished. Are you able to suggest a complementary colour change to the façade so the building will look painted? A. If you want the garage door to merge completely with the façade then you could use the same colour but I think it could look good to repeat the roof colour for the garage door. I feel it needs to be slightly different from the façade around it - Basalt. I am unsure about a garage door in timber simply because it weathers a lot and needs frequent recoating to maintain its colour, good looks and the protection for the wood from fading and U.V. damage. The Shale Grey colour does look like raw cement, doesn't it. You could go lighter - like the Surfmist fascia. This is equivalent to Resene Titania and it will make the deeper colours on the house really pop. A slightly deeper version of this colour - Resene Bone White - looks good also and relates really well to the roof colour - Thunder Grey, or a deeper colour that you might consider is Resene Delta.
August 2015
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Q. We have painted the exterior of our house Resene Cougar. We are unsure what colour to paint the balcony and pool fence that have a rough concrete look. We have tried Resene Mondo but it is too brown. We would like bit more grey in it and darker. A. Try Resene Double Friar Grey, Resene Half Baltic Sea or Resene Quarter Ironsand.
August 2015
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Q. What colour do I paint my kitchen cupboards? They were painted (badly) black. We have repainted the walls with Resene Spanish White and used Resene Alabaster on the wooden trim. I have black and white tiles on the floor and the wooden bench will remain. Am considering Resene Green Smoke, Resene Green Meets Blue or something quite dark like Resene Diesel. Any suggestions for a cupboard colour and a complementary glass splashback would be appreciated. A. If you did use a very dark colour like Resene Diesel it might look quite brown toned compared to the black in the floor tiles - is this what you would like? Considering the wooden benches and the Resene Spanish White and Resene Alabaster the greens you mention sound really fresh and appealing. A suggestion that you might consider for the glass splashback is Resene Black (relates to the floor black tile) and I have recently seen black glass used as a splashback and it looked really amazing. Alternatively one of the greens you like might be used for the splashback and the cabinets could be a paler version of the wall colour - i.e Resene Quarter Spanish White so that the walls, the splashback and the benchtops are the 'features' but not the cabinets.
August 2015
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Q. We are looking to paint our solid fence panels in a light grey that will go with our exterior house colours. The cladding is Premier Brick in White, and Slate, which is a very pale grey. The fence posts are aluminium powder coated Slate Grey. I was thinking Resene Half Silver Chalice for the fibre cement/composite fence panels. Is there a better warmer grey colour? Or should we look at more of a greige like Resene Triple White Pointer? A. There are warmer greys but I do think you need to be careful that they absolutely relate in a harmonious way with the Slate and the Slate Grey aluminium fence posts. A greige may work well for you and break the predominant grey look you have now. Perhaps you could look at these colours to see if they appeal to you - warmer greys - Resene Half Foggy Grey or Resene Triple Black White, or grey/beige - Resene Eighth Friar Grey.
August 2015
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Q. We are wanting to repaint our house roof, exterior and the fence. We are not sure what colours to choose due to the brown aluminium windows. We wish to stay away from the yellow/cream and brown colours and would rather have a fresh, clean look. A. I suggest it may be wise if you consider using a brown based charcoal on the roof. It may help the brown aluminium windows to not be the only brown on the house. You might check out this roof colour – Resene Ironsand. Colours that you could check out for the house – Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Half Truffle, Resene Quarter Foggy Grey or Resene Barely There. A lighter variant of the roof colour that might be considered for perimeter fences – Resene Quarter Ironsand.
August 2015
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Q. We are going to paint the internal walls inside our house. The ceiling is wood. What colour should we use to lift the house, as the wood makes it quite oppressive? Should we paint over the wooden ceiling to lighten it? A. Sometimes painting a wooden ceiling to lift, lighten and create a whole new look in a house is a good idea. It is the single most effective thing that one can do to stop wood from being 'bossy' or oppressive. You could look at these colours to see if they appeal to you for the walls and the ceiling – Resene Rice Cake, Resene Eighth Spanish White or Resene Eighth Parchment. If you decide that just the walls are going to be painted, these colours will also work well with the existing wooden ceiling.
August 2015
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Q. We have Silver Pearl for the windows and doors, and we want a dark grey for the roof and a warm grey for the Linea® board. Any clues? A. You might look at these greys for the roof – Resene Nocturnal or Resene Grey Friars. For the Linea® you could check out these warm greys – Resene Trojan, Resene Scarpa Flow, Resene Mako or Resene Gunsmoke.
August 2015
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Q. What is the best colour and type of paint to use in a rental property? I would like to keep it all neutral. A. You don't indicate whether this is for an exterior or an interior. If it is an interior you don't mention whether you would like the new colour to work with any existing curtains, flooring or kitchen cabinets and work tops. Some ideas to get you started – Resene Half Tea, Resene Half Thorndon Cream or Resene Half Spanish White.
August 2015
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Q. We're looking to paint the exterior of our Canberra weatherboard house. It's currently yellow and has a 'cottage' feel that I would like to change to make it more modern. The roof is a brown/red tile. What colours would you recommend? A. You could look at these colours to give a completely new look to your house - tranquil, fresh and gentle - Resene Dusted Blue, Resene Emerge, Resene Double Rice Cake or Resene Eighth Pravda. If any of these colours were used with a white for all the trims etc it would make the house look reborn.
August 2015
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Q. We’re painting the exterior of our 1910s villa and we think we’ve settled on Resene Secrets for the weatherboards and Resene Alabaster for the trim. We’re also thinking about adding a dark colour on the window ledge (maybe a dark blue like Resene Indian Ink or dark green like Resene Racing Green). We also want a bold, bright colour for the front door, and were thinking along the lines of Resene Such Fun. We’re worried that it might be too much to have a fourth colour on the door, but we don’t really want to play it safe with the same colour on the window ledge and door, either. Are you able to advise on a suitable combination of colours? Many thanks! A. Don't play it safe - be bold and brave! A front door is a small element in regards to the overall house scheme and should be a bit of excitement or a 'surprise factor' that attracts eye interest and makes the house all the more memorable. Use the window sill colour on the door step only. Whether you use Resene Indian Ink, Resene Racing Green or even Resene Chocolate Fish (a little bit of random inspiration on my part) but please do test your front door colour thoughts by painting up all of the testpot/two coats onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and pinning it to the front door so that you can see and judge what the colour might look like in relationship to all the others. The bottom line is that a front door may only use 500ml of paint so it can be changed on a whim whenever you feel like making a change that doesn't involve repainting the whole house. Some other front door colours that you might like – Resene Windfall, Resene Tweet, Resene Observatory or Resene Red Letter.
August 2015
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Q. What colours you would recommend for achieving a Scandi look? I'm after a Scandi white, a light grey with green undertone, and a light grey with a slight pink undertone. A. The following colours have undertones of muted grey, which stop our exceptionally bright natural light from making the colours look too 'pretty' or clear toned and highly reflective - which isn't what Scandi colours look like.
August 2015
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Q. Can you suggest a grey Resene colour that is neutral? I have 20+ greys on my wall and they all look either purple, blue or brown. I want something that will make the room feel light as it is a very small house but neutral enough to match my furniture. A. All greys carry colour within them and sometimes those colours can be noticed a lot depending upon light - natural and artificial - and any other colour seen close to it. You might check out Resene Kensington Grey, Resene Transmission, Resene Half Stack, Resene Quill Grey, Resene Silver Sand or Resene Mountain Mist. A word to the wise - applying testpots directly to walls that are coloured may make it harder for you to see what the colour is truly like. I recommend painting onto large white A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and leaving a narrow unpainted border all around the edges so your eye focuses on the reality of the colour and isn't confused by the greater amount of wall colour adversely influencing the testpot sample.
August 2015
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Q. I am going to paint a small house white with Resene Grey Friars on the roof, or darker? Please advise a black suitable for window sills and whether this would also be OK for the doors. A. You might check out these 'blacks' to see if they appeal to you – Resene Double Cod Grey, Resene Foundry or Resene Nero. I definitely recommend you use the Resene CoolColour™ reformulated versions of these colours to try and minimise heat and UV damage occurring to the paint and the surface it is painted onto. Doors can show heat associated damage especially if they are older wooden panelled doors that are really exposed to direct sunlight.
August 2015
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Q. I need paint colour recommendations for the exterior features of a mainly red brick Art Deco house. A. You might like to check these colours out to see if they appeal to you – Resene Foggy Grey and Resene Gravel, or Resene Triple Sea Fog and Resene Wireless, or Resene Titania and Resene Friar Grey.
August 2015
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Q. I have a lounge in Resene Half Innocence and Resene Conch that flows into a dark hallway. The hallway is influenced by a bedroom that is painted in Resene Koru. Can you please recommend a light or warm colour that will be okay with the green? A. You might try Resene Double Rice Cake, which has a warm slightly green undertone to it which looks very nice with all of the colours you have. Alternatively a sharper/crisper cream - Resene Coconut Cream - looks good also and may help to lighten up the hallway.
August 2015
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Q. My house really needs a repaint so I am seeking advice on good paint colours for my exterior. A. Are you repainting the roof as well as the weatherboards? I have included a roof colour in case you are. You might look at these two palettes of colours as a start point: Resene Half Mountain Mist (main), Resene Half Black White (trims) and Resene Windswept (roof), or Resene Secrets (main), Resene Quarter Cararra (trims) and Resene High Tide (roof).
August 2015
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Q. I am looking for a colour scheme for the bricked back area I’m working on with a privacy screen, deck, posts and bottom deck feature. I love the idea of your Resene Black being used but am unsure what white and grey and where to use them? A. If you were considering using a black I suggest you check out these two (for the timber slatted privacy screen and base of deck) as they are warm and may relate well to the bricks – Resene Element or Resene Blackjack. Greys and whites to check out might be these ones – Resene Half Chicago or Resene Half Baltic Sea for the deck floor, Resene Sea Fog or Resene Quarter Merino for the posts/handrails.
August 2015
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Q. I want to use Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream on our kitchen joinery and use an almost black colour for the island bench. Which shade of black will tone with the cream? A. Most any black could work for you. Perhaps check these two to see if they appeal – Resene Double Cod Grey or Resene Double Foundry.
August 2015
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Q. I am painting the exterior of my 1925 house. I like the idea of a beige house but can’t decide on contrasting trim. The roof will be COLORBOND® Shale Grey. A. Your roof colour is a soft silver/stone grey and a beige for the main body of the house may need to favour the grey edge rather than the warm brown edge of this type of colour. You could check out these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Double White Pointer and light trims Resene Alabaster, or Resene Half Cloud with light trims Resene Quarter Merino. If you wanted a deeper trim colour you could look at – Resene Atmosphere or Resene Gunsmoke.
August 2015
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Q. We need a light to medium grey for our bathroom. There will be white pearly tiles along the bottom half of the walls and a grey/taupe dark tile on the floor. I want a grey that’s not too brown but also not too blue or purple. A. All greys carry colour undertones but try these to see if they suit – Resene Transmission, Resene Mountain Mist, Resene Foggy Grey, Resene Silver Sand or Resene Quill Grey.
August 2015
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Q. We have a red brick house. What is a modern and appropriate roof colour please? A. Charcoal coloured roofs are always modern - and timeless - as they never date. You could look at these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Windswept or darker Resene Nocturnal.
August 2015
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Q. My walls are Resene Quarter Lemon Grass. What colour should my kitchen cabinets be? A. What type of colour do you like for kitchen cabinets? You could have almost anything as the wall colour is very subtle and allows for light/bright or deep/interesting cabinet colours. You might check these colours out as a start – Resene Half Villa White, Resene Orchid White, Resene Perfect Taupe, Resene Eighth Mondo or Resene Easy Rider.
August 2015
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Q. I have a dark brick house built in 1980. The tile roof is COLORBOND® Monument. There is a large rendered wall each side of the house which I don't know what colour to paint. I think Resene Nocturnal will be too dark... what would you suggest? I may render the house down the track, but not yet. A. Without seeing the large rendered walls and where they present in relationship to the house it is hard to be 100% certain about how colour will look. It sounds from your email that you may be considering a dark colour but are worried about it being too dark. You might consider some of these colours to see if they appeal to you - they are lighter than the roof colour but have undertones that may relate well to the house – Resene Half Gravel, Resene Half Baltic Sea, Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey or Resene Quarter Ironsand.
August 2015
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Q. Trying to find the right exterior white for Queensland's Gold Coast for a waterfront house. I want an all-white roof and walls. It is an east/north-east aspect by the water so it’s very bright. Perhaps Resene Half Bianca? I want a soft white to create a Greek islands look, without being very stark white. A. Very bright light - especially reflective light from water - strips any vestige of colour away from most hues and makes it look extremely glaring. You may find full strength Resene Bianca looks like a half strength version because of that, whereas a half tone just looks like a stark pure white. Roof colours are often affected more because of the amount of sunlight reflecting off of them. Remembering that all colour seen on an exterior looks much lighter/brighter you might consider using a slightly greyed or muted colour like Resene Lighthouse, Resene Double Sea Fog or Resene Half Thorndon Cream as they aren't as hard on the eyes and yet still present as very a light/whitish colour.
August 2015
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Q. We are looking at painting south facing bedrooms, a dark hallway and a lighter room. We want to end up with a white that is a very light, warm greyish colour. Also, what would work with this as a ceiling and window trim white? A. You might look at these colours for the rooms - they will of course look radically different in each space according to the quality of light but they may suit your plans – Resene Sea Fog, Resene Quarter White Pointer or Resene Quarter Merino. For the ceilings and the windows you could look at using Resene Half Alabaster or Resene Eighth Black White to maintain a crisp clean level of contrast.
August 2015
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Q. We are looking to paint our exterior. We have a 1950s weatherboard house and recently replaced the windows with white pearl aluminium joinery. I think we have decided to paint the framing around the windows with Resene Half Bianca. I am wanting advice on what we can paint the weatherboards. I love the look of Resene House White and Resene Ash or Resene Half Ash. Do you think these types of weatherboard colours will suit the Resene Half Bianca window framing? A. I like the very pale colours that you have mentioned. A word to the wise - colours can all too often appear a lot lighter in a bright light situation so it pays to test them very carefully. You may need to go lighter on the framing around the windows - i.e Resene Quarter Bianca - in order to appreciate the very pale main house colours - or alternatively a little deeper - i.e Resene Ash, Resene Triple Black White or Resene Triple Sea Fog for the main house colour.
August 2015
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Q. We have a unit surrounded by bush at Noama. Thinking of Resene Half Tea with light grey planks. We want the cabin to look bright so I am wondering if on the long wall would I put a dark wall like Resene Gravel or a light grey wall like Resene Foggy Grey or Resene Grey Friars? It has a gas wood fire in front of this large wall. A. A medium toned colour may maintain the lighter/brighter look you are after. You might check out either of these colours – Resene Friar Grey or Resene Taupe Grey.
August 2015
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Q. We are painting our house Resene Half Surrender on the weatherboards, Resene Alabaster on trim, the front door and picket fence. It is a 1910 villa in Devonport. What do you recommend for the roof? A. Try Resene Half Tuna, Resene Grey Friars or Resene High Tide. If you wanted a very pale colour for the roof you might also look at Resene Forecast but it may look a lot lighter in bright natural light.
August 2015
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Q. We are painting our gym walls Resene Clockwork Orange or Resene Adrenalin. We would like the walls on the opposite to be a neutral white to balance the orange. The concrete floors will be painted a grey. Which white/neutral colour do you suggest? A. As a 'white' for the other walls you might look at either of these two colours – Resene Black White or Resene Half Barely There. A grey for the floors might be a mid /deep tone like one of these colours – Resene Stack, Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey, Resene Revolution or Resene Quarter Foundry.
August 2015
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Q. I am building a new house with macrocarpa weatherboards, which will be oiled to keep the natural colour. I am trying to decide on roof, joinery and door colours (all COLORSTEEL®/aluminium). I'd like a light coloured roof to keep it cooler, so was thinking Titania for the roof and joinery, but am not sure how it would look against the wooden weatherboard? Would a lighter grey joinery colour be better? For the doors I was thinking Grey Friars. Would it look odd to do the fascia in Grey Friars too, or should it match the roof colour? A. If you are keen on a very light colour for the roof and joinery you might check out COLORSTEEL® Bone White, which is a deeper version of the Titania type of colour, or COLORSTEEL® Sandstone Grey which may look more like the timber as it ages. You might check out a warmer grey tone like COLORSTEEL® Ternstyle for the doors and fascias - this looks good with either of the other COLORSTEEL® colours I have suggested.
August 2015
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Q. We are painting our offices at work. The rooms are smallish and south facing. Would Resene Half Robin Egg Blue be too dark, or should we go for quarter? Does the colour change too much then? We like Resene Robin Egg Blue because it seems a warm blue green colour. Is Resene Half Robin Egg Blue actually a warm colour? A. South facing rooms often have a sour or grey type of natural light. I don't think Resene Half Robin Egg Blue would be too deep a colour (yes it is warm) but anything much lighter than that may look a little cool or greyish. Another similar type of colour that you might check out is Resene Nebula - just to compare. I always suggest that testpots should be applied to A2 card (all of the testpot/two coats and available from Resene ColorShops) and pinned on different walls and looked at in all qualities of light - natural and artificial - to get a good judgement on the colour. If you roll the A2 card into a cone shape with the colour innermost and look into the cone you will get a good representation of what four walls of colour would look like.
August 2015
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Q. We have painted our block walls in flat Resene Lemon Grass and they look fabulous. However, they make our existing hollow core rimu doors look shabby. I would like to paint the doors a darker colour that complements Resene Lemon Grass. Our ceiling colour is Resene Albescent White. We have several doors off the main room - should I paint the trim colour the same white? A. You might look at using Resene Double Lemon Grass in a semi-gloss for the doors - more sheen than the wall and a bit more depth of colour may appeal to you. A much darker colour that also works with Resene Lemon Grass is Resene Evolution - but it is more dramatic than Resene Double Lemon Grass. If you have already used a particular 'white' then you need to continue with that colour for any other trims that you want to highlight.
August 2015
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Q. We are extending and repainting our square fronted villa. The roof is Karaka and the spouting is copper. We were thinking of using Resene Double Ash on the weatherboards as we would like something quite warm and not too light. What colour/s would you suggest as accent colours? Or any other ideas for colour combinations to match the roof and spouting? A. Colours that work well with Resene Double Ash and the Karaka roof are: Resene Dynamite, Resene Madam M, Resene Squall, Resene Rice Cake, Resene Villa White, Resene Twizel, Resene Wireless or Resene Gravel.
August 2015
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Q. We have a heritage weatherboard house in Sydney that we need to refresh. We want more modern colours which will work with our neighbours’ neutrals and greys. Our roof, gutters and downpipes will COLORBOND® Windspray to match the back roof area. I am leaning towards Resene Double Tana for the weatherboard, Resene Masala for window sashes and Resene Pearl Lusta for trims. Do you think this is a nice combination? Can you give me any other colour combinations that would work with the Windspray? Not too light, a bit moody is good. A. They are very nice colours - but if you would like some alternative options you might look at these ones - sometimes comparing colours confirms the 'rightness' of your original choices or opens up possibilities – Resene Half Taupe Grey, Resene Gunmetal or Resene Quarter Ecru White.
August 2015
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Q. What colour of soffit and LINEA® would go well with an Ironsand roof and Gull Grey gutter please? Our front and garage doors will be Lignite. A. This isn't easy as you have three unrelated powdercoat colours for the roof, the guttering and the front and garage doors. If the under soffits are Resene Half Sea Fog (a slightly grey white) it will work with all of the different colours. For the main colour of the house I suggest you look at these colours - the first two will work well with the guttering and roof colour and the second one will work with the colours of the doors – Resene Quarter Foggy Grey, Resene Half Atmosphere or Resene Half Akaroa.
August 2015
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Q. We are going to paint the full exterior of our house including the roof, which is currently Karaka green (window frames are also Karaka). Can you recommend colours that will match with the Karaka window frames for the walls and eaves? I'm assuming we will need to stick with Karaka on the roof? The house is currently a light green/grey colour and I would like to keep it light but give it a good freshen up with something a little more modern. A. I think it might be wise to stick with the Resene Karaka for the roof otherwise the windows will stand out as a feature and that may not be what you are wanting to achieve. Colours that will harmonise with Resene Karaka are: Resene Double Rice Cake, Resene Double Merino, Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Joanna or Resene Quarter Taupe Grey.
August 2015
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Q. I have just bought a house and want to keep the red brick but paint the cedar that is red at the moment. This colour dates the property. I want to freshen it up and make it look stylish. A. I think you may need to paint the roof as well as it is sandwiched between the cedar on two levels and it may look strange to keep it the colour it is now. You might look at some complex neutral colours like these ones to see if they appeal to you – Resene Climate and slightly darker but related for the roof - Resene Squall, and Resene Outback and deeper for the roof – Resene Groundbreaker.
August 2015
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Q. We own a 1960s home with roof and garage door in COLORBOND® Pale Eucalyptus. We can repaint the door but not the roof. Do you have suggestions to modernise the colour scheme, to paint the boards of the home and the trims, gutters, downpipes etc? I am thinking of Resene Ash for the boards and a darker green grey for the trims etc. And a contrast for the front door too. A. Resene Ash is a great choice as a main colour and perhaps these might be considered for a darker colour – Resene Double Tapa or Resene Armadillo. For a definite contrast for the front door you might check these options out – Resene Pohutukawa, Resene Intrepid or Resene Barometer. Yes they are bold and delicious but better than dull and boring - it will create a front door to remember forever.
August 2015
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Q. I have Resene Bianca on the doors and Resene Quarter Bianca on the ceiling. What is a good neutral wall colour? Can I use Resene Bianca again? A. Yes you could use Resene Bianca again if you want to - or even a deeper version - Resene Double Bianca or a lighter version - Resene Half Bianca. The choice is yours. If the woodwork and doors are a semi-gloss and the walls were a matt or low sheen acrylic then the woodwork may appear a little lighter because of the added sheen level reflecting light and the matt or low sheen wall paint absorbing it making the colour appear subtly different.
August 2015
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Q. If I were to use Resene Gull Grey for the walls and also the roof, what effect would this have on the house colour? A. If the roof pitch is at a 45 degree angle to the sun it may look quite a bit lighter than the house walls. Overall the roof and walls may be seen to be without contrast and it may blur the roof and wall angles so they appear unformed and merged. Each facade of the house faces a different way so apart from light reflection off the surface there may also be subtle shading differences during the daylight hours.
August 2015
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Q. We are building a new home and will have a COLORSTEEL® roof in Grey Friars and aluminium joinery in Matt Appliance White. We are aiming for a soft grey for the weatherboards - either Resene Gull Grey or Resene French Grey but wonder which white for the trim would complement those greys and match the joinery colour? A. There is no exact match to Appliance White powdercoat but Resene Quarter Black White is quite good. If the paint and the powder coat are seen 'kissing close' to each other you will always see a difference - especially as they age - but if there is a bit of distance between them they will appear more related. The Resene Quarter Black White looks really good with either of the two colours you are considering for the main house colour.
August 2015
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Q. I am repainting throughout and would appreciate some advice. The existing carpet throughout that will be staying is a bold denim blue colour. The house is reasonably small without a lot of natural light. The vinyl and kitchen cabinetry is also blue. The doors and trims are varnished rimu. I would like to repaint the ceilings white. Could you please recommend some neutral colours that will work with the blue, and the rimu varnished doors that will open the house up? I'd prefer something warm within the neutrals. A. You might try these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter Sisal, Resene Quarter Fossil, Resene Eighth Akaroa or Resene Cararra.
August 2015
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Q. Will Resene Eighth Tea and Resene Eighth Spanish white work together for walls? There is beige carpet throughout a compact cosy cottage. A. These two colours are peachy (Resene Eighth Spanish White) and mushroom pink (Resene Eighth Tea) in their undertones - if this is what you want then you will certainly maintain a sweet/warm look in the cottage. If you want a beige look then I suggest you use Resene Quarter Tea and Resene Alabaster - the white colour forces the eye to consider the Resene Quarter Tea as a more beige tone because it offers no other influence.
August 2015
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Q. Can you please suggest a soft grey for interior walls with white skirtings and a dark charcoal or lead grey for exterior walls with white windows, doors and trims? I don't want the greys to throw blue, purple or green. A. You might look at these greys for the interior – Resene Eighth Friar Grey or Resene Half Atmosphere. Some exterior suggestions – Resene Baltic Sea, Resene Double Stack or Resene Half Nocturnal. It must be said that all grey carries undertones of colour but sometimes the greys absorb and reflect back to the viewer colour from any other coloured source seen close to it and also from the changing aspects of natural and artificial light - these may not be able to be controlled. The use of pure white - not a coloured white - for the trims may help in this regard - I suggest you use Resene White.
August 2015
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Q. We have chosen Titania window frames and doors and also have to choose a COLORSTEEL® roof. We had Resene Hammerhead on the roof which looked really good with our brick wall. I would love to have some blues on the weatherboard bits of our house and something pale and neutral on the roughcast bits. I am also not sure about a new roof colour and would like to steer away from what everyone else is getting at the moment. We live in the city and there is plenty of grey about. I quite like Resene Neutral Bay for the weatherboards. Will this work? Can I have a Pacific Blue roof? I couldn't think what to put with a Titania roof. A. If you use Resene Neutral Bay (which has a slight purple in the grey) it might be better to use COLORSTEEL® Indigo Blue for the roof as they seem to like each other. If you favour using COLORSTEEL® Pacific Blue on the roof you might look at using Resene Bali Hai for the main colour on the house as they relate well. I sometimes suggest colours like Resene Quarter Merino, sharp creams like Resene Rice Cake or deeper variants of Titania like Resene Bone White when Titania is the roof colour so I do understand your dilemma.
August 2015
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Q. I'm trying to match a colour with two colours, one similar to your Resene Redemption Blue and the other a deep terracotta colour. I have no idea where to start! Do you have any recommendations? A. Do you mean match as in identical? Or do you mean another colour to co-ordinate and harmonise with the blue and the terracotta? Assuming the latter, when you have strong definite colours you may be wise to use pale neutrals which won't clash or draw too much attention - as you have attention demanding colours already with the blue and the terracotta. Perhaps look at these to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter Wheatfield, Resene Quarter Solitaire, Resene Half Spanish White or Resene Rice Cake.
August 2015
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Q. We have a 1910 transitional villa. I’ve just painted the kitchen cupboards Resene Alabaster and will continue Resene Alabaster for the trims and ceiling. I’ve always been a fan of Resene Rice Cake but want more contrast. Currently the walls are Resene Tana or something similar and it looks dirty. I was thinking along the lines of Resene Half Titania or similar. Any suggestions please? I also have a window seat reading nook next to the kitchen, north facing. The feature wall is currently painted Resene Tarawera and I’m wanting a soft blue/green not pastel to replace this. The window seat bottom is painted Resene Alabaster, the seat cushion is covered with a black fabric with a white Moroccan trellis pattern. Finally the bedroom is painted a hunter green. It’s like living inside the Westlake Girls School uniform jersey argh! My partner wants to keep with a dark colour in the bedroom. What can you suggest please that will tie in with the other colours? A. If you like the grey-green/bone influenced Resene Half Titania you might also like these colours - which do provide more contrast than Resene Rice Cake – Resene Half Thorndon Cream, Resene Quarter Ash or Resene Triple Sea Fog. Some thoughts for a feature colour – Resene Juniper, Resene Inside Back, Resene Bluff, Resene William, Resene Breaker Bay or Resene Wishlist. With perhaps one of these for the bedroom – Resene Oracle, Resene Timekeeper, Resene Explorer, Resene Stromboli or something radically different and mysterious - just because I can suggest that – Resene Warlord. August 2015
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Q. I am after advice on greys. We have an open plan living area with Resene Quarter White Pointer walls and Resene Alabaster ceilings, bright white kitchen cabinets, with a 'Bliss Cinder' kickpanel and 'elemental concrete' benchtop. We are getting our splashback from The Glass Room which is a concrete render look using a Silver Coal specifically made for them. Our windows are Ironsand and our carpet is a very dark speckled grey. We have an area for the TV that is at the opposite wall to the kitchen that we would like to paint a grey, but I am confused as to which grey to use. We want something to complement the other greys we have used without making it look like we've tried to match them and failed. We like Resene Thriller and Resene Zeus at the moment, although Resene Zeus looks similar in tone to the 'Bliss Cinder'. We think Resene Thriller looks warmer, but worry this might be too brown for the greys? A. Resene Thrillier is a softer/muted warm grey that carries a lot of purple and red oxide in it. Resene Zeus is darker and carries equal amounts of black and yellow ochre which combined throw a dirty olive colour. Are you sure these are the type of charcoal greys you want to use? I think it may help you to view the A4 real paint samples in the Colour Library at your local Resene ColorShop to help get a good judgement on the reality of the colour that you want to use. If you view these samples with your carpet sample and your main wall colour sample it may be a lot easier for you to see what works really well. Have you thought of using the same colour (or a slightly lighter version) of the window joinery colour - Resene Ironsand or Resene Half Ironsand? Or darker - Resene Bokara Grey? Always paint up all of the testpot (two coats) onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted border so your eye focuses on the reality of the colour and move it around to catch the light - natural and artificial - to see how it alters. Testpots used this way are your best friend.
August 2015
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Q. I'm trying to decide what colour to paint the interior doors of our modest 1960s weatherboard bungalow. We've got wooden floors stained with Resene Teak Stain, ceilings and trims in Resene Alabaster, and rooms in Resene Ecru White, Resene Quarter Beryl Green, Resene Quarter Foggy Grey and the bathroom is Resene Half Periglacial Blue. Our exterior is Resene Washed Green with a Grey Friars roof and baseboard and Resene Buttery White trims. As you can see our tastes run towards muted tones with a hint of colour. For our interior doors I'm wanting a deeper/darker colour as I think the contrast will create richness, but I don't want to darken the hallway too much. Would something like Resene Fuscous Grey work? Or how about a deep drown to match the tones in the flooring? A. I am unsure about using a colour that looks like the floor - wood always wins and paint colours trying hard to look like wood often don't make it. Equally I am unsure about using Resene Fuscous Grey - it will be far too dark in the hallway and may look oppressive. You might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Foggy Grey, Resene Taupe Grey, Resene Heathered Grey or Resene Half Washed Green. These colours may not appear dark but they are deeper than the colours that you have used in the rooms. Sometimes a bit of depth is better than dark - usually houses have quite a few doors and sometimes in a hallway there may be four or more doors and that can create a lot of 'door dominance' that gobbles up light and exerts too strong an influence over the space making it appear smaller. August 2015
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Q. I am painting the exterior of my 1970 house - walls in Resene Drought, Resene New Denim Blue roof, Resene Half Oilskin for railings, Resene Bianca for soffits etc. I was going to paint the concrete block foundations and basement Resene Bianca, but now wonder about either Resene Half Oilskin or Resene Drought. Could you recommend what would look best? Then also the garage door? Also I need to replace the anodised aluminium joinery, and I am thinking either Silver Pearl or Matt Sandstone Grey or possibly Warm White. Again could you recommend which would tie in the best? A. If you want to visibly separate each level of the house then painting the concrete block foundations in the same colour as the railings will achieve this separation. I am unsure about the merit of this but it is your choice - what it would do if you chose to do that is remove the 'feature' aspect of the railings and blend it in so they weren't as noticeable. I would be inclined to do the base the same colour as the main body of the house to simplify it but we are all different in what we perceive as attractive. The garage door is a 'feature' which can either match the roof - Resene New Denim Blue to tie it together - or alternatively you might use the colour that is on the railings - Resene Half Oilskin - which is another way of pulling all the smaller trim elements together. Replacing the joinery with new powder coated joinery needs to be thought through carefully. Warm White may go better - with any colours that are on the house now and any changes you might make in the future - and harmonises well with the Resene Bianca on the soffits.
August 2015
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Q. We are renovating our kitchen and lounge area completely. We have dark charcoal coloured carpet in the lounge with quite dark blue curtains. We have a leather lounge suite. We are looking to polish up the original rimu floorboards of the kitchen and entrance. The new cabinetry will be a cream off white colour with the bench, which leads to a breakfast bar, (a speckled dark grey pattern). We are at odds over colour as we were looking at grey/black type options and incorporating a feature wall but we are worried it will make the room too cold. The rooms are very light with large windows and french doors. I quite like Resene Half Surrender and Resene Stonewashed as contrasting colours but he doesn't! Any ideas or help/advice would be greatly appreciated. A. The two colours you have mentioned - Resene Half Surrender and Resene Stonewashed - are opposed to each other and personally I wouldn't think of putting them together as one is lilac hued silver grey and the other a yellow edged beige/brown. A darker feature wall colour may be best used where lots of the kitchen cabinetry is so that it is broken up a bit and might not seem to take up large amounts of wall space. You do need to take into account the colour of the kitchen cabinetry (cream/off white may not work with some greys whereas white would) and coupled with the rimu floorboards I feel you may need to consider warmer grey/beige colours. Have you looked at those types of colours? You might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter Truffle and Resene Quarter Stonehenge, or Resene Quarter Foggy Grey and Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey.
August 2015
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Q. Love Resene Renew but feel it is too bright for the feature wall we are planning. Can you suggest any alternatives? Am considering Resene Half Kumutoto but wonder if we should try and go lighter? Our living area is open with quite high ceilings and sea/bush views; however we are also south facing so we want a blue/green that has some warmth to it. I am thinking we would paint over the door too, finishing where our floating shelves are. We will probably repaint the rest of the room in time in Resene Sea Fog too. A. Generally speaking the type of colours that read as warmer in south facing rooms are those with more green than blue in them and slightly deeper rather than paler - paler can look cooler. The natural light from the South is cooler and sometimes grey or sour so a bit of depth in the colour can modify this aspect. Testing the colours very carefully will give you a much better idea of what works well - please do paint all of the testpot (two coats) onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and if you leave an unpainted border all around the edge of the card it helps the eye to focus on the reality of the colour. The other thing is - it can be moved from wall to wall - which is handy as each façade/angle has a different amount of light on it which makes the colour look quite different. Yes you could trial Resene Half Kumutoto - and the full strength version - but you might also look at these colours – Resene Jet Stream, Resene Neptune, Resene Reservoir, Resene Chi or Resene Ziggurat.
August 2015
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Q. We are remodelling our kitchen. Our cabinets are an embossed white, the benchtop is Black Forest granite (so black with a whitish vein through it) and we are having a Resene Jalapeno splashback. The intention is to paint the window frames white. What colour would you recommend for the walls? We will most likely use this colour through the rest of the living spaces also, so a warm colour would be good. A. If the wall colour is to be used through the rest of the living spaces - as well as the kitchen - does it have to co-ordinate with the existing coloured flooring, upholstery and drapes in these spaces? Or are you planning on getting all new things to go with the paint colour? Some colour ideas to get you started – Resene Double Sea Fog, Resene Half Titania, Resene Eighth Parchment or Resene Quarter Albescent White.
August 2015
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Q. We have a small two bedroom house (bungalow) that will be a rental property. We are painting the entire interior and were wondering what two colours you would recommend. One colour would be for the ceiling, doors, skirting etc (we are thinking may be Resene Alabaster), and then the wall colour to be slightly darker (but tenant suitable). Conscious is it a small house so don't want to go too dark. A. You might check these colours out – Resene White Pointer, Resene Quarter Fossil, Resene Quarter Truffle or Resene Quarter Tea. These colours would all work with Resene Alabaster for ceilings and woodwork.
August 2015
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Q. We have a two bedroom unit we are painting all in Resene Half Tea. It is a rental so want low maintenance dirt wise. Would you paint the doors, ceilings and edgings white? A. I would do the ceilings and around the windows Resene White but I would be inclined to use the same colour as the walls - Resene Half Tea in a semi gloss enamel - for the other woodwork and doors as it may be more forgiving of constant use and the rigours of rental tenants. This is purely practical - doors in particular show a lot of finger marking and a White door can look very grubby very soon.
August 2015
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Q. I am looking for a charcoal colour, not blue charcoal, and a colour like concrete for an exterior of a house. It has black roof, fascia and garage door. There is LINEA® above the garage door and panels along the walls as well as panels of bricks which I want to do to look like concrete. A. These charcoals are warmer dark greys like bitumen (hot mix) driveways; also some colours that look like concrete (new/old/dry/wet) that may give you some inspiration – Resene Half Baltic Sea, Resene Fuscous Grey, Resene Half Nocturnal, Resene Double Stack (dry/aged concrete), Resene Quarter Gravel (aged/damp concrete) or Resene Atmosphere (new concrete).
August 2015
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Q. We are about to build a house in a new subdivision. It is a plastered brick house, with tile roof, like almost all the other houses in the subdivision. We have a house on one side painted in black and white, and on the other painted in Resene Silver Chalice. I was thinking a more green-grey perhaps but am afraid of it being too green/dated, same if I go in the brown tones - a bit dated. We imagine having a grey tiled roof and either white or silver pearl joinery. Do you have any suggestions of colour that would complement the houses either side but not look the same? A. Colours seen in an exterior situation often look a lot lighter due to bright natural light so painting up testpot samples of slightly deeper versions of what you favour may be of help also. If you like colours like Resene Linen but feel it may be too light there is Resene Double Linen which may appeal to you or a slightly earthier colour - Resene Ash - as it isn't so bright/clear toned. Alternatively the following colours may sit well in the environment and may be worth checking out – Resene Half Taupe Grey, Resene Triple Merino, Resene Double Barely There or Resene Titania. These colours carry all sorts of interesting undertones of green/grey/brown neutrals and may appeal to you. Be careful of which white powder coat you consider for the joinery - a warmer one that I know works well is Pearl White. Silver Pearl powder coat can look very grey depending on what you choose for a main house colour is so it is another reason to look at colour, powder coat samples and roof samples together.
August 2015
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Q. We are building a new house. For the bulk of the interior walls I am leaning towards Resene Half Tea and am trying to decide between Titania and Canvas Cloth for the window joinery. Which do you think goes better? Also I would like to bring in some other tones or colours to the hallway and second lounge. Originally I was thinking of Resene Double Tea but I'm not that keen now that I've seen it painted on a larger swatch. Could you suggest an alternative neutral of a similar depth that would complement the Resene Half Tea? I am also a fan of muted limey greens along the lines of Resene Pine Glade. Would this fit in with Resene Half Tea if I was to use it in say the hallway or laundry or is it too much of a leap? Are there any alternative greens you would suggest? The bulk of the rooms are all north facing. A. Canvas Cloth is very similar to Resene Half Tea - Titania is slightly greyer but may still work. Some deeper toned neutrals that would work well with Resene Half Tea are these – Resene Half Napa, Resene Half Craigieburn or Resene Half Cougar. Muted limey greens similar to Resene Pine Glade (but with slightly less sharp yellow tone in them) that you might try are Resene Coriander and Resene Green Mist. A word to the wise - colours in an interior often look a lot brighter than you might imagine they will. If you paint up all of the testpot on to A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted white border all around the edges. It helps you focus on the reality of the colour and is large enough to make a good judgement on the colour. The card can be rolled into a cone with the colour innermost and when you look into the cone you will get a very realistic representation of what four walls of the colour will look like.
August 2015
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Q. Advice on exterior house paint colours please. We are on the harbour and are having white aluminium joinery installed soon (colour will be something like Titania or Sea Fog). Our roof is dark charcoal similar to Grey Friars. We love the Resene Aqua as an accent colour. All interior walls are white throughout the house. For the exterior we are thinking greys at this stage. A. Firstly might I just draw to your attention - Titania is not as white as Appliance White or Pearl White. It is a yellow edged bone white and sometimes is too coloured to work well with cooler greys. It looks lovely with colours like Resene Taupe Grey, Resene Quarter Gravel, Resene Double Tapa and Resene Quarter Ironsand as they too have that yellow undertone. If you favoured cooler greys then a real white for the joinery may be better because it opens up options like these – Resene Half Atmosphere, Resene Half Silver Chalice, Resene Half Stack, Resene Surrender, Resene Half Mountain Mist, Resene Revolution or Resene Half Grey Chateau. Other colours like Resene Toto, Resene Hippie Blue or even Resene Scooter - these glorious aqua/teal blues really are real 'feel good' colours! August 2015
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Q. I need to choose a wall and ceiling colour, using the same for all rooms. I have been recommended Resene Merino but it looks a bit dark. Basically I want ‘art gallery white’, but need something cleanable as it will be used in the kitchen/dining area. What would you recommend? A. If you use Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen Kitchen & Bathroom waterborne enamel you will get an almost flat scrubbable waterborne paint that can be used on any surface and in any room. You may need to test what the colour looks like - in a different room/different quality of light the colour changes - often radically. I suggest if it is a 'white' that you are looking for that you try one of these colours – Resene Quarter Merino or if this looks too white then Resene Half Merino, or Resene Half Barely There or if this looks too white then Resene Barely There, or Resene Wan White or Resene Half Sea Fog.
August 2015
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Q. We are doing an extension and also renovating the rest of our house. My roof and guttering is Windsor Grey and the windows are Matt Charcoal. Our existing garage is Resene Delta. I want to paint the LINEA® on the house a light grey, like maybe Resene Half Masala or stick with the Resene Delta. Or do I go a darker grey like Resene Half Baltic Sea? Or something like Resene Stack, which I'm finding a bit cold? A. I am a little worried that you may end up a lot of different toned greys - none of them being pleased to associate with each other - yes it can happen. A colour that looks good with Resene Delta is Resene Double Trojan. It will work with the Matt Charcoal joinery. Alternatively you could look at using Resene Gumboot but it is nearly identical to the window joinery and may look heavy but very smart. I personally wouldn't use Resene Half Baltic Sea as it may not look good with all the other greys. Same with Resene Half Masala - too yellow/green sludge toned.
August 2015
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Q. My 13 year son would like his bedroom painted in a dark grey. We have picked Resene Grey Chateau or Resene Triple Concrete. The ceiling in white. What colour would you advise for the skirting board? A. I think there are two options - the first one would be to do it White like the ceiling (and white always works) or grey like the walls. If you have tested Resene Grey Chateau you may notice that it can throw out a little purple undertone - depending on the natural and artificial light - and Resene Triple Concrete has a silvery/lilac undertone. If these undertones are not what you want to encourage you might check out Resene Half Foggy Grey or Resene Half Atmosphere as alternative options.
August 2015
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Q. Can you please suggest a colour for the splashback for my kitchen? The cupboards are Resene Alabaster, the bench is Roxx Crystal and the walls are Resene Half Tea. A. If you are thinking of a complete change and like the idea of a definite colour then you could look at these suggestions to see if they appeal to you – Resene Undercover, Resene Jalapeno, Resene Barometer, Resene Double Cougar or Resene Thriller.
August 2015
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Q. I'm just renovating my town house and would like to go with a Resene white/neutral palette. Could you please advise what neutral colour will go with Resene Half Black White or Resene Quarter Black White? A. You are in the fortunate position of being able to use almost any 'white' colour because of the very 'white' nature of the Resene Black White and the Resene Half Black White. You don't say what you personally prefer but you might check these colours out – Resene Black White, Resene Half White Pointer, Resene Eighth Truffle or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. It may pay you to investigate deeper versions of the colours suggested also.
August 2015
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Q. Is there a colour swatch for half or quarter strength Resene Tiebreaker please? I'd like to see what it looks like as full strength is a little too strong. A. There isn't an official half or quarter formula. The best way is normally to get a Resene Tiebreaker testpot and a white testpot. If you mix an equal amount of the tiebreaker and the white together you will get the equivalent of a half strength. Or you can order in a drawdown (screenprinted sample) of the colour at your local Resene owned ColorShop.
August 2015
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Q. We are building two townhouses and I am looking for ideas for exterior paint. The houses are weatherboard. I really like Resene Triple Sea Fog for the weatherboards but I can't decide on colours for the aluminium windows and roof. I have thought of Silver Pearl for windows but it might blend in too much, and Grey Friars for the roof? A. I love the main colour that you are considering. Silver Pearl joinery does blend in but it still has a greyer edge to it and I suspect the main paint colour on the houses may look lighter in bright natural light. Have you considering using one of the newer COLORSTEEL® colours for the roof and (perhaps) garage doors - i.e COLORSTEEL® TernStyle, COLORSTEEL® Thunder Grey or COLORSTEEL® FlaxPod? Instead of changing the window joinery colour on each of the houses (there isn't a huge amount of choice for powder coated joinery) perhaps using a different roof/garage colour may make the houses take on a completely different look. If the front entry doors are painted wood they could each have a different colour so they are more individualised - check out these colours for a bit of a 'wow' factor – Resene Koru or Resene Tiki Tour.
August 2015
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Q. We have replaced our roof with COLORSTEEL® Ironsand. Our house has brown aluminium joinery from the 80s. We were looking at painting the exterior Resene Napa and have tried a testpot. We are finding the Resene Napa quite grey and were wondering if you have any suggestions for a different colour. Maybe a neutral that is a bit more brown. A. Sometimes when we only look at one colour our eyes deceive us and make us judge a colour wrongly. I suggest, if you can, pop into a Resene ColorShop to view A4 real paint samples of these colours in their Colour Library and compare them with Resene Napa. That is the best way to view colours so that you can make really good colour judgements – try Resene Eighth Mondo, Resene Half Pravda or Resene Half Craigieburn. A word to the wise - applying a small test patch of colour onto an already coloured wall will make you see the test sample in a really wrong way unless the wall it is being applied to is really white.
August 2015
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Q. I have a small terrace with sitting/dining facing north. I would like a sophisticated Paris white which would complement a 19th century French white Carrara fireplace we have installed. A. Try Resene Quarter Parchment, Resene Eighth Sisal or Resene Cararra.
August 2015
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Q. We are looking to paint the exterior of the house but need some help with the colour choices. I like muddy colours but it needs to complement the existing blue roof and light brown garage door and natural stone deck which is a browny grey colour. A. It might be difficult to marry the existing roof and garage door colour with a muddy colour - you may need to trial quite a few colours before you find one that looks good with these things. You could start by checking out these ones to see if they might suit: Resene Stonewashed, Resene Half Sandstone, Resene Cougar or Resene Drought.
August 2015
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Q. We have Resene Linen on our fireplace and Resene Triple Ash on the mantelpiece. What colour would work on the walls? A. If you want the fireplace and mantelpiece to look a lot greener/warmer then you might use a lighter creamier colour – Resene Quarter Joanna. If you want a cooler/crisper look that still emphasised the green tones then you could look at using a greyed white – Resene Double Alabaster. If you want soft warm earthy tones you could look at this sweet pale neutral – Resene Eighth Spanish White.
August 2015
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Q. We are renovating and my preference is a COLORBOND® Surfmist roof and gutters. I am trying to decide if the fascia should be Surfmist or Shale Grey. We think we will have a Resene Foggy Grey exterior cladding in LINEA®. A. I think the fascia should be Surfmist. Introducing the Shale Grey only has merit if it isn't seen close to the Resene Foggy Grey as the two colours look close but not totally matching and because of that are not happy to be seen together - it begs the question 'why aren't they the same - is one of these colours a mistake?' If you did want to highlight the fascia then I suggest using Resene Quarter Gravel as it harmonises well with the roof and the main house colour.
August 2015
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Q. My hallway is painted in Resene Quarter Tea like the rest of my home but it is too dark. Could you suggest another colour that would still make the trims and doors in Resene Alabaster stand out please? It's a bungalow with kauri floorboards and not a lot of natural light. A. If a light colour (Resene Quarter Tea) looks too dark then you might need to try a whiter colour to see if that works - or alternatively invest in a lot of extra lighting - hallways are often difficult, aren't they? But lighter/brighter colours may not work as well with the Resene Alabaster. Check these colours out to see if they work for you - whiter colour – Resene Sea Fog or warmer/brighter colour – Resene Quarter Biscotti.
August 2015
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Q. What colour should I paint my house? I live on the coast so I don't want a dark main colour. I do like ocean colours - sand, grey, blue and taupe. I want to paint the exterior walls, guttering, garage door and roof. A. Try these colours - a warm sand/beige – Resene Sandspit brown (main), Resene Explorer (roof) and Resene Wrangler (guttering and garage door). Or a greyed/blue – Resene Duck Egg Blue (main), Resene Windswept (roof) and Resene Snapshot (guttering and garage door).
August 2015
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Q. We are building a new home and the decisions are starting! I naturally like bright colours and a surprise in every room. However I need to play it safer with this home. I like the grey palette and imagine pops of colour to lift it. So far we have chosen an Albany cream brick, Grey Friars roof, Sandstone aluminium joinery and a mid grey carpet. I need advice for wall colours. I want to keep it simple and have three main colours for walls, trim and ceiling. It is an open plan home that lies nicely to the sun. We live in a rural setting in the south with longer, sometimes dreary, winters. A. The exterior colours present a little warmth and ideally the interior should be flexible in this way also. Because there are so many grey toned carpets you may need to test a few greys to find the right one to suit each space and the carpet. Try Resene Eighth Stonehenge, Resene Half Atmosphere, Resene Quarter Silver Chalice, Resene Half Foggy Grey or Resene Black Haze. If you use Resene Quarter Black White for the ceiling and (perhaps) the woodwork and doors to maintain a crisp look, and choose one of the deeper greys for the largest/lightest room and a much lighter one for other rooms, you should find the greys work with the different qualities of natural light in the house. To make the main living space feel cosy and richly warm in winter to beat the grey days this could be where creamy gold, ginger tans, red or terracotta could be used for accents and soft furnishings. Early morning rooms could use lime greens and cobalt blues as accents and sharp lemon, hot coral pink and turquoise may be the choices for other spaces. Kitchen joinery is a difficult thing to 'fix' on but a warm white will never date and can be zooshed up with colourful bits and pieces really easily and of course almost any work top can be used.
August 2015
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Q. We painted (including the ceilings) our kitchen and dining room red/maroon and our living room yellow because we love bright colours (we also have turquoise and orange upstairs); my wife loves those colours of the USA South/Mexico. But the red is too dark and we need lighting on virtually all the time. So wondering about a colour that will lighten up the area, but still go with our preference for fun colours! Want to keep the yellow, but paint over the red we have. We also plan on renting the house out in the next 12-18 months, so a plainer 'white' might end up being the best option. A. Well yes a plainer colour might be the best way to go - especially if the other rooms have lots of bold colour so you might look at these colours – Resene Oscar or Resene Double Dutch White. These options will lighten and brighten the kitchen and dining room. But if you would prefer something with a bit more va va voom then you could look at these redder colours – Resene Flair or Resene Mexican Wave.
August 2015
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Q. We are building a house at the moment. I am very keen on light joinery and I have seen Canvas Cloth which looks really nice so I am thinking to use that. We want the rooms to be white and warm. I am looking at having dark grey carpet and a white kitchen, possibly with a concrete colour bench top. We may have schist inside that is a dark colour also. What white would you recommend that is still warm, but clean and bright and not clinical? The majority of the windows will be south facing but we will have light coming in from the north. Also, what window sill and door colour would you recommend to go with the Canvas Cloth? Also, we were thinking of Resene Black White, if it is not too cold with the greys. Do people normally make the window sills and doors a different colour to the walls? A. I think Resene Black White may be too cool and grey to co-ordinate with the Canvas Cloth joinery. You might look at these whites as they do harmonise with the Canvas Cloth – Resene Merino, Resene Half Titania or Resene Half Thorndon Cream. If you do have your heart set on the cooler colours like Resene Black White then you may need to use a far whiter powder coat colour - i.e Appliance White - as Canvas Cloth is a much warmer coloured white.
August 2015
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