Here's a taste of some of the Colour Expert questions and answers to help you with your own colour scheme.
If you would like more colour advice for your project, please ask our Colour Expert for help or come in and see our staff at your local Resene ColorShop or Reseller. Colours are a representation only.
Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.
Q. At the present time we have a brick house that is going to be plastered. At the moment the roof is metal and the colour is dark brown (Lignite) the colour of the window frames and garage door is Desert Sand. To add to the mix we intend to introduce a wall panel of stone the colours brown/tan/gold etc. We will be using your paint to cover the new stucco finish. Could you please advise what colour shades etc. to use? The new stucco finish will cover 80% of wall finishes. The house is a new single storey bungalow. A. I think the plaster coloured main surfaces may have to be a very warm toned cream or beige. You already have two very definite colours - roof and windows - and these do compromise your options a little bit. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Spanish White, Resene Bronco or Resene Half Doeskin.
December 2016
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Q. I am building a brick home on a block basement. The brick is NZ brick adapt series bronze. My question is what colour you would suggest to paint the block basement? We are having a black roof and black garage door. A. Is the block basement very large? I am nervous of drawing too much attention to it by painting it a very dark colour (like black) so perhaps you could check out these colours - Resene Quarter Ironsand or Resene Masala. If you can have the mortar between the bricks coloured to an earthy greyed brown colour it might work well with either of these warm grey/browns. If you are able to take a (real) brick into a Resene ColorShop to look at large samples of the colours I have mentioned it might be easier to see if one of them might work for you.
December 2016
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Q. I would like to paint our house to make it look modern. At the moment it has so many colours - bright green roof, darker green base, and some green frame edging with grey decks. It has white and grey window frames and dark brown aluminium windows. Plus we have just put up a higher solid fence that is painted a dark green. We’re not sure if we should paint the bricks around the house plus the base of the house and frames etc one colour? Or do we change the other colours to suit the browns and greys in the bricks? Plus try to suit the brown aluminium frames? And if we do paint the house do we keep the grey colour of the decks? A. Please paint the multi coloured bricks. I am not usually so upfront in my recommendations but it can only improve the house if it is painted. The green roof, green fence and grey deck are ok. The brown windows are here to stay so I think a grey/beige colour on the bricks would be a good idea. If you paint the bricks, the window frames and the base of the house it simplifies the look of the house and modernises it. You might check out these colours - hopefully they will tie together all the elements that are not changing on the house - Resene Eighth Arrowtown, Resene Eighth Pravda or Resene Eighth Stonehenge.
December 2016
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Q. We are planning to paint our new house walls Resene Double Alabaster with ceilings Resene Half Alabaster. Is this enough contrast and what colour should the woodwork (i.e. doors) be? A. You might consider using Resene Quarter Alabaster as it will look a little deeper due to the way light falls away from the ceiling making it shadowy. You could use Resene Half Alabaster for the woodwork and doors.
December 2016
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Q. I have a garage door Lichen colour and would like to paint my weatherboards with a complementary colour... any ideas please? A. These colours are a few of the ones that will work - you could check them out to see if they appeal to you – Resene Half Parchment, Resene Half Wheatfield, Resene Ecru White, Resene Triple Merino, Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Thorndon Cream or Resene Ragamuffin.
December 2016
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Q. We are fully renovating our 1920s villa and would like some advice on our colour scheme. Overall we want to keep the period feel, in particular to have our whites and neutrals work together. We have a north facing open plan living/dining/kitchen with matai floors. We are thinking Resene Foggy Grey for the kitchen cabinets with white/cream engineered stone worktops, then Resene Double Sea Fog on the walls with Resene Alabaster woodwork (windows, skirting etc.) and then maybe Resene Half Alabaster on the ceilings. Do you think this will work together? And if there will be enough contrast with Resene Double Sea Fog on the walls? We would like there to be some contrast. On the exterior, we are planning to use Resene Taupe Grey on the weatherboards, and are looking for a contrasting white for trim – Resene Sea Fog or Resene Alabaster? We have an Ironsand corrugated roof and are thinking Resene Quarter Ironsand for the front door. We are also not sure what colour to use on our timber front steps, Resene Taupe Grey like the house or white like the trim? We don't want to draw attention to them. A. I like the colours you have chosen. Yes I do think there will be enough contrast between the wall colour and the colour for the trim - if you use Resene Alabaster for the trim. I suggest you might find Resene Quarter Alabaster better for the ceilings. Colour in an interior can double in depth and the ceiling is a really good example of this. The light falls away leaving shadows there. Resene Quarter Alabaster will look like Resene Half Alabaster - this would be deep enough without looking exactly like the woodwork colour and sliding closer to the muted depth in Resene Double Sea Fog. Stay with Resene Alabaster for the trims on the exterior - the whiter colour adds more clean contrast and enhances the Resene Taupe Grey. The timber front steps could be painted the same as the main house colour but in a paving type of paint - i.e. Resene Walk-on - this product is tough and can stand foot traffic. If you have handrails and posts they might be the lighter whiter colour - just so older or short sighted people who visit you at dusk can see what to hold onto while climbing the steps. It is all about safety and hazard awareness.
December 2016
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Q. We have recently painted our master bedroom in Resene Perfect Taupe with Resene Alabaster on the trims and ceiling. We are now looking at doing another two bedrooms and hallway. Wondering whether there are any standard recommendations for painting bedrooms, for example - does it matter if they are all completely different colours, or would you generally try to stick to perhaps colours of similar shades (maybe different shades of Resene Perfect Taupe?). We’re keen to do the hallway all in Resene Alabaster as I thought that might lighten it up. Eventually we will be renovating our lounge and kitchen, so are wondering if it is best to stick with similar/matching shades throughout the house. Are there any general rules/recommendations? A. I will say to you what I say to anyone who asks - the rules can be broken - you can have anything you like in the way of colours in the rooms because this is your house - so it is your decision. Don't allow anyone else to dictate to you what you should do or not do as the case may be. But some general advice that you may consider: whites are very popular - so if you favour a white hallway that could work well. All rooms (bedrooms in your case) have their own unique quality of natural light so even if you were to use the same colour in all rooms it would take on a completely different look in each space. Colour does that - it is a chameleon. If you don't test colour carefully you can make errors of judgment in regard how it will look. Testpots are your best friend. They help you see how the mood of the colour and the ambiance of the room come together - or not. Perhaps it would be wise to paint up large samples onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) card leaving a narrow unpainted border all around the perimeter. This allows your eyes to see a large amount of colour and can judge the depth of the colour in reality by comparing it to the white border - and you can move it from wall to wall/room to room to see how it alters. All colours in an interior have the ability to double in intensity - this is something you need to know in advance of purchasing large amounts of paint. These are a few colours for you to consider - Resene Quarter Perfect Taupe, Resene Half Truffle, Resene Whiteout or Resene Quarter Cloud. Or some random options - Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Always, Resene Sea Fog, Resene Half Barely There or Resene Half Tasman. December 2016
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Q. I am currently painting our living areas Resene Half Thorndon Cream but I am having trouble picking a colour for the woodwork and door frames. I want a nice light colour that will match the wall colours but will also add a little colour to break the whites. The other question is what colour would you recommend to paint the ceiling? At the moment it is Resene Half Drought and looks dreadful. A. Firstly - the ceiling colour needs to change very quickly. If you choose one of these colours it will lighten and brighten the rooms and will work with all other light colours that you use in the rooms and on the woodwork - Resene Quarter Alabaster or Resene Quarter Black White. All the woodwork in the house has to be very versatile also if it is to look good with any colour you have in the rooms - not just the living room. You might check out these colours - Resene Eighth Rice Cake, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream or Resene Half Sea Fog. If you use a deeper or more definite colour you may run the risk of it drawing far too much attention away from the wall colour - but of course you may want the woodwork to be the 'stand out feature' of the room.
December 2016
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Q. Please advise a colour for an office to go with Resene Poppy which we have put on the wall and now don't know what colour to do our office in. A. Perhaps a simple neutral so it doesn't compete for attention with Resene Poppy might be the practical thing to look at - Resene Quarter Delta, Resene Quarter Truffle, Resene Quarter Tea or Resene Barely There.
December 2016
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Q. We have just painted our ceiling Resene Alabaster. We are going to paint our walls now. I am looking for an off-white for lots of light but I also want warmth. The colours of my furniture are grey and cream. It also needs to match my apricot coloured tiles and green cupboards. A. Because of all the other colours you have in the house I would be inclined to use an off white with a subtle grey edge to it on the walls - Resene Half Sea Fog or Resene Quarter White Pointer. If you introduce a more definite colour it is bound to clash with the apricot tiles, the green cupboards or the grey and cream furniture.
December 2016
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Q. I've got a square house with a brand new COLORSTEEL® Rivergum roof. There has been trim done using the same colour. I need to paint the house. What would work with the roof and trim? A. You have many possible options to choose from - these are a few for you to consider - Resene Half Tea, Resene Villa White, Resene Triple Merino, Resene Half Foggy Grey or Resene Half Spanish White.
December 2016
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Q. I am painting the interior of my small one bedroom house, and would like some advice on colours. I was thinking of doing the walls in Resene Half Parchment, and the trim, doors and kitchen cabinets in Resene Alabaster, but cannot picture that, and wonder if it is too much Resene Alabaster, and if the colours are even a good choice. A. The colours are lovely. It sounds as though you are more concerned about the amount of the 'white' being too much overall - am I right? Perhaps you could consider using a little more of the Resene Half Parchment on the doors. If that isn't an option because it would be too deep a colour (all colours can double in their intensity in an interior) perhaps you might consider doing the doors in a much lighter version of the wall colour - i.e. Resene Quarter Parchment. Doors show finger marking a lot so it is a practical consideration as well as minimising the amount of Resene Alabaster. Something for you to consider?
December 2016
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Q. I am redecorating my house which is divided into two parts: a 1960s addition which is painted mainly in Resene Sea Fog and for the new ensuite bathroom I have used Resene Half Sea Fog with the master bedroom and the lounge is in Resene Sea Fog. The old part of the house which was built in the 1880s is done in beige colours and the lounge is Resene Half Tea. There is Resene Bianca in the hall and a bedroom and also a sky blue bedroom. I am doing the main bathroom and my intention is to use the Resene Half Sea Fog. My thought, Resene Bianca, is it too creamy for a bathroom? The vanity and bath are white. I have a blue/green pattern vinyl on the floor. A. It can be difficult effecting a transition from one part of the house being more modern to an older part of the house. Yes, you could use Resene Half Sea Fog for the main bathroom for a white on white look but had you thought of using Resene Quarter Bianca - it would tie in with the warmer colours that you have used in this older portion of the house? It is lighter/whiter than Resene Half Sea Fog. Another alternative worth considering is using a more definite colour - i.e. Resene Quarter Tea - lighter than the lounge.
December 2016
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Q. We are planning on painting our 1950s weatherboard villa using Resene Green Spring. What colours would you recommend for the roof and trim? A. Resene Green Spring works well with these types of colours for the roof - Resene Steel Grey, Resene Canyon, Resene Ironsand or Resene New Denim Blue. You might check out these colours for the trims - Resene Half Black White or Resene Quarter Rice Cake. And for some suggestions that are just nice with the green - Resene Pohutukawa or Resene Salsa.
December 2016
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Q. I was just wondering what a good colour would be for my bedroom. It’s small with only a skylight as a source of light. I was thinking along the lines of a sky blue, but I’m afraid it would be too cold for my room. A. As long as the blue was vibrant and full of life it might work for you. If it was a paler blue it might look chilly. Perhaps look at a few blues like these ones to see how you feel about the colours - Resene Havelock Blue, Resene Float or Resene Subzero. Blues are known as receding colours - they make space seem bigger because the colour makes the walls appear further away from you, so this could be something to consider.
December 2016
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Q. Is there such a thing as a pure mid or light grey? One without any colour tint at all, white with a dash of black? A. I know there is in the world of art - Titanium (white) with a little Lamp Black colourant in it. But domestic paints are far more complex than the simple colours that one creates art with. They rely upon the artist intermixing them to create varying tints, tones and shades. A light grey is a lot different to white with a dash of black in it - so you may need to identify just how much of a colour that you want. I have noticed also that a pure black may often reflect an undertone of blue so lighter (whiter) greys might also have that undertone. It is a chemical combination of base + colourants and their interactive rheology. I suggest you investigate some of these very pale greys to see if they might be acceptable to you - Resene Half Concrete, Resene Double Black White or Resene Half House White.
December 2016
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Q. I have Resene Soapstone on my ceilings, skirting and coving. I want to do a warm off white on my walls. Would Resene Rice Cake go with the Resene Soapstone? My house is very open and light. A. You may notice that Resene Soapstone takes on much more of a mushroom/pink look when used with Resene Rice Cake which is a sharp yellow/green edged white. Is this what you want? Have you considered using a lighter variant of Resene Soapstone - i.e. Resene Half Soapstone? Resene Soapstone can look like a cooler colour because the red colourant used in it is magenta - which is not a warm red. You might be able to use Resene Half Blanc as it has the same mushroom undertone to it. Certainly it would be worth testing. If you are in love with Resene Rice Cake it might be worth considering repainting the ceiling and all the trims in a whiter variant of this colour - had you thought of that?
December 2016
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Q. I am looking at painting Resene Quarter Gravel on my board and batten house and would appreciate advice on a lighter colour to use on the window trim? They are white at the moment but as I live in the bush they get very grubby, so I want a colour that works with Resene Quarter Gravel, but that won't show the dirt and is at the higher end of the LRV scale. I also really wanted to paint the front door in Resene Pohutukawa, but not sure if that works with the Resene Quarter Gravel cladding colour? Also thinking of a charcoal colour for the roof? A. You might look at one of these colours - they could be good for trims - Resene Double Sea Fog, Resene Half Thorndon Cream or Resene Half Titania. I like Resene Pohutukawa for a front door but you might also check out Resene Trouble - it is slightly deeper. It is good to check out and compare colours. The roof might be one of these colours - Resene Windswept, Resene Ironsand or Resene Element.
December 2016
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Q. We are repainting our house. The roof colour is COLORSTEEL® Ironsand. We want grey tones to match. A. As the roof is Ironsand, which is an earthy warm charcoal, these grey/beige colours might be checked out to see if they appeal to you - Resene Triple White Pointer, Resene Eighth Stonehenge, Resene Eighth Friar Greystone or Resene Quarter Taupe Grey. There are also some lighter versions of Ironsand that you might use as well -perhaps as trims? You could try Resene Half Ironsand or Resene Quarter Ironsand.
December 2016
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Q. What can I do to lift a horrible beige kitchen without changing the cabinets? What colours would contrast well with the beige? A. Soft dusty blues, fresh greens and aqua watery colours often look good with beige as well as really sharp off whites. December 2016
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Q. We are planning to choose Ironsand as the colour of the tile and Ebony as the joinery colour for our home. Do both have to be the same? We are planning to use estate pumice as the brick. Is our choice is an ideal one? A. No, both don't have to be the same, using two colours creates visual interest. Ironsand and Ebony look good with the lovely brick you have chosen. December 2016
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Q. We’ll be repainting the exterior of an L shaped three-bedroom brick veneer house built in 1995 (north facing to patio and rear garden/reserve) that was originally a display home for local builders. Presently the tiles are faded Monier Elabana-shape two tone black/brown (now more grey/ faded brown), PGH Sandstock “Chatswood” brick, COLORBOND® Classic Cream gutters, fascia, windows, pergolas and garage door. We’re keen to give it a more contemporary feel as the house has clean lines and loads of sliding doors and windows and is a great house to live in. To fit in with the roof, someone suggested COLORBOND® Monument for the gutters, fascia, garage door, front door, and all blueboard (everything that’s Classic Cream) might work. Eaves we’d of course keep light. However, my sense is that this will be too dark? We usually prefer things lighter or if we go with Monument (or something else in that range) on the gutters and fascia, is it best to keep some bits like the various blueboard sections, garage door, pergola pillars lighter? A. Perhaps you could go a little lighter than Monument for the gutters, fascias, garage door etc - and a little earthier to tie in the bricks and the joinery colour – COLORBOND® Woodland Grey and matching paint Resene Squall for the blueboard and a pale colour for under the eaves and pergola pillars to add a small amount of lighter contrast - Resene Pearl Lusta. This is a much softer look overall.
December 2016
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Q. I have a plaster home with dark green aluminium windows. Can you advise on a colour to paint the exterior to complement the dated green window look? A. Are the windows Permanent Green or Karaka? These colours are a little deeper than you might have considered but they may help the window joinery to be less dominant - Resene Double Parchment, Resene Half Craigieburn, Resene Double Truffle, Resene Triple Tea, Resene Triple Thorndon Cream or Resene Half Taupe Grey.
December 2016
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Q. We're preparing to repaint our whole interior before we sell it and are trying to find neutrals that will show our house in the best light. We're going for a clean, modern, airy but not cold look for our 1950s state house. I painted up A2 card (keeping the white border) with Resene Quarter Joss, Resene Quarter Biscotti, Resene Soapstone and Resene Quarter Truffle, thinking we could use the first two in the bedrooms/hall/living room with the polished matai floors and that the latter two might work with the pale blue/green lino in the kitchen/dining. However, Resene Soapstone and Resene Quarter Truffle looked very cold in the south-facing kitchen. Resene Quarter Biscotti looked fabulous throughout the house so we painted our cabinetry surrounds in that with Resene Quarter Joss for the cupboard doors and planned to use Resene Quarter Biscotti throughout the house. But both ended up looking quite different to my test panels, perhaps because I brushed the waterborne test colours, creating lots of shadows in the finish, and we used oil-based on the cabinetry which is smooth? The Resene Quarter Joss is quite purpley and paler than expected, the Resene Biscotti greyer and less yellow/warm in some lights than the test panel. Now I doubt my ability to choose a good wall colour, in that room and the rest of the house. The living room has big east and north-facing windows, bedroom one faces east, bedroom two faces north and bedroom three has north and south windows. A. South facing rooms get a cool or sour quality of natural light and alter colours a lot. The cool light seems to bring out a lot of grey tones in colours and I suspect that this is what is causing the colour sway. Resene Soapstone and Resene Quarter Truffle are too cool/grey toned to work well in a south facing room. The Resene Quarter Joss has a subtle mushroom undertone that (because of the south aspect) is greying up causing the colour to look a bit purple. The Resene Quarter Biscotti has lost its warmth - again because of the south facing aspect. Colours need to be tested carefully - you seem to understand about the large painted samples which are good - but they will work well in some rooms (yay!) and not so well in other rooms. That is why expecting them to look good in all rooms and finding they don't at all is sometimes a bit of a surprise. Oil based paints tend to make colours appear lighter/brighter because of the sheen difference. In the Whites & Neutral fandeck there is a sheet of clear acetate that can be laid over top of the colour chips to replicate just how the colour will look in a gloss enamel finish. It is really helpful. Different sheen level/different types of paint do alter how we see the colours. Please don't doubt your ability to choose colours - your choices are good - it is the situation that they are in that doesn't do justice to the colours. Where to from here? Perhaps all of the cabinets need to be one definite colour - a warmer tone - and it may not exactly match your original thoughts about what colour to use but I think you need a much deeper version of Resene Biscotti to compensate for the aspect of light. Resene Biscotti maintains its warmth so that might be worth a go. If the walls were creamier with a peachy tone (not brown/pink/mushroom) then that might make the kitchen look warmer. I think that Resene Half Solitaire might be a possible option. If I look at this colour in the shadowy area under my desk in my south facing office I can see it looking more like a much lighter version of Resene Biscotti (Quarter) and as a colour it does look really nice with wooden floors and because of the slightly peachy warmth the colour has it works well with blue/greens. When you have an open home to sell the house, use warm coloured light bulbs instead of standard clear ones to increase the warm light in the room (yes, even during the daylight hours) as this is a trick employed by people who 'dress' houses for photos to make them look full of soft warm light.
December 2016
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Q. We are tenants in a building with a mustard yellow roof. The owners wish to paint the house (a traditional villa) and not the roof. We are health professionals working from this building and are seeking a smart look. Can you commend what colours work for the exterior walls window surrounds and veranda? The owner suggests Resene Thistle but I am afraid that seems rather dull. A. Your options may be somewhat compromised because of the roof colour but some soft duck egg greys, mauve silver greys and ashy greens would work as long as there was a crisp clean trim used on all the windows and any other decorative detailing. I suggest you check out these colours to see if there is anything that appeals to you - and doesn't upset your landlord - Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Double Rakaia or Resene Double Ash. Crisp clean 'whites' that might be considered for all the detailing could be one of these options - Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta or Resene Quarter Rice Cake. If it was possible to identify the roof colour a touch of this could be used as a sill colour or a front door colour to give the roof a friend.
December 2016
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Q. I want to use Resene Lusta-Glo enamel on an interior door and window surrounds. I chose Resene Half White Pointer for the colour to match the ceiling I have just painted. However, I only need a small quantity - 500ml - and my local Resene shop tells me that 2L is the smallest because of the magenta tint. Can you suggest another colour close to Resene Half White Pointer that is available in 500ml? A. I think you could use Resene Black White - it is slightly whiter than Resene Half White Pointer but very sympathetic and quite related by colour code.
December 2016
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Q. I am looking for a colour for the render surround on my garage. The rest of the house is just off white with a Surfmist garage and gutter. A. Seeing as the rendered part of the house is a feature already you could use a deeper colour so that it highlighted the paler colours - especially the Surfmist colour on the garage door. You could try – Resene Climate, Resene Taupe Grey or Resene Double Pravda.
December 2016
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Q. We're building a brand new home and have to finalise colours over the next couple of days. We're looking for a neutral colour scheme, some variant of Resene Alabaster on the ceiling and a variant of Resene Black White on the walls (as an example). Could you make a suggestion of what would work best (or is most popular)? If you could suggest a couple of common combinations that would be really helpful. A. You could try: Option 1 – Resene Double Black White with Resene Half Black White, option 2 – Resene Sea Fog with Resene Alabaster, option 3 – Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream with Resene Quarter Alabaster or option 4 – Resene Half White Pointer with Resene Quarter Black White. December 2016 |
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Q. We are painting our cedar two storey house black. We have wooden windows and aluminium doors (which we are replacing with silver pearl colour). I would love to sand back the white wooden windows and have them natural but it’s going to be too much work. Which colour would you suggest? The garage door is at the front of the house and I believe its Grey Friars, the bottom storey of the house is stucco and is currently white. I would like to change the colour of this to more of a grey. The roof also needs painting, what colour would you recommend? A. You might check these colours out for the bottom storey - Resene Atmosphere or a lighter grey - Resene Half Atmosphere. The windows could be Resene Triple Black White - this colour might relate well to the metal powder coated door colour - Silver Pearl - not the same but sympathetic. The roof could be one of these colours – A contrast to all the black, silver and grey – Resene Scoria, or more of the same colours as on the house - Resene Bright Charcoal (metallic finish) or Resene Grey Friars (to match the garage door).
December 2016
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Q. We want to paint the outside of our house but are finding it difficult to choose a colour around our aluminium joinery (Permanent Green but looks like it could range between this and Parsley at the lightest). We prefer darker colours to make it a little more modern and have leaned toward Resene Triple Dune but Resene Ironsand was a little too dark. A. It is always difficult when one element on the house (the windows in this case) is so dominant that they compromise the colour choices. Perhaps one of these colours might be worth checking out - Resene Double Tapa, Resene Triple Friar Greystone , Resene Half Masala or Resene Half Baltic Sea.
December 2016
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Q. I have a villa with an Ironsand roof. The weatherboards are currently Resene Tea. The veranda, window trim and doors are Resene Ironsand and the fretwork, windows and veranda posts are a cream/white (can't remember colour). If I were to use Resene Triple Ash on the weatherboards, what colours would go well with this? A. If you were to use these colours - lightest for the under the soffits, windows and veranda posts - and deepest for the veranda, window trim and doors they might go well with Resene Triple Ash and give you a fresh new look - Resene Double Rice Cake and Resene Quarter Ironsand. Alternatively these might be worth checking out - Resene Half Joanna or Resene Wireless. An option to consider is to highlight the front door only with a 'surprise' feature colour - just because you can - if you want to – you could try Resene Dynamite or Resene Intrepid.
December 2016
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Q. I have a south facing bedroom with a pitched ceiling and one window. It gets no sunlight. How can I make it appear warmer and lighter? The ceiling is Resene Milk White and walls are Resene Zen so it looks very dull. A. If you were to change the ceiling to a real white – Resene White - it would help a lot to make the room appear lighter. A warm colour for the walls might be one of these colours - Resene Clotted Cream or Resene Orchid White. They are creamy hues that would look bright, light and warm.
December 2016
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Q. I have painted my house Resene Half Tuna and I am looking for a colour to paint the door. A. Some colour ideas to get you started - Resene Madam M, Resene Wimbledon, Resene Intrepid, Resene Salsa, Resene Celebrate, Resene Limerick or Resene Cinder.
December 2016
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Q. We have an Ironsand roof and balustrade and would like some ideas of a paint colour in the grey tones that will match with these colours. We have Monotek® cladding on the house so are restricted by the LRV. We also intend to stain our deck so would be good to pull all of the colours in together. A. The LRV requirement for Monotek is lighter colours between 40% - 100% LRV. Because of the Ironsand colour being a warm olive/brown based charcoal the following colours are warmer grey/beige rather than a cool blue based greys. You could try: Resene Half Cougar (LRV 53%), Resene Truffle (LRV 54%), Resene Quarter Taupe Grey (LRV 52%), Resene Eighth Pravda (LRV 58%) or Resene Cloud (LRV 58%). Stains for the deck that you might consider are these ones - Resene Woodsman Tiri, Resene Sheer Black or Resene Banjul.
December 2016
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Q. We have an old roughcast/stucco crib that is shaped like a box with a roof. We are painting the outside and want to go away from cream colours. We like Resene Foggy Grey which we have on our modern home. Would Resene Foggy Grey suit an older style home or can you recommend another colour? Also what colour would you recommend for windows and front door? Would Resene Sea Fog work with Resene Foggy Grey? A. My only concern with Resene Foggy Grey is that stucco surfaces when painted in dense grey colours often look a little bit like unpainted concrete. It can look a little bit industrial and hard edged - is that the look you favour? Perhaps you might consider some of these warmer greys to see if they appeal to you - Resene Pale Slate, Resene Grey Nickel, Resene Cloud, Resene Silver Sand or Resene Quarter Foggy Grey. These greys look lovely with lighter versions of Resene Sea Fog - i.e. Resene Half Sea Fog or Resene Quarter Sea Fog - they add a clean contrast that enhances the softer tones of the greys. Please do check them out and compare them - they are full of unique charm. Colours that work well with the suggested options are these ones - possibly for the doors - Resene Steam Roller, Resene Explorer, Resene Persian Red or Resene Ebony Clay. December 2016
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Q. I'm looking to repaint our kitchen cabinetry, could you recommend some light colours? Our walls are painted with Resene Half Tea, our kitchen benches and splashbacks are all stainless steel. And we have rimu wooden floors (golden brown). The kitchen itself gets a lot of light due to many windows. A. These are a few colours that you might check out to see if they appeal to you - Resene Half Albescent White, Resene Bianca, Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Chalk Dust, Resene Tiara or Resene Emerge.
December 2016
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Q. We are painting the eaves, fascia and painting over the powder coated windows. We have a powder coated water tank in COLORBOND® Smooth Cream. A. One thought that popped into my head was that you might consider using more of a colour like Smooth Cream on the house so the water tank isn't totally unrelated. It just a thought - If you did consider doing that you might use Resene Smooth Cream on the pillars and the gable above the veranda. It emphasises the front of the house nicely. Alternatively they could be a very distinctive colour to offset the brickwork on the house - Resene Gecko. The windows, fascia and the eaves might be a much paler cream/off white - Resene Half Scotch Mist or Resene Orchid White. You don't mention the door. Is it stained, painted or varnished? It may need some colour consideration also at some point.
December 2016
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Q. I need some help with whites and neutrals in a new seaside cottage. Last year we built and painted a pioneer style, board and batten barn. We first tried Resene All Black (I think) but there was too much blue in it so we used Resene Nero (I think - struggling to remember now). The joinery is Titania and we painted the barn door and window frames in Titania. The cottage is 56m2 so tiny. Joinery is Titania again with Sandstone Grey roof like the barn. We will paint the cottage some sort of white or perhaps Titania which looks quite white in the outdoors (but not stark white). What can you suggest for window frames/board and batten exterior? For interior, we are thinking white again, but warm white and in keeping with the Titania frames. Kitchen will be T&G white/off white (not confirmed). We need a wall and ceiling colour, should these be the same? Or should the ceiling be a quarter strength of the wall colour? Window trim? As it is small, we want to keep it simple but bring some warmth by adding timber blinds, furniture, tile splashback etc. The tones for the whole look will be white/cream/warm grey/sand tones/duck egg blue. We also need to paint the Strandboard flooring - thinking of white or a hint of a warm grey. A. If the window joinery on the cottage is Titania you might consider using Resene Bone White as the main colour on the exterior as it is deeper but similar to the joinery. Alternatively you could check out these colours - Resene Quarter Taupe Grey (lighter than the roof/deeper than the Titania joinery) or a paler/whiter - but not stark version - of the Titania colour - Resene Half Titania. The interior could be one of these colours - Resene Eight Thorndon Cream (walls and ceilings the same colour), or Resene Quarter Titania with Resene Alabaster for the ceiling, or Resene Barely There (a pale ash grey/white) with Resene Half Barely There for the ceiling, or Resene Double Sea Fog with Resene Double Alabaster (Resene Quarter Sea Fog) for the ceiling. You could paint the Strandboard in a warm grey/green/white like one of these colours - Resene Quarter Foggy Grey, Resene Quarter Atmosphere, Resene Triple Merino or Resene Triple Sea Fog. The whole look is very Scandi/clean/cool and light and airy. Please do check out the large A4 samples of all these colours in the Resene ColorShop Colour Library. December 2016 |
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Q. We have a house which is currently cream coloured Hardiplank®, Resene Grey Friars front fence, fascia and guttering. The window frames are 1980s bronze aluminium (similar to Resene Bison Hide). We want to paint the Hardiplank® and the roof so need colour options that work with the existing Grey Friars and what we consider, the ugly, bronze aluminium windows. My wife likes some of the silver neutrals like Resene Stack and Resene Surrender which works with the Grey Friars but seems to make the bronze windows frames stand out. If we go for browner tones to work with the window frames like Resene Castle Rock or Resene Pravda this works nice but doesn't seem to work as well with the Grey Friars. A. Resene Grey Friars can look quite a blue based charcoal - is this how it seems to you? This colour may take on a bit more of that undertone when seen close to browner colours. A roof colour would have to work well with blue/charcoal and the yellow based brown of the bronze aluminium. It is a big ask. Possible options for the roof are Resene High Tide - slightly bluer/charcoal but still works with Grey Friars, Resene Grey Friars - the same as the guttering and fence, Resene Element - warm charcoal or Resene Windswept - warm charcoal. When you have a definite something like bronze windows that compromise your freedom of choice you do have to accept that what you have your heart set on may not be an option. A few more colour ideas to check out - Resene Archive Grey, Resene Taupe Grey, Resene Jumbo or Resene Half Chicago. These are warm greys so they sit well with the window colour - but they are not as brown as some of those ones you have looked at.
December 2016
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Q. I am looking to convert a kid’s attic room into a guest bedroom (3x3m room). There are only two skylights that are north and west facing and three of the four side walls are slanted. The window frames are timber and the furniture is White American ash. The floor is dark grey carpet. I would like to create an intimate atmosphere. The house is from the mid-1990s with a combination of Resene Spanish White, Resene Half Spanish White, Resene Beryl Green and a duck blue. I would like to start with this room to give the house a ‘fresher’ look. A. Several walls of the attic room may always be shadowy and combined with the dark grey carpet and slanted walls the room may be dim at certain times of the day. You may need to carefully test colours to see how the light from the skylights alters what they look like and to note which walls never get sunlight on them. If you are trialling colour I recommend that you paint all of the testpot onto a A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and leave a narrow unpainted (white card) border all around the edges it would help by seeing more of the colour. The unpainted border of the card acts as a barrier so the existing wall colour can't negatively influence how you see the tested sample plus the unpainted edge being white allows you to judge the real depth and reality of the tested colour. The card can be moved from wall to wall so you can see how angles and light alter the colour. You mention a 'fresher' look - which usually means a lighter colour and sometimes a cooler colour as well. Using your existing colours as a start point you could check out these options - Resene Quarter Beryl Green, Resene Quarter Duck Egg Blue or Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue.
December 2016
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Q. We are cladding our home with board and batten and plan to use Resene Woodsman Shadow Match stain. The roof is Grey Friars and the windows are Arctic White. What white should I use for the window trims and soffits? Also what white would be suitable for ceilings, doors, trims etc. throughout the house? I am using Resene Quarter Linen through the kitchen living and hallway areas. The kitchen is Resene Sea Fog with a dark charcoal bench. The floor throughout the kitchen/living is hickory laminate. A. Arctic White powder coat is a very cool toned white with a blue/grey undertone. I suggest you ask for an exact match for the window trims and soffits otherwise even a pure white will look warmer than the joinery and will create a discord. All Resene Colour Shops have a formula match on the computer for Arctic White. In the interior I suggest you use a standard white - Resene White - not the match to Arctic White, as on the exterior, as that is too blue grey to be used with Resene Sea Fog and Resene Quarter Linen.
December 2016
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Q. We have purchased a new home and are going with an industrial decor theme. We are keen to paint the walls a grey (tossing up Resene Concrete, Resene Sea Fog or Resene Truffle with white trims/ceilings tossing up Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Black White). We don’t want anything to dark but we do want a grey tint. A. A slightly warmer/deeper look would be Resene Truffle used with Resene Double Alabaster. A cooler look would be Resene Concrete used with Resene Black White. Resene Sea Fog used with Resene Alabaster sits between the two previous options - not too warm or deep/not too cool. It is your choice but I think Resene Concrete may look greyer than Resene Truffle or Resene Sea Fog - if grey is what you are looking for.
December 2016
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Q. Please advise a colour that can be both warm and bright for a combined lounge/dining area that is sited in the middle of the house which is an old bungalow with minimal natural light. I prefer natural blue/green colours but not dark ones, as I want to keep an open look. A. Warm and bright might not be words to describe the cooler blue/green colours. If you used a warm light neutral that worked well with natural blue/greens - these types of colours could be used for soft furnishings, accessories, artwork etc. - would that be an option? You could check out these warm and bright colours -they reflect a lot of light and make spaces seem open - Resene Rice Cake, Resene Orchid White, Resene Quarter Spanish White, Resene Bianca or Resene Chalk Dust.
December 2016
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Q. We are painting our weatherboard house in Resene Snapshot with Resene Half Tasman and I would like some options for a bright front door. From the website we have seen Resene Smooch but would like a couple of options, Perhaps a red? A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Pohutukawa, Resene Smashing or Resene Countdown, or for something different – Resene Aloha.
December 2016
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Q. I want to paint the exterior of my house. I have bronze aluminium windows. I am thinking of Resene Lignite for the roof, Resene Quarter Black White for eaves, Resene Quarter Pravda walls and Resene Deep Koamaru for the bargeboard. The decking will be oiled. I'm not sure if these colours are sympathetic to each other can you make a recommendation to improve colour choice. A. Most of the colours you mention will work really well with the bronze aluminium windows. I do have reservations about Resene Deep Koamaru because it is so very purple/blue toned. However if you have you heart set on this particular blue it certainly would attract a lot of attention away from the other colours on the house - is that what you are wanting to achieve? Perhaps you might compare it with a few other strong blues to see if you still favour using it. You could compare it to Resene Bunting, Resene Billabong, Resene Elephant or Resene Wishing Well.
December 2016
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Q. We are redoing our interior. The house is a 3 bed, 1 bath small 100sqm 1970s box! We are trying to choose a white for the walls that works everywhere. The main room we are starting with is our daughter’s. Her room is small but light with two decent windows and is southwest facing. She wants to have black gold and teal accents. The carpet we have is a mid-grey. A. You might check out these whites to see if they appeal to you - Resene Bianca, Resene Quarter Albescent White or Resene Half Sea Fog. If you look at the large A4 samples in the Colour Library at your nearest Resene ColorShop you could compare them with each other and against a sheet of (real) white printer paper and that would help you to judge the reality of the colours. I still suggest that you trial by testpot - use all of it (two coats) onto a super large A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) so that you can move it from wall to wall/room to room so you could see how changes of light and shadows alters the colour - often to a surprising degree.
December 2016 |
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Q. We have decided to paint our walls Resene Half Blanc and love the colour. The current ceiling paint doesn't look quite right and am not sure where to start. There is a lot of wood in the ceilings and doors also. A. Resene Half Blanc is a lovely mushroom/beige colour. It does look good with lighter versions of Resene Blanc - i.e. Resene Eighth Blanc and whites like Resene Alabaster and Resene Quarter Albescent White. If the wood you have is a warm hue like rimu and isn't going to be painted then you may notice a slight greyness in the paint colours compared to the more yellow/brown of the wood.
December 2016
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Q. We want to do a feature wall in our reading nook in our lounge with either Resene Zinzan or Resene Coast; can you please give us advice on what neutral colour would best suit this for the rest of the lounge walls? A. The colours you are considering for the feature are lovely - magnificent and moody - and will work with many neutrals. One of these colours may appeal to you - Resene Quarter Tea, Resene Quarter Spanish White, Resene Half Thorndon Cream, Resene White Pointer, Resene Triple Sea Fog or Resene Quarter Truffle.
December 2016
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Q. We want to paint the exterior and windows of our house, which is close to the sea, over the summer and it is crying out for a facelift! We are stuck with the brown roof unfortunately as don't want to repaint it. We would like something with a wow factor and tend towards darker colours for a real lift? Not as keen on creams etc for the main colour as we think this would be boring. Also, would you have any ideas for a door colour? A. A distinctive brown roof may compromise your options a little bit. I am not sure about super dark colours as these may make the house look a bit too serious or heavy especially with the brown roof but please do check these colours out to see if one of these suits - Resene Dusted Blue with Resene Half Rice Cake (white bits) and Resene Blackout for the doors, or Resene Inside Back with Resene Half Tasman (white bits) and Resene Coast for the doors, or Resene Eighth Pravda with Resene Alabaster (white bits) and Resene Atlas for the doors.
December 2016
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Q. I am taking on the project of painting the exterior of our house. It has a textured concrete siding (may be stucco) with orange/brown coloured roof tiles. I am looking for any advice please on what colour to paint the siding as well as the trim. It is a farmhouse and currently painted an apricot colour with medium blue/grey trim which I don't like - at least the apricot colour. We were contemplating either a warm yellow siding with slate blue trim or a grey or greige colour siding as I like those colours. A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Double Pearl Lusta used with Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta and Resene Steam Roller, or Resene Double White Pointer used with Resene Quarter White Pointer and Resene New Denim Blue.
December 2016
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Q. Is there a dark blue that will work well with Resene Smoky Green? I want to paint the retaining walls around our pool in a blue, but the main view through the house to the outside is through a room already painted in this green - and I love it. The outside of the house is in Resene Craigieburn with Resene Talisman trim and rimu window/door frames. A. You might check out these dark blues to see if they appeal to you - Resene Coast, Resene Dark Side, Resene Barometer, Resene Regatta, Resene True Blue or Resene Billabong.
December 2016
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Q. We have high stud Resene Black White tongue and groove ceilings, with medium brown carpet and ash coloured wood-look vinyl. There is a strong tea colour on the panelled wooden walls at the moment but I am thinking of changing to a lighter colour. Have you any ideas on what would work with the ceilings and carpet? A. Some of these subtle colours might be worth checking out to see if they appeal to you - Resene Albescent White, Resene Quarter Truffle, Resene Quarter Tea, Resene White Pointer or Resene Quarter Blanc. I do hope these suggestions are helpful - the colours encompass warm beige and grey/beiges so they would need to be tested carefully and judged against the flooring materials which are the key colours that exert a strong influence in the house.
December 2016
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Q. I'm trying to find a grey-beige colour as a main room colour that will complement our feature wall painted in Resene Timekeeper. I do not want the walls to look almost white and definitely want some colour in them. A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Quarter Truffle, Resene White Pointer, Resene Quarter Tea or Resene Quarter Cloudy.
December 2016
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Q. We are painting our hallway which can be quite dark. We plan to paint it Resene Eighth Tana and then paint the doors a slightly darker shade. Will that work? A. I like the colour that you are considering for the hall walls but I am a little concerned that a slightly darker colour on the doors might appear too deep. Colours in an interior have the potential to double in depth and if the hallway often looks quite dark the doors might make it seem more that way. Is that what you want to achieve? A lighter crisper colour on the doors might work better for you. Have you considered that as an option? The following colours are a few that you might check out to see if they appeal to you - Resene Half Rice Cake, Resene Alabaster or Resene Quarter Merino. If you were not keen on lighter doors then the default choice might be to use exactly the same colour as the walls but in a semi-gloss enamel finish so that the doors merged into the walls and the only difference was the sheen.
December 2016
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Q. I have chosen Resene Half Scotch Mist for the main colour in the living area with Resene Tulip Tree for the wall behind the kitchen bench unit. I have polished concrete floors. I cannot decide on joinery colours for the bench unit and breakfast bar, the latter being seen as you enter the ranch sliders across the room. The living area faces north; the kitchen faces south but has plenty of natural light. The Joiner has suggested Melteca® Putty for base units with Wilsonart® Laminate Antique Topaz for the bench tops. You did a lovely job with the colours in our previous home so I am hoping you can help here. A. I am not so keen on the rich brown tones of the bench top laminate or the yellowy cabinet colour personally. Because of the bold yellow behind the wall behind the kitchen bench unit and the sunny neutral cream on the walls I think greys would balance that influence. I feel they may work in harmony with the polished concrete floors also. You might check out these suggestions – Prime® Melamine Transformer for the cabinets and Formica Flint Crystal for the benchtops, or Melteca® Dawn Grey for the cabinets and Wilsonart® Madura Pearl for the benchtops. Kitchens - unlike paint colours - come as a somewhat more limited variety of options so please take care to look at everything that is available and choose wisely. The bottom line to keep in mind when picking a kitchen is to say 'How flexible are the cabinet and work top colours - if I change my wall and splashback colours will they still work?'
December 2016
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Q. I have glossy, pale, yellow and cream kitchen cabinets that have a rimu trim and a black granite bench, what colour should I use on the walls? A. If you are wanting the cabinets and the work top to stand out as the most gorgeous attention seeking element of the kitchen you could consider using one of these neutrals for the walls - Resene Double Black White, Resene Concrete, Resene Sea Fog or Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta.
December 2016
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Q. I am trying to find a deep red/brown based colour for a home library/den/study which is 4m2. Would you have any ideas? Is there a modern take on Resene Kenyan Copper? My floor is polished mid/golden brown. The ceiling is white and our home is stucco 1950s. A. Some alternatives to Resene Kenyan Copper colours for you to check out - Resene Hot N Spicy, Resene Fahrenheit, Resene Red Planet, Resene Red Oxide or Resene Pioneer Red
December 2016
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Q. We have a reclad 1911 villa that’s been done with a Hardie® weatherboard; we have Matt Off White aluminium windows and a COLORSTEEL® Ironsand roof and will replace the spouting with Ironsand spouting. Do you have any suggestions on a colour for the house and trims? A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Double Parchment, Resene Bison Hide, Resene Double Spanish White or Resene Double Fossil. You might also check out the lighter versions of these colours as well. They may make the window joinery colour appear much stronger and more definitely coloured by comparison.
December 2016
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Q. We are painting an office space which has great natural light. We're looking to paint it ourselves - using mainly white with pops of colour from our branding. My first question is in regards to choosing the right white colour - not sure how to make sure it's a clean white but with a bit of life and not too clinical. I would also love some advice on matching the colour from our logo. A. Two `whites' that you might check out to see if they appeal to you are these ones - Resene Chalk Dust or Resene Quarter Wan White. The first is warmer and the second is cooler - either would work but it is all about how your eye sees them. If you can pop into your local Resene ColorShop to view the A4 real paint samples in their Colour Library and compare them to a sheet of printer paper which is a real optic white it may be easier for you to appreciate the undertones of subtle colour that hide within the colours. ` If your logo colours are Pantone print colours it may be easier to get the identifying name/number and ask if those colours have already been matched by Resene. Otherwise if you can take in a colour version of the logo to your local Resene ColorShop, Resene ColorShop staff can show you close Resene colours or arrange a colour match for you.
December 2016
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Q. We would like some ideas on colour for the exterior. Our house has a brown decramastic roof, silver anodised aluminium windows and Grey Summerhill stone. The colour would be for the base, gable end and above the windows, also the garage and garage door. A. You might consider using a brown on the garage door so that there is some link up to the roof colour - it wouldn't match exactly but it would be sympathetic. Perhaps one of these browns might appeal to you - Resene Wrangler or Resene Coffee Break. For the gable, the garage and all other parts of the house that you want to paint you might consider one of these neutral colours - Resene Half Malta, Resene Tea, Resene Double Ash or Resene Cararra.
December 2016
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Q. We are laying Cavalier Bremworth Carpet - Levante. The colour is Raw Brown and will be used throughout our whole house. Can you please give me advice on complementary colours? A. If by complementary colours you mean neutrals that you might look at using as a main colour in the house then you could check out these suggestions - Resene Whiteout, Resene Quarter Truffle or Resene Quarter White Pointer. But if you mean the relationship complement of brown (browns are the deepest shade of orange) it is a blue tone - perhaps that is something that you might consider as accents in the house to stop the browns from dominating too much and to add a sense of harmony and balance to the rooms. You could try Resene Half Dusted Blue or Resene Explorer.
December 2016
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Q. I am building a new house and I'm considering painting it Resene Black; there are some areas of red brick and the roof is Grey Friars but I'm not sure what colour to use for joinery or garage door. I do have a concern that Grey Friars has a potential to throw blue as it fades. Can you help with colour options? The interior will be ceilings in Resene Alabaster, walls possibly Resene Half Napa or something in the grey brown range but not dark with other walls being a grey white. A. If you have a concern about Grey Friars showing the blue/charcoal undertones of colour have you considering using a different charcoal - i.e. COLORSTEEL® TernStyle, Flax or Ironsand? These colours are not blue toned. I find that the garage door colour is often the same colour as the roof - sometimes the joinery is as well but increasingly people are favouring using a pale neutral or white so that the look from the inside as well as the exterior has a harmonious look. This may be something you need to think through.
December 2016
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Q. I need a warm colour for my kitchen which is on the cold side of the house to go with a feature wall in Resene Alaska. A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Eighth Rice Cake, Resene Quarter Bianca or Resene Half Soapstone.
December 2016
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Q. I am putting in a soft charcoal grey carpet and would like to know if something like Resene Alabaster or Resene Pearl Lusta would work with it, or do I need to go for a paint with grey tones? A. Charcoal - or any sort of grey - is a fundamental neutral that will co-ordinate well with a huge amount of colours. Do you need to paint grey tones? Not unless you want to - the marvellous thing is that the choice is all yours. You sound as though you might be having a bit of pressure applied to you - if this is the case please say (firmly!) to whoever the helpful person is that the Colour Consultant says you can have anything you like. Personally I feel too much grey in a home or in your wardrobe could be a bit depressing. If you want a warmer look please do investigate the sweet whites - they work so well and lift and brighten the rooms. Then you could also add some pastel coloured greys for touches of feminine and nostalgic ambiance. Check out these scenarios - Resene Half Pearl Lusta (main colour) used with Resene Half Alabaster (ceiling and woodwork) and perhaps a little bit of these colours - Resene In The Mauve or Resene Half Emerge.
December 2016
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Q. My mother-in-law has a 1910 villa with an extension which is in desperate need of some interior paint. The kitchen/living/dining is open plan and the floors are polished wood. There is low light from the side windows so it has poor ceiling lighting. It has a high pitched ceiling with exposed wooden beams, painted black. We are after a light and bright (yet warm) shade of white for walls, and then a complementary shade for the trims and ceilings. The kitchen cabinetry also needs painting. Can you recommend the best ‘white’ options as a starting point? It’s a large space, so don't want it to feel too sterile either. A. Your mother in law might check out these warm/bright/light whites to see if they appeal to her - Resene Half Rice Cake, Resene Half Orchid White, Resene Half Villa White or Resene Bianca. Colours to consider for the trims and ceilings might be one of these - Resene Eighth Rice Cake, Resene Quarter Bianca or Resene Alabaster. Kitchen cabinetry might be a more definite colour - what types of colours does your mother in law favour? If she doesn't like anything too coloured or definite she could use a slightly deeper version of the wall colour so it is very tonally balanced - Resene Double Rice Cake, Resene Orchid White, Resene Villa White or Resene Double Bianca. December 2016
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Q. We have bought a 1980s weatherboard house. We want to paint the exterior Resene Napa but we also have a large deck out the back that will need to be painted but I’m not sure what colour would look good. A. You might use a lighter version of the house colour - Resene Quarter Napa or a darker colour - Resene Triple Napa. Or a colour that worked well with exterior house colour like one of these mid toned greens - Resene Rivergum or Resene Forest Green.
December 2016
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Q. I want some advice on what neutral colour to paint our walls. All the doors and trim are Resene Quarter Spanish White and I believe the ceilings are some form of Resene Pearl Lusta. If I paint the walls Resene Quarter Spanish White also, will the room end up looking quite yellow or more of an off white? What other neutral colours/creams/whites could I paint the walls? Is there a light or baby blue that would work as a feature wall with Resene Quarter Spanish White? Also in a separate room, what sort of light/dusty pink would go with Resene Quarter Spanish White? A. The very definite door and trim colour - Resene Quarter Spanish White does exert a lot of control over what else can be used for the walls. I think if you were to use the same colour on the walls it would be the simple easy option - and I don't think it would look too yellow. It would look like a warm cream/beige influenced off white. It might look a little peachy toned in a west facing room late in the afternoon because of the sun carrying yellow/red tones at that time of the day. If you were to investigate other neutrals for the walls you may need to use deeper colours. This may make the Resene Quarter Spanish White look lighter and less of a strong definite colour. Is this what you are hoping for? If this is the case you could check out these options - Resene Biscotti, Resene Fossil, Resene Half Tea or Resene Quarter Drought. Some light/dusty pinks and blues that might appeal to you as a feature wall could be like these colours - Resene Half Dusted Blue or Resene Always.
December 2016
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Q. We are building a large 2-storeyed Hebel-clad home with a white plaster finish and charcoal roof and guttering. We can’t agree on the best colour for the window joinery - silver grey or charcoal/dark grey. Quite a few white plastered homes use both these colours these days. Also, would you have the downpipes white or the same as the roof colour? A. Firstly - let us address the down pipes. Do you think they are an attractive feature that deserves to be highlighted so people can see them better? Then using the same colour as the roof will certainly do that for you. They will be vertical stripes on the white back ground. If however they are not the sort of thing that warrants being highlighted then if they are the same colour as the house they will merge and disappear. This could be good. It really is all about what you consider appropriate. And the same applies with the windows. Silver grey is a softer look and not so attention seeking and dark grey is more obvious - far more of an optic contrast. December 2016
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Q. We are looking for a very light colour scheme but not cold or stark. I have done two rooms in Resene Sea Fog with a white ceiling, but it feels a little grey... Would Resene Half Wan White be better? Or Resene Half Sea Fog? We are planning on Resene Alabaster or something similar on doors and skirtings. A. Resene Half Wan White may look cooler and greyer than any of the Resene Sea Fog colours. If you want slightly brighter/warmer colours to work with Resene Alabaster you might check out these colours – Resene Merino or Resene Quarter Albescent White. If after testing carefully the suggested colours they still look a little grey in tone it may be the quality of natural light that you have that is making the colours look that way. The answer to the light situation is to place large mirrors opposite the windows to reflect far more light into the rooms, to extend the curtain tracks further out from the windows frames so that curtains are pushed away the sides of the windows to increase the light you have and to use brighter warm toned light bulbs to compensate.
December 2016
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Q. We recently bought a house that was built with Palisade® weatherboards in 2001. They are great waterproofing for the house and we don’t want to replace them. Unfortunately they are a cream colour which stands out in the environmentally sensitive area we live in (high on a hill) surrounded by DOC land. I have spoken to Dynex Extrusions and they informed me that they can be painted as long as the Light Reflectance Value is equal to or more than 62%. Could you advise me on some colours within this value that would tone down the exterior of the property? A. You have a massive amount of lighter colour options to choose from. These are a few that you might check out - Resene Half Tea (LRV 65%) and the lighter variants of this colour - i.e. Resene Quarter Tea and Resene Eighth Tea, Resene Half Ash (LRV 63%) and the lighter variants of this colour - i.e. Resene Quarter Ash and Resene Eighth Ash. Or Resene Quarter Foggy Grey (LRV 64%), Resene Fossil (LRV 63%) and the lighter variants of this colour - i.e. Resene Half Fossil, Resene Quarter Fossil and Resene Eighth Fossil. Or Resene Quarter Drought (LRV 67%) and the lighter variants of this colour - i.e. Resene Eighth Drought, or Resene Quarter Akaroa (LRV 69%) and the lighter variants of this colour - i.e. Resene Eighth Akaroa. Or Resene Half Truffle (LRV 64%) and the lighter variants of this colour - i.e. Resene Quarter Truffle or Resene Eighth Truffle. December 2016
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Q. I'm looking for a colour for my new black and white bathroom. I was thinking about using a grey. A. You might check out these grey colours to see if any of them appeal to you - Resene Concrete and the lighter variants - i.e. Resene Half Concrete and Resene Quarter Concrete. Or Resene Half Rakaia and lighter - i.e. Resene Quarter Rakaia, Resene Half Surrender and lighter - i.e. Resene Quarter Surrender. Or Resene Double Sea Fog and lighter - i.e. Resene Sea Fog, Resene Half Sea Fog and Resene Quarter Sea Fog (also known as Resene Double Alabaster). Or dark/dramatic greys - if you were bold and brave – try Resene Stack, Resene Quarter Tuna or Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey. December 2016
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Q. We are thinking of painting our house Resene Titania what colours would you suggest for the roof, windows and basement? A. If the basement of the house was very big (height wise) it may not be wise to use a deep colour as you might end up making the house look like a sandwich. You might use a lighter colour - perhaps to match the windows - Resene Rice Cake or Resene Quarter Ecru White. If the basement was very modest in size you could use the same colour as the main colour - Resene Titania - this might make the house seem taller. If you would prefer lighter/whiter windows you could check out these colours – Resene Eighth Rice Cake or Resene Alabaster. Some roof colour options for you to check out – Resene Ironsand, Resene Squall, Resene Windswept or Resene Element.
December 2016
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Q. We need to paint the upper Hardiplank® cladding on our house. We are going to clean the Summerhill stone which is a Canterbury Clay like colour with a light grey colour grouting. We don't really like it but definitely want to change the yellowy top and blue trim. Hubby is thinking Resene Double Concrete or the like whereas I thought Resene Spanish White but then that is similar to the status quo. We also need to stain the upper decking. Open to all ideas please. A. You might check out Resene Woodsman Bleached Cedar or Resene Woodsman Sheer Black for the deck and posts to add a bit of depth and contrast. A colour for the upper storey might be a little more troublesome (because of the brick colour influence) and the simple default choice might be a much lighter/crisper colour – Resene Orchid White or Resene Half Villa White. Any other colour that is more random and unrelated might emphasise the colour of the bricks and make them look very much more of a strong yellow - I am not sure that would be a good idea. Is the roof a blue colour? Is that why the trims were painted blue - to co-ordinate?If that is the case then I can understand your husband wanting another blue. Perhaps a greyer colour - provided it has a subtle undertone of blue in it - may work - Resene Half Tuna or Resene Quarter Grey Friars.
December 2016
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Q. I live in a Victorian Terrace and I want to paint my front door a clear red with some depth. Surrounding it will be Resene Alabaster for woodwork, Resene Black for ironwork balustrade and Resene Half Friar Greystone for exterior walls. I keep choosing a bright orange red which I'm not confident about. A. You don't indicate which particular red colours that you have looked at previously so - fingers crossed - I am hoping that I don't inadvertently suggest the same colours again. You might check these out to see if they appeal to you – Resene Red Berry, Resene Pohutukawa or Resene Jalapeno. There is a secret to using reds - always apply them over a grey basecoat (white undercoat makes them appear very transparent like cellophane® and far brighter than you might expect the colour to be).
December 2016
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Q. We are unsure of the right colour for render on front of house only. We have Surfmist eaves and guttering, coal tile roof, and driveway will eventually be coloured a dark grey colour to tie in with the roof. Our bricks are Austral Escape; they are a light orangey creamy colour with tiny cream and other colour pebble flecks. The mortar is off white. The house is currently painted COLORBOND® Evening Haze which is slightly green tone and a bit too light which we do not like. We would like a warm brown grey tone. Dune is similar but without the pinky purple tones. We also need something with a bit more contrast but not too dark. Also we were unsure whether to paint two tones, one around the front windows and the other around the garage, door, pillar and letterbox. A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - they are warm colours (like the bricks) but with more brown in them but not grey. Greys are often too green, too yellow or too pink - as you have already found out. Try Resene Biscotti, Resene Shelter, Resene Castaway, Resene Quarter Gargoyle or Resene Drought.
December 2016
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Q. Our house is Resene Triple Concrete colour with white trim. What colour should we do the deck? A. If the deck is new wood you do have choices - either staining it or painting it. If the deck has already been stained in the past then it is a case of using the same type of stain again in a new colour. You do need to test the stain colour in an inconspicuous place over the existing colour so you can see how it looks. Stain - unlike paint - is semi-transparent so a certain amount of the existing colour will influence how you see the new stain colour. Stain colours need to be recoated more frequently than paint - every 2-3 years. Try Resene Woodsman Silvered Grey - a softer/lighter colour or Resene Woodsman Sheer Black - which is a darker/black/brown. If the deck has been painted previously [or you would prefer to use a paint system] you have a choice between using Resene Lumbersider or Resene Walk-on. For a painted option you could try Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey or Resene Scarpa Flow. I would strongly recommend that you use the CoolColour reformulated version of the colours listed to minimise the extreme heat that can jeopardise timber.
December 2016
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Q. We are about to paint the exterior of our home. We have recently put a garage on the property which is fairly close to the house - we matched the garage roof colour to the house roof colour (Ironsand) and the garage wall cladding is Titania. We are looking for a modern colour scheme for our 1960s ex state home - should we match the exterior colour to the Titania on the garage? I had thought perhaps Resene Double Black White would have been nice for the exterior but as we have already started painting a few of the window frames Resene Black White, I am concerned there is not enough difference in the two colours. Our preference is for greys/white. A. In order to see a little more contrast between the main colour and the windows you might consider one of these colours for the main exterior of the house – Resene Bone White (deeper but very similar to Titania), Resene Half Foggy Grey (greyer than Titania which is more yellow/green) or Resene Triple Black White (lighter than Resene Half Foggy Grey and Resene Bone White) - though there is a difference between Resene Triple Black White and the Resene Black White windows in some lights this may be minimal.
December 2016
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Q. I'm thinking about painting our exterior weatherboard in Resene Half Periglacial Blue. Can you please let me know which black colour would suit for the front door? A. You could check out these blacks to see if they appeal to you – Resene Cinder, Resene Double Cod Grey, Resene Nero or a blackened blue – Resene Dark Knight.
December 2016
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Q. We have painted our house Resene Cougar however it throws pink from a distance. We have railings to paint and need to get it right. We know Resene Middle Earth is a good match but are there browns that would work as well? A. You are right - Resene Cougar is described as `á feline taupe edged in pink with echoes of Resene Napa in it' This warmth (the pink tone you see) may be very noticeable on the westerly side of the house late in the afternoon when the sunlight picks up sunset hues and reflects them off the paintwork. Colours like these ones look good with Resene Cougar – Resene Blackout, Resene Half Bokara Grey, Resene Diesel, Resene Coffee Bean, Resene Half Wood Bark or Resene Saddle.
December 2016
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Q. We need to update and repaint our exterior after a recent reno and due to aging paint. We are looking to paint the COLORBOND® - it is Mountain Blue/Deep Ocean now but we want to paint it grey. We would like another shade of grey perhaps for fibro sheeting but are having trouble picking shades that go well together. The windows are black and the door and decking are timber. A. You might check out these blue toned greys and warmer grey/beiges to see if any appeal to you - they do look smart with the bluer COLORBOND® cladding and the black joinery - Resene Quarter Regent Grey, Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Quarter Silver Chalice, Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene White Pointer or Resene Half Cloud. If you are testing the colours might I suggest that you don't apply them to the fibro as the existing colour (yellow) will alter how the colours are seen - to their detriment and your confusion. If you apply all of the testpot/two coats to a arge A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) (leave a narrow unpainted white card border all around the edges) and tape it to the house it will allow you to see the colours as they truly are.
December 2016
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Q. Our house has terracotta coloured roof tiles and a painted white wooden exterior. We would like to update the house, but are just looking to paint the windows at this stage. What colour would you suggest, and on which part of the windows? We also have a front and back porch with steps to do, what colour would you paint these? At present they are painted the terracotta/pink colour the same as the base of the house, but would like to give them a fresh look. The panels on the garage are also planted a two tone green, so which colour would you change that to? A. If you painted the base of the house white to match the weatherboards it would remove some of the terracotta influence and make the house look taller as the 'sandwich effect' of using a very strong colour on the base would be removed. It may not be a case of which new colours you might choose for the windows and the garage panels now because when you eventually do paint the main body of the house the colour you love and want to use may not work with the window and garage panel colour. Will that worry you? Will you repaint them (again) to suit the new house colour? Choosing colours out of sequence can cause problems. It is a bit like planning on buying a new dress to go to a wedding next year but choosing to buy the shoes now (because they are on sale or because they are so cute) and hoping like anything that the dress you eventually find to buy will suit the shoes. If the windows are totally, utterly desperate for new paint then you could just use Resene White. It goes with everything. It leaves you totally free to have any colour choices in the world for the house, the garage and the front and back porch.
December 2016
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Q. Our house is 20 years old and the COLORSTEEL® roof and joinery are Lichen, in good condition. The garage door, fascia and bargeboards are cedar and the interior sills and sashes are rimu. What would be a good colour to paint the exterior cladding? A. You might check out these colours to see they appeal to you – Resene Grey Olive, Resene Half Thorndon Cream, Resene Rice Cake, Resene Triple White Pointer or Resene Half Tea.
December 2016
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Q. I have brown aluminium windows throughout my house with a natural dark wood surround in the interior. I'd like to paint the wood to modernise my 70s style house and like light colours but am not sure I could go white because it will make the wood stand out. The house is currently painted in light natural tones and I'd like something to go with that but any suggestions for warm, light, natural colours for when I update the walls would also be appreciated. A. The natural dark wood surrounds throughout the interior serve to draw more attention to the brown aluminium windows and make them the feature you see most in the rooms. If the wooden windows surrounds (and any skirting boards, door frames, doors etc) were painted to match the walls then the opposite effect may well happen - the windows would recede a little bit, blend in and not be so attention seeking. It would open up and lighten your spaces as well so the rooms may look larger. If you are planning on updating the wall colours (to warm, light, natural colours) you may need to consider the colour of the flooring and drapes, bedspreads and kitchen cabinets and worktops so that the new wall colour harmonises well with them. Unless, after painting the walls, you plan to replace all of the existing elements I have mentioned so that they work with the new wall colour. Is that what you are planning? You may need to think through your options and test colours really carefully so that the whole look comes together. I am fearful that choosing a new modern, light colour for the wooden surrounds now will end up looking piecemeal and odd - because it will not work with your existing walls and may not work with any new colours you choose. Take your time - plan your decor changes carefully. December 2016
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Q. We are building a new home. We have a black stone bench in our kitchen and are thinking of having Resene Double White Pointer on our walls with a lighter version on our skirtings, doors, window sills and ceilings. We need to paint our kitchen joinery and are thinking of Resene Half Stonehenge. Will this work? Also will the lighter versions of Resene Double White Pointer be too much of a contrast? A. I quite like the Resene Double White Pointer (walls) and the Resene Half Stonehenge (cabinets) but perhaps you could also check out this alternative colour for the cabinets - just to ensure the 'rightness' of the colour you are considering by comparing them with each other and the wall colour. Try Resene Eighth Oilskin. A lighter colour for the woodwork - skirting boards, door frames, doors, window surrounds and ceilings - could be one of these colours – Resene Quarter White Pointer or Resene Half Sea Fog.
December 2016
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Q. We have recently moved into this house. The weatherboards are painted Resene Mischka. We are repainting the brown square on the ground floor but I'm not sure what colour (I think it is currently Resene Diesel). We are replacing all windows with white double glazed windows with white timber facings. We will also at some point repaint the garage door and roof a different colour (possibly dark grey but open to suggestions on that too!). We will also repaint the wood around the top of the deck. I think I'd prefer a light colour for the brown ‘box’. I saw that Resene Tea was possibly a colour option but I would like some other suggestions please. A. If you are keeping the existing main colour on the house and not changing it then a charcoal roof and garage door colour would be very suitable. Perhaps check out these ones to see if they appeal to you - Resene Grey Friars, or softer/lighter greys like these ones - Resene Half Fuscous Grey, Resene Half Tuna or Resene Raven. Resene Tea might suit if it and Resene Mischka were being used in an interior but perhaps not so appropriate on an exterior. Options to consider for the 'box' - and the wood around the top of the deck - as a feature element might be one of these ones – Resene Quarter Oilskin, Resene Wolverine or a surprising (more coloured) option – Resene Half Aubergine. Or similar (but lighter) to those roof and garage door suggestions for 'tight' co-ordination of colours – Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey or Resene Quarter Grey Friars. December 2016
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Q.I have a 1960 weatherboard home with a New Denim Blue roof that has been on for some time so has aged and mellowed. For an exterior scheme I am looking at Resene Surrender for the weatherboards and base with white trim. For the interior I am looking for a soft grey with white trim and am considering Resene Half Surrender. The flooring is light and natural matt finished Tawa. The interior isn't going to be super modernised but retain a more original character. Would you suggest any other colours that may work? A. Some other soft greys that you might check out to see if they appeal to you (more than the Resene Half Surrender) could be one of these ones – Resene Concrete, Resene Quarter Silver Chalice, Resene Flotsam, Resene Quarter Delta, Resene Double House White or Resene Half Grey Chateau. It is only by comparing colours that we see the underlying tints and tones within them and get to appreciate their unique qualities.
December 2016
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Q. We are building a two storey house with a Monument roof, silver anodised window frames and PGH Breaking Dawn brick. We are looking for brown tones to match the chocolate brick for weatherboards/render, and then also darker and lighter feature colours. Any recommendations? We have chosen a Nocturnal door to tie in with the Monument roof. A. As the bricks are so very dark and the roof is as well I am not sure any darker colour exists (apart from Black) that would be darker than those elements. Lighter colours might be like these ones – Resene Havana, Resene Barista, Resene Felix, Resene Kabul, Resene Americano or Resene Otter.
December 2016 |
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Q. We have a cream house with a Forest Green roof and the weatherboards are in need of painting. We are looking for colour ideas to paint the somewhat dated cream. We are thinking grey but would appreciate some ideas of Resene colours that would work. A. You might check out these colours - they are not cool steely greys - they are warmer and somewhat stony in hue - to see if they appeal to you – Resene Foggy Grey, Resene Quarter Taupe Grey, Resene Quarter Friar Greystone . Or paler options – Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Quill Grey or Resene Triple Black White. You might need to use a crisper 'white' for the windows to enhance the grey weatherboards – Resene Alabaster or Resene Black White.
December 2016
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Q. I have a mid-90s home with a New Denim Blue roof and garage. Can you please advise a modern exterior colour to go with these? A. You could check out these neutral colours - they are very popular and quite smart looking – Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene White Pointer, Resene Truffle, Resene Cloud or Resene Quarter Foggy Grey.
December 2016
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Q. We live in a light brown house that gets lots of sun in summer. We want to paint the fence and oil stain our pine deck. For the fence, we are thinking of dark grey. For the deck, we are thinking of a lighter oil stain to give a good contrast and go well with the dark fence. For the fence do you suggest oil or waterbased paint? A. Usually water based paints (acrylics) are used on most exterior surfaces (except doors and joinery where either may be used) and definitely on fences. The name of the type of paint for fences is called Resene Lumbersider. If you look at warmer dark greys like these ones they may appeal to you and work well in close association with the light brown of the house – Resene Bokara Grey (very dark), Resene Half Masala (mid toned) or Resene Half Gravel (mid toned). A lighter oil stain for the deck might be either of these ones – Resene Woodsman Nutmeg or more natural looking and not so coloured – Resene Woodsman Natural.
December 2016
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Q. Our joinery is an off white, similar to Resene Half Spanish White. Can you suggest some exterior colours to make it look more 'white’ as it’s quite yellowy looking? Also a complementary colour for the front door would be great! Our roof is Pacific Blue. A. In order to make such a definite creamy/yellow joinery colour look lighter you might need to have a much stronger main colour. This would force the eye to see the off white as not so coloured. It won't ever look white - just not so strong a colour. Is this what you want? If it is then you might check these colours – Resene Double Truffle, Resene Half Taupe Grey, Resene Double Tea, Resene Half Friar Greystone or Resene Bison Hide. Perhaps one of these colours might appeal to you for the front door – Resene Coast or Resene Trouble.
December 2016
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Q. We are renovating all our downstairs and our family bathroom is being done a budget. I can't seem to figure out what colours to use in the bathroom. It has one small window (which we are replacing with a white double glazed window but it will be same size) and it faces SW so is quite dark. The only thing I have bought is a St Michel vanity in light oak. We will have vinyl floor of some description and will tile above the vanity and bath. As it is a family bathroom I don't want anything too stark or modern. The overall style of the house will be cottage-like but a modern take. I've had neutral/mocha bathrooms before so I am looking for something to brighten it up a little. Any ideas welcome! I quite like Resene Envy, Resene Emerge and Resene Tiara but think maybe these aren't great for adding light. A. I have a thought that based on the colours that you quite like you might try cleaner versions of these types of colours. They won't 'grey off' too much when there is shadow in the bathroom and the white bathroom fittings and the light oak vanity will create a fresh watery ambiance.
December 2016
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Q. I have a 1964 weatherboard house and am painting the exterior. We are painting the wooden joinery and bargeboards Resene Sea Fog and the roof Resene Nocturnal; I am looking for suggestions on colours for the weatherboards and the front and back door which are vertical grooved doors. I have seen a colour consultant and at the meeting I chose Resene Atmosphere as I want a grey but when I painted the testpot on the weatherboard I didn't like the green in the colour. The colours I have tested are Resene Quarter Scarpa Flow, Resene Half Jumbo, Resene Half Stack, Resene Triple Concrete and Resene Atmosphere but I am open to other suggestions. I don't have anything in mind for the doors. A. All colours - and greys are no exception to the rule - carry multiple undertones of colour in them. December 2016
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