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Answers to your questions from our colour experts, p. 04

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

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

 
 
 
 

Q&A   p. 04

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


Q. I want to paint our huge lounge and the carpet is hard to match a paint to. I'd like some recommendations on colours that go with a green/blue carpet. I have tried Resene Periglacial Blue as I have used it in another house and I love it but am not sure it will work.

A. I will list a few colours for you to trial but I think that matching the carpet in this instance may be what is causing your concerns so the second list of colours may open up options a bit - sometimes befriending the carpet but not matching gives it a different look and feel and is worthy of consideration.

You might like to try: Resene Emerge (or the lighter version Resene Half Emerge, Resene Tiara, Resene Nebula, Resene Half Periglacial Blue (or the lighter version Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue) or Resene Boulevard. Or for some ‘friendly’ but not matching colours you could try: Resene Blank Canvas, Resene Anglaise, Resene Deja Vu, Resene Dairy Cream or Resene Double Spanish White.

The first lot of colours are cool, receding colours that make spaces seem bigger and there may be a colour that you like that works with the carpet and the second lot of colours is warm and advances physically toward you making overlarge spaces seem closer to you and more intimate and rich. So don't say 'no not for me' until you investigate how colour looks in your lounge, with the carpet and existing furniture and curtains - new or existing - and what mood or ambiance you want to achieve.

Resene Emerge
Resene Emerge
Resene Half Emerge
Resene Half Emerge
Resene Tiara
Resene Tiara
Resene Nebula
Resene Nebula
Resene Half Periglacial Blue
Resene Half Periglacial Blue
Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue
Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue
Resene Boulevard
Resene Boulevard
Resene Blank Canvas
Resene Blank Canvas
Resene Anglaise
Resene Anglaise
Resene Deja Vu
Resene Deja Vu
Resene Dairy Cream
Resene Dairy Cream
Resene Double Spanish White
Resene Double Spanish White
May 2013

Q. Please advise three colour options for a timber deck against a stucco house painted Resene Drought with Resene White joinery and a Resene Grey Friars roof and fascia.

A. I am not sure whether your deck is bare timber and you are considering stain or whether it is painted already and you prefer painting again or were preferring to paint in the first instance.

I have included three decking stain options and three paint colour options. Decking stain colours you might like to try are: Resene Nutmeg, Resene Pickled Bean or Resene Silvered Grey. Paint colours you might like to try are: Resene Half Nullarbor, Resene Quarter Tuna or Resene Half Sandstone.

If you were considering painting the deck you have two product options that you may need to enquire about - Resene Lumbersider or Resene Sidewalk Paving Paint - to see what would suit best. Or you might like to consider a Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path finish.

Resene Nutmeg
Resene Nutmeg
Resene Pickled Bean
Resene Pickled Bean
Resene Silvered Grey
Resene Silvered Grey
Resene Half Nullarbor
Resene Half Nullarbor
Resene Quarter Tuna
Resene Quarter Tuna
Resene Half Sandstone
Resene Half Sandstone
May 2013

Q. Our house colour will be either Resene Tea or Resene Quarter Friar Greystone with either Resene Tapa or Resene Triple Sea Fog for gutters. What roof colour would be better - Resene Charcoal or Resene New Denim Blue? We look down on the metal carport roof from the road and the house roof is tiled but we want them both the same.

A. You have two distinct colour options and I can see them working like this…
Resene Tea with Resene Tapa for the gutters and Resene Squall for the roof (this colour picks up the greenish undertone from the Resene Tapa so it relates well), or Resene Quarter Friar Greystone with Resene Triple Sea Fog for the gutters and Resene Grey Friars for the roof.

The Resene Quarter Friar Greystone is too grey toned to work with Resene New Denim Blue as they seem to cancel each other out. And if you try to use the Resene Triple Sea Fog with the Resene Tea instead of the Resene Tapa it too looks too grey and doesn't quite sit right with either Resene Grey Friar roof or Resene New Denim Roof hence the suggestion to use the Resene Squall.

Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Tapa
Resene Tapa
Resene Squall
Resene Squall
Resene Quarter Friar Greystone
Resene Quarter Friar Greystone
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
Resene New Denim Blue
Resene New Denim Blue
 
May 2013

Q. We are painting the living room in our year old new house. It has eight doorways and four windows. My husband wants to paint it all one colour and I want to do the trim and skirting boards around the base of the wall a different colour than the walls. What do you think? We would like to do a sponge effect on the walls - what is better dark on the bottom and light on top or vice versa?

A. It seems as though you have two things to consider - do you highlight the woodwork and emphasise all of the windows, doors, door frames and skirting boards so they are a feature or not? This is what will happen if you pick the woodwork out in a different colour (darker or much lighter) from the walls.

Secondary to this is your desire to sponge the walls. In answer to your question - it is usually a deeper colour first and a lighter one over top - this softens and blends down the colours. The other way - light first and dark over the top - is a 'spotty look' as the deeper colour pops out of the light colour and emphasises it. Are you really skilful at sponge effect painting? The main problem is always trying to get a uniform look, especially in the corners where it is most hard to achieve. My solution is to use a light-mid tone colour as the main wall colour and sponge over it with a half tone of the same colour and use this same half tone colour for the woodwork; that way it will blend out and be a soft sophisticated look with no hard lines emphasising all of those doors etc. But if you decided not to sponge the walls then I would be inclined to use the same colour for the woodwork.

May 2013

Q. Can you help by suggesting two co-ordinating wallpapers to cover a privacy screen - we have Resene Half Sisal, Resene Pohutukawa and either Resene Ironside Grey or Resene Grey Friars. We would prefer wallpaper that is not too floral and we have seen one that is black, grey and red that is nice.

A. This is a very interesting concept for using wallpaper. Apart from the one you have seen. you might like to investigate the following papers as a start point - Resene Walltrends 75111 or 25215, Modern Style 227021 or 227011, Saphyr II 208051 or 208041, or Atmosphere L44901 and L44745. You can view wallpaper swatches at your Resene ColorShop. Wallpaper is always more gorgeous and colourful when you see it in reality and if these options don't do it for you, you may well find some others that are just divine from some of the other wallpaper books.

Resene Half Sisal
Resene Half Sisal
Resene Pohutukawa
Resene Pohutukawa
Resene Ironside Grey
Resene Ironside Grey
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
May 2013

Q. I am trying to make a lighter grey from nearly four litres of Resene Shadowy Lavender. I have some Resene Buttery White - would I just add more of this colour? I am not trying to match any particular shade.

A. I would be careful in the intermixing of these two colours as the Resene Shadowy Lavender carries a lot of black tinter (which makes it harder to lighten) and a little red oxide and purple (which makes it ash/lavender tone) and coupled with the very small amount of yellow ochre in the Resene Buttery White (which is mainly white) you may lighten/brighten the grey but you may get a slight green undertone.

If you create a colour you like make sure you write down the mix you used so that if you need more later you know what colour combination you used.

Resene Shadowy Lavender
Resene Shadowy Lavender
Resene Buttery White
Resene Buttery White
May 2013

Q. We are trying to decide what colour to paint garage doors on our two storey concrete block house. The house is painted Resene Thorndon Cream and the wooden areas under the windows etc are painted Resene Bitter. We are considering Resene Black Forest but wondered if this might be too dark?

A. I do think the Black Forest might be a little too dark but more importantly it has a different undertone (it is a slightly blackened green) compared to both the Resene Bitter and the Resene Thorndon Cream which are both quite fresh and light.

Perhaps you could investigate Resene Scrub, (earthier/brown toned green) Resene Squall or (slightly fresher deep olive green) Resene Seaweed.

Take your time and trial the colours as the natural light may make them appear quite different to what you expect. 

Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene Bitter
Resene Bitter
Resene Black Forest
Resene Black Forest
Resene Scrub
Resene Scrub
Resene Squall
Resene Squall
Resene Seaweed
Resene Seaweed
May 2013

Q. We are painting our master bedroom walls, high ceiling and exposed stained rafters a light colour that will go with a dark duvet and possibly black curtains. We have been looking at Resene Half Tea but we are not sure about this. Other suggestions would be welcome.

A. I think Resene Half Tea would certainly work for you but perhaps investigate Resene Half Truffle or Resene White Pointer as alternate options as they are slightly greyer in tone. If you favour a dark duvet you may need to find something that you absolutely have to have and then see how the colours look when placed close to it. Colour is greatly influenced by other colour and it would be sad to paint and then find the duvet of your dreams and then realise (too late) it makes the paint colour look not so good as you first thought.

Resene Half Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Half Truffle
Resene Half Truffle
Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
May 2013

Q. What colour would be best for weatherboards to go with our COLORBOND® Woodland Grey roof and bronze coloured sliding doors that are not changing. We live in a leafy area and would like to keep to more neutral tones if possible.

A. You may like to consider the following colours: Resene Double Wheatfield, Resene Parchment, Resene Caraway or Resene Eighth Arrowtown.
If you view the large A4 samples of these colours at your Resene ColorShop in the Colour Library and place a sheet of white printer paper between the colours you will be better able to see the underlying tones in the colours and see their true depth. If you favour a colour but think it may be too light there are other versions of most of these listed colours that may offer you alternate options.

COLORBOND® Woodland Grey
COLORBOND® Woodland Grey
Resene Double Wheatfield
Resene Double Wheatfield
Resene Parchment
Resene Parchment
Resene Caraway
Resene Caraway
Resene Eighth Arrowtown
Resene Eighth Arrowtown
May 2013

Q. We have a single storey 1930s bungalow and are wanting some suggestions for a colour for the windows to go with Resene Tea.

A. For a true tonal co-ordinate you might consider using Resene Quarter Tea or if you favour more contrast for the windows then you might also consider the following colours: Resene Half Orchid White, Resene Half Sea Fog or Resene Half Bianca.

Resene Tea
Resene Tea

Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Half Orchid White
Resene Half Orchid White
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Bianca
May 2013

Q. We are repainting our very sunny kitchen. It is currently Resene Buttermilk. We would like suggestions please.

A. I note that your floors are wood, woodwork is white, kitchen cabinets are a light (cream/white) colour with distinctive coloured tiles around the splashback of the bench and that the room through the adjacent open doorway is a light blue/green type of colour that I might have suggested to you for the kitchen if you hadn't already used it.
Because the room is very light/warm looking I feel you can use a colour of depth. I do feel the adjacent room colour and the tiles in the kitchen need to be taken into consideration so that there is a nice feeling of harmony/co-ordination. You might like to consider the following colours: Resene Haystack - rich warm dense ochre/cream, Resene Meltwater - soft restful aquamarine, Resene Bliss - lush fruity red or Resene Serenity - calming opaline green with a touch of blue in it.

It may be that you also need to consider how a change of colour in this room works with your existing soft furnishings.

Resene Buttermilk
Resene Buttermilk
Resene Haystack
Resene Haystack
Resene Meltwater
Resene Meltwater
Resene Bliss
Resene Bliss
Resene Serenity
Resene Serenity
May 2013

Q. Trying to decide a colour for my 6 month old son’s room. I initially wanted blue - my favourite colour - but on second thought it feels cold. Can you please tell me what colours you would recommend for a baby boy’s room?

A. I like the open shelves/storage drawers in what was the wardrobe and I had a thought that you might paint the wall spaces that are visible with a bold, clear blue which will enhance the white drawers and shelves. It might be a bit time consuming but seeing as they aren't painted now it could make a lovely 'colour' statement without overpowering the room. I would take inspiration if I was you from the change table pad, which looks to be a lovely warm blue and just step up the colour a little bit so it doesn't look too pastel toned - perhaps you could look at Resene Malibu or (deeper) Resene Curious Blue as a start point.

For the walls it may pay to use a light warm neutral and you could use decal stickers to jazz up with colours. The stickers come as a myriad of subjects and colours and can be removed easily (peel off) when you don't fancy them anymore. I note that you have a little bit of red (blanket etc) in the room and you might get a little more of this type of colour as a small chair or a lampshade - a small thing to add a warm accent in the room.

For a light warm flexible neutral perhaps look at Resene Quarter Dutch White or Resene Half Pearl Lusta or if you favour more taupe tones - Resene Quarter Parchment or Resene Quarter Tea to see if one of those colours might work for you.

Essentially children like colour but not all Mums and Dads want to paint definite colour on the walls as they are of the mind that they will have to repaint more frequently when their little one changes/grows or another child moves into the room. A large framed very colourful noticeboard or a wall with Resene Magnetic Magic paint on it can also add lots of colour too. The magnetic paint is a basecoat under the regular wall paint so it isn't 'seen' except for the fact that there are little magnetic stickers on it.

Resene Malibu
Resene Malibu
Resene Curious Blue
Resene Curious Blue
Resene Quarter Dutch White
Resene Quarter Dutch White
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
Resene Quarter Parchment
Resene Quarter Parchment
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
May 2013

Q. I have an older home with lots of wooden panelling and I want to paint it white to lighten and brighten the rooms. I would like a warm white - any suggestions?

A. Many other elements may control how your warm white looks - flooring, curtains, upholstery, general light aspect (some rooms may be too bright, some may have a lot of shadow in them and some may be very large) and both natural and artificial light will have a great bearing on how your colour looks.

Some suggestions of ‘warm’ whites you might like to try are: Resene Bianca, Resene Orchid White, Resene Half Villa White or Resene Half Pearl Lusta.

If you choose a 'whiter' colour than those above you may find it looks too stark and the wooden panelling will look darker by comparison.

If you check out larger - A4 samples - at your Resene ColorShop in the Colour Library and place a sheet of white printer paper between the samples you can see the underlying tints within the colours and the depth.

Resene Bianca
Resene Bianca
Resene Orchid White
Resene Orchid White
Resene Half Villa White
Resene Half Villa White
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
May 2013

Q. I am painting the exterior and interior of an 1883 mud brick house. I want a co-ordinated look to flow from exterior to the interior with a neutral colour, with exterior sills highlighted and possibly feature walls for the interior. I like the Karen Walker range and would love your advice/suggestions.

A. I think that the Karen Walker range of colours is lovely and could suit your style of home really well.

Firstly your neutral colour - a full strength version for the exterior and a much lighter version of the same colour as the main for the interior might be the way to go. Interiors can also use a layering effect by painting woodwork slightly deeper or using the full strength version of the colour in rooms that need more depth because of a dim/chilly/south facing aspect or in huge rooms that have extreme brightness where the lighter colour may feel stark or too glary.

Feature walls can add that excitement that lifts the overall look up to make it something special. It can be soft/restful or warm/intimate whatever the mood dictates.

So perhaps you could consider using Resene Albescent White as an exterior main colour with Resene Half Fuscous Grey for trim/sills and keep the look really smart/crisp/timeless and Resene Quarter Albescent White as an interior main colour so it can be used on walls and ceilings for a nice cohesive flow.

In the interior you then have the option of using Resene Half Albescent White or (full strength) Resene Albescent White also as the warmer/deeper colours if required.

Feature walls could be Resene Robin Egg Blue, Resene Half Robin Egg Blue, Resene Smoky Green or Resene Grain Brown dependent upon the role of the room and your choice of soft furnishings.

To hook in the soft charcoal trim colour from the exterior sills (Resene Half Fuscous Grey) may be too serious for an interior feature but is a great choice for a benchtop colour or even carpets or sofas.

Resene Albescent White
Resene Albescent White
Resene Half Fuscous Grey
Resene Half Fuscous Grey
Resene Quarter Alabscent White
Resene Quarter Albescent White
Resene Half Albescent White
Resene Half Albescent White
Resene Robin Egg Blue
Resene Robin Egg Blue
Resene Half Robin Egg Blue
Resene Half Robin Egg Blue
Resene Smoky Green
Resene Smoky Green
Resene Grain Brown
Resene Grain Brown
May 2013

Q. We have a rental house with a painted deck. We prefer lighter colours for the house and would use the deck colour on the window sills too. The deck is currently grey but is boring. Any suggestions please?

A. Some colours you might like to try are Resene Kookaburra, Resene Santas Grey or Resene Bluff. For the house you could look at Resene Barely There, Resene Half White Pointer, Resene Rice Cake or Resene Half Pearl Lusta.

Resene Kookaburra
Resene Kookaburra
Resene Santas Grey
Resene Santas Grey
Resene Bluff
Resene Bluff
Resene Barely There
Resene Barely There
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
 
May 2013

Q. We want to paint our Summerhill Stone house either Resene Caraway or Resene Half Perfect Taupe with a contrasting colour for doors and the windowsills. The roof is dark grey and the windows are white painted wood. We are having a dark grey drive put in also. Can you suggest some colours?

A. I note that apart from the Summerhill Stone you have a wide Hardiplank conservatory extension at the back of the house that has brown or bronze powder coated sliding doors and windows.

So with this in mind and thinking that you probably wouldn't paint the doors and windows to another colour I am inclined to slightly favour the Resene Caraway because it will work with the roof, white wooden windows and the conservatory window/sliding doors.

You could use Resene Half Tuna (a 'grey' friend to co-ordinate with the roof and driveway) or Resene Pravda (an earthy 'bronze beige' to co-ordinate with the conservatory powdercoat colour) as the sill and doors.

For the Resene Half Perfect Taupe option which is a warm mushroom inspired beige then you could do the sills and the doors Resene Artefact (a grape toned brown) or Resene Innocence (a grey/green garbardine hue) - all of these colours can be viewed as A4 swatches in the Colour Library at Resene ColorShops. It helps to see large A4 samples of colour to help with decision making.

Resene Caraway
Resene Caraway
Resene Half Perfect Taupe
Resene Half Perfect Taupe
Resene Half Tuna
Resene Half Tuna
Resene Pravda
Resene Pravda
Resene Artefact
Resene Artefact
Resene Innocence
Resene Innocence
May 2013

Q. I am looking for colour ideas to suit a very small (1800x1800) bathroom with a very high ceiling.

A. My immediate thought in regard this small space is that both the walls and the floor might need to be a very similar type of colour so that the eye sees it as slightly larger because of there being no floor colour break defining and making the space seem smaller by emphasising the tiny dimensions. Then you might consider having a deeper colour on the ceiling (and perhaps paint 30 cm down the walls in the same colour) than one would normally expect to see to make it look 'not so high'. Using an oversized (1 metre square) unframed mirror on one wall will make the space seem larger also.

Perhaps you could consider looking at a simple creamy or beige tone and using a similar colour tile or vinyl for the floor. Paint colours you might like to try are Resene Half Villa White, Resene Double Bianca, Resene Eighth Joss or Resene Eighth Bison Hide.

The coloured ceiling and part portion of the upper wall needs a bit of thought but I have seen it used very successfully to modify overly high ceilings. The question that arises is 'what type of colour?' so you might investigate a soft grey or a soft green like the following colour suggestions: Resene Quarter Delta or Resene Quarter Lemon Grass.

If you did bring the ceiling colour down onto the upper portion of the wall then you might consider using watery/pearly/metallic glass mosaic tiles as a narrow border to create a finish 'break' at this point.

Resene Half Villa White
Resene Half Villa White
Resene Double Bianca
Resene Double Bianca
Resene Eighth Joss
Resene Eighth Joss
Resene Eighth Bison Hide
Resene Eighth Bison Hide
Resene Quarter Delta
Resene Quarter Delta
Resene Quarter Lemon Grass
Resene Quarter Lemon Grass
   
May 2013

Q. We need suggestions for a new windowsill colour and alternate options for the door to take the place of Resene Tana and Resene Masala. The house is Resene Cararra and the roof is Resene Grey Friars.

A. If you simplified the scheme a little bit by using Resene Quarter Grey Friars on the sills (a co-ordinate/friend for the existing Resene Grey Friars roof colour) then the options that are open to you to enhance the doors are far more extensive. Then when mood dictates you would just change the doors to another colour to create a new fresh look - a litre of paint every year might mean that you can do small changes and always be modern and contemporary.

The benefit of this approach is that the extra grey tone used close to the white of the windows is a timeless, smart and very versatile neutral. Coupled with the Resene Cararra main colour you create a simply smart mood for the house.

Options for the doors could be as follows, there are many more others to choose from if these don’t suit…
Resene Breakfree, Resene Earthstone, Resene Artefact or Resene Bach.

Resene Cararra
Resene Cararra
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Breakfree
Resene Breakfree
Resene Earthstone
Resene Earthstone
Resene Artefact
Resene Artefact
Resene Bach
Resene Bach
May 2013

Q. Can you please suggest trim detail colour for Art Deco house - double horizontal lines above windows - and the lesser line between top of windows on lower level.

A. The main colour of the house - beige (Resene Tea/Drought) - and the deep colour of the garage roller doors/roof of garage (possibly Resene Lignite), window sills (Resene Masala) and retaining wall (Resene Pravda) lead into a continuation of these colours to maintain a timeless/elegant look.

My suggestion is to paint the double horizontal lines as a white Resene Alabaster as this will tie in the window sashes and to use a little deeper colour, such as Resene Pravda, for the single horizontal line to link in the retaining wall colour is essentially practical but still defines the details without creating a 'period' scheme that may need redoing if you should tire of it.

Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Drought
Resene Drought
Resene Lignite
Resene Lignite
Resene Masala
Resene Masala
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Pravda
Resene Pravda
May 2013

Q. We have existing colours - Woodland Grey roof and guttering, Paperbark - fascia, Resene Sisal - main colour and silver on the windows. I want to use White Plantation shutters - will it work? And in the interior if I have Resene White would the architraves be a brighter white?

A. Yes I think the White Plantation shutters will look really crisp on the exterior of the house with all of the colours that you have mentioned. They may make the Resene Sisal seem a little deeper in tone but that is a good thing. It will create a traditional ambiance to the exterior.

For the interior if the architraves are to be picked out because they are architecturally gorgeous and you want to highlight them then yes a brighter white will do that for you. Alternatively you could use a flat or low sheen finish on the walls and a semi-gloss on the woodwork in the same white and that would (quietly) highlight the woodwork as well.

COLORBOND® Woodland Grey
COLORBOND® Woodland Grey
COLORSTEEL Paperbark
COLORSTEEL® Paperbark
Resene Sisal
Resene Sisal
Resene White
Resene White
May 2013

Q. We need some exterior colour options for a fibro split level house. We have renovated inside (modern but simple) with light grey walls, white trims and black windows and security screens. We are thinking of beige with maroon or crimson trims or white with trim or possibly black trims? Prefer subtle colours for an older house.

A. There are several beige options that you might consider: Resene Truffle and Resene Dynamite or Resene Tea or Resene Hot Chile or Resene Half Drought or Resene Merlot. Or 'whiter' colours that could also work with the red tones listed above are Resene Black White, Resene Double Alabaster or slightly cool grey white Resene Quarter Iron.

All of the colours will work with black windows/security screens but I am unsure as to whether more black as trims would be a good idea. I presume the windows/security screens are powder coated and if you painted trims black it may attract a lot of heat to the surface and go 'powdery' quickly and look 'greyer' than the black powder coated windows. This might annoy you.

Resene Truffle
Resene Truffle
Resene Dynamite
Resene Dynamite
Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Hot Chile
Resene Hot Chile
Resene Half Drought
Resene Half Drought
Resene Merlot
Resene Merlot
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Quarter Iron
Resene Quarter Iron
 
May 2013

Q. Can you give some recommendations for light green (with yellow undertones)exterior colours to go with a Resene Red Oxide roof, deep olive green garage door and Resene Alabaster trim around windows?

A. There are several light greens with yellow undertones and you might like to consider: Resene Linen, Resene Tana, Resene Lemon Grass or Resene Secrets (or the lighter variations of these), or Resene Aspiring, Resene Orinoco or Resene Willow Brook.

If you view large A4 sheets of these colours in the Colour Library at your local Resene ColorShop with the same sized samples of Resene Alabaster and Resene Red Oxide you will get a better idea of the type of undertones/depth of the colours to help with your decision.

A word to the wise - colours look a lot lighter when they are seen on the exterior of a house because of the way the natural sunlight 'leaches' out the colour.

Resene Linen
Resene Linen
Resene Tana
Resene Tana
Resene Lemon Grass
Resene Lemon Grass
Resene Secrets
Resene Secrets
Resene Aspiring
Resene Aspiring
Resene Orinoco
Resene Orinoco
Resene Willow Brook
Resene Willow Brook
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Red Oxide
Resene Red Oxide
 
May 2013

Q. Please provide suggestions of soft coffee colours that aren't too pink for a large, light lounge and dining room?

A. Try these colours to see if they suit for your 'soft coffee' colour: Resene Quarter Cougar, Resene Eighth Drought or Resene Quarter Bison Hide.

Colours can be described in any way and what might be 'soft coffee' to me might be beige to you - of the ones I have suggested one is warmer than the others but this may not be apparent until you compare larger samples at your Resene ColorShop. Please be aware that the quality of light - morning or afternoon and electric light at night as well as other colours - curtains, upholstery, carpets etc will also influence how you see the colours. It is so important that you trial colour within the space to see what might happen to your colour - testpots are so helpful in this regard.

Resene Quarter Cougar
Resene Quarter Cougar
Resene Eighth Drought
Resene Eighth Drought
Resene Quarter Bison Hide
Resene Quarter Bison Hide
May 2013

Q. Can you please provide some 'White' suggestions for a small toilet room that isn't as creamy as Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta?

A. Yes there are a few popular 'whites' that people often use - you might look at the following colours: Resene Quarter Bianca, Resene Double Alabaster, Resene Quarter Rice Cake or Resene Half Black White.

It might pay to look at the A4 sheets of these colours at the local Resene ColorShop and place a sheet of white printer paper between them so that you can judge what underlying tones of colour are hiding with in them. The natural and artificial light in the toilet will also intensify the colour so trialling with testpots is a good idea.

Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Half Black White
Resene Half Black White
May 2013

Q. I am renovating a lounge in a 1930s California bungalow that has masses of windows and a brick fire surround. The floors will be polished. Please provide some colour suggestions.

A. Definitely consider painting the bricks - you may need to seal them with pigmented sealer first if they are rough faced and porous or if they are glazed you may need to use a specific sealer for glossy surfaces.

If you maintain the ceiling and all painted woodwork as Resene White then I would suggest you look at the following colour suggestions for the walls and the bricks around the fire: Resene Double Alabaster, Resene Half Rice Cake, Resene Half Bianca or for slightly deeper colours - Resene Double Sea Fog or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream.

Because these colours have subtle undertones it may pay you to investigate A4 samples of them which can be seen at your Resene ColorShop. Place a sheet of white printer paper between them to help your eye judge what they are truly like.

Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
May 2013

Q. Renovating an exterior of house which is Linea painted Resene Nero, Gull Grey powdercoated roof and Silver Pearl powdercoated windows. Which grey do you recommend to paint the windowsills that will match to Silver Pearl?

A. Nothing will truly match to the Silver Pearl as it is a metallic powder coat and the paint (which isn't metallic) will age and alter in its aging in a manner not at all like the powdercoat - so even if they were nearly identical to begin with they wouldn't look alike later on.

However, you might look at a colour that is slightly deeper than the Silver Pearl but similar in hue but different enough so that you don't end up thinking 'bad match' and being disappointed. Some colours you might like to try are: Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Quarter Ash, Resene Half Silver Chalice or Resene Double Barely There.

If you look at larger A4 samples of these colours in the Colour Library at your Resene ColorShop with a real metal sample of the Silver Pearl and a sheet of pure white print paper placed between the colours you will be able to judge what they really look like and how they respond in close proximity to the Silver Pearl.

Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Quarter Ash
Resene Quarter Ash
Resene Half Silver Chalice
Resene Half Silver Chalice
Resene Double Barely There
Resene Double Barely There
May 2013

Q. Can you suggest some colours to change the look of a bedroom to a masculine ambiance for someone who favours brown tones?

A. Brown tones will certainly work well and of course there is the option of highlighting the wall behind the bedhead as a richer deeper colour to add more warmth and ambiance during the daylight hours.

You might like to investigate the following colour options - each has a deeper colour included in brackets as a possible highlight colour. If not used the colour may be an option for a throw on the bed or some such element to enhance the room. The main colours that follow aren't dark but are full of a mellow depth and warmth: Resene Drought (with Resene Half Oilskin), Resene Double Biscotti (with Resene Double Malta), Resene Quarter Perfect Taupe (with Resene Quarter Lignite), Resene Parchment (with Resene Double Bison Hide). Blues of any kind offer the perfect complement to any brown tones if you want to bring in some blue.

Resene Drought
Resene Drought
Resene Half Oilskin
Resene Half Oilskin
Resene Double Biscotti
Resene Double Biscotti
Resene Double Malta
Resene Double Malta
Resene Quarter Perfect Taupe
Resene Quarter Perfect Taupe
Resene Quarter Lignite
Resene Quarter Lignite
Resene Parchment
Resene Parchment
Resene Double Bison Hide
Resene Double Bison Hide
May 2013

Q. What colour goes with a red brick house? The house is big with a basement all around that is (old fashioned) White now. Suggestions for a nice colour please?

A. Red brick houses favour creams with a green edge and greys with a green edge - well actually almost anything with a touch of green in it as it is the direct complement to red of any kind.

Some colours you might like to try are: Resene Linen, Resene Ash, Resene Triple Rice Cake, Resene Secrets, Resene Villa White or Resene Quarter Hillary. There are no nasty colours - they are all nice - for someone.

Resene Linen
Resene Linen
Resene Ash
Resene Ash
Resene Triple Rice Cake
Resene Triple Rice Cake
Resene Secrets
Resene Secrets
Resene Villa White
Resene Villa White
Resene Quarter Hillary
Resene Quarter Hillary
May 2013

Q. My house was built in 1930 and I was thinking of keeping the new colours to a simple two colour scheme. I would love some help as I am puzzled - perhaps a light brownish colour and a type of white for the windows?

A. As a starting point perhaps you could consider the following colour options: Resene Quarter Nullarbor - main colour for weatherboards - with Resene Half Pearl Lusta - windows, gables, barge boards and doors, or Resene Half Drought - main colour for weatherboards - with Resene Half Bianca - windows, gables, barge boards and doors, or Resene Half Bison Hide - main colour for weatherboards - with Resene Alabaster - windows, gables, barge boards.

Resene Quarter Nullarbor
Resene Quarter Nullarbor
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
Resene Half Drought
Resene Half Drought
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Bison Hide
Resene Half Bison Hide
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
May 2013

Q. We currently have the colour Resene Slugger (dark brown) painted to the walls of our store and I’m printing a sign that I want to have the same colour as the wall. What are the RGB or CMYK properties of Resene Slugger?

A. Paint colours can be converted to CMYK but they don't always convert that well. What we tend to do is find a close PMS colour and then supply a sample of the paint colour to the sign company and ask them to match to that. Many signwriters use Resene paint for their signs so you could potentially use the Resene paint tinted to that colour which would help tie it altogether.

Resene Slugger
Resene Slugger
May 2013

Q. What is the best Resene colour match to an ink colour: PMS 397 or cyan10, magenta 0, yellow100, black11?

A. We have a tool on our website that you can help you with this - Resene Find-A-Colour. I typed in your CMYK values and then searched for the 10-20 closest and the closest colour the system advised was Resene Neva. As computers vary screen to screen it would be good to try this out for yourself and then trial a testpot of your chosen colour to make sure it achieves the look you are after.

Resene Neva
Resene Neva
May 2013

Q. What are the latest colours for outside plaster covering?

A. Popular colours for exterior plastered homes are: Resene Akaroa which is a muted pebble grey, Resene Double Ash which is a smoky neutral with a green edge, Resene Bison Hide which is a warmed green beige, Resene Eighth Stonewall which is a dusty brown earthy tone and Resene Triple White Pointer which is a mid-toned grey beige.

Resene Akaroa
Resene Akaroa
Resene Double Ash
Resene Double Ash
Resene Bison Hide
Resene Bison Hide
Resene Eighth Stonewall
Resene Eighth Stonewall
Resene Triple White Pointer
Resene Triple White Pointer
May 2013

Page 04

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

 

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

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