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Answers to your questions from our colour experts, p. 40

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. 40

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


Q. We have been due to paint the outside of our home for a while, but are worried if we paint it that we might not get the right colour trend.  Do exterior colours have trends like interior colours do?

A. Exteriors do follow trends as well, though they tend to move slower and revolve mainly around neutrals.  The current trend for exteriors is to grey based shades – greyed or blackened off whites – colours like Resene White Pointer, and then accents in deep greys – e.g. Resene Bokara Grey or black.  Black exterior wood stains are hugely popular – with colours such as Resene Pitch Black.  The Resene CoolColour technology, which reflects more heat than a standard colour, means that darker colours can be chosen for a wider range of surfaces, so that has given homeowners the ability to go darker than they would have been able to 10 years ago.

Joinery is tending to be very neutral, to give owners more versatility and range in colour choice down the track.  For roofs, colours like Grey Friars and Ironsand are hugely popular.  Colourful front doors are popular – traditionally they have been red with colours like Resene Pohutukawa, but there are more decorators branching out into yellow, orange and sometimes bold pink.  Front doors are often painted in a high gloss for extra contrast against the generally low sheen or semi-gloss wall finishes.

One thing to remember when choosing colours for an exterior is that the sun tends to wash out a lot of colour, so if in doubt we recommend someone choosing a darker version of the colour they are looking at.  Many light off whites can end up looking completely white when the sun is on them. 

Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer

Resene Pohutukawa

Resene Pitch Black

Resene Ironsand

Resene Grey Friars
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Black
Resene Bllack
 
December 2015

Q. We have a 4 year old one level house that is constructed of Shadowclad® and LINEA® board. The Shadowclad® needs to be repainted as it is exposed to the hot northerly sun. The joinery is a silver aluminium. Currently the LINEA® board is painted in a black colour and the Shadowclad® a mid grey. The roof is similar to Ironsand. We like the black but would possibly like to soften the colours and use more earthy ones.

A. If both the LINEA® and the Shadowclad® are up for a new look then you might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Half Ironsand (LINEA®) and Resene Half Gauntlet (Shadowclad®), or Resene Bokara Grey (LINEA®) and Resene Taupe Grey (Shadowclad®).

Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Half Gauntlet
Resene Half Gauntlet
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Half Grey
Resene Taupe Grey
December 2015

Q. We are looking at staining our decks. The outside colours of the house are Resene Grey Friars, and, we think, Resene Sisal. What colour/products would you recommend please?

A. The product for staining decks is called Resene Woodsman - it can be either an oil (turps) stain or a waterborne stain. You don't mention what types of colours you favour for the deck so I have found several that might be considered – Resene Iroko (warm and earthy - looks good with Resene Sisal), Resene Bleached Cedar (a blue/grey similar in tone to the Grey Friars roof and joinery), Resene Bark (warm traditional brown) or Resene Natural (as it says - natural - not really a distinct colour - more like wet pale pine).

Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Sisal
Resene Sisal
Resene Iroko
Resene Iroko
Resene Woodsman Bleached Cedar
Resene Bleached Cedar
Resene Bark
Resene Bark
Resene Natural
Resene Natural
December 2015

Q. We are adding a second level to an existing brick home. The second story is weatherboard. So far, we have an Ironsand roof and copper spouting. It has existing wooden pillars around a ground level deck; the end result will be sort of Cape Cod style. We were thinking of Resene Double White Pointer or an alternative warm white for the weatherboards and Resene White Pointer for the ground level pillars. Joinery will be warm white. We think a contrast between the two levels would be best given that they are two different materials. We are thinking med to dark warm grey for the brick level. We thought we had things sorted but the roof looks browner that we thought.

A. You are right about the roof colour - Ironsand is a yellow/brown based charcoal. I like your colour ideas - Resene Double White Pointer for the upper storey, Resene White Pointer for the ground level pillars. A medium - deep warm grey for the bricks on the lower level might be one of these types of colours - Resene Friar Grey, Resene Gauntlet, Resene Eighth Masala or Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey.

Resene Double White Pointer
Resene Double White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
   
Resene Friar Grey
Resene Friar Grey
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Masala
Resene Eighth Masala
Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey
Resene Quarter
Fuscous Grey
December 2015

Q. We are looking to paint a new weatherboard extension and the existing stucco house in a pale grey. The roof is COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars, the windows are 'appliance white' aluminium. I would like it to be quite pale but would still like a bit of contrast with the joinery. Oh, and we have a bright orange front door! So it needs to look good with that also. I'm thinking perhaps Resene Quarter Silver Chalice? Can this look white in bright sunlight? Will there be enough contrast between cladding and joinery? Any other greys you suggest I consider?

A. I do like the Resene Quarter Silver Chalice but you are right in your concerns - it could look much lighter in bright natural light. Why not look at using Resene Half Silver Chalice which - at worst - won't look any lighter than Resene Quarter Silver Chalice does. Or alternatively you might check out these pale greys - Resene Quarter Delta, Resene Surrender or Resene Iron.

I think that with both the new weatherboards and the stucco (being the grey) the stucco may look slightly deeper than the smooth surface of the weatherboards - that isn't a problem - it is just what happens between smooth and textured surfaces. There is a nice level of contrast between the grey and the white joinery - very clean, crisp and smart. Bright orange sounds gorgeous as a front door statement - good on you!

COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars
COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars
Resene Quarter Silver Chalice
Resene Quarter
Silver Chalice
Resene Half Silver Chalice
Resene Half Silver Chalice
Resene Quarter Delta
Resene Quarter Delta
Resene Surrender
Resene Surrender
Resene Iron
Resene Iron
December 2015

Q. My room is south facing and we have a timber floating floor and white walls. We are adding a TV onto the eastern wall and would like to paint the wall behind dark so as to not have the TV as a feature when not in use. However the large rug is in various shades of blues so would having a dark (black) wall behind the TV clash with the rug and other furniture?

A. Have you thought of using a 'coloured' black to work in this space? South facing rooms often look a little cool or sour so adding a little warmth may give you a warm feature and be a harmonious balancing colour to go with the blues in the large rug and the white walls.

You might check out these 'blacks' to see if any appeal to you - Resene Black Sheep, Resene Double Barbecue, Resene Blackjack, Resene Bokara Grey or Resene Fuscous Grey.

Resene Black Sheep
Resene Black Sheep
Resene Double Barbecue
Resene Double Barbecue
Resene Blackjack
Resene Blackjack
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Fuscous Grey
Resene Fuscous Grey
December 2015

Q. I plan on painting our walls Resene Eighth Truffle (chosen because I wanted 'white' but not pinks/greens/purple undertones or a cold feel. So hoping this works!). We are in a coastal area so want a beachy feel. Joinery is Silver Pearl (light grey). What would you recommend for crisp easy to live with whites that go with Resene Eighth Truffle for the ceiling/trims/doors/architraves please? Also we are painting the exterior weatherboards Resene Double Black White. What would go well with this for a white for the soffits?

A. Have you carefully tested the Resene Eighth Truffle? You mention that you don't want a white with pink undertones and Resene Eighth Truffle can throw that undertone dependent upon natural and artificial light and other colours seen close to it. If you haven't tested it I do suggest that you do use testpots - please paint all of the Resene testpot/two coats onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted border all around the edges. This will allow you to see a huge amount of the colour, the unpainted border helps you focus on the reality of the colour as well as keeping the test patch well away from any existing wall colour that may unduly influence the colour making you see it 'wrong'. You can move the card from wall to wall/room to room so that you can see how the colour alters in different light and angles. It may be perfect - everything you want from the colour - but it may not be ok and it does pay to check doesn't it?

An alternative worth checking out is Resene Quarter White Pointer. A nice white that could be used on the interior and on the exterior could be Resene Eighth Black White or Resene Half Alabaster.

Resene Eighth Truffle
Resene Eighth Truffle
Resene Double Black White
Resene Double Black White
Resene Quarter White Pointer
Resene Quarter
White Pointer
Resene Eighth Black White
Resene Eighth Black White
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Half Alabaster
December 2015

Q. We have a 1930s bungalow and have recently painted the interior walls Resene Double Sea Fog with white trims. Our carpet in the south facing bedrooms is charcoal and we have medium dark wooden floorboards in the hall/foyer. The Resene Double Sea Fog is great in the north facing rooms, but yes, very cold looking in the two southern bedrooms and dark hallway. What can you suggest for a soft/warmer white, (but not cream) colour to consider for these areas? I was thinking Resene Quarter Merino or Resene Merino for the master bedroom which has the least amount of natural light.

A. Yes you could check out Resene Quarter Merino for the rooms or alternatively these colours may be worth investigating too – Resene Half Sea Fog, Resene Half Milk White, Resene Quarter White Pointer or Resene Quarter Albescent White.

Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Merino
Resene Merino
 
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Milk White
Resene Half Milk White
Resene Quarter White Pointer
Resene Quarter
White Pointer
Resene Quarter Albescent White
Resene Quarter
Albescent White
December 2015

Q. We have two painted walls in an open plan living/kitchen/dining area which we'd like to freshen up. There are timber floors and ceilings, the kitchen benchtop is Latte Caesarstone and the cupboards are painted Resene Albescent White. There is a feature wall in deep amber. Can you suggest some colours that give a little more light but also look good with timber?

A. You don't mention what the other walls are painted. The only neutral colour that you have mentioned is the cupboards - Resene Albescent White - so I am unsure whether this is on the walls as well? Do you want to create a balanced and harmonious colour palette that works with your predominant colour? Or doesn't that matter?

I think the wall that you say is a deep amber colour could be a green. Have you thought of that as an option?

Perhaps look at these types of fresh colours - Resene Coriander or Resene Double Linen or - a bluer based green - Resene Unwind.

Resene Albescent White
Resene Albescent White
Resene Coriander
Resene Coriander
Resene Double Linen
Resene Double Linen
Resene Unwind
Resene Unwind
December 2015

Q. The setting is a northwest facing city apartment on the eighth floor. The kitchen/living area is 6 metres square-ish, 2.4 metres high. Carpet is 3/4 beige, 1/4 dark blue. Curtains are a goldy beige, like a cardboard colour. The kitchen cupboards are white, with a stainless steel top and dark grey trim. There is a charcoal sofa and small black bookcases. There is light grey aluminium joinery on sliding doors which take up one full wall. I would like a good contrast between the walls and the wooden joinery. And if it's possible to paint the aluminium joinery I would like a suggested colour for that too (perhaps a little darker than it is now).

A. I don't think the light grey aluminium joinery is difficult to incorporate into a new colour scheme but I do feel that the curtains are - they don't appear to relate to anything you have. I would be saving my dollars and cents for new curtains rather than spending a lot of time (specialist preparation is really important on powder coated metal) and careful application of paint products on the joinery. That is just my opinion – you may prefer to keep the curtains and paint the joinery.

Some neutrals to try out are: Resene Truffle or Resene Eighth Pravda. These two colours may pick on the beige in the carpet and work well with the small amount of blue in it.

Or try Resene Half Surrender or Resene Double Concrete. These two colours are silver greys which will work with your furniture, the white kitchen and the window joinery.

Resene Truffle
Resene Truffle
Resene Eighth Pravda
Resene Eighth Pravda
Resene Half Surrender
Resene Half Surrender
Resene Double Concrete
Resene Double Concrete
December 2015

Q. Our walls are painted Resene Spanish White and the door surrounds and skirting boards are Resene Quarter Spanish white. All the internal doors now need repainting (they are your normal plywood doors). The carpet is a beige type colour. What colour would you suggest for the doors?

A. Your simple options are to use either the same colour as the other woodwork - Resene Quarter Spanish White - or the same colour as the walls - Resene Spanish White. The first option blends the doors and the second option highlights the doors because of the paler colour around the surrounds.

A deeper colour needs - ideally - to work really well with the beige carpet colour - and there are a lot of beiges both in paint and carpet. This could be a bit more difficult because it means that you have to carefully check out and test the beige until you find one that works.

Resene Spanish White
Resene Spanish White
Resene Quarter Spanish White
Resene Quarter
Spanish White
December 2015

Q. We have just painted our deck Resene Trojan with Resene Double Cement trim and a Resene Nero front door. It’s a cottage in Greytown with a rural setting. We have also just painted our bedroom and ensuite Resene Bianca. The cottage has honey coloured polished floorboards. What colours do you recommend to tie it altogether in the lounge, kitchen, hallway and master bedroom?

A. I suggest seeing as you have already started with Resene Bianca in the master bedroom and ensuite you could consider using a much lighter variant of this as your 'white' for ceilings and painted woodwork. You might check out Resene Quarter Bianca, it will help link what you have with any new colours.

There could also be other colours in the house that need to be co-ordinated with - not just the wooden floors - i.e. drapes, furniture, accessories, kitchen cabinets, bench tops etc.

Resene Trojan
Resene Trojan
Resene Cement
Resene Cement

(doubled)
Resene Nero
Resene Nero
Resene Bianca
Resene Bianca
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Quarter Bianca
December 2015

Q. I'm having the outside of my house painted. I liked Resene Quarter Crisp Green but it's a bit bright for an exterior. Can you suggest a similar but smokier colour (I've ordered a testpot of Resene Neutral Green).

A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Nirvana, Resene Miso, Resene Fawn Green, Resene Thistle or Resene Zen.

Resene Quarter Crisp Green
Resene Quarter Crisp Green
Resene Neutral Green
Resene Neutral Green
     
Resene Nirvana
Resene Nirvana
Resene Miso
Resene Miso
Resene Fawn Green
Resene Fawn Green
Resene Thistle
Resene Thistle
Resene Zen
Resene Zen
December 2015

Q. I recently bought a number of Resene testpots to paint indoor walls and was ideally after a light neutral grey. The colour 'Resene Iron' appeared to be a silvery grey and looked the best match after all the testpatches dried so I bought 2 x 4 litre cans of Resene Iron in low sheen waterborne enamel. Have just finished the first coat but can now see on a large scale that the colour has far too much blue/violet tone, therefore I think it may not match the warm toned furnishings I have planned to add. Is there any way I can have the paint tinted to make it a neutral grey tone? Or as I have only opened one can could it be an option to swap that colour and do a second coat with another colour? Or to tint both cans? The opened can is half full. I'm thinking now the Resene Half Surrender might have been a better neutral grey but am unsure now since the colours seem different on larger scale.

A. It may be difficult to alter your colour - not impossible - just difficult. You may not get exactly what you want - you may have to accept what happens as it is a bit of a lottery.

You mention 'neutral' as a key word as if this will ensure that you get a static colour when in fact all colours alter with changing light during the day and night as well as colour being affected by other colours close to it. Colour is a chameleon and if it can change and surprise you it will do so. Colours in an interior often look twice as deep as you expect them to look. This may be what is happening. There may be other colours that are drawing out the blue undertone you see in it - cream, yellow or red/orange tones of any sort may do that. It may be influenced by the axis of light - north, south, east and west - each of these aspects has a unique colour in the natural light which influences colours.

Resene Iron only has black colourant in it. Resene Half Surrender has black, yellow ochre and magenta in it - so it is a warmer and purpler toned grey.

If you test colour - like I suggest in the following notes - you won't be confused or misjudge colour and you will have a better judgement of what it is truly like.

  • Apply all of the testpot/two coats to A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted border all around the edges. This helps you focus on the colour and the unpainted border holds the colour away from any other pre-existing colour which then can't negatively influence what you eye sees.
  • Pinning it to the wall (but never painting it on a coloured wall) will allow you to move it from wall to wall/room to room so that you can see a huge amount of the colour and see how changing light and angles alters the colour.
  • Rolling the large card into a cone with the colour innermost and looking into the cone allows you to see how the colour intensifies - as if a large block area (like 4 walls) has been painted.
  • If you ultimately will be buying a paint that has more sheen to it than the satin finish of the testpot then you can use sellotape® over the painted sample - rubbed down hard - and this shows you how the sheen alters the look of the colour. It will brighten the colour.

This may be confusing but I hope it isn't. I hope that you get a real handle of what colour is like and find this way of testing colours is better and helps you to get your colours 'right'. If you pop into a Resene ColorShop - with the paint - and throw yourself on their mercy - one of the staff skilled with colour may be able to adjust your colour to be less blue toned.

Resene Iron
Resene Iron
Resene Half Surrender
Resene Half Surrender
December 2015

Q. I would like to repaint my house (1980s) in Resene Wheatfield and wondered if the soffit should be the same or a shade or two lighter? I am thinking of Resene Ironsand to replace the Karaka fascia and maybe Resene Climate for a large garage door. At present the house is a buttermilk colour and I like the warmth but want to take out the yellow. The fence and deck is painted in Resene Iroko. The back fence is a very dark brown.

A. Yes I do think the soffits should be a lighter version of the house colour - it lightens and lifts the whole look of the house as well as enhancing the colours. Perhaps Resene Quarter Wheatfield could be considered. Resene Wheatfield is still a yellow tone but it does have undertones of green in it which work well with Resene Ironsand and Resene Climate on the garage door and the Resene Iroko stained fence and deck.

Resene Wheatfield
Resene Wheatfield
Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Climate
Resene Climate
Resene Iroko
Resene Iroko
Resene Quarter Wheatfield
Resene Quarter Wheatfield
December 2015

Q. We are building a house at the beach in LINEA®. I would like to keep it fresh looking and am thinking of a blue-grey with white joinery/barge boards etc. or alternatively going a bit more neutral with a tea-brown with white joinery. Could you suggest any colours and also roof colour ideas?

A. For a coastal themed palette you could look at these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Duck Egg Blue with Appliance White powder coated joinery/Resene Half Black White and a (deep) COLORSTEEL® TernStyle or (light) COLORSTEEL® Smokey roof.

Or a deeper main colour - Resene Half Regent Grey with Appliance White powder coated joinery/Resene Half Black White and COLORSTEEL® Indigo Blue roof.

A sand/driftwood type of colour instead of the blue/greys could be one of these - Resene Quarter Sandstone or Resene Cloudy. For the roof – COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars or Storm Blue with the same joinery and 'white' for the trims.

Resene Duck Egg Blue
Resene Duck Egg Blue
Resene Half Black White
Resene Half Black White
COLORSTEEL® Smokey
COLORSTEEL® Smokey
 
Resene Half Regent Grey
Resene Half Regent Grey
COLORSTEEL® Indigo Blue
COLORSTEEL®
Indigo Blue
   
Resene Quarter Sandstone
Resene Quarter Sandstone
Resene Cloudy
Resene Cloudy
COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars
COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars
COLORSTEEL® Storm Blue
COLORSTEEL®
Storm Blue
December 2015

Q. I thought about painting the main colour Resene Half Lemon Grass, base boards Resene Gravel, roof I have no idea, verandas same as baseboards. The aluminium is Karaka. I don't want the aluminium to make the main look too green. What would you paint the roof and barge boards? I like browns so as another option I thought Resene Pravda as the main colour, baseboards and decks Resene Half Mondo, roof I don't know.

At the moment the house is Resene Half Pravda, the roof is Karaka and the baseboards are Resene Half Mondo.

I would like a change, but I do like browns. I like the first option too but scared it will look too green. What do you think? Have you a colour idea?

A. The first option is going to emphasise the greens. If you are not keen on that then the second option sounds really quite smart. If you want to check out an alternative colour for the baseboards and decks you could look at Resene Quarter Ironsand (a warm greyed/brown) and use Resene Ironsand for the roof. If you do decide to stay with Resene Mondo on the baseboards and deck then the roof could still be Ironsand as it works with both Resene Half Mondo and Karaka.

Resene Half Lemon Grass
Resene Half Lemon Grass
Resene Gravel
Resene Gravel
Resene Pravda
Resene Pravda
Resene Half Mondo
Resene Half Mondo
Resene Half Pravda
Resene Half Pravda
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
 
December 2015

Q. We are looking to paint our lounge which is currently yellow. We have a couple of questions. First we wanted to paint the fireplace surround black or dark grey. Do you have any thoughts on what would work best for it? There is marble and carpet also. Second, we are going to change the room colour, all trims and ceiling white and then were thinking Resene Double Sea Fog on walls. Do you think this would work? Any other suggestions or is it worth trying a darker colour on walls? We are just concerned we don’t want to be too dark with having a black fire surround, and the carpets are blue/grey so didn’t want too much cool colour.

A. I think you may need to use a white undercoat on all of the existing colour to remove it so that you can better judge your light and space. Testing any colours and seeing them as they truly are will be difficult with the strong yellow wall colour. Once the wall colour is totally obliterated with white undercoat it will be easy to see the 'whites' and not have the yellow wall colour alter negatively the reality of the colours.

When you have done that I suggest you paint up several (different) soft toned blacks (all of the testpot/2 coats onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops)) and pin them on either side of the fire surround so that you can see how they look next to the marble and close to the carpet. The following are some that you could check out - Resene Double Foundry, Resene Cinder or Resene Double Cod Grey.

For the walls I think your idea of Resene Double Sea Fog is good but perhaps check out Resene White Pointer as well as it is important to compare colours to get a good judgement of what they really look like.

Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Double Foundry
Resene Double Foundry
Resene Cinder
Resene Cinder
Resene Double Cod Grey
Resene Double Cod Grey
Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
December 2015

Q. Can I make my garage door deep ocean blue if my roof is terracotta and my gutters are deep ocean blue. The brickwork is limestone blocks. At the moment the garage doors are vanished cedar.

A. I don't see why not. It will help to tie the blue gutters into the overall colour scheme and will make a nice 'feature'. Blues work really well with terracotta and limestone. You will need to ensure the preparation for the garage door is thorough (sand and scrape back to bare wood to remove any varnish) and that a primer is used before topcoating with two coats of the blue colour.

December 2015

Q. I’m doing a feature wall in my daughter’s room in Resene Pretty In Pink. I'm not sure what colour to do on the other three walls. We have white ceilings and doors. I was thinking a light grey? Or should I stick with a neutral tone?

A. These are some pale grey colours - and some others - that you might consider - Resene Quarter Surrender, Resene Half Concrete, Resene Half Orchid White, Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta.

The greys may wash out the pink a little bit so it doesn't appear as a 'feature', the whiter tones will enhance the pink a little bit emphasising the warmth of it.

Resene Pretty In Pink
Resene Pretty In Pink
       
Resene Quarter Surrender
Resene Quarter Surrender
Resene Half Concrete
Resene Half Concrete
Resene Half Orchid White
Resene Half Orchid White
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
December 2015

Q. The walls in my bedroom are Resene Pearl Lusta and I want to know what contrasting colour choices I have to paint the walls in my new ensuite?

A. You might have almost any colour at all. Resene Pearl Lusta doesn't stop colour choices - it welcomes them. Have you any favourites? Ensuites are usually quite small and with all of the 'white' that is in there you do have the option of using more definite types of colours like soft light greens, duck egg blues, lilac greys etc. as well as lighter versions of Resene Pearl Lusta. You might check out these ones to see if they appeal to you - Resene Secrets, Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Rolling Fog or Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta.

Resene Pearl Lusta
Resene Pearl Lusta
Resene Secrets
Resene Secrets
Resene Duck Egg Blue
Resene Duck Egg Blue
Resene Rolling Fog
Resene Rolling Fog
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
December 2015

Q. We are struggling to pick colours for the exterior of our house. We are surrounded by a lot of bush and the house is mid-century but has 1970s bronze aluminium windows. The house is currently a pale green. Originally we were going to paint it darker, but were advised against this due to warping. I quite like Resene Grey Olive and Resene Double Tana, but want to make a statement with a colour on the front door such as Resene Neva or a bold turquoise.

A. I like the colours you are considering - especially Resene Grey Olive which may blend in the bronze window joinery. If you like that sort of colour you might also look at (earthier) Resene Castle Rock. Some colour suggestions for the front door that you might check out are these - Resene Tweet, Resene Windfall, Resene Retro or Resene Blackberry.

Resene Grey Olive
Resene Grey Olive
Resene Double Tana
Resene Double Tana
Resene Castle Rock
Resene Castle Rock
 
Resene Tweet
Resene Tweet
Resene Windfall
Resene Windfall
Resene Retro
Resene Retro
Resene Blackberry
Resene Blackberry
December 2015

Q. I would like a dark moody grey to cover two walls in a bedroom. One of the remaining walls is mostly glass, the other will reflect the rest of the house so will be painted in Resene Eighth Tea. I had initially chosen Resene Nocturnal, but after trying a testpot have found one wall it looks really great, dark, moody, etc. On the other wall (because it is getting direct light from large windows) it looks way too blue (appears to clash with the carpet terribly). Resene Ironsand will be used on a couple of walls in the main living area of the house. While this will not really reflect directly on any colour chosen for the bedrooms I am keen to keep the tones/palette going through the house in sync. The carpet is Verve Elemental Grey (CB).

A. You might look at these dark moody greys to see if one of them will work for you - Resene Baltic Sea or Resene Fuscous Grey.

The two are also available as half tones if you felt they might be too dark for the room in question.
A slightly softer deep grey that may appeal to you and is worth checking out - Resene Tundora.

Resene Eighth Tea
Resene Eighth Tea
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Baltic Sea
Resene Baltic Sea
Resene Fuscous Grey
Resene Fuscous Grey
Resene Tundora
Resene Tundora
December 2015

Q. I need advice to choose colour for my house which will look good with these bricks and roof please.

A. I think you need a lighter/cleaner colour that will work with the terracotta roof and bricks. These may be worth checking out - Resene Cararra, Resene Thorndon Cream or Resene Villa White.

Resene Cararra
Resene Cararra
Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene Villa White
Resene Villa White
December 2015

Q. We are about to paint the exterior of our home. When one is choosing a colour does it tend to look darker or lighter over a large area?

A. As a rule natural light tends to make most exterior colours appear lighter. There are exceptions to the rule - if you are using a very black colour it will look darker and heavier as it is such a deep colour to begin with but you may still see any coloured undertones within the colour when the house is bathed in very bright light. If your house faces east and is on the under brow of a hill and loses natural sunlight earlier in the day the shadow on the house will make lighter colours appear a little deeper.

December 2015

Q. We are looking at painting the exterior of our house. We were thinking of painting the roof Resene Ironsand but we are now thinking maybe a lighter colour like Resene Gauntlet might be better. We want a warmish colour (nothing too grey) for the roughcast as we live in Middlemarch which can get very cold in the winter. We need a colour to go with the bricks (but won't look pink against the bricks). We were thinking Resene Half Tea. Would this go with a Resene Gauntlet roof? And what would be a good colour for the trims (we want the windowsills and porch detailing to be the same) and gable part of the roof? Our windows are an off-white aluminium. Also, should we paint the edge of the roof the same as the actual roof?

A. I think Resene Half Tea and Resene Gauntlet are really nice together. However if you want to compare another neutral with the Resene Half Tea then you might look at Resene Eighth Pravda. This is warm but not as yellow toned as Resene Half Tea.

Most colours used on an exterior appear lighter that what you might expect so please do test the colours carefully. Between the acres of sky casting a clear/bright light (or a grey/stark light when it is reflecting off the snow) on the house and the textured stucco surfaces adding a bit more depth to the house colour you need to judge carefully how any colour responds and not take anything for granted.

Yes you could definitely paint the edge of the roof the same colour as the roof.

For the other trim areas there are several ways to go - deeper like Resene Double Tea if you are using Resene Half Tea as your main colour or Resene Half Pravda if you choose to use Resene Eighth Pravda as the main colour. Alternatively you could use a colour that appears (slightly lighter) but related to Gauntlet - i.e. Resene Half Gauntlet.

Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Half Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Eighth Pravda
Resene Eighth Pravda
Resene Double Tea
Resene Double Tea
Resene Half Pravda
Resene Half Pravda
Resene Half Gauntlet
Resene Half Gauntlet
 
December 2015

Q. I have a large double storey brick wall in a contemporary newly built house. Although it is a terrace style house, it is quite light. I am after a Scandinavian style look and have lots of timber etc. Could you recommend a white for the wall that is not too stark, but also not too creamy? I have painted other walls in a natural white but fear that will be too stark on the brick wall. I want to create a neutral backdrop with different textures e.g. the brick/render of the wall.

A. Because of changes in light, colour will work in most places but it may not work in all spaces equally. These colours are worth checking out to see if they appeal to you - Resene Sea Fog, Resene Half White Pointer, Resene Merino or Resene Barely There.

Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Merino
Resene Merino
Resene Barely There
Resene Barely There
December 2015

Q. I have a house that I painted a few years ago with Resene Karaka as a roof colour and trim. I want to do another with the same colour scheme. On the walls we used white tint (diluted to be quite white I think). What are complementary white shades for Resene Karaka?

A. You could try Resene Quarter Rice Cake and Resene Double Linen or Resene Quarter Merino and Resene Triple Merino.

Resene Karaka
Resene Karaka
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Double Linen
Resene Double Linen
Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Quarter Merino

Resene Triple Merino
December 2015

Q. I am interested in your suggestions for a colour combo for our house. We live in SE Qld and would like dark on the bottom, light on top. We are painting all gutters and fascias with Resene Nocturnal and also adding in a black front door and will probably paint the garage the same colour as the house until we can afford a new one. Finding it really hard to choose which colours.

A. Resene Nocturnal is a stunning dark colour and allows you a lot of options for colours. Some ideas to get you started: Resene Double Stack - for the bottom and Resene Quarter Stack - for the top storey, or Resene Triple Truffle - for the bottom and Resene Half Truffle - for the top storey, or Resene Half Baltic Sea - for the bottom and Resene Triple Black White - for the top storey, or Resene Double Drought - for the bottom and Resene Quarter Drought - for the top storey.

Resene Nocturnal
Resene Nocturnal
 
Resene Double Stack
Resene Double Stack
Resene Quarter Stack
Resene Quarter Stack
Resene Triple Truffle
Resene Triple Truffle
Resene Half Truffle
Resene Half Truffle
Resene Half Baltic Sea
Resene Half Baltic Sea
Resene Triple Black White
Resene Triple Black White
Resene Double Drought
Resene Double Drought
Resene Quarter Drought
Resene Quarter Drought
December 2015

Q. I've got a small house that we are doing up at the moment. It has a white ceiling, white doors, white architraves, scotia and kick boards. We are looking at a med-dark timber laminate and were wondering what is a good wall colour choice for a living room, hallway and bedroom?

A. The colours need to work with kitchen cabinets and work tops, tiles or drapes. You could check out these two colours - one is light and warm and the other is muted and grey based - either could work. Both look good with white trims and dark laminate - Resene Quarter Spanish White or Resene Eighth Truffle.

Resene Quarter Spanish White
Resene Quarter
Spanish White
Resene Eighth Truffle
Resene Eighth Truffle
December 2015

Q. We are painting the exterior of our 50s single storey weatherboard house. Our window frames and sills are white and I can't decide on what colour for the weatherboards. I'm thinking of Resene Stonehenge but wondered if that may look too dark making the house look small or whether to go with Resene Half Napa, but I'm worried that will look too much like a nothing colour.

A. If you are worried about Resene Stonehenge being too dark and Resene Half Napa being too 'nothing', have you considered either Resene Half Stonehenge or Resene Napa? Alternatively you might look at Resene Double Truffle, Resene Half Pravda or Resene Half Taupe Grey. I suggest you spend 5 minutes looking at the A4 real paint samples of these colours in the Colour Library at your local Resene ColorShop. Seeing a larger sample is really helpful and by comparing them you will be better able to judge what they are really like.

Resene Stonehenge
Resene Stonehenge
Resene Half Napa
Resene Half Napa
Resene Half Stonehenge
Resene Half Stonehenge
Resene Napa
Resene Napa
Resene Double Truffle
Resene Double Truffle
Resene Half Pravda
Resene Half Pravda
Resene Half Taupe Grey
Resene Half Taupe Grey
 
December 2015

Q. I am after colours to paint my house. I am thinking the roof and guttering in Ironsand and I want the rest in grey tones. The windows are dark bronze aluminium (from the 1980s) which is throwing me.

A. If it is an old stain then I suggest for the sake of simplicity that you re-stain it. You could try Resene Woodsman - Iroko or Resene Woodsman – Tiri. Or if you prefer to paint you could try Resene Half Masala or Resene Friar Grey.

These colour suggestions are warm grey based colours that would work with the dark bronze aluminium joinery and the Ironsand roof and guttering.

Resene Iroko
Resene Iroko
Resene  Woodsman Tiri
Resene Tiri
Resene Half Masala
Resene Half Masala
Resene Friar Grey
Resene Friar Grey
December 2015

Q. Please suggest interior wall, ceiling and skirting paint colour/s for a modernising theme. The exterior is painted weatherboards in Resene Quarter Craigieburn, and the stairs and balcony will be Resene Double Foundry. The window aluminium is Warm White pearl matt. This is a downstairs flat. The ceiling is low looking in the lounge, and I need a colour for that also. The kitchen can be quite dark. I may sand and paint the wood around the windows later.

A. The ceilings could be a warm white – perhaps Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta and you could use the same colour for the skirting boards etc. but in a semi-gloss enamel. If you are considering a very light colour for the kitchen (which you say can be dark) you might paint the walls a little deeper than the woodwork and ceiling - Resene Half Pearl Lusta - so that the room feels large and bright. The other rooms could be a little warmer/deeper like Resene Eighth Bison Hide or Resene Quarter Tea.

Resene Quarter Craigieburn
Resene Quarter Craigieburn
Resene Double Foundry
Resene Double Foundry
Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta
Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
Resene Eighth Bison Hide,
Resene Eighth Bison Hide
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
December 2015

Q. I want to paint our house but am having trouble with colours. The aluminium windows are Woodbark so I would like to keep with this and have a nice brown/beige to complement the home.

A. You might check these colours out to see if they appeal to you - Resene Pravda, Resene Half Arrowtown, Resene Stonewashed, Resene Stonehenge or Resene Half Craigieburn. These colours are all quite different from each other but they look good with Resene Wood Bark.

Resene Wood Bark
Resene Wood Bark
       
Resene Pravda
Resene Pravda
Resene Half Arrowtown
Resene Half Arrowtown
Resene Stonewashed
Resene Stonewashed
Resene Stonehenge
Resene Stonehenge
Resene Half Craigieburn
Resene Half Craigieburn
December 2015

Q. We are having a few difficulties choosing our colours. The exterior of house is FlaxPod natural cedar and the exposed rafter soffits are painted Resene Triple Black White. We love the outside. However the inside is trouble. Our kitchen cabinetry is Resene Half Black White. Our floors are Natural Heritage Oak and the carpet is Cavalier Bremworth Lattice Farmhouse. The carpet and kitchen joinery we can't change. We had hoped to use Resene Double Black White on the walls and trims and doors but the crisp cold whiteness doesn't work against the carpet. Resene Merino works beautifully against the carpet but what complements the Resene Merino and trims and doors?

A. Colours that work with Resene Merino are these ones - please check them out to see if any of them appeal to you:
- Resene Double Merino - this can throw a green undertone but emphasises the wall colour,
- Resene Double Black White - this can throw a warm grey undertone but relates to the exposed rafter soffits from the exterior but doesn't go too dark
- or Resene Merino.

Using the same as the walls blends and merges without adding more colour and relies on just a shift in sheen level (a semi-gloss enamel finish) to create the difference. It is subtle and allows other elements in the house to have more visual interest rather than the woodwork.

Resene Triple Black White
Resene Triple Black White
Resene Half Black White
Resene Half Black White
Resene Double Black White
Resene Double Black White
Resene Merino
Resene Merino
Resene Double Merino
Resene Double Merino
December 2015

Q. I'm after a soft fresh grey/blue/green colour for a weatherboard home with white windows. The two colours I've short listed are Resene Half Foggy Grey and Resene Periglacial Blue - but I feel one is too grey and the other too blue. I am after something in-between.

A. These colours are worth checking out to see if they appeal to you - Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Emerge, Resene Tiara or Resene Half Silver Chalice.

Resene HalfFoggy Grey
Resene Half Foggy Grey
Resene Periglacial Blue
Resene Periglacial Blue
   
Resene Duck Egg Blue
Resene Duck Egg Blue
Resene Emerge
Resene Emerge
Resene Tiara
Resene Tiara
Resene Half Silver Chalice
Resene Half Silver Chalice
December 2015

Q. What neutral/calming colour would you suggest that I paint my two small bedrooms? They are both facing southerly and overlook the harbour. My small open plan living/dining area (northerly facing) is painted with Resene Half Tea and my kitchen cupboards are in Resene Tea. There's a wall in my living room that I would like to paint in a different tone so as to break the Resene Tea theme colour of the unit. It is 3m (w) x2m (h) and has a white door leading to the rooms. Can I make it a feature wall? And if so, what colour would you suggest that I paint it with?

A. Firstly about that wall that you would like to make a feature colour - how will you make the door disappear? Usually a feature wall has nothing on it - no doors or windows - so the feature colour adds the 'eye interest'. You may need to think outside the square in regard that wall if it is the only wall that you can add colour to. Can you paint the door, door frame, skirting boards to match the feature wall colour? Or can you do some striking art work on box frames using the feature colour as the predominant colour either side of the door? I think if you did a feature wall colour (on the wall with the white door as it is now) then it will frame the door making the door the feature - is that what you want to do?

South facing rooms often have a sour or grey type of natural light and may need a warm or deeper colour to create the right ambiance. Lighter/whiter colours often just look cooler and greyer not lighter, brighter or warmer. Sometimes I suggest curtains, duvets and other accessories to add the right type of colour ambiance if using a colour on the walls disrupts the overall look of the house.

You mention 'small' a bit in describing the bedrooms and open plan living/dining room so I am thinking that if the spaces are modest then maintaining the same colour (Resene Half Tea is a neutral and calming tone) throughout may in some way make the rooms appear more generous. Changing the colours in the rooms or adding feature colours may make it feel smaller. You may need to rethink your options.

You could think about off white, pewter grey or duck egg/aqua tones in soft furnishings for the bedrooms.

Resene Half Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Tea
December 2015

Q. I am painting my dining room in my new home Resene Half Beryl Green, a colour dictated by the curtains which I don't want to replace. I want to paint my lounge next door a deep turquoise colour but know I need to be careful which one with the two rooms next to each other. Would Resene Bismark work next door to Resene Half Beryl Green?

A. Resene Bismark and Resene Half Beryl Green like each other. If you used Resene Bismark for a whole room it may look double the depth that you might imagine it to look. Interior colours are often inclined to be deeper - or much brighter dependent upon the colour.

Please do take the time to test your colours. Prior to purchasing the testpots it would pay to view the large A4 real paint samples in the Colour Library at your nearest Resene ColorShop.

I think it may be wise to paint up the whole testpot/two coats onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted border all around the edges and place it in the room to view at different times of the day and night. The unpainted border will allow you to focus on the reality of the colour without the existing wall colour unduly influencing it. It will look quite different on different walls and you need to see this. You might also roll the A2 card into a cone shape with the colour innermost and look into the cone. The colour will be deeper - this is a good representation of what the whole room would look like. You may decide to only do one wall in the lounge if you still love the colour but feel it would be too deep for a whole room colour. Or you may decide you want a slightly lighter colour for the lounge. You could look at Resene Half Smalt Blue or Resene Gothic as alternative options. A lighter variant of the dining room colour is Resene Quarter Beryl Green.

Resene Half Beryl Green
Resene Half Beryl Green
Resene Bismark
Resene Bismark
Resene Half Smalt Blue
Resene Half Smalt Blue
Resene Gothic
Resene Gothic
Resene Quarter Beryl Green
Resene Quarter Beryl Green
December 2015

Q. The walls throughout my house are Resene Half Tea with Resene Alabaster trim and doors. My bedroom is much darker than the rest of the house. It’s west facing so it does get late afternoon sun. I was wondering if there were any complementary colours that would still flow, other than Resene Quarter Tea, which I thought about. I'm keen to have a peaceful bedroom, but not boring.

A. If you are wanting a paler (tonally related) colour than your main house colour (Resene Half Tea) for the west facing bedroom - other than Resene Quarter Tea - you might look at Resene Albescent White. This is slightly lighter and warmer and flows on nicely from the other rooms.

If however you want a complement (directly opposite to the Resene Half Tea - brown is a shade of orange so blue is the complement - across the Colour Wheel) then you would be looking at grey blue type of colour like Resene Half Emerge.

West facing rooms come into their own in the later part of the afternoon which is when they are bathed in rosy light - this quality of light warms up colours and you may see yellow and peachy tones in the wall colour. The westerly rooms tend to be shadowy for the rest of the morning hours.

Resene Half Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Albescent White
Resene Albescent White
Resene Half Emerge
Resene Half Emerge
December 2015

Q. We are repainting the block base of our orange brick house. I need to find a colour that would look best.

A. I think the basement could be painted in a neutral warm grey/brown or a green edged grey/white - you might check out the following colours to see if any of them appeal to you - Resene Truffle, Resene Quarter Taupe Grey, Resene Titania or Resene Half Ash.

If the woodwork around all the windows was painted a slightly off white - i.e. Resene Sea Fog - it would work really well with the bricks and any of the colour suggestions for the basement and give the house a fresh new look.

Resene Truffle
Resene Truffle
Resene Quarte Taupe Grey
Resene Quarter Taupe Grey
Resene Titania
Resene Titania
Resene Half Ash
Resene Half Ash
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
December 2015

Q. Does the colour Resene Ironsand come in a paint suitable to paint a block wall?

A. Yes it does. You can have any acrylic paint in the gloss level of your choice – Resene Lumbersider (low sheen), Resene Sonyx 101 (semi-gloss) or Resene Hi Glo (gloss). The most popular choice of sheen is usually a low sheen or semi-gloss.

Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
December 2015

Q. We are renovating our kitchen and need to choose a splashback colour. The bench top is Macaubas Quartz, the cupboards are black and rimu timber, the walls are Resene Tint Of Black. The appliances are brushed stainless. We have painted bar stools in Resene Havoc. We can't decide between Resene Opal or Resene Havoc for the splashback. Or do you have another suggestion?

A. You have five features already in the kitchen - quartz bench top, black cabinets, rimu cabinets, red bar stools and stainless steel appliances not counting the flooring and any curtains or blinds that you might have on the windows. All of these things are gorgeous - all are vying for maximum eye interest - and to my mind that is rather a lot all trying to be the most important colour in the room. I suggest using a crystal clear low iron oxide glass over the wall colour as the splashback (not a feature colour) so that your eye can appreciate all of the rest of the many elements in the kitchen and not have another eye stopper competing for attention. Often the splashback colour is the main focal point of a very plain or white kitchen to add interest.

Resene Havoc
Resene Havoc
Resene Opal
Resene Opal
December 2015

Q. We have a house of Hinuera stone. We want to paint the block basement and are unsure of a colour. We have just replaced our windows and they are now white aluminium.

A. The Hinuera stone has distinctive yellow and slightly green toned colours in it and the concrete block basement is quite a large area of the house. If you look at using a colour that balances the colours of the brick then both upper and lower parts of the house should meld together nicely. You could check out these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Triple Merino, Resene Cararra, Resene Half Ash, Resene Quarter Grey Olive, Resene Quarter Taupe Grey or Resene Ecru White.


Resene Triple Merino
Resene Cararra
Resene Cararra
Resene Half Ash
Resene Half Ash
Resene Quarter Grey Olive
Resene Quarter Grey Olive
Resene Quarte Taupe Grey
Resene Quarter Taupe Grey
Resene Ecru White
Resene Ecru White
December 2015

Q. I am looking to paint our nursery. It receives a lot of natural light. I quite like the idea of a white room with a feature wall. I like Resene Rice Cake or Resene Half Rice Cake (for their warmth) paired with a blue or green colour - I have been toying with Resene Paris White and Resene Nebula. I also like Resene Half Beryl green. What would your advice be for pairing white walls with a soft blue/green feature wall?

A. I really like your colour ideas. The hard part will be deciding which of the feature colours is the best. They are all lovely. If you are wanting to maintain the bright but warm mood of the nursery you might favour using Resene Half Beryl Green and Resene Half Rice Cake but colour choices are made from emotion - and in that particular aspect we are all individuals. Test the colours carefully to see which white and which feature colour look the best in the room - testpots are your best friend in this regard. Paint all of the testpot onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and move it around all of the walls in the room and see how changing light and different angles alters how the colours are seen.

Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Paris White
Resene Paris White
Resene Nebula
Resene Nebula
Resene Half Beryl Green
Resene Half Beryl Green
December 2015

Q. We are looking at painting our house and like Resene Coast as a roof paint. Can you give us some hints of what other colours commonly go with this from the house for soffits, barge boards, veranda support poles?

A. There are an amazing amount of colours that work well with Resene Coast. The following are a few that you might check out - Resene Half Sea Fog - under the soffits, window sashes, veranda support poles, Resene Dusted Blue - trims #1 - window sills or doors and Resene Quarter Napa - main house colour and Resene Double Napa - trims #2 - barge boards.

Resene Coast
Resene Coast
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Dusted Blue
Resene Dusted Blue
Resene Quarter Napa
Resene Quarter Napa
Resene Double Napa
Resene Double Napa
December 2015

Q. I have a contemporary two storey extension being completed on the back of my weatherboard house. I'd like to contrast the old (front) half of the house with the new (back) half of the house using colour. I'm thinking a very light colour for the front weatherboards (a pale warm grey perhaps) with white trim, and a very dark grey for the back weatherboards. The trims on the front will be white and on the back can be white or perhaps the light grey colour from the front. Are you able to suggest a very dark grey, a pale warm grey, and a white that will all complement each other? I am interested in Resene CoolColour™s.

A. CoolColours do help minimise extreme heat by reflecting more of the sun’s energy (heat). You could check out these colours - Resene Half Rakaia, Resene Half Alabaster, Resene Tundora, Resene Pale Slate, Resene Half Alabaster or Resene Half Baltic Sea.

If you use the same white for all windows on the different colours, it will make the dark grey weatherboard ones look a lot darker as there is far more dynamic contrast.

Resene Half Rakaia
Resene Half Rakaia
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Tundora
Resene Tundora
Resene Pale Slate
Resene Pale Slate
Resene Half Baltic Sea
Resene Half Baltic Sea
December 2015

Q. I'm trying to work out exterior colours for a red brick Californian Bungalow. The guttering is COLORBOND® Woodland Grey. The rear of the house is a new weatherboard renovation that we were thinking of painting Resene Quarter Masala. The window trims, bargeboards and fascias are a white colour like Resene Black White. My question is whether the gable background should also be painted Resene Quarter Masala and the gable strapping Resene Black White or would this be too stark? The roof is a Canadian charcoal slate.

A. If you felt that the Resene Quarter Masala was too deep to work with the Resene Black White you might consider using a match to the guttering colour. This would help to tie it in to the overall palette - Resene Squall (Resene match to COLORBOND® Woodland Grey) or slightly lighter - Resene Touchstone or slightly greyer - Resene Friar Grey.

Another possibility is to add a little more warm tone to your 'white'. Perhaps you might look at using Resene Sea Fog or Resene Merino so that the contrast between the colours on the gable weren't so acute.

COLORSTEEL® Woodland Grey
COLORSTEEL®
Woodland Grey
Resene Quarter Masala
Resene Quarter Masala
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Squall
Resene Squall
Resene Touchstone
Resene Touchstone
Resene Friar Grey
Resene Friar Grey
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Merino
Resene Merino
December 2015

Q. I have replaced my windows with Bone White colour aluminium windows. My house is split levels at the front and has corner boxes with the side of the house facing the street. The double garage door faces the street and is Ironsand in colour. I am looking to give the house a new look and would appreciate it if you could give me some advice on what colours would go well with the windows and garage door?

A. You don't mention the roof - is it visible? What colour is it? The double garage doors may show quite a big amount of Ironsand so I don't suggest using any other deep colours as it may look very heavy.

You could check out these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Half Titania or Resene Titania. These two colours are lighter than the Bone White but may merge in and give a soft tonal look to the house.

Or try - Resene Taupe Grey or Resene Double Friar Grey. These two are slightly deeper but the look will still be tonal and not harsh or dark.

Bone White is quite a definite colour - unusual also in its green edged beige tones - and it does control your options quite a lot.

Resene Half Titania
Resene Half Titania
Resene Titania
Resene Titania
Resene Half Grey
Resene Taupe Grey
Resene Double Friar Grey
Resene Double Friar Grey
December 2015

Q. We have a 100 year old stucco house that we're in the process of painting. So far our roof is Resene Ironsand and soffits are Resene Truffle, windows are just standard white. The front door will be black. We're trying to find a colour for the exterior that will work with the Resene Truffle and Resene Ironsand. The exterior walls are white at the moment and a light colour suits the house as it has a cottage feel about it.

A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Triple Truffle, Resene Pravda, Resene Taupe Grey, Resene Friar Grey or Resene Half Stonehenge.

Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Truffle
Resene Truffle
Resene Triple Truffle
Resene Triple Truffle
Resene Pravda
Resene Pravda
Resene Half Grey
Resene Taupe Grey
Resene Friar Grey
Resene Friar Grey
Resene Half Stonehenge
Resene Half Stonehenge
 
December 2015

Q. We have an open plan kitchen/dining room, north/east facing 1930s house with soft green carpet in the dining area and wooden floors in the kitchen. Resene Half Spanish White is too yellow. Would Resene Milk White be a better option? Beige tones look better with the benchtop but need a bit more depth of colour for the cupboard doors, ceiling etc. to be whiter.

A. Resene Milk White may be ok but it is slightly grey/mushroom in its undertone. Another colour that you might check out is Resene Half Albescent White or Resene Eighth Fossil - both of these have more beigeness in them compared to Resene Half Spanish White. Please do test your colour by painting all of the testpot/two coats onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted border all around the edge of the card. This will help you focus on the reality of the colour (compared to the white of the card) and you can pin it on different walls to see how changes of angle and light alter the colour. The white unpainted border also keeps the tested colour away from any existing colours, so it isn't negatively influenced and makes you see it 'wrong'.

Resene Half Spanish White
Resene Half Spanish White
Resene Milk White
Resene Milk White
Resene Half Albescent White
Resene Half
Albescent White
Resene Eighth Fossil
Resene Eighth Fossil
December 2015

Q. I am building a two storey house. Downstairs will be tiled, which includes the entry, living room, shower, open plan kitchen, dining room. Upstairs there is one bathroom and ensuite. The house is very small and coloured with light grey and the skirting is white. The ceiling is white with LED lights. Please give me some advice regarding floor tiles. What colour I should go for the tile colour? I’m using dark carpet for stairs and bedrooms.

A. If you have chosen the carpet and the wall colour already then I suggest you look at tile colours that are mid-way between the wall colour and the carpet colour. This way you will have a balanced flow on effect with the colours. If any bathrooms have tiled walls then they could be a white and you could use soft toned charcoal for the floors.

December 2015

Q. Any suggestions for an exterior paint combo?

A. Here are a few options to get you started…

Option #1 - Main colour - Resene Half Fossil, base of house and fascias – Resene Double Fossil and roof - Resene Half Masala. Or option # 2 - main colour - Resene Emerge, base of house and fascias - Resene Inside Back and roof - Resene New Denim Blue.
Or option #3 - main colour - Resene Half Drought, base of house and fascias - Resene Coffee Break and roof – Resene Groundbreaker.

Resene Half Fossil
Resene Half Fossil
Resene Double Fossil
Resene Double Fossil
Resene Half Masala
Resene Half Masala
Resene Emerge
Resene Emerge
Resene Inside Back
Resene Inside Back
Resene New Denim Blue
Resene New Denim Blue
Resene Half Drought
Resene Half Drought
Resene
Resene Coffee Break
Resene Groundbreaker
Resene Groundbreaker
December 2015

Q. I am trying to find the right colour for my daughter’s room. Her wall currently looks like pink paint camo, so I want to know if you could point me in the right direction for colour. I am trying to find a nice warm pink or peach (heading more towards peach). She has white furniture and pale sage green curtains.

A. These are some delicate peachy/pink colours that you might check out. A word to the wise, in an interior colours always appear deeper (or brighter) than what you would imagine so these are pale but not 'white' - Resene Sentimental, Resene Sazerac, Resene Karry, Resene Tuft Bush, Resene Forget Me Not or Resene Bridal Heath.

The last two listed colours are on an older colour chart. You may have to ask at the Resene ColorShop to see them and if you did decide you wanted a testpot it would be ordered for you from Resene H/O. At Resene, we don’t ‘get rid’ of colours but they may be 'retired' to H/O because of lack of space in the shop’s testpot stand.

Resene Sentimental
Resene Sentimental
Resene Sazerac
Resene Sazerac
Resene Karry
Resene Karry
Resene Tuft Bush
Resene Tuft Bush
Resene Forget Me Not
Resene Forget Me Not
Resene Bridal Heath
Resene Bridal Heath
December 2015

Q. I have a yellow ochre mud brick and cedar weatherboard house with a green COLORBOND® roof. The windows and doors are cedar coloured stain. I want to paint the front door but don't know what colour.

A. You could possibly use certain greens and green/blues. You might like to check these colours out - Resene Rivergum, Resene Barometer, Resene Tiki Tour or a deep brown Resene Sambuca.

Resene Rivergum
Resene Rivergum
Resene Barometer
Resene Barometer
Resene Tiki Tour
Resene Tiki Tour
Resene Sambuca
Resene Sambuca
December 2015

Q. I am thinking about painting the exterior of my house in Resene Scandal. I need complementary colours for posts, door and windows.

A. Resene Scandal is a bold clear pastel green with a watery blue influence - very reminiscent of the 1950-1960 eras. You could investigate these types of colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Half Black White, Resene Revolver, Resene Deep Teal or Resene Lip Service.

Resene Scandal
Resene Scandal
Resene Half Black White
Resene Half Black White
Resene Revolver
Resene Revolver
Resene Deep Teal
Resene Deep Teal
Resene Lip Service
Resene Lip Service
December 2015

Q. Our house is currently painted in Resene Half Nullarbor with an Ironsand COLORSTEEL® roof and Rivergum Beige aluminium joinery. We want to update to a more modern colour possibly in a taupe/grey or whatever you would recommend.

A. In regard an updated modern colour will you mind if it isn't as well balanced a palette as what is there now? Will you mind if a greyer/taupe type of colour brings out more of the peachy tones in the stones and a pink/beige in the joinery colour? With such distinctive colours it is often difficult to create a new look. You might check these colours out to see if they might suit - Resene Half Sandstone, Resene Viaduct or Resene Half Pravda.

Resene Half Nullarbor
Resene Half Nullarbor
COLORSTEEL® Ironsand
COLORSTEEL® Ironsand
Resene Half Sandstone
Resene Half Sandstone
Resene Viaduct
Resene Viaduct
Resene Half Pravda
Resene Half Pravda
December 2015

Q. Which colours would you recommend for a splashback in a kitchen that has black benchtops and light walls/cabinetry? I am thinking of getting a darker colour splashback with metallic flakes.

A. You could check out the Metallic and Special Effects A4 real paint samples or brochure at the nearest Resene ColorShop. There are some lovely sparkly deep colours. You might like to try Resene Deep Space, Resene Basalt, Resene Catch 22 or Resene Blast Grey.

Resene Deep Space
Resene Deep Space
Resene Basalt
Resene Basalt
Resene Catch 22
Resene Catch 22
Resene Blast Grey 1
Resene Blast Grey 1
Resene Blast Grey 2
Resene Blast Grey 2
Resene Blast Grey 3
Resene Blast Grey 3
December 2015

Q. I want to paint the exterior wooden windows on my 1970s Summerhill stone home. Can you please make some suggestions? I want to be a little different from the standard white.

A. Summerhill stone comes as several colours and without knowing exactly which one you have these suggestions are a start point to see if they are appealing to you - Resene Sea Fog, Resene Half White Pointer, Resene Merino or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream.

You could use deeper or more definite colours but that might need to be considered in regard the roof colour, fences, doors etc. on the house otherwise they may look unrelated.

Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Merino
Resene Merino
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter
Thorndon Cream
December 2015

Q. We are doing a major renovation on our Californian bungalow which includes a modern extension to the back. The new extension will be dark stained cedar weatherboards with black aluminium joinery, Monier Hacienda tiles in Sambuca on the roof, and copper spouting. The existing house has Monier Centurion tiles in Espresso.

We want to modernise the colour scheme of the existing house (to tie in with but still be in contrast to the new extension) but are somewhat limited due to the warm brown roof tiles. We'd like a darker weatherboard with lighter trims, rather than the current scheme, which is the reverse.

I was originally thinking of staining the cedar in Resene Tiri, painting the existing weatherboards in Resene Half Taupe Grey, the front door in Resene Masala (to tie in with the Resene Tiri) and the windows etc. in Resene Black White. I'm unsure as to how those will look with the brown roof tiles.

A. I like the idea of Resene Tiri on the cedar extension but I feel you may need a little more brown tone in your main house colour to tie in the roof colour. Perhaps you might look at Resene Half Pravda or Resene Half Stonehenge as alternative options. The front door might need a re-think also - perhaps Resene Mondo or Resene Triple Stonehenge could be considered.

Resene  Woodsman Tiri
Resene Tiri
Resene Half Taupe Grey
Resene Half Taupe Grey
Resene Masala
Resene Masala
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Half Pravda
Resene Half Pravda
Resene Half Stonehenge
Resene Half Stonehenge
Resene Mondo
Resene Mondo
Resene Triple Stonehenge
Resene Triple Stonehenge
December 2015

Q. We are building a two storey house in LINEA® and have chosen Palladium Silver for the joinery. The roof is black and front and garage door Ironsand. Can you recommend a white or something light in colour that would suit? Don't want it to be too bright but not dirty looking either.

A. Because of the warmth in the Palladium Silver joinery and the earthy/brown tones in the Ironsand you might look at these 'whites' to see if they appeal to you - Resene Double Sea Fog, Resene White Pointer or Resene Eighth Bison Hide.

Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
Resene Eighth Bison Hide,
Resene Eighth Bison Hide
December 2015

Q. I have dark brown aluminium joinery and brown laminate decking. I wonder if Resene Eighth Tea might be a good option for the exterior Shadowclad® and what colour you would suggest for the COLORSTEEL® roof?

A. I have a feeling that Resene Eighth Tea may be a little too pale and pink/grey toned to work with dark brown joinery and brown laminate decking. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Eighth Bison Hide or Resene Eighth Drought.

Colours on an exterior always look a lot lighter - due to the bright natural light robbing them of their depth - so you might also look at slightly deeper versions of these colours as well.

Some roof colours for you to consider might be these ones – COLORSTEEL® Ironsand, COLORSTEEL® TernStyle or COLORSTEEL® FernFrond.

Resene Eighth Tea
Resene Eighth Tea
Resene Eighth Bison Hide,
Resene Eighth Bison Hide
Resene Eighth Drought
Resene Eighth Drought
COLORSTEEL® Ironsand
COLORSTEEL® Ironsand
December 2015

Q. I have just built a pergola which has a COLORBOND® Classic Cream roof and gutters. I have merbau decking with balustrades threaded with wire and white French doors. The house is currently rendered with a grey colour. I would like to know what colour to paint the rendered walls to match the classic cream and what colour to paint the wooden eaves?

A. If you want an exact match to the Classic Cream then it is Resene Smooth Cream. For the eaves you could use Resene White like the French doors or a much paler version of the Resene Smooth Cream - i.e. Resene Quarter Dutch White.

COLORSTEEL® Classic Cream
COLORSTEEL®
Classic Cream
Resene Smooth Cream
Resene Smooth Cream
Resene Quarter Dutch White
Resene Quarter
Dutch White
December 2015

Q. I’m struggling for ideas. I plan on using Resene Akaroa for my interior walls but am not sure what colour to use for the internal doors, skirting, window trim, door liners and ceiling scotia. I was considering white for all of these. All of the trim etc. is of standard size and is not a feature and doors are flush flat.

A. You have several options - Resene Eighth Akaroa - a soft coloured 'white', Resene Half Bianca - a soft warm white or Resene Half Alabaster - a cooler white.

The first option blends in with all the woodwork reflecting a hint of the wall colour. It could be used for the ceiling as well or you might prefer a true white for that. A warmer white is a lovely contrast and keeps the look soft and mellow. A cooler white is a lovely crisp contrast that looks clean. The choice is yours as any of these will work - but it is about how you feel about the trims and what the colours look like next to the wall colour, the flooring and any other elements within the room. It does pay to paint up large samples of testpots on A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and place them in the rooms so that you can see how they respond to changing light and angles. Colour changes constantly so you need to see that in order to make a good choice.

Resene Akaroa
Resene Akaroa
Resene Eighth Akaroa
Resene Eighth Akaroa
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Half Alabaster
December 2015

Q. I'm planning to paint my house this summer and need some ideas on colours. The brick is Oamaru stone. The cladding on the garage is roughcast plaster.

A. Are you planning on painting the roof as well? A deep colour for the roof (and garage door) could be a really smart statement. You might look at these options - Resene Ironsand or Resene Windswept but if you would prefer to keep it very similar to the colour it is now - Resene Lignite.

The main colour on the house and garage could be one of these - Resene Parchment, Resene Double Villa White or Resene Double Thorndon Cream.

The trims and picket fence could be a slightly warmer white to pick up the undertones in the Oamaru Stone - Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta.

Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Windswept
Resene Windswept
Resene Lignite
Resene Lignite
 
Resene Parchment
Resene Parchment
Resene Double Villa White
Resene Double Villa White
Resene Double Thorndon Cream
Resene Double
Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta
December 2015

Q. Could you please advise a colour scheme for roof, eaves, barge board and base of house? The ceiling inside the house is Resene Quarter Tea, and the fence is Resene Grey Friars.

A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you:
Option #1 - roof to match the fence - Resene Grey Friars, under the eaves (soffits) - Resene Alabaster, barge boards - Resene Alabaster, gable ends - Resene Malta and base of house - Resene Malta.

Or Option #2 - Roof - Resene Squall, under the eaves (soffits) - Resene Half White Pointer, barge boards - Resene Half White Pointer, gable ends - Resene Triple White Pointer or base of house - Resene Triple White Pointer.

Or Option #3 - Roof - Resene Lignite, under the eaves (soffits) - Resene Eighth Tea, barge boards - Resene Quarter Grey Friars, gable ends- Resene Double Tea or base of house - Resene Quarter Grey Friars.

Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
     
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Malta
Resene Malta
Resene Squall
Resene Squall
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Half White Pointer
Resene Triple White Pointer
Resene Triple White Pointer
Resene Lignite
Resene Lignite
Resene Eighth Tea
Resene Eighth Tea
Resene Double Tea
Resene Double Tea
Resene Quarter Grey Friars
Resene Quarter Grey Friars
 
December 2015

Q. Do you have a product to colour an existing concrete footpath please?

A. Yes. It is called Resene Concrete Stain which is available in a range of 7 colours. To see these as a chart I suggest you pop into a Resene ColorShop to pick up a Resene Decks, Paths, Driveways or Recreational Area colour chart or order a copy online.

December 2015

Q. I am building a house that has a massive open plan area with a lot of natural light available. We are going for charcoal (not super dark). We will have a fully white kitchen and I am going for a little bit of a rustic look with furniture and possibly light grey couches. We have Canvas Cloth joinery. A similar house to ours used Resene Tea on their walls. We are looking for a nice white that would work throughout the whole house (excluding bathrooms). We put Resene Tea and Resene White Pointer next to each other and were swaying more towards Resene Double White Pointer... However, I really want it to be a nice warm look, not too stark or shiny. Do you think Resene Double White Pointer would be a good option or can you recommend a similar colour to Resene Tea or describe what are the differences between the two? The Resene Tea looked a little beige which to me gives it the warmth but we are unsure how the natural light will affect the colour.

A. In an interior most colours develop more depth than what you may imagine they will. The angles of walls, changing aspects of natural light, electric light and other colours seen close to them - like flooring and drapes - can cause them to double in depth.

Testing colours very carefully to gauge what happens to them is absolutely necessary. I always suggest that all of a Resene testpot/two coats be applied to A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted border all around the edges is the optimum way of seeing colours. Moving it from wall to wall and room to room to help you see how it alters - and it does often to a surprising degree. The unpainted border helps you focus on the reality of the colour without the wall colour (even unpainted paper faced plasterboard has a colour) unduly influencing how you see the colour.

You mention 'a nice white' as what you would like for interior walls but they (whites) are a lot paler than the colours that you are considering. Those you mention are light - mid toned neutrals that have different types of undertones in them.

The difference between Resene Tea and Resene White Pointer is that one is a yellow/brown based beige and the other is a yellow/grey. The deeper versions of Resene White Pointer look warmer and have less grey tones but do pick up a little more yellow/green. Resene Double White Pointer in some rooms (east facing, south facing and north facing) may look as deep as Resene Triple White Pointer.

Colours would look warmer in a west facing room as the low angle of natural light has a lot of yellow/orange/red tone and it warms up colours a lot in the late afternoon but can leave them looking shadowy the rest of the day. North facing rooms are like this also but they never get as warm looking as west facing rooms. This is caused by the high arc of the sun only getting so far into the room - you can see how far by the band of sunlight on the floor. Winter sun is lower in the sky so north facing rooms get more sunlight then.

You mention 'shiny' which may be more about what type of paint you use - i.e. semi-gloss enamel for painted woodwork will look shinier than a low sheen acrylic on the walls.

If Resene Tea isn't quite right and Resene White Pointer is too grey - after carefully testing them - then you might check out Resene Truffle as it falls between these two. If you test your colours very carefully (as indicated) with any coloured elements you may have already chosen - flooring being a main colour influence - and move it around you will be able to judge what one will suit you best. To get a good idea of how deep a colour might look you can roll the A2 card into a cone shape with the colour innermost and look into it - the colour will look deeper which will be what the whole room - all the walls- may look like.

Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
Resene Double White Pointer
Resene Double
White Pointer
Resene Triple White Pointer
Resene Triple White Pointer
Resene Truffle
Resene Truffle
December 2015

Q. My walls are Resene Half Tea and the trim and doors are Resene Alabaster. I'd like to paint the entrance door to give the entrance some life. Does the door colour have to carry through the rest of the house?

A. You can use any colour on the entrance door - doesn't have to carry through to the rest of the house. Now when it comes to colours with 'life' to add a bit of excitement to the entrance some colours to try are Resene Blaze, Resene Intrepid, Resene Koru, Resene Bellbottom Blue, Resene Broadway or Resene Rapture.

Resene Half Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Blaze
Resene Blaze
Resene Intrepid
Resene Intrepid
Resene Koru
Resene Koru
Resene  Bellbottom Blue
Resene Bellbottom Blue
Resene Broadway
Resene Broadway
Resene Rapture
Resene Rapture
December 2015

Q. We have a 1950s stucco house. The main bedroom is painted in Resene Half Escape with white trim. In the second bedroom which doesn’t have so much light or sun I would like to do a mint green or similar. Which green would complement or be of similar intensity to Resene Half Escape?

A. Some minty greens may look a little cooler than you might imagine they will do - will that matter? The following are ones that could look a little warmer and similar in depth to the Resene Half Escape - Resene Kandinsky, Resene Edgewater or Resene Peppermint.

Resene Half Escape
Resene Half Escape
Resene Kandinsky
Resene Kandinsky
Resene Edgewater
Resene Edgewater
Resene Peppermint
Resene Peppermint
December 2015

Q. We have chosen Resene Half Pearl Lusta for the internal walls throughout the house. The ceilings are unpainted natural douglas fir. Could you please suggest some possible contrasting colours for the doors? We are thinking of something in the Resene Napa/Resene Tea shades but would also consider a totally different colour in shades of blue or green.

A. Resene Tea is nice and so is Resene Quarter Napa, Resene Fossil and Resene Half Bison Hide. Some blues and greens that may interest you are these ones - Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Quarter Lemon Grass, Resene Linen or Resene Frozen.

Resene Half Pearl Lusta
Resene Half Pearl Lusta
Resene Napa
Resene Napa
Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Quarter Napa
Resene Quarter Napa
Resene Fossil
Resene Fossil
Resene Half Bison Hide
Resene Half Bison Hide
 
Resene Duck Egg Blue
Resene Duck Egg Blue
Resene Quarter Lemon Grass
Resene Quarter
Lemon Grass
Resene Linen
Resene Linen
Resene Frozen
Resene Frozen
December 2015

Q. What is the best paint colour or colours to modernise our 1979 Summerhill stone house? We started painting the fascia boards in a colour like Grey Friars (as we thought that was a nice roof colour and to blend house colours in with that). But it doesn’t go and is appearing more dark blue (fascia boards) and silver grey on facing boards. We have brown alloys as well. We are a younger couple and want to get rid of the dated colour tones but are unsure what colours to use and should we also consider painting the brick? Please help as we are stuck.

A. If you want the fascias to look like Grey Friars - if this is what the roof is - have you thought of using Resene Grey Friars on them? You might use this for the garage doors also. Once the existing paint colours are undercoated in white you will be able to see true to reality what the colours that you are testing look like.

You may need to rethink colours in relation to the brown joinery. If you painted the bricks you might be better looking at a grey toned beige to blend the windows in. You could look at using one of these colours for the bricks - Resene Quarter Sandstone or Resene Double Truffle. For the gable facing boards you could use the same colour as the bricks or a lighter version.

If you didn't paint the bricks you might need to use a creamy neutral on the gable facing boards to tie in the bricks and the window joinery - i.e. Resene Pearl Lusta - which would work well with garage doors, fascias, deck balustrades and roof in Resene Grey Friars.

Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Quarter Sandstone
Resene Quarter Sandstone
Resene Double Truffle
Resene Double Truffle
Resene Pearl Lusta
Resene Pearl Lusta
December 2015

Q. We have an old cottage that is being renovated. The exterior weatherboards are currently Resene Mimosa - which is nice, but I would like to consider a slightly darker or deeper yellow. I have gotten several testpots but can't seem to find the right thing. The current colour that seems to best match Resene Mimosa is Resene Corn Field. The darker colours I have tried are Resene Weathered Yellow (too greeny), Resene Moonbeam (too dark/bright) and Resene Butter (too creamy). Can you suggest a colour that is like double Resene Mimosa?

A. The main problem as I see it is that Resene Mimosa is a sharp green edged yellow (that is what the G in the colour code indicates - G for green) and even if you asked for a 'special' to be made for you (a double Mimosa) it would not be what you expect it to look like.

Certainly it would be a super clear yellow/green. Yellows - no matter how pale they are - are always 2-3 times brighter than what you think they will be. Resene Mimosa was a pale yellow from the old Total Colour Multi Finish range of colours. To check out other (possibly) deeper (this equates to brighter in yellows) colours ask your Resene ColorShop staff to show you large A4 samples from their Colour Library of these ones - Resene Pale Prim, Resene Shalimar, Resene Milan, Resene Witch Haze or Resene Lemon Twist.

Then you may look again at Resene Moonbeam and comparing to other yellows you may view it in quite a different way – and possibly find it nicer than you thought it would be. Take your time - colour is too important to be rushed. You may find at the end of the day you decide to stay with Resene Mimosa.

Resene Mimosa
Resene Mimosa
Resene Corn Field
Resene Corn Field
Resene Weathered YellowResene Weathered Yellow
Resene Weathered Yellow
Resene Moonbeam
Resene Moonbeam
Resene Butter
Resene Butter
Resene Pale Prim
Resene Pale Prim
Resene Shalimar
Resene Shalimar
Resene Milan
Resene Milan
Resene Witch Haze
Resene Witch Haze
Resene Lemon Twist
Resene Lemon Twist
December 2015

Q. I just installed a new vinyl tile in our utility room. It is grey and brown splotches. I liked it in the store but hate it now. What colour can I paint the walls to make it better?

A. Colour is magical and amazing but sometimes it can't make something you hate look better. After painting the walls you may still hate the vinyl. You could try deeper colours to draw the eye away from the floor using colours like Resene Half Stack or Resene Cougar.

Resene Half Stack
Resene Half Stack
Resene Cougar
Resene Cougar
December 2015

Q. I have aubergine Caesarstone bench tops and splashbacks with gloss white cupboards in my kitchen. What colour do you suggest for the walls?

A. You might like to check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Whiteout, Resene Half Rakaia, Resene Double Merino, Resene Half Truffle or Resene Double Black White.

Resene Whiteout
Resene Whiteout
Resene Half Rakaia
Resene Half Rakaia
Resene Double Merino
Resene Double Merino
Resene Half Truffle
Resene Half Truffle
Resene Double Black White
Resene Double Black White
December 2015
 

Q. We are searching for an outdoor paint colour similar to Oamaru Stone. We currently have concrete bricks which will be rendered. Do you have any suggestions?

A. This may be a situation when a deeper or a lighter colour would work better than a colour that is a match. My reasoning is that all paint colours alter as they age so even if you had an exact match it may not be a match later on. Another reason to not go for a match colour is it may look ok when the Oamaru stone is dry but it may not match at all when the stone is wet in winter. I think a grey colour that carries some yellow in it may suit (possibly because it could look like the grout between the stone or moisture staining) or a much lighter dirty cream grey, such as Resene Foggy Grey, Resene Quarter Taupe Grey, Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream or Resene Half Ecru White.

Or you could take a sample of the Oamaru stone into your local Resene ColorShop to get a colour match done.

Resene Foggy Grey
Resene Foggy Grey
Resene Quarte Taupe Grey
Resene Quarter Taupe Grey
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter
Thorndon Cream
Resene Half Ecru White
Resene Half Ecru White
December 2015

Q. I'm repainting my interior and am looking at a mauve-ish grey such as Resene Rakaia, but I'm finding that Resene Half Rakaia is too light (some of the house faces west and gets a lot of sun, so it's a bit glary when full sun is on it), and Resene Rakaia is too dark, closing in the room. Do you have any suggestions for something about halfway between the two that still has that warmish tint?

A. Colours in an interior can double in depth when all four walls are painted. Any colour may look glary when full sun is on it. Try this test to see what a whole room of Resene Half Rakaia will look like. Paint all of the testpot/two coats onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving a narrow unpainted border all around the edges. Pin it on the walls. It will look deeper on a window wall and in corners. It will look perfect (fingers crossed) for three-quarters of the day. Roll the card into a cone with the colour innermost and look into it. It will be deeper. This is a good representation of what four walls will look like when painted. If you have curtains, blinds or sheers adjust them to block some of the intensity of the low late afternoon light. Look at the sample on the brightest wall. If it is still too glary then you could paint that wall only in the full strength Resene Rakaia to absorb the glare. But, and I must reinforce this, a whole room of Resene Half Rakaia will look deeper.

Some other colours so that you can compare how they are in the room - Resene French Grey, Resene Alto - this may pick up too much pink/brown undertone in late afternoon light, Resene Dover White – this may also pick up too much pink/brown undertone in late afternoon light or Resene Whiteout.

Resene Rakaia
Resene Rakaia
Resene Half Rakaia
Resene Half Rakaia
Resene French Grey
Resene French Grey
Resene Alto
Resene Alto
Resene Dover White
Resene Dover White
Resene Whiteout
Resene Whiteout
December 2015

Q. I need to repaint my roof. The house is a quaint cottage style house with a very peaked and high green roof so the roof is a focal point as you drive around the corner. The house is a dark brown, almost chocolate - not my choice. What would be a good roof colour please?

A. In nature browns and greens work well - think of trees. Other colours aren't quite so well balanced - certainly dark colours - like charcoal - won't enhance a quaint cottage which is already very dark. Reds may make the cottage look a bit ferocious and intense. You could look at a mid-toned slate blue or a blue/teal - Resene Seachange, Resene Explorer, Resene Coast or Resene Undercurrent or my favourites - but may be very like what you have now – Resene Gecko or Resene Rivergum.

Resene Seachange
Resene Seachange
Resene Explorer
Resene Explorer
Resene Coast
Resene Coast
Resene Undercurrent
Resene Undercurrent
Resene Gecko
Resene Gecko
Resene Rivergum
Resene Rivergum
December 2015

Q. I have used Resene Quarter Tea and Resene Half Tea throughout the house. We have some wooden floors and all wood finished doors. It has made the walls look pinky in places. I would like advice on colour options for feature walls or any advice on how to minimise the pinky look.

A. The yellow tones of the woodwork and floors coupled with a certain quality of natural light can grey up the beige of Resene Quarter Tea and Resene Half Tea and make the warmth in the colour 'pink'. It is always difficult to know how to remedy what another colour influence does and even more difficult to alter what natural light does to a colour.

When you tested the Resene Tea palette of colours did you notice how they looked near the woodwork and at different times of the day? It might not have been my first choice for colours to go with the rich golden/tan coloured wood. Possibly I would have favoured colours that had more yellow/green undertones like Resene Half Fossil and Resene Quarter Fossil.

Feature walls may draw the eye away from the Resene Tea colours - but they might not. You may need to choose feature colours that work well with other colours in the house - colours that you adore - and that enhance the main wall colours and the gold/tan wood tones.

A word to the wise - any green colours may make the pink aspect of the walls worse. Red may do that too by reflection. Chocolate, navy and charcoal may work but I do suggest you paint very large samples on A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and move them around from wall to wall and room to room to see how they look at different times of the day and night and (especially important) how they look with the woodwork and the walls. Testpots are your best friend in this regard.

Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Half Fossil
Resene Half Fossil
Resene Quarter Fossil
Resene Quarter Fossil
December 2015

Q. Our walls in our living area are painted in Resene Tea which is still in good condition and suits our curtains and carpet. All the woodwork is rimu but the rest of the house is all painted. I want a more modern flowing look and the rimu is looking dated. What colour should we paint the skirtings, window frames and doors? Maybe Resene Half Tea, Resene Quarter Tea or even Resene Quarter Albescent White?

A. You may not notice a huge contrast if you use Resene Half Tea. If you would like to see a soft but more defined difference then Resene Quarter Tea or Resene Half Albescent White may give you that. I think that Resene Quarter Albescent White may be a bit too 'white' and make the Resene Tea look a bit deeper or browner.

Resene Tea
Resene Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Albescent White
Resene Quarter
Albescent White
Resene Half Albescent White
Resene Half
Albescent White
December 2015

Q. We have a 1930s bungalow with an extension to the north/west. We are repainting the entire interior and would like to select a light coloured paint that lightens the house up but still allows for some contrast against the trims which we want to paint white (i.e. Resene Half Alabaster.) It is currently Resene Black White and it looks very grey and shadowy. The house has some original features (board and batten detailing throughout halls, original cornicing, large wooden windows and sills). We are in our early 30s and like a modern fashionable look, grey furniture, white and colour pops, Scandi/Ikea furniture The carpet throughout is a darkish grey/mule colour. The wooden floors in living area are reddish/golden brown.

We were thinking Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream with Resene Alabaster trims/ceiling but perhaps it won't be contrasting enough and may be too clinical? Should we adjust the colour for east/south rooms? We have one particularly dark south facing small bedroom looking onto a fence and shaded by a large tree. Should this be a different colour to lighten it?

A. I suspect that Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream and Resene Half Alabaster may look almost exactly the same in some lights. And yes, perhaps it may be a bit stark. You might look at using Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream as it may look better.

Different rooms do require a bit of thought and colour adjustment - so the east/south facing room may look sharper and slightly greener with Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. That may not be too much of a problem - dependent upon what function the room has and how long a time you spend in the room.

I suggest you paint up an A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) with all of the testpot/two coats leaving a narrow unpainted border all around the edges. Pin the card to the wall and check it out - move it around to see how light, shade and different angles affect the colour. This way you will be better able to judge whether it works or not. Painting the card is the ultimate test. It is large enough to truly judge what it looks like, the white unpainted border holds it away from any existing wall colour so it isn't negatively influenced by it. You can roll it into a cone shape with the colour inner most and look into it - this allows you to see how deep it looks - this is a good representation of what four walls of colour will look like. If the colour looks too white (or sour) or even too grey, then that is an indication that you need a different colour- deeper than what you have used elsewhere in the house or radically different.

Let’s look now at the dark south facing small bedroom looking onto a fence and shaded by a large tree. To give this room a little warmth and ambiance you could treat it to a slightly deeper warm tone - nothing will make it look lighter or less shaded so it may need a colour like Resene Quarter Fossil or Resene Eighth Bison Hide. Both of these are warm tones that look lovely with Resene Half Alabaster to add crisp detailing. This particular room may also need warmer/deeper bedlinen (pewter grey or charcoal) and splashes of red to lift it and to add a little 'wow'.

Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream
Resene Eighth
Thorndon Cream
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter
Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Fossil
Resene Quarter Fossil
Resene Eighth Bison Hide,
Resene Eighth Bison Hide
December 2015

Q. We are building with Landmark homes in the Rodney area. The house is two level weatherboard, very close to the beach. The look we are after is light, bright and a little Scandi... or as my husband jokes "contemporary coastal". The exterior is Resene Half Ash with a black iron roof and black joinery. We have lots of windows and ranch sliders so lots of natural light. Ceilings and skirtings will be Resene Alabaster but I am having so much trouble picking the interior wall colour. Our vinyl wood planks and bench top are warm. We originally chose Resene Quarter Truffle but after purchasing a testpot I found it too beige (we are after more of a grey). Resene Concrete is my current leading colour but I am still not 100% sure.

A. I have a feeling that the Resene Concrete may throw a little cool silver/slightly mauve tint and look slightly off compared to the warmth of the vinyl wood planks and the bench top. You may need to test very carefully several colours and compare them to see which the right one to go with is. If you paint the testpot - two coats/all of it - onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving an unpainted narrow border all around the edges it will help you in these ways:

  • It will be large enough to judge the reality of colour.
  • The white unpainted border will help you focus on the depth of the colour.
  • The unpainted border will hold the colour clear of any existing wall colour - even unpainted GIB® is a colour - so it isn't negatively influenced by it.
  • It can be moved from wall to wall/room to room so that you can see how it changes according to angles, light and shade etc.
  • The large card can be rolled into a cone shape with the colour innermost. Looking into the cone the colour will appear deeper - this is a good representation of what four walls of the colour will look like.
  • The colour can be judged by standing it vertically next to your accessories, drapers, furniture and benchtop. This is how it will be in the house - not laid flat on top of each other.

As well as Resene Concrete I suggest you test these three colours - Resene Black Haze, Resene Sea Fog and Resene Double Black White.

Unfortunately there are no short cuts and testpots are your best friends. Take your time to get the perfect subtle grey tint.

Resene Half Ash
Resene Half Ash
Resene Quarter Truffle
Resene Quarter Truffle
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Concrete
Resene Concrete
Resene Black Haze
Resene Black Haze
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Double Black White
Resene Double Black White
 
December 2015

Q. We are painting our two bedroom house with Resene Eighth Rice Cake. We have black aluminium joinery around windows and doors. What colours can you suggest to paint around the roughcast base of our house?

A. Is the roughcast base of the house a feature that you want to highlight? If it is not beautiful - most roughcast base areas of houses aren't but yours may be the exception - then you might use the same as the main colour so that it merges in. Alternatively a deeper version of the main house colour - i.e. Resene Rice Cake - so it is highlighted but not in a really distinctive way.

Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
December 2015

Q. How can you tell which colours are warm and cool from your coding? And where they are best to use.

A. Our colour codes are based on a CIE Lab measurement of colour – see these links: https://www.resene.co.nz/archspec/archmemo/memo86.htm or https://www.resene.co.nz/pdf/colour_coding.pdf

These co-ordinates (Luminance, Chromaticity and Hue) are measured by a spectrometer that measures percentage absorption within the visible light spectrum. Resene then uses an algorithm to reach the final code, but the trends for each set of values remain the same.

Cool - Blues and greens can introduce a cool mood into a room. The level of coolness will depend on the intensity of the colours. Cool colours may also be used to change the appearance of a room, pushing back walls and furnishings and making the room appear more spacious. They look best in a room with a sunny exposure, where the colours counteract some of the strength of the direct sun. They should be avoided in shaded rooms.

Warm - Warm colours, such as red and apricot, have an opposite effect, closing in the walls of a room. If the room is large, its dimensions seem decreased. Warm colours look their best in a not so bright room with southern light, so that the bright effect of the sunny colours is not too overbearing.

If you look at the last value of the Resene colour code (the last three digits), it tells you the position on the colour wheel. Generally speaking, the wheel is broken into
Red = 357-39 inclusive
Orange = 40-69 inclusive
Yellow = 70-90 inclusive
Green = 91-204 inclusive
Blue = 205-284 inclusive
Violet = 285-356 inclusive

As a colour moves closer to the red/orange/yellow part of the wheel it will generally be warmer than if it closer to the green/blue area because of the nature of those colour families.

December 2015

Q. When a colour is very neutral it is so hard by eye to see what colour it is throwing, so is it best to rely on the last three digits of the coding to be exact technically?

A. Yes in theory that's right. When colours get very light the last three digits of the code can help you compare them. A good way to test off whites is to place them next to printer paper and then next to other (different) off whites - e.g. try next to Resene Half Sea Fog and say Resene Half Soapstone - then you can really start to see the nuance of the colour when you have something to compare to.

Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Soapstone
Resene Half Soapstone
December 2015

Q. The second set of digits in the Resene colour codes denotes the saturation of the colour or how far away from grey the colour is. So the lower the number the more grey it has. So for example in your colour chart as I run my eye up that page at the top Resene Double Sea Fog is greyer than Resene Half Alabaster at the bottom but Resene Half Alabaster's second group of digits are 003 and Resene Double Sea Fog is 005?

A. When you get to the very extremes of colour - especially a very light colour - then the measurement becomes trickier. Resene Alabaster is very close to white and Resene Double Sea Fog is less close to white. A value of 003 and 005 effectively means the colour greyness wise is very similar. Even though the Resene Double Sea Fog may appear to our eyes to be much greyer, Resene Alabaster is a blacker white, just our eyes don't see that as well necessarily because the black is less obvious. There are some movements in colour as when you increase and decrease tinter varying quantities mean at lower strengths some tinters are less noticeable and they become more obvious as the colour gets darker (and some do the opposite).

In this case I would treat the measurements as saying these two colours are very similar and 'neutral' compared to say Resene Spanish White (024) which has a noticeable colouring to it and is more saturated.

Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Half Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Spanish White
Resene Spanish White
December 2015

Q. We are just about to repaint the house in the colour Resene Bud on the weatherboards (Resene Bud looks like the current colour). Can you give me advice on what colour I should paint the front fence and the driveway fence please? There is quite a lot of fencing. Also, should I paint the gutters white (they are Resene Bud at the moment) and what colour should I paint the front door steps and also the door? There is wrought iron detailing near the door. At the moment people don't know where the front door is. It’s on the left hand side as you drive up.

A. I think gutters in Resene White will look lovely with Resene Bud and will add a crispness to the roof line.

The fence - front and side of driveway - could be the same colour - simple option - or the front one could be different from the side fence - that is up to you. You could consider a deep charcoal or black toned colour for the fence(s) as you have a lot of green now and it is often nice to see a definite contrast. Perhaps look at these colours: Resene Bokara Grey, Resene Squall, Resene Nocturnal or Resene Gravel or lighter in the greyed /green or browner/grey tones - which might be considered also for the concrete base of the house and the steps - Resene Half Gravel or Resene Half Masala.

Other options could be a red/brown tone - because it is the natural complement of green your main colour - Resene Redwood.

The top capping of the fences might (but doesn't have to be) Resene White to match the window joinery and the guttering as this gives a crisp neat finish to the fences.

If you have a wrought iron detail at the side of the steps this may need to be really dark or a really bright colour to make the eye 'stop' and then notice the door. You could paint it a red (like the Resene Redwood colour) or a black (perhaps Resene Bokara Grey) or even a gold colour (this will be very noticeable - anything yellowish always is) like Resene Zion. In regard the door itself you might paint it Resene White. This may not seem very exciting but it will harmonise well with the windows and guttering so it will pop out of the porch it is in. Sometimes seeing a panelled door in a classical White is very appealing as well as having the best level of reflectance and protection from sun damage.

Resene Bud
Resene Bud
Resene White
Resene White
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Squall
Resene Squall
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Gravel
Resene Gravel
Resene Half Gravel
Resene Half Gravel
Resene Half Masala
Resene Half Masala
Resene Redwood
Resene Redwood
Resene Zion
Resene Zion
December 2015

Q. We are really struggling with our exterior colour scheme. We have a Gull Grey roof and Appliance White joinery. We are either going to go a grey or an off white on the exterior (board and batten and plaster). If we were to go white which ‘white’ would you suggest to give warmth, and a bit of contrast from the Appliance White?

A. These are off whites that are slightly warm or slightly grey toned and not too stark. They definitely will add a bit of contrast to the Appliance White - Resene Double Sea Fog, Resene Quarter Silver Chalice, Resene Triple Black White, Resene Triple Merino or Resene Quarter Foggy Grey.

These colours may seem too coloured at first view but because colours on an exterior are lightened by bright natural light I feel it may be better to have a bit of depth so they don't look the same as the joinery.

Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Quarter Silver Chalice
Resene Quarter
Silver Chalice
Resene Triple Black White
Resene Triple Black White

Resene Triple Merino
Resene Quarter Foggy Grey
Resene Quarter Foggy Grey
December 2015

Q. We want grey, blues, warm whites with occasional contrasts in the interior of our new house. We’d like one colour for the majority of walls throughout. Please recommend swatches for this main colour.

A. You might check out these greys, blues and warm whites to see if they appeal to you - Resene Concrete, Resene Quarter Rakaia, Resene Half Duck Egg Blue, Resene Breathless, Resene Sea Fog, Resene Half Merino or Resene Quarter Milk White.

Resene Concrete
Resene Concrete
Resene Quarter Rakaia
Resene Quarter Rakaia
Resene Half Duck Egg Blue
Resene Half Duck Egg Blue
Resene Breathless
Resene Breathless
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Half Merino
Resene Half Merino
Resene Quarter Milk White
Resene Quarter Milk White
 
December 2015

Q. Which exterior paint colours go well with Clinker bricks? I am thinking along the lines of charcoal. The duplex is predominantly brick but about 40% wood.

A. If you are keen on another dark colour to go with the deep coloured Clinker bricks then I would suggest a warm brown based grey but nothing too black in tone. You might check these colours out to see if they appeal to you - Resene Quarter Ironsand, Resene Half Ironsand, Resene Masala, Resene Wireless or Resene Baltic Sea.

Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Masala
Resene Masala
Resene Wireless
Resene Wireless
Resene Baltic Sea
Resene Baltic Sea
December 2015

Page 40

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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