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. I have a bedroom that gets almost no sun in winter and despite having two windows is quite dark and cold. What colour would work well please? A. You might check out these light, warm colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Half Orchid White, Resene Eighth Biscotti, Resene Half Spanish White or Resene Half Gin Fizz.
February 2017
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Q. We are decorating on an almost zero budget. This means we are sticking with the cream curtains, blue/grey carpet, though we might go for polished concrete one day and our brown faux wood vinyl flooring. We also splashed out and painted some of the doors a bright strawberry red (which we like)... but can you give some tips for wall paint please? I need to tie together the other elements. To make things more confusing, most of our furniture is second hand and mixed wood colours - but we could repaint some of it in suitable colours. In general we are drawn to simple, no fuss, almost industrial designs. Also, we have paint at hand, which is Resene Fawn Green, but it’s not my favourite. A. Resene Fawn Green (quite a yellow/green) may look best where the floor is the wood vinyl flooring - they are both earthy. If you don't want to use it, you might sell it and use the money you make to go towards a new paint. I think you may be best using a light versatile neutral on the walls so that you can tie together the flooring and curtains and hopefully the bright red doors. Painting over some of the mismatched wooden furniture is a good call - it might be a white (a lot of people do white because it works with anything) or a deep, interesting, colour (deep blue may work because of the carpet) so do think carefully of the overall effect you want. The walls may be one of these colours - Resene Half Pearl Lusta, Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream or Resene Half Cararra. A deep blue that you could check out for some of the furniture might be one of these colours - Resene True Blue or a greyer blue – Resene New Denim Blue.
February 2017
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Q. I have recently moved house to a home with cream carpet throughout, creamy ochre fitted kitchen and similar tiled floors in the kitchen entrance and bathrooms. How can I blend the blues, whites and greys of the furniture from my previous home, with these colours? I can't change the kitchen fittings or the carpet. I like Gustavian style with a small touch of Shabby Chic. A. You may not be able to get exactly the look you want depending upon how rich toned the cream carpet and the kitchen cabinets are. Usually very cool whites are used as the main colour in any Gustavian styled home but not always. I suggest you warm up the white walls and add a little more grey to the overall look so the ochre or cream tones don't look too deeply yellow by comparison. As a main colour you could look at one of these whites - Resene Quarter Bianca or Resene Half Rice Cake. All woodwork trims and ceilings may need to be a true white - Resene White - if you wanted to create a clean crisp contrast. If you use a warm grey for the walls (or at least one wall) in the kitchen it may integrate the ochre influence a little bit - Resene Half Delta
February 2017
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Q. We are looking to replace our roof. It is not very visible, but we have exterior walls of the house painted Resene Pavlova and nearest to the roof and the concrete base is Resene Triple Tana. We are not sure if a darker roof - say Grey Friars or a lighter roof say Titania would be better. A. You might consider a modified grey that is warmer and more harmonious with the colours on the house (less blue toned as well) than Grey Friars – COLORSTEEL® TernStyle, or slightly lighter – COLORSTEEL® BasaltBase, or a lighter option - but not as white as Titania – COLORSTEEL® Bone White or COLORSTEEL® Lichen.
February 2017
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Q. We are doing a new build house, with a mono pitch roof using COLORSTEEL® FlaxPod and triple garage doors. The window joinery may be Silver Pearl. Our intention is to use Resene Triple Sea Fog or Resene Triple Black White on the Rockcote walls. Above, and in the entry way is weatherboards. Would the FlaxPod colour be ok, or should we use a lighter colour? A. If the triple garage doors are going to be the same colour as the roof, I suggest you use a lighter colour on the weatherboards. If you favour the warmer neutral for the Rockcote (Resene Triple Sea Fog) then you could check out Resene Scarpa Flow. If you favour using the slightly cooler colour (Resene Triple Black White) for the Rockcote then you might check out Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey. Either option would work well.
February 2017
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Q. I am about to start painting the bedroom in my old house. I will be painting the ceiling white. I'm thinking Resene Sea Fog for three of the walls and Resene Triple Sea Fog for the main wall. I was just going to paint the trim in white (no tint) but someone suggested I use Resene Black White. Is there much difference? I also want to paint the doors only, an almost black colour. Can you recommend colours that would work? A. Yes, there is a significant difference between real Resene White and Resene Black White. Personally, I would be inclined to use real Resene White for the woodwork - especially if you want to enhance the Resene Sea Fog. Resene Black White is very similar in depth to Resene Sea Fog but may be seen as slightly cooler. If you wanted to use a greyed off white for the woodwork, why not use exactly the same colour (Resene Sea Fog) or a lighter variant - Resene Half Sea Fog instead of moving off the palette of colours you have chosen? Some black shades that you might check out for the doors might be one of these ones - Resene Nero or Resene Double Cod Grey.
February 2017
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Q. I'm planning on painting the front fence, posts, railings and steps of my house. I've been looking at COLORBOND® colours, but I’m not sure if I'm on the right track. I'm trying to get away from too much brown, but would like to keep the cottage appearance. The fence being a similar colour to the house seems to make the property look like a sea of yellow from the road (in my opinion). This is my current idea - paint the fence in Wallaby and the rest in Woodland Grey. As the house is a kind of yellowish cream, I thought the grey might be a nice contrast. The deck floor is in dire need of doing, and is currently stained, however I think I will paint it as it will last longer. Would the Woodland Grey be too much on the deck floor along with the stairs or should I opt for another colour? A. I like your colour ideas - but I feel that the Wallaby is the odd man out. If you used a slightly warmer colour to work harmoniously with Woodland Grey then they would sit more sympathetically together. The COLORBOND® match colours in the Resene colour range are - Resene Squall (Woodland Grey) and Resene Climate (Bushland). You might use Resene Climate for the deck for a painted finish. Or wash down/rinse well and apply two coats of Resene Woodsman stain in Iroko (similar to the fence colours) or slightly greyer – Resene Smokey Ash.
February 2017
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Q. What colours would be good to use on a feature wall? We are painting the entire inside of the house in Resene Sea Fog and we are putting charcoal grey tiles on the hallway, kitchen, laundry, and toilet floors and probably a light grey carpet in the bedrooms. A. It appears to me, that almost any colour might be used as a feature wall with your main white colour and the shades of grey that you have for flooring. What colours do you like? What colours will enhance any other soft furnishings and accessories you may have in the house? What room will the feature colour be in? What mood are you hoping to create with the feature colour? Some ideas to get you started - Resene Dark Side, Resene Vitality, Resene Quarter Baltic Sea, Resene Simply Red, Resene Triple Sea Fog or Resene Dawn Chorus.
February 2017
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Q. I have Resene Triple Tea to paint the walls of my house. It's a 1980s Keith Hay type, standard rectangle with added double garage. It has dark brown joinery. What colour would you suggest for roof, garage door, front door, deck and fence? A. You might use the same colour for both the roof and the garage door – Resene Ironsand. The fences might be a green to add a bit of freshness to the brown theme that is happening on the house – try Resene Seaweed or if you don't like green then a blacker warm shade of colour might be considered - Resene Bokara Grey. The front door (and the back door if it is a painted one) might be a bit of excitement - Resene Dynamite or Resene Lush. And the deck - if it is painted - might be a lighter version of the roof colour - Resene Quarter Ironsand.
February 2017
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Q. I've just bought a stucco home with a lovely veranda out the front, with a light green roof, aluminium and poles. I am looking to paint these Grey Friars. The stucco walls are a dirty off cream colour. Please, can you help with a white colour for the walls? A. Perhaps one of these whites might be considered - Resene Wan White, Resene Black White, Resene Quarter Rice Cake or Resene Half Soapstone.
February 2017
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Q. We are looking at renovating our ensuite. We have tiles that are a grey/olive colour; I want to know what a nice colour would be to match the tiles. The colour is for the walls and ceiling. A. Perhaps you might consider a lighter neutral colour then it could be used for both the walls and the ceiling – Resene Half Joanna, Resene Half Ecru White or Resene Half Thorndon Cream.
February 2017
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Q. I want to paint my concrete brick house exterior. Unfortunately, it has Karaka aluminium joinery and roof. What wall colours would best match with Karaka to bring the house to life without accentuating the Karaka? A. You might look at the following colours to see if any of them appeal to you - Resene Taupe Grey, Resene Quarter Chicago, Resene Archive Grey, Resene Fifty Shades, Resene Castle Rock or Resene Copyrite.
February 2017
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Q. I have Resene Joanna in my new house extension (kitchen/dining/living). We look at trees from nearly every window so it looks fantastic, a bit earthy which I love. I'm now ready to paint the old part of the house. I want to keep the same or similar colour scheme throughout to lessen the old vs new impact. We have a skinny hallway, about 10m long. Would you recommend I go normal Resene Joanna or Resene Half Joanna or Resene Double Joanna for this skinny hallway to help it feel bigger? Also, for our mudroom, laundry and bathroom (all being renovated) I thought a deeper colour might look nice against white cupboards, bath, etc. I'm not sure Resene Double Joanna would be dark enough? What other colour in the same vein (bit earthy, green grey) would go well and not be too noticeably different to the Resene Joanna? A. A lighter version of Resene Joanna will make the skinny hallway look bigger - i.e. Resene Quarter Joanna may be better than the half tone version of Resene Joanna. Colours can double in their intensity/depth and hallways which have no natural source of light (windows) in them often look shadowy so that is another reason to go lighter on the walls. The mudroom, laundry and bathroom could be one of these deeper and slightly grey/green toned colours - Resene Ash, Resene Double Thorndon Cream, Resene Dusted Grey or Resene Half Copyrite.
February 2017
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Q. Please help us choose an exterior colour for our 15 year old traditional style batten and board home. We would like our pale cream window joinery to look less yellow in contrast. We will probably choose Grey Friars for our corrugated iron roof. A. I am not sure any colour will make the windows look less yellow if they are a yellow cream to begin with - except a very similar colour. I suspect that this is not what you want. Darker contrasting colours will make the cream joinery pop more and lighter colours will emphasise the windows and make them seem a stronger colour. You might check out these colours to see if any of them will work with the window joinery - Resene Double Parchment, Resene Double Akaroa, Resene Bison Hide or Resene Taupe Grey.
February 2017
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Q. My kitchen cupboards are Resene Celeste and I am looking to change the walls. Can you suggest possible wall colours with ceiling and door colours as well? A. Resene Celeste is a very pretty light green. You might look at these colours - Resene Half Rice Cake – walls and Resene Eighth Rice Cake - ceiling and wood trims/doors, or Resene Black White - walls and Resene White - ceiling and wood trims/doors, or Resene Green White – walls and Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta- ceiling and wood trims/doors.
February 2017
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Q. We have just purchased a 1950s, weatherboard house which has had extensive modernisation inside (painted throughout in Resene Black White). It has had a two storey extension added to the front in silver zincalume cladding. The original paintwork is light green. I would like to blend both parts of the house, but I’m unsure whether to paint a similar colour to zincalume or a darker contrast. There is a mixture of wooden joinery and white aluminium joinery. A. As you have white joinery and zincalume - both very bright - you might look at using a deeper (but not too dark) shadowy contrast colour to add a bit of depth and definition to the house. You could check these out to see if there are any colours that appeal to you - Resene Half Taupe Grey, Resene Double Stack, Resene Timekeeper (yes it is a blue but it might be considered if you are close to the sea) or Resene Tuna.
February 2017
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Q. We are painting the interior of our new build in Resene Alabaster including the kitchen units. I'm looking for a black for a full tongue and groove chimney breast to house a black TV and gas fire. Really to hide them a bit until they are on. I also need a charcoal or grey for feature tongue and groove walls in the bathrooms and toilets, alongside Resene Alabaster and subway tiling. The bathrooms are a little dark at times. We have warm wood flooring near the chimney breast and polished concrete in the bathrooms. I'm worried some blacks/charcoals can look quite blue. A. If you use a coloured black then you may well get a (cool) blue or a (warm) brown in it. Have you considered using a real black, such as Resene Black or Resene All Black? All greys and charcoals carry undertones of colour in them. They will show the underlying colour when seen in larger areas, with changing light - both natural and artificial - and when seen in close association with another colour - usually the flooring. You could check out these charcoals - Resene Quarter Baltic Sea or Resene Quarter Foundry.
February 2017
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Q. We are currently building a new house and have the following Resene colours in mind for our interior decoration: Walls: Resene Black White with ceiling, skirting and trims in Resene Half Alabaster and interior doors in Resene Double Black White, or Walls: Resene Quarter Merino with ceiling, skirting and trims in Resene Half Alabaster and interior doors in Resene Merino. We also have in mind Resene Truffle or Resene Ash in various variations (e.g. Resene Quarter Truffle for wall, Resene Truffle for door with a white colour (maybe your suggestion for ceiling). I’m not sure these colours would be the right choice? Our kitchen cabinets are in Melteca® Putty and we have a Quartz stone bench in a grey storm colour. We have a long hallway to bedrooms and it does not have much natural lighting. Other areas including bedrooms and living get more natural light. We have white bricks with weatherboards in Resene Half Masala for the exterior with black coloured joinery and roof. From the above, what do you suggest as a good set of interior Resene colours, without making the house look too dark, but still look warm? I’m not sure which colours above, will look more green/grey. Also, should we go for a darker colour on the interior doors than the walls or a lighter colour on the doors, rather than the walls? A. I do like the second set of colours you are considering (they are warmer than the first set of colours) however there is very little difference between the wall colour and the ceilings and wood trims - is this what you are striving for? If you would prefer a little bit more crisp contrast between the main wall colour and ceilings and woodwork then you could consider using Resene Quarter Alabaster. There may be very large or very bright rooms that you might use a deeper variant of Resene Merino in - i.e. Resene Double Merino - as a whole room or as a feature wall only to provide a focal point. As an alternative colour for this purpose you could also consider using Resene Quarter Ash which works well with the main colour - Resene Quarter Merino - but has a little more grey/green in it. I often recommend that doors have a little bit of colour on them (and you have included full strength Resene Merino as the option for these) compared to the walls - as finger marking doesn't show as much. Too dark a colour can make the doors too much of a feature and seeing as there are a lot of doors in the house it might make them 'too much' overall. Hallways are never blessed with windows so they are often a bit dim and they do need a light colour to compensate for that. February 2017
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Q. I have painted my interior walls in Resene Concrete and ceilings in Resene Eighth Black White. I would like an 'off white' in our bathrooms that isn't too stark, with a touch of warmth. What colour 'white' would you recommend? We have grey tiles very close to the concrete paint colour and an oak coloured vanity. We love pastel towels. A. You may be able to use one of these colours in the bathroom - but do please test them carefully to ensure they work with the tiles and the vanity - Resene Quarter Concrete, Resene Half Merino, Resene Sea Fog or Resene Quarter White Pointer.
February 2017
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Q. I thought I had decided on my colours for the exterior of my board and batten house, set on a bush site and overlooking water. I decided on Resene Ironsand for the iron roof, Resene Truffle for the exterior of the house, Resene Triple Truffle on the balustrades and handrails and Resene Alabaster for the wooden windows. However, at the 11th hour, and with colour samples stuck up on the exterior walls, I feel that Resene Truffle is too grey a taupe. Resene Double Truffle would be too dark. The interior of my house has a coastal look – Resene Alabaster and Resene Double Alabaster on all walls with more beige/sand taupe colours for furnishings rather than grey. I would love an expert opinion on another colour that I could substitute for Resene Truffle, around the same depth that is more beige and less grey. And also a toning colour for the handrails that is slightly darker please? Finally, with the house being so light, is Resene Alabaster the best white for the windows? A. Yes, Resene Alabaster is a great white for the windows. Some less grey toned taupes may carry more warmth in them - is this what you are wanting for the exterior of the house? You might check these colours out to see if you find them more suitable compared to the Resene Truffle and Resene Triple Truffle - Resene Triple White Pointer and (lighter for the balustrades and handrails) Resene Half White Pointer, or Resene Half Cloud and (deeper for the balustrades and handrails) Resene Cloudy. When it comes to making a judgment about how a colour looks, it does pay to compare like with like - you may reverse your decision about Resene Truffle looking too grey when you compare it to Resene White Pointer or to Resene Half Cloud. February 2017
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Q. I'm painting our new house with Resene Sea Fog on the walls, Resene Double Sea Fog on the doors and window frames and was wondering about the ceilings. Resene Alabaster was suggested, would this be ok? I also plan to do a few walls in a couple of rooms with Resene Coast. A. I think Resene Alabaster will look lovely with your other colours. It is very suitable. I like your idea of using Resene Coast as a feature in some of the rooms.
February 2017
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Q. We are renovating a house and building a Versatile® garage. The house is currently Resene Double Tea walls with an Ironsand roof and Resene Half Sea Fog windows frames. Resene Double Tea is darker than I would like. The garage will be Titania with an Ironsand roof and garage door. I am thinking of painting the house Resene Titania to match but I guess I will have to paint the windows frames/soffits too so that there is more contrast. My question is does Resene Titania look ok as a house colour and do I need to paint windows? A. Yes Resene Titania does look lovely as a house colour and you are right - you will need a little more contrast in order to appreciate your main house colour. Perhaps you might use one of these whiter whites – Resene Half Alabaster or Resene Quarter Black White. As an alternative main house colour (one that may allow you to keep the Resene Half Sea Fog on the windows) you could use Resene Bone White which looks like a slightly deeper version of Titania.
February 2017
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Q. We are about to paint our house and want a modern reasonably neutral colour for it. We have built a new house behind us which is largely white weatherboard and has some stone detail work on it with silver joinery. The house we are painting is a 60s Neil weatherboard single level home. It has a charcoal concrete tile roof and has a red brick base around the sides but at the front is a concrete deck. All of the joinery has just been replaced with Nulook aluminium joinery which is called Arctic White. We were considering painting it Resene Athens Grey but wonder if it won't be a bit too light and match the joinery too closely. Any ideas for a weatherboard colour and a white that would go well on the soffits and frames etc? A. You have probably realised now just how cool and blue/grey toned the Arctic White joinery is - if you aren't aware of this then place a sheet of white printer paper alongside the joinery and you will see what I mean. I think you might be better getting a little more depth in a cool grey for the main house colour and these are a few that you may find work well with Arctic White – Resene Iron, Resene Surrender, Resene Quarter Silver Chalice or Resene Concrete. Generally speaking colours on the exterior look lighter/brighter due to the natural sunlight stripping any depth out of them. The suggested main colours will look lighter.
If you wanted to have a white to work with the joinery then I suggest you could get a Resene version of Arctic White tinted at your Resene ColorShop. If a match isn't a necessity then I suggest you use Resene White. Any other coloured white may create a discord when seen close to the Arctic White.
February 2017
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Q. We are painting the exterior of our bach. It has existing silver aluminium windows and a roof colour that is similar to Resene Bandicoot. I'm keen on a dark colour and have been looking at Resene Double Masala, Resene Half Ironsand or Resene Dune for the weatherboards. Do colours appear darker or lighter once painted on the house than what they appear in an A4 size? For the rest of the exterior, I was considering Resene Triple Dune for the front door and garage door. Would it look ok to paint the fascia board same as walls? What colour would you suggest I paint the eaves (and two odd timber windows around the rear of the house)? I was thinking possibly Resene Double Merino. A. If your roof colour is a COLORSTEEL® powder coat it may be a colour called Lichen. I like the idea of Resene Dune as the main colour and Resene Triple Dune for the front door and garage door. All colours can appear lighter (or brighter) on the exterior due to bright sunlight influencing how you see the colour. Yes you can paint the fascia board the same colour as the walls. Resene Double Merino is an option for the eaves and the wooden windows but you might also check out Resene Thorndon Cream which is slightly lighter and sits nicely with the other colours you are considering.
February 2017
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Q. I've just had some landscaping done at the front of my house and have a new timber fence and retaining walls. The colour of my house joinery is a very dark dirty green. I think it's called Karaka. I'd like the fence to match this. Can you please recommend fence paint colours that are like a noticeably green-toned black? A. You could use exactly the same colour as the joinery - Resene Karaka - had you considered that as an option? Or alternatively you might consider using Resene Eternity or Resene Double Gravel.
February 2017
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Q. We are painting a small traditional villa with bullnose return verandas and horizontal weatherboards. The roof and aluminium joinery are Grey Friars which currently look bluish grey against the rustic oak weatherboards. I hope to bring out the grey in the joinery rather than the blue. It has been suggested we paint the window frames dark grey e.g. Resene Ironsand but I wonder about the paint cracking in the sun. What light trim do you think might work with the Grey Friars? A. In regard Resene Ironsand - would you mind it looking both dark and olive/brown? It might look very unrelated compared to the COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars steel grey charcoal - which does throw out a blue cast - especially noticeable on the roof when seen at a 45 degree angle to the sun. There are lighter variants of Grey Friars - Resene Half Grey Friars and Resene Quarter Grey Friars - which you might check just in case you can cope with the blue edge that can sometimes be seen.
Alternatively a slightly different grey colour like Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey or Resene Quarter Foundry might be ok as long as it was made in the reformulated CoolColour™ formula to minimise - as much as possible - the U.V. damage that can occur to timber that is painted deeper colours.
February 2017
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Q. We are getting a reroof in Grey Friars and painting the house in Resene Half Tea. I'm undecided about the choice of colour for the fascia, soffit and trim/sills. I want a white, but would Resene Black White or Resene Alabaster be better? A. Everyone has a favourite `white' that they go to and all your friends and relatives will offer you their best suggestion. There are a lot of whites to choose from but either of those you have mentioned will work.
If you are asking me what I would have then I think Resene Alabaster would be lovely with Resene Half Tea and Grey Friars but if you thought it was too stark there is always the very slightly more toned white - Resene Double Alabaster.
February 2017
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Q. We are currently in the process of choosing the exterior colours for our new build home. With white traditional Palisade® cladding and Grey Friars for the joinery and roof, but we are unsure of what stain to have on the cedar which will cover nearly 50% of the house. It is a coastal property so want it to look as natural as possible but so it ties in with the rest of the house. A. With cedar a natural look can take several forms. You might leave it to silver off with nothing on it at all - this is good in theory but as cedar very rarely looks a uniform colour if you do this (and because it is a very light soft wood) it may get a lot of weather damage and uneven discolouration. You might like an oiled but not coloured look - this might be Resene Woodsman – Natural. You could stain it a `wood' colour - again this is a little fraught as some people like the rich reddish look of new cedar - Resene Woodsman – Oiled Cedar and some people don't. You might choose a soft grey stain to get an authentic sun bleached by the seaside look - this may look wonderful with the white of the house and the deep almost blue charcoal of the roof - i.e. Resene Woodsman – Silvered Grey or Resene Woodsman – Smokey Ash. Alternatively you may like a deep blue grey tone - Resene Woodsman Bleached Cedar. Or an almost black look is popular - Resene Woodsman – Sheer Black or the exact opposite look would be Resene Woodsman Whitewash. Whichever colour you do choose in order to protect it from weathering it must be restained every two years on a regular maintenance schedule.
February 2017
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Q. My weatherboards are painted Resene Dutch White and the windows and doors a darker shade of yellow. I want to brighten up the windows and was hoping you could recommend a white that would not make the weatherboards appear too yellow. A. Resene Dutch White is a very definite yellow. Using a lighter/whiter colour for the windows won't make the house colour look less yellow. It will make the weatherboards look more yellow - not less. You might consider using a lighter version of the weatherboard colour - i.e. Resene Quarter Dutch White - this is possibly not as white as you would like but it is sympathetic. An alternate (slightly lighter colour) might be Resene Double Bianca. I do hope this is helpful. Otherwise you may need to re-think through your options carefully - and possibly change the main house colour as well as the windows.
February 2017
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Q. Can you please recommend a shade of white for two bedrooms? They are small double rooms, north and north-east facing, with unfinished plywood floor and walls and aluminium windows in a Scoria (red) colour. A. Because of the strong Scoria colour on the windows, the quality of natural light in the bedrooms and because you have asked for a shade of white (which is the deepest version not the palest tint) you might look at these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Spanish White, Resene Pearl Lusta, Resene Blanc or Resene Albescent White.
February 2017
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Q. I am specifying Resene White for the walls of a new house. To ensure the ceiling looks the same do I need to spec perhaps a 'half white'? Would you recommend the same white for architraves and skirtings or a slightly different one again? A. If you are specifying real white - Resene White - then the answer is No because there is nothing whiter/lighter than real pure white. If you are specifying a `coloured' white - then yes, you can use a half or quarter version so the ceilings don't develop a shadow tone difference. Yes you could also use this half or quarter version of the main white colour in a semi-gloss enamel for the woodwork trims if you want to achieve slightly more contrast. If you don't want to have a slightly lighter contrast on these elements then you could use the same as the wall white. Some colours to try are Resene Double Alabaster/Resene Alabaster, Resene Black White/Resene Quarter Black White, Resene Wan White/Resene Quarter Wan White or Resene Sea Fog/Resene Quarter Sea Fog. The reason I didn't indicate the use of the half version of the main wall colour is because in some lights the difference isn't seen so it can void any beneficial influence it may have as a lighter/whiter version.
February 2017
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Q. We have Resene Quarter Spanish White throughout, including the kitchen cupboards. The floor is coloured concrete in rimu tones. The benchtop is dark granite with brown and black tones. I'm keen for quite dark grey carpet in the renovation but am wondering what colour would contrast well with the kitchen cabinetry. Happy to have ceiling and trims a white tone so the walls contrast. This is in a country setting with exterior schist and plaster in Resene Quarter Mondo. A. In the world of carpets there are not as many options as you might like there to be. But bearing in mind your desire to have a dark grey carpet (and trying to take into account the warmer earthier colours in the house) I would be inclined to look for a warm (brown) based charcoal rather than a dark steel charcoal grey. If you look for carpets that remind you of these types of Resene colours from the Resene whites and neutrals – Resene Bokara Grey, Resene Half Bokara Grey, Resene Ironsand, Resene Half Ironsand or Resene Quarter Ironsand.
February 2017
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Q. We have recently painted our front formal fence with Resene Titania. Our house is limestone brick with Titania joinery and an Ironsand roof. We are trying to work out what we should paint our surrounding fences. Our living areas look out to the fences. I have a formal garden. I have looked at Resene Ironsand or Resene Bokara Grey but wonder whether we should go deeper black or go the other way with a light grey? A. I am unsure about a light grey. It may be the odd man out in the colour scheme. The deeper colours that you have considered may work well. It depends on what you plan to plant in front of the fences. If you don't plan on planting anything then the deeper colours or a black may look darkly ominous and unrelieved when viewed from the living areas. Another option - if you are fearful of the very dark colours - is to use a lighter variant of Ironsand - i.e. Resene Quarter Ironsand. This is your 'soft' option - not as pale as the Titania formal fence but not as strong/dark as the Resene Ironsand, Resene Bokara Grey or Resene Black.
February 2017
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Q. We are building a new house and need some advice on what to paint the window frames and box ends. The roof will be Ironsand, the cladding is LINEA® weatherboard painted with Resene Parchment and the aluminium joinery will be Warm White Pearl. However we are struggling with what to paint the window surrounds and box ends that will match both Resene Parchment and Warm White Pearl. A. I think it may be difficult to match a standard paint colour to Warm White Pearl powder coat colour. It has a subtle pearlescent sheen on the colour and that may be extremely difficult to match. Resene Parchment has three lighter variants that you might consider using - Resene Half Parchment. Resene Quarter Parchment and Resene Eighth Parchment. Perhaps the lightest colour would be appropriate as it would act as a highlight with both the powder coat colour and the main house colour.
February 2017
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Q. Can I put Resene Spanish White with Resene Fire or Resene Spanish White with Resene Tussock? A. If you like the colours - and I have to presume that you do - my answer to you is yes - why not? They are rich earthy colours and sit well with Resene Spanish White. It depends upon personal taste, how much of the accent colour you plan to use and whereabouts you want to put it.
February 2017
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Q. I need to find a paint colour for architraves throughout my house. The kitchen will set the colour for the rest. The walls are Resene White Pointer and the aluminium joinery is Titania. We have yet to choose a colour for the rest of the house. Another strong feature in several rooms is high tongue and groove varnished pine ceilings. A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter White Pointer (lighter variant of the wall colour), Resene Quarter Titania (lighter variant of the aluminium joinery colour) or Resene Double Alabaster (grey edged neutral white). Or you might use the same colour as the wall (simplifies things a lot) but in a semi-gloss enamel so there is just a sheen level difference - not a colour difference.
February 2017
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Q. What is a nice pale yellow to paint my kitchen walls? I live in a villa with 12 foot stud and will have tongue and groove boards from the skirting to 1200mm and need a contrasting green for that! A. A word to the wise - all yellows appear much stronger than you might ever imagine so I do recommend that you test the colours really carefully to ensure you get the right one for you and the kitchen. Sometimes it is advisable to use a rich bright creamy tone rather than a purer type of yellow. You might consider some of these yellows – Resene Half Beeswax, Resene Half Melting Moment, Resene Sidecar or Resene Quarter Moonbeam. Contrasting greens that you might check out are these ones – Resene Laurel, Resene Organic, Resene Pewter or Resene Gecko.
February 2017
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Q. I am currently building a new house and am trying to choose the exterior colours. I would like an off-white colour with lighter trims, and was thinking of Resene Half Spanish White for the weatherboards. I am concerned though that this might be too bright, as the house is situated in quite strong sunlight. A. You might consider the slightly deeper version of the colour that you are looking at - i.e. Resene Spanish White. Alternatively a slightly deeper toned neutral like Resene Eighth Canterbury Clay which has a little more shadowy depth to it. For lighter trims - and these will make the main house colour seem deeper - try Resene Half Villa White or Resene Half Cararra.
February 2017
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Q. Please can you suggest a ceiling and door colour to go with Resene Merino. The trim is Resene Double Merino. A. These whites look great with Resene Merino - I recommend them for ceilings - Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Half Black White. If you wanted the doors to merge with the trims then you might consider using Resene Double Merino. Or a lighter related colour you might consider using is Resene Quarter Merino.
February 2017
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Q. I have an older roughcast style villa that has been painted in Resene Drought and the-window trims etc are in Resene Half Black White. I would like to paint the front door a glossy tone of red. The garden is mainly lavender and white roses. A. Some delicious reds that you might consider for the front door might be one of these colours – Resene Red It, Resene Wanted, Resene Salsa, Resene Pohutukawa, or for a uniquely different option – Resene Redemption Blue. The best (glossiest and hardest wearing) enamel to create the dramatic look on the door might be Resene Super Gloss solvent enamel. You will need several coats - and if you sand back the first coat with Wet & Dry 400 Grit Sandpaper (use it wet - add a little detergent to it too) and wipe off the slurry before recoating you will achieve the silkiest smooth surface.
February 2017
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Q. I need an exterior grey suggestion for a 1910 roughcast bungalow with white windows. A. You might like to check out these greys to see if they appeal to you - Resene Rakaia, Resene Grey Chateau, Resene Silver Chalice, Resene Delta, Resene Foggy Grey or Resene Half Friar Greystone . They are all quite different from each other so hopefully they will give you food for thought and inspiration.
February 2017
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Q. I have just bought a two bedroom granny flat (only 90sqm including garage!). I am overwhelmed by choice of colours and want to get it right first time as money is tight. My external walls are solid plaster and the windows are brown aluminium (circa ‘93). The metal tile roof, spouting and garage door are a mid-dark green. I intend keeping them that colour. At present the house is a ghastly buttery yellow. Can you please suggest a couple of wall and soffit colour options? I seem to favour subdued beige colours but have a tendency to be over bold. Also - internal colour scheme help would be appreciated. I love wood in its natural glory and have rimu furniture. I have chosen rimu coloured vinyl floor planks for kitchen, bathroom and toilet. My kitchen cabinetry is cream (but I may change that... any suggestions?) My one dominant colour through the house is red (leather lounge suite, duvets and persian rugs), the house gets all day sun. Obviously my paintwork has to be white or variants thereof. I would like my walls to be darker than doors, ceiling and windowsills. Curtains will be textured cream/white, carpet yet to be chosen. A. Looking at the large A4 real painted samples of colours in the Colour Library at any Resene Colour Shop may be of help to you - seeing colours in large enough samples makes judging them much easier. You might check out these interior colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Half Parchment - walls, Resene Quarter Villa White - ceilings and painted trims, Resene Half Tea – walls or Resene Chalk Dust - ceilings and painted trims. For the exterior - to co-ordinate with the mid green roof and garage door and the brown aluminium windows - you might check these colours out - Resene Truffle, Resene Quarter Craigieburn, Resene Double Thorndon Cream or Resene Quarter Bison Hide. Soffits are usually a very pale whiter colour and this one seems to work well with all of the listed options - Resene Alabaster.
February 2017
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Q. What is the most popular shade of white? I don't want any cream in it. A. In regards to whites (and the following are two of the paler whites not the most coloured) then you might check out Resene Black White and Resene Sea Fog. Everyone has their favourites (and there are quite a few) that feature again and again but the two I have mentioned are good ones to check out.
February 2017
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Q. I have painted the kitchen/dining in Resene Double Spanish White. I am replacing blinds now as they are too bland. Please what colours should I be looking at? I have no idea. The cabinetry in the kitchen is dark grey. A. What colours do you like? If there is the option available for bold or bright colours or very patterned or textured blinds would you be inclined to choose those ones? Have you seen the Origin /Four Families range of blinds that have had Resene colours co-ordinated with them? These may be a good start point for you. Alternatively if you were considering a bit more glamour in the form of Roman blinds you might check out the Resene curtain fabric samples. The fabric samples and the blind samples are available in all Resene ColorShops as well as in shops that specialise in curtains and blinds.
February 2017
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Q. I am looking for colour scheme suggestions for the exterior walls, roof and trim of our house. The aluminium window frames are a cream colour and the conservatory is brown. A. My first thought was if the roof was a deep brown based colour it might help to tie in the conservatory a little bit and not have it look so 'odd man out'. You might check out these colours to see how they appeal to you - Resene Ironsand, Resene Sambuca or Resene Lignite. They are not exact matches but are sympathetic. The main colour on the house might be a modern neutral and a bit deeper than the whiter/brighter look you have now - Resene Tea, Resene Truffle, Resene Quarter Arrowtown or Resene Double White Pointer. A colour for the front door might be almost any colour but you could check out these colours - Resene Pioneer Red, Resene Tiki Tour or Resene True Blue.
February 2017
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Q. We have just purchased our home and don't like the green roof. We would prefer a grey tone that will work with the wall colours, could you suggest some colours please? A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Gauntlet (lighter colour), Resene Windswept (mid tone colour) or Resene Nocturnal (deeper colour). Roof colours often appear much lighter due to the bright sunlight reflecting off the surface.
February 2017
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Q. I have bought a house in a development. The colour the developers use is Resene Black White, a nice chalky colour but too grey as a background for my art, antique furniture, rugs and furniture. I need a warmer neutral - I don't want to fall back on Resene Pearl Lusta. I have considered Resene Quarter Blanc, Resene Half Merino, Resene Half Thorndon Cream and Resene Half Villa White (recommended by a friend who lives in a villa not a new house). A. These colours may be obliging - they are warm neutrals but quite pale so that any other things in the house will be more accentuated – Resene Half Sea Fog, Resene Quarter Merino or Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream. I have not endorsed Resene Half Villa White as it is very yellow toned and may look like Resene Pearl Lusta, not that Resene Pearl Lusta isn't lovely, because it is. Likewise I haven't endorsed Resene Quarter Blanc because it has an unusual warm mushroom/mauve undertone and that may not be what you want. All colours in an interior can appear twice their depth, which is why I have recommended colours that won't deepen too much.
February 2017
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Q. I have bought an orange/brown/red brick house and am trying to change the roughcast underneath which is currently a cream colour. I thought I had chosen my colour (Resene Rockbottom) but when I have applied it, it looks quite purple to me, which is not what I thought it was! I am trying to go for a more neutral grey/brown to match in with the bricks and mortar and tone down the whole house. The windows are the dark brown aluminium of the 90s and the garage is a dark green but I was thinking of painting this a dark brown colour to match in with the windows. Any suggestions would be appreciated. A. Resene Rockbottom is quite a deep warm colour. Perhaps you might check out one of these colours - Resene Cloudy, Resene Quarter Friar Greystone , Resene Quarter Stonehenge or Resene Double Truffle. A browner colour for the garage could be one of these – Resene Triple Stonehenge, Resene Mondo or Resene Quarter Ironsand.
February 2017
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Q. We have a weatherboard house and have decided to paint the exterior walls with Resene Bokara Grey. We would like some help to find good complementary colours for the roof, fascia, soffits, trim, pergola and deck. For our metal roof, we thought about a light grey, such as Resene Ironsand, but are keen to hear your thoughts. For the trim, we would like white or a shade of white. The door trims are made of wood and need to be painted. We have many double glazed windows that are made of aluminium currently painted in white. We are not painting them and they are 100% white. We have a few small wooden window trims that need to be painted. We also don’t have any ideas for the soffit. We are wondering whether the fascia should be painted in another colour to balance the darkness of Resene Bokara Grey. We have a big pergola on the north side of the house. It can be seen from the kitchen and living room through a big double glazed window/wall. We were wondering whether we should use another colour, or if we should paint it with Resene Bokara Grey as well. Under the pergola we are installing a new deck, probably made of hardwood. We are interested in what colour you would recommend for staining it. A. I think Resene Ironsand is a good colour for the roof and it relates well to Resene Bokara Grey. A white for under the soffits and wooden window trims might need to be Resene White and not a 'coloured' white as that could conflict with the white metal windows you have on the house. The fascias could be painted in a lighter version of the roof colour or a lighter variant of the house colour, such as Resene Quarter Ironsand or Resene Quarter Bokara Grey. If you want the pergola to tie in with the house then by all means paint it the same colour. Alternatively it might match the roof colour. How a deck stain colour looks relates to what wood is being used - so doing some colour tests on a few off cuts of the hardwood might be a wise thing to do. Yes the stains do come as testpots. You could try Resene Woodsman colours – Resene Bark, Resene Bushtrack or Resene Cherrywood.
February 2017
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Q. My roof colour is FlaxPod and my joinery is Titania. What Resene colour would suit a weatherboard house out in the country? It is a bungalow style with gables. I do not want a dark option. Would Resene Double Tana be an option? A. You could use Resene Double Tana which is a country inspired yellow based green. My only concern is that it may make the joinery look a bit dull by comparison. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - they are similar but slightly less yellow toned - Resene Double Ash, Resene Half Grey Olive or Resene Eighth Stonewall.
February 2017
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Q. I'm about to paint my house and I am undecided whether to go for neutrals or be bold. I'd really appreciate some guidance please on both options. The windows are black aluminium, and the roof will not be painted at this time. A. I think what you may need to do is consider these things - bold may be exciting now but what if you go off the colour in a couple of years? Will you repaint it or live with it even though you aren't totally happy with it? Neutrals come in many different levels of colour - from the very pale to the mid deep. If you have always had a very pale house then choosing a mid-deep colour might be exciting enough but might not be as (possibly) contentious as a really bold colour. You don't mention what type of neutrals you favour or what bold actually means to you so these are suggestions of colours that you might check out to see if they appeal to you - Resene Quarter Delta (pale), Resene Atmosphere (light), Resene Taupe Grey (mid tone), Resene Tapa (deeper mid tone) or Resene Double Pravda (deeper).
February 2017
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Q. We are doing a rebuild of our current home which has an upper weatherboard level and is brick plastered below. The house is coastal with a sea view and is north facing. We would like a light colour. The interior colours will be light shades of grey. What would be your recommendations for a modern contemporary look and maybe joinery colour please? Also, would you paint the front columns a different shade, and if so, what colour? We also have plastered concrete block retaining walls that we would like a colour to complement the main house. A. Had you considered using the same colour on the front columns and the plastered concrete block retaining walls? It may help to tie the house and the wall together. If the joinery was painted to match the upper level weatherboard (but in an enamel finish) it might be more of a contemporary statement than if it was a much lighter/whiter contrast. But if the windows are being changed to powder coated ones then you might consider Gull Grey, Titania or Silver Pearl. The following are some grey sand/marram grass coastal inspired modern colours to check out for the weatherboards - Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Quarter Atmosphere, Resene Quarter Tapa, Resene Quarter Silver Chalice, Resene Triple Merino or Resene Bone White. The base of the house might be a lighter version of the columns and the block wall colour - Resene Quarter Bokara Grey (Resene Bokara Grey), Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey (Resene Fuscous Grey) or Resene Tapa (Resene Armadillo). February 2017
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Q. We have started painting our kitchen in Resene Quarter Black White but aren’t sure about it. We chose Resene Quarter Black White because we used Resene Black White in the adjoining dining room and lounge and we loved the result in these rooms. However the Resene Quarter Black White in the kitchen seems stark and cold against the green kitchen cabinets. The green kitchen cabinets are covered in laminate and we're not in a position to change them yet, so we're hoping to just change the wall and splashback colours to something complementary. There's also a lot of greenery out the window. The green cabinets are similar to Resene Gecko/Middle Earth/Half Forest Green depending on the light. Are you able to suggest colours for the walls and splashback that would add some character and richness to the kitchen? I like the colours on the colour palette W22 with the Resene Ash colours etc. We also need to update the splashbacks which were red in the old scheme. A. Perhaps you might use a warmer crisper type of white in the kitchen to stop the cold stark look. One of these colours might work for you - Resene Half Blanc or Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta. Some splashback colour options to consider - Resene Triple Black White (warm grey), Resene Copper Fire (rich metallic to pull out the warmer tone in the benchtop), Resene Tempt (a soft toned red) or Resene Celtic (deeper green than the cabinets).
February 2017
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Q. I am painting an old villa inside and out and I have chosen Resene Alabaster for the entire exterior. What colour would you do the decking on a wrap around porch? I notice a lot of people continue the white and some do a soft grey. I am painting the interior walls and surrounds Resene Half Rice Cake and need a white for the ceilings. Should I do Resene Quarter Rice Cake or Resene Black White? A. For the interior white for a ceiling you might find the Resene Black White looks very grey compared to the Resene Half Rice Cake. Are you keen to have a grey feature colour on the ceiling? If not then I suggest you stay with Resene Quarter Rice Cake. On the exterior for the decking you might consider one of these grey tones - they do look smart with Resene Alabaster - Resene Triple Sea Fog (palest option), Resene Quarter Delta (light option) and two slightly deeper variants of the same colour - Resene Half Delta, Resene Delta or Resene Stack (deepest option but not too dark).
February 2017
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Q. I have painted a bedroom in Resene Surf Crest. Can you please recommend a colour to paint the bedroom furniture? A. You do have a considerable amount of options available to you - dependent upon what look you want to achieve -these are a few - Resene Amulet, Resene Quarter Black White, Resene Nauti, Resene Abbey Road, Resene Hendrix, Resene Covert or Resene Oasis.
February 2017
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Q. I have a weatherboard house, which I'm painfully trying to pick an exterior colour for. My roof is iron, Grey Friars and my aluminium joinery looks close to Delta. It looks good with Resene Truffle, but I feel Resene Truffle is too ‘cottage’ style for the house. I want something gutsy without looking out of place... what would you recommend? A. I suspect the window joinery is a powder coat colour called Gull Grey. The following colours are a few that might be considered 'gutsy' - Resene Double Stack, Resene Quarter Grey Friars, Resene Taupe Grey, Resene Gauntlet, Resene Half Atmosphere or Resene Tapa.
February 2017
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Q. We have nearly chosen our colours to paint the exterior of our house. Our house is going to be painted Resene Quarter Gauntlet, with the window ledges in Resene Half Black White. At this stage, we are looking at having the base of our house painted in Resene Baltic Sea. However, we wondered if it was too dark. Your staff in store suggested that it was best to have the base colour two shades darker than the colour of the house - are you able to name some other options so we can see whether a lighter shade would be more suitable. A. Have you thought of using one of these options - they are deep but not dark and sit well in association with the hue to your main house colour - Resene Quarter Ironsand, Resene Half Baltic Sea or Resene Ship Grey.
February 2017
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Q. I am currently getting a house built through a company. We chose our exterior colour for the LINEA® and we understood it is Resene Charcoal. However, when we went to see the house, the colour was not what we expected. It has a tinge of green but our project manager reported that it is Charcoal. Now I am just trying to get as much evidence to say Charcoal should not have a green tinge! If you could advise where I could buy a testpot in Christchurch, I would appreciate that heaps! A. The only colour of that name that I can find listed is Crown Timber Paint - Charcoal. It doesn't come as a testpot. No it isn't a green colour. I think as you are concerned - and you have every right to be concerned - that you must ask the company which Resene chart the Charcoal colour is on and what the colour code is. All Resene colours are on specific charts and all of them have colour codes. There are a lot of colours so it is really important that you know this information so you can make sure of these valid points - That it is in fact a bona fide Resene colour.
February 2017
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Q. We have a 1890s villa, double storey, double bay and are keen on a gentle off white and deep dark blue front door. We are looking at Resene Merino weatherboards with Resene Alabaster windows and possibly Resene Grey Suit on the veranda floor and front/back stairs. If you thought this would work, which dark blue/black would work best for doors? I quite like Resene Midnight Express or similar. A. If you have Resene Grey Suit which is a lovely lilac toned grey on the veranda floor and stairs, you might be inclined to look at these dark purple influenced blues for the doors as they relate really well - Resene Black Rock or Resene Bullitt.
February 2017
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Q. We have painted our house in Resene Half Tea and want a contrast for the kitchen. The ceilings are white and the cabinetry is cream coloured. What shades of colour would you recommend? A. You might check out these colours which are warmer and may associate well with the cream coloured cabinetry and provide a nice contrast with your main colour - Resene Double Tea, Resene Akaroa, Resene Half Dusted Blue or Resene Lemon Grass.
February 2017
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Q. For the outside of my house, in sunny Brisbane, I’m thinking of the following colours. Could you give advice on the suitability? Bargeboard and guttering – Resene Ironsand, gables and eaves – Resene Half Stonehenge, cladding – Resene Eighth Stonehenge and doors Resene Wasabi. This house is very ordinary so I’d like the paint to look special. A. I like your colour choices very much. If you are unsure about the doors you might check out these alternatives to see if you like them better than Resene Wasabi - Resene Grass Hopper (a bold but rustic influenced olive), Resene Awol (a fresher bright green) or lighter but very nice with your main house colour - Resene Bandicoot (lighter/ softer in tone and earthy).
February 2017
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Q. We have a fibrolite weatherboard single storey high pitch house with a New Denim Blue roof, base and front door frame. I need to pick a colour for the weatherboards. A. You don't indicate what types of colours that you favour but here are a few suggestions to get you started - Resene Tea, Resene Parchment, Resene Half Grey Chateau, Resene Double House White or Resene Sea Fog.
February 2017
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Q. What are suggested colour options for a glass splashback? I want a bold colour (not red). The bench is stainless steel, the walls are Resene Half Tea, the kitchen cabinetry is white, the ceiling is Resene Alabaster and the floor is tiles in a charcoal colour. A. You might check out these bold (but not red) colours to see if you like one of them - Resene Ayers Rock, or Resene ASAP, Resene She’ll Be Right, Resene Left Field or Resene Double Resolution Blue.
February 2017
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Q. I want to paint a feature wall in a small bedroom. The colours on the wall are Resene Quarter Pravda. Can you tell me if a feature wall in a deep blue will work with the Resene Quarter Pravda? If not, what colour blue would work? A. There are lots of possibilities in deep blues. You might check these ones out to see if they appeal to you - Resene True Blue, Resene Regatta, Resene Avalanche, Resene Wishing Well, Resene Zinzan or Resene Midnight Express.
February 2017
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Q. What colour should I paint my 16 year old son’s bedroom? The room currently has white window sills, skirting boards and ceiling and wardrobe doors. He has a red and black chair, grey black and white duvet with black sheets. There is a black TV and black full length mirror. I may use an old oak table, which I am thinking about painting up or restaining. I am open for suggestions. He plays soccer, Xbox®, goes to the scooter parks and rides his dirt bike. I need fun colour paint, not too light in colour that can be wiped frequently of dirt marks, and matches his furniture. A. Your son sounds like a young man who is full of action and vitality. To balance the black, white and red in the room you might use one of these colours - Resene Spray, Resene First Light, Resene Fresh, Resene Reflection, or a neutral that allows for lots of bold, fun colours as posters and sports memorabilia etc - Resene Triple Black White. You could do a feature notice board for him - this could be a bold attention seeking colour that he could pin things on it. It might be a cork board that is painted or a board that is covered in a felt fabric - perhaps bold colours like Resene Hashtag or Resene She’ll Be Right. If you paint the walls with Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen waterborne enamel you will have a surface that is tough enough to resist most things and can be wiped clean.
February 2017
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Q. We are looking to repaint the exterior of the house. It has a Karaka green coloured roof as well as Karaka aluminium joinery and garage door. The house was built about 20 years ago and has a stained wooden front door, plus a dark stained wooden accent under the pitch of the roof. What colours would you recommend to freshen up the exterior look? A. Perhaps check these colours out to see if they will work for you - Resene Double Wheatfield, Resene Quarter Hillary, Resene Cararra or Resene Half Parchment.
February 2017
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Q. We are currently repainting and re-roofing our house. It is an early 80s split level vertical Shadowclad® house with flat profile roofing. Our joinery is Silver Pearl and we are considering using Resene Double Stonehenge as the main wall colour. What colour roof would you recommend to go with this combination? A. If you are re-roofing in a COLORSTEEL® powder coat you might look at these colours – COLORSTEEL® BasaltBase, TernStyle, Thunder Grey, Ironsand or FlaxPod.
February 2017 |
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Q. Our trim is Karaka (windows, doors, roof). We want Karaka stain for restaining horizontal 100mm slat fences. It seems it is no longer available. A. If you are keen on using Resene Woodsman stain you might check out these colours - they look good with your Karaka - Resene Woodsman Grey Green or Resene Woodsman Touch Wood. But if you did want to match Karaka that is on the house then you could paint it in Resene Lumbersider acrylic timber finish in Resene Karaka.
February 2017
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Q. I'm building a house which uses COLORSTEEL® Ironsand for the roof and part of the cladding. The rest of the cladding is board and batten. If I want to paint the wood grey, are there any shades of grey that go with Ironsand? A. You might check out these warm greys to see if they appeal to you - Resene Foggy Grey, Resene Taupe Grey, Resene Quarter Friar Greystone or Resene Atmosphere.
February 2017
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Q. We want to paint the exterior of our house; it is currently painted with Resene Akaroa with a COLORSTEEL® roof in Permanent Green. We were thinking a light greenish colour for the house but wanted some advice as to which colours suit best? A. Because of the definite green colour - Permanent Green - you might look at these light green colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Edgewater, Resene Paris White, Resene Nebula, Resene Emerge, Resene Secrets, Resene Kandinsky or Resene Envy.
February 2017
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Q. I am curious as to what paint colours would be suitable for house exteriors? I'm looking towards grey-whites but would like a professional opinion. A. You might check out these grey-whites to see if they appeal to you - Resene Double Sea Fog, Resene Double Black White, Resene Athens Grey, Resene Concrete, Resene Half Surrender or Resene White Thunder. All colours on an exterior tend to look lighter/brighter because of the bright natural light so these colours may well look whiter at certain times of the day.
February 2017
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Q. We're building a single-storey house with Shadowclad® board and batten and a monopitch roof that slopes south. We're in a relatively rural setting and want the house to mostly blend into the environment. We've specified Resene Waterborne Woodsman Shadow Match stain for the cladding and are having Ironsand joinery, gutters and garage door so think this will match well. We've also specified the fascia be painted Resene Ironsand to blend with the gutters. We want a pale/white colour for the soffits to break up the darkness slightly; can you recommend a colour that would go with our choices? A. You might check out these pale colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Merino, Resene Sea Fog, Resene Half Concrete or Resene Barely There.
February 2017
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Q. We'd like to paint the south facing porch area in our house to get rid of the butterscotch colour. We were thinking of going for some contrast (as the rest of the house is all Resene China Ivory) and were looking at a dark blue for the walls and white for the ceiling (leaving windows, weatherboards and door in white as they are). We've tried Resene Wanaka on an A3 sheet of paper, but it's just too dark - we like the colour, but it sucks in too much light. Can you please recommend some other blues that we could look at that might work in this space? We've looked at Resene Streetwise on the A4 card in a store, and find it veers a bit too teal for what we're after (we haven't tried it in this space). A. Perhaps you might try these blues to see if they will work for you - Resene Matisse, Resene Wedgewood or lighter/brighter - Resene Bellbottom Blue. The blues are quite different from each other and you may find the one you don't like as much or the one that doesn't look 'blue' enough looks stunning when you test it. All colours look deeper when more than one wall is painted - often they double in depth. Being able to see the reality of the colour will be very difficult because the existing colour will reflect off it and make you see it 'wrong' - perhaps it may pay to white undercoat the walls so the blue is seen to best advantage.
February 2017
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Q. I have a modern house. Most of the walls ceilings, trims and doors will be Resene Double Alabaster. The bathroom tiles are a slightly creamier white so I'm putting Resene Half Thorndon Cream on the walls and ceiling. In the master bedroom I'm putting Resene Double Barely There. Do I paint the doors and trims in the same colour as the walls or in Resene Double Alabaster, the same as the other rooms? A. I think it may look more cohesive as a whole if you stay with the Resene Double Alabaster.
February 2017
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Q. We don't know what colours to paint a 1880 mid-Victorian house. We want something modern that brings in the traditional. We like the colours of local gum trees (blue-grey, brown with a pink tinge, greys). We thought Resene Foundry might be a good contrast for the railings (we've seen it on similar houses and its stunning), but we need one colour to lift everything. The roof will be slate grey, the veranda light grey COLORBOND®. We would like at least four colours. A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Double Blanc, Resene Lattitude and Resene Eighth Spanish White, or Resene Albescent White, Resene Quarter Tuna and Resene Half Black White. I think the Resene Foundry on the railings is a great idea - but it might also be used on the door as well.
February 2017
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Q. I bought Resene Quarter Spanish White paint for the exterior of my house. At the time I also purchased Resene Double Spanish White enamel for the wooden windows - however after having painted one of the windows I am put off with the yellow look, and fear this will not complement the Resene Quarter Spanish white exterior house covering. Can you recommend a bolder earthier colour that would match? A. Resene Double Spanish White is quite a tawny yellow/gold/beige and it can seem quite a contrast to the delicate warm cream of the Resene Quarter Spanish White. I suggest you carefully test the following colours before deciding which one to use - testpots are your best friend in this regard - Resene Triple Blanc, Resene Triple Tea, Resene Tapa, Resene Flintstone, Resene Scoria or Resene Seaweed.
February 2017
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Q. I am painting the exterior weatherboards of my 100 year old bungalow in Resene Ash, and have a new roof in Ironsand. What colour choices would you suggest for the windows? A. It depends on whether you want a crisp contrast or something a bit more unique, whether you want surrounds/sashes and sills all the same colour or to use a palette of 2-3 colours; something for you to think about? If you want a simple one colour crisp contrast then there is nothing nicer than a white - Resene Half Rice Cake, Resene Alabaster, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream or Resene Quarter Titania. But if you want more around the windows you might consider these colours - Resene Triple Ash (deepest version of the main colour), Resene Quarter Ironsand (lighter variant of the roof colour), Resene Templestone (interesting intermix of green/brown/grey) or Resene Trouble.
February 2017
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Q. We have Karaka green joinery and our textured cladding and long run roofing needs painting. What do you suggest for colours? A. If the window joinery is the only Karaka green on the house I suggest that you paint the roof the same colour - Resene Karaka. That would make the windows happy as they wouldn't be the lonely only Karaka. The cladding might be any of these colours - please check them out to see if any appeal to you - Resene Bone White, Resene Parchment, Resene Tea, Resene Joanna, Resene Triple Sea Fog or Resene Triple Merino.
February 2017
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Q. We're re-painting the outside of our house (a 1910s villa) and would like some suggested colour schemes. The roof is New Denim Blue. The existing paint scheme is quite dark and we'd like something lighter; there are also a lot of grey/blue houses on our street, so we'd prefer something different. We were thinking about using different strengths of Resene Thorndon Cream (Resene Half Thorndon Cream on weatherboards, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream on window joinery), but I'm worried this might look a bit yellow and old-fashioned. What colours would you suggest to make the house look crisp and modern, preferably without resorting to grey-blues? We don't mind a classic look, but don't want ‘heritage’ colours. A. I don't think this particular palette of colours will look too yellow. I suggest that you compare the Resene Thorndon Cream palette with the Resene Pearl Lusta palette so you can see the difference - without comparing your eye can't send the message to the brain 'this one isn't yellow/this one is yellow' and we can be misled about the reality of a colour. Resene Thorndon Cream (and all its variants) is a modern exploitation of a traditional bone/white type of colour. You may find that bright natural light strips back a colour making it appear a lot lighter (half as light) than you might expect. Testing by painting all of a testpot onto A2 card and taping it to the brightest exterior wall will let you see if you might need the next level of colour up in depth in order to achieve the contrasts that you need.
February 2017
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Q. I'm going to paint my lounge in Resene Robin Egg Blue and would like to know a complementary white for my hallway and bedroom walls. Our house is 1930s with natural timber door frames and skirting boards (most likely rimu). I'd like a warm white that also helps to brighten up the rooms. A. You might try one of these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Half Rice Cake, Resene Half Bianca, Resene Half Soapstone or Resene Quarter Albescent White. If you liked one of them but felt it might be too pale (with not enough personality) then they all come as slightly deeper variants which may be worth checking out also.
February 2017
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Q. I am having new kitchen made out of Melteca® Warm White Natural and the benchtop is Laminex® Pure Mineralstone Natural Finish. The painter has recommended that I paint the walls and ceiling Resene Black White. Will this work with the warmer colours of the cabinets? I want the overall look to be fresh and bright. A. Resene Black White may look a little cool/grey edged to achieve the look you want to achieve. Perhaps you could check out these whites - Resene Quarter Merino, Resene Double Alabaster, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream or Resene Quarter Bianca.
February 2017
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Q. We are building a new house and are really stuck on colours! We like Grey Friars for the roof, our joinery and trim are Matte appliance white (trim is a white that matches this) and we like Resene Half Lemon Grass for the weatherboards. The exposed trusses etc. are white. We are really stuck on colour for the garage door and front door without it being too much. Do you have any ideas or even other light colour scheme ideas you think would look good. A. You might check out these options for the garage door and the front door - Grey Friars - same as the roof colour - often this is chosen to tie in the roof, or FernFrond - a mid-toned green to tie in the main house colour. If the garage and the front door are unpainted (wood or other type of surface) then you can still use the Resene colours- either those already mentioned or one of these colours - Resene Double Lemon Grass - deeper version of the main house colour, Resene Canyon - darker soft toned green to go with the main house colour, Resene Quarter Grey Friars - lighter/softer version of the roof colour or Trim colour that matches the Appliance White.
February 2017
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Q. My friend is painting his house exterior and is keen on Resene Half Nocturnal. It's a large plaster home. What colours can he use for the framing and accents instead of a white? I'm thinking white might be too harsh? A. It may be appropriate to consider one of the following lighter (but not too white) colours - Resene Double Black White - there are lighter/whiter versions of this colour also, Resene Half Concrete - there are lighter/whiter versions of this colour also, Resene Sea Fog - there are lighter/whiter versions of this colour also or Resene Quarter Titania. They will still create a soft looking contrast with the much darker black toned main colour.
February 2017
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Q. We are currently in the process of repainting our Queenslander. I am considering Resene Armadillo for the outside walls (under 2 metres wide, verandas on all four sides), the railings and beams under the exposed galvanised iron roof. The main sliding door to the inside of the house could be Resene Quarter Tapa and the French doors and skylights above them either Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Half Sea Fog. I am concerned with getting the right whites and presumably need to use the same colour inside as well. They look so different with the furniture etc, inside. I want warm tones with all the colours. A. It is really important to test your colours - painting the testpots onto very large card and taping them up on the exterior (or the interior) is the best way to see what they are truly like. If you have already done this and are deliriously happy with the colours and really just want to confirm that the whites are the best ones for the house then I can confirm that Resene Half Sea Fog is the warmer of the two whites you have mentioned. Or if you wanted another grey then you might also have to change the lighter grey and the white in order to work the colour palette. E.g. You could use Resene Quarter Grey Friars with Resene Grey Chateau and Resene Alabaster. Using a 'white' in the interior of the house really needs careful checking in order to make sure it works well with any other existing colours in the house. Colours in an interior can often look slightly deeper than the same colour looks on the exterior where bright natural light lightens/brightens it.
February 2017
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Q. I need to repaint the exterior of a townhouse. It has a textured Hardiplank® wood grain cladding. I'd prefer something different to the olive green that has been used on the townhouse beside it. My initial thoughts were something in a brown because this has always been the colour of the house. But this may not now be the best choice? Ideally I'd leave the front door and fascias in the red colour they are now but this could be changed if necessary. A. There are many types of brown - all of them have merit. You might check out the following colours to see if any of them appeal to you - Resene Double Stonehenge, Resene Mondo, Resene Gargoyle, Resene Half Oilskin, Resene Stonewashed or Resene Half Sandstone. I do hope this is helpful. If you find a new brown and after repainting the house you feel that the existing red on the house doesn’t look as nice as it does now that may mean that another red might look better.
February 2017
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Q. Could you please give me some colour ideas to go with my little cottage type house that has brown aluminium joinery? I would like a roof that isn't too dark, perhaps similar in shade to Resene Tapa or Resene Half Tapa (due to heat upstairs). I am looking for a colour combination for roof, walls and fascias including the spouting. A. Some colours that might work well for you - and co-ordinate with the window joinery (apart from the olive green/grey colours that you mention) might be like the following slightly browner tones - Resene Half Masala - or the lighter variant - Resene Quarter Masala, Resene Double Friar Greystone - or the lighter variant - Resene Friar Greystone . Main colour options to check out - Resene Quarter Pravda, Resene Cloudy, Resene Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Caraway or Resene Half Truffle. Fascias including spouting, might be a lighter/brighter colour to lift the look and not add more earthy brown edged tones - and to enhance the cottagey charm of the house the pergolas and posts might be the same colour - Resene Half Merino, Resene Half Rice Cake or Resene Sea Fog.
February 2017
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Q. I’m looking for help with our exterior colour. The roof is new, colour Grey Friars and we will do white around the windows. I’m looking for a grey, not too light, not too dark and we want it to be dark enough that it contrasts to the white. A. You might check out these greys to see if they appeal to you - Resene Iron, Resene Concrete or slightly deeper variant - Resene Double Concrete, Resene Half Silver Chalice or slightly deeper variant - Resene Silver Chalice, Resene Geyser, Resene Surrender or Resene Quarter Stack.
February 2017
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Q. We would like a colour scheme to modernise our country home which has brown window joinery and a deep green roof. A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene White Pointer, Resene Truffle or Resene Tea. The gables and the bargeboard fascia are a bit of a feature and if you wanted that look to continue on the house then a simple approach would be to use a deeper variant of the main house colour - Resene Triple White Pointer, Resene Triple Truffle, or Resene Triple Tea. Deck stain colours to consider might be one of these - Resene Woodsman Bark, Resene Woodsman Tiri or Resene Woodsman Nutmeg.
February 2017
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Q. I asked a few months ago about a colour for the living area of my new house - at the time it was bright green/yellow and dark green. We took your advice and undercoated in white to help make a selection. The living area is a bit shady but not as bad as it was when it was all the bright colours - we are looking for a warm neutral and are thinking of using Resene Rice Cake. Is that a good choice to go with all the wood in our home (wood ceilings/floor and more)? A. I like Resene Rice Cake - it will definitely lift the rooms. It may appear slightly deeper - like Resene Double Rice Cake - due to the wooden ceilings/floors and shadowy aspect of light in the rooms. Would this worry you? If you really don't like it to look deeper, then you could use the lighter version - Resene Half Rice Cake - which then look very much like the Resene Rice Cake full strength. Other alternative warm neutrals that you might consider are Resene Half Bianca or Resene Quarter Villa White - both of these are softer hues - less sharp/green edged than Resene Half Rice Cake.
February 2017
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Q. We are renovating and changing all our house colours. Inside our ceilings are Resene Spanish White however, the wall colours are now going to be Resene Tea, Resene Half Tea and Resene Double Tea, along with Resene Inside Back and Resene Luxor Gold. Can you suggest a ceiling colour? We have a high stud particularly in the living spaces, halls and stairwell, max 3-4 metres. Outside we are considering Resene Half Pravda or Resene Quarter Pravda on the plasterwork. We have a combination of cedar and plaster. The roof is New Denim Blue. We want a nice natural colour scheme and I am afraid the Resene Half Pravda may look too grey. A. For a ceiling colour you might check out these options - Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene Quarter Merino or Resene Double Alabaster. Because colours on an exterior often look lighter than you might expect - due to bright natural light stripping back the depth of the colour - you might use Resene Half Pravda rather than Resene Quarter Pravda. I don't think Resene Half Pravda will look too grey - compare it with Resene Half Friar Greystone and Resene Half Stonehenge and then your eye will definitely see more brown undertones in Resene Half Pravda. It is only by comparing similar colours that you see the undertones of colour that are in them. February 2017
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Q. What colour would match my joinery of Warm White Pearl? I would like to know what to paint my weatherboards; would Resene Alabaster be a good choice? A. Because the Warm White Pearl has a pearlescent sheen it alters in different qualities of light. It may take on a subtle green undertone also. Resene Half Merino or Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream may be slightly better than Resene Alabaster. I suggest you paint up large samples on white card and place them right up against the window joinery and check them out in all aspects of daylight and choose the one that looks best in that quality of light.
February 2017
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Q. Could you please suggest a warm based white for a dark bathroom, with little natural light? Not too stark or clinical looking please. A. You may need to carefully test several warm whites by painting up large samples on white card (two coats/all of the testpot) leaving a narrow unpainted border all around the edge of the card so your eye can focus on the reality of the colour and checking how they look at different times of the day in order to get one that appeals to you. You might try these - Resene Quarter Albescent White, Resene Half Bianca, Resene Half Soapstone or Resene Quarter Rice Cake.
February 2017
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Q. I'm after a clean charcoal colour for the exterior of my house. I am not looking for one with blues or brown undertones. A. You might check these ones out to see if they appeal to you - Resene Steel Grey, Resene Ship Grey or Resene Half Fuscous Grey. All charcoals carry undertones of colour in them. These colours may take on more warmth - possibly looking a little red or brown - on the west side of the house when the sun is low to the horizon and some green undertones on the easterly (early morning) side of the house. All colours alter according to changing aspects of light.
February 2017
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Q. If I paint walls Resene Quarter Spanish White, what is best for the ceiling? A. If you want a ceiling white that has a smidgen of colour in it then you might consider using Resene Quarter Bianca. If you want a ceiling white that is very clean and crisp you might consider using Resene Quarter Alabaster. If you want a ceiling that is more coloured you could use Resene Eighth Spanish White which is a soft peachy colour.
February 2017
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Q. We are looking at having our exterior painted. We have a black front door, garage doors, plus fencing which we want to stay the same. We were thinking of a grey, and we are open to light or dark. The window frames are called Titania. We have yellow around the windows that has not been painted yet as we had new windows put in last year; any ideas for those also please? A. Do you want the yellow around the windows to match the window joinery - Titania - so that the windows appear larger? You could use Resene Titania. Or are you wanting a feature colour - this makes the very minimal wood trims appear more important than the windows which they aren't, but if you are used to picking them out as a definite colour then you might use a deeper version of the house colour. The following are some suggestions for the house (and in brackets a deeper colour for the trims) - Resene Quarter Taupe Grey (Resene Taupe Grey), Resene Quarter Delta (Resene Delta), Resene Quarter Friar Greystone (Resene Friar Greystone ) or Resene Quarter Silver Chalice (Resene Silver Chalice). You don't have to do a trim colour around the windows - you could use exactly the same colour as the house -as a more contemporary option.
February 2017
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Q. We are completing a house renovation with a new roof in COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars. We are looking for a light grey to paint the exterior walls with and are looking for some inspiration. Could you please recommend something? We also need a good white for the window sills and trims. A. The following are some light greys for you to check out - Resene Quarter Silver Chalice (there are several deeper variants of this colour also), Resene Concrete (there are several deeper variants of this colour also), Resene Quarter Stack (there are several deeper variants of this colour also), Resene Geyser or Resene Surrender. Some whites that you might look at - Resene Eighth Black White, Resene Quarter Alabaster or real white - Resene White.
February 2017
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