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.
A. It would depend on how much contrast you prefer. Resene Quarter Black White is very close to plain white, so there will not be a lot of colour happening on the walls. If you like high contrast, opt for a darker carpet, perhaps one that has a speckle through it to add a wee bit of interest (and hide dirt/fluff). If you prefer warmer colours and not as much contrast, perhaps a mid-tone brown/grey (think something like Resene Truffle) would work quite well. Carpets look lighter once they go down – check with a carpet company to confirm this.
October 2017
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Q. We have a two storey weatherboard house with Resene Half Friar Greystone on the top and Resene Half Fuscous Grey on the bottom. We have about 12 wide wooden steps leading to the door and a large deck leading from our lounge area. The interior paint is Resene Quarter Tea with charcoal carpet. My question is what colour would you suggest for the steps and decking please? The deck is about 6 metres wide. We also have a privacy screen along the left hand side which I was thinking of painting in the Resene Alabaster, what do you think? A. I am assuming the 12 wooden steps leading to the door is the front door? For this area, if you want to stay within the neutral palette, you might like to look at these colours: Resene Eighth Friar Greystone , Resene Quarter Foggy Grey or Resene Triple Sea Fog. For the decking off the lounge (which I take to be bare timber and not previously painted or stained) I would stain. Such a large area might not look as good with a solid colour; the texture of the timber will soften the look and feel of the outdoor living space. I suggest you grab one of our Resene Exterior timber stains colour charts from a Resene ColorShop next time you’re passing, but in the meantime, perhaps look at these colours as a start: Resene Tiri, Resene Smokey Ash, Resene Natural or Resene Dark Oak. We do offer testpots of the stains, so if you have an off cut of the decking timber, or can purchase a small length, it would be well worth trying the colours out prior to staining. One other alternative would be to whitewash the timber which would work with the Resene Alabaster privacy screen you’re intending to build. October 2017
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Q. I need stain/paint suggestions for a deck please. The house is Resene Napa, the pagoda is Resene Waterborne Woodsman Natural and the fences and retaining walls are in Resene Waterborne Woodsman Touchwood. A. I think to avoid too many colours in the same area the best course of action is to stain the deck using the Resene Natural colour. This will soften warm up the existing colours. As the two areas of timber will be stained at different times there will always be a colour difference which will work like tonal values of the same paint colour. I would give the deck a good clean and also treat moss and mould with Resene Moss & Mould Killer leading into summer, once the weather is such that there are two or three days without rain. Put one coat of stain on the deck then after summer repeat the process of cleaning but stain the whole area. This will help to make the colours look the same.
October 2017
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Q. We are in the process of deciding on colours to paint our house. The roof is quite new so we will keep the bottle green colour. The windows are dark brown aluminium. In my mind I am considering painting the walls a light grey colour and the few fascias that we have a darker grey colour. Do you have any favourite grey colours in the Resene range that you think would go with our green roof? A. You might like to try these colours for the weatherboards: Resene Quarter Tapa, Resene Quarter Foggy Grey, Resene Eighth Friar Greystone or Resene Eighth Stonewall. These are all earthy types of grey which will work with the bottle green roof and surrounding colours. As for the charcoal, try these options: Resene Baltic Sea, Resene Gravel or Resene Quarter Bokara Grey.
October 2017
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Q. We are putting new cabinets in our kitchen and have a colour choice between Resene Designer White, Resene Spanish White and Resene White. Which would you recommend with Resene Tea coloured walls? A. Resene White will work with any coloured walls - but especially with Resene Tea. The other two colours may not be quite as obliging.
October 2017
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Q. Can you please help me choose the roof COLORSTEEL® match (or closest match) to Resene Bokara Grey? A. There is a limited colour range in COLORSTEEL® and it doesn't offer you an exact match. You might consider Ironsand or if you wanted a darker colour then perhaps FlaxPod. FYI - Resene has Resene versions of the COLORSTEEL® colours so that you can match paint other elements on the house but most COLORSTEEL® colours don't match Resene colours.
October 2017
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Q. We are looking for a colour scheme for our house that needs repainting. We would like to go to a lighter colour scheme but are open to expert suggestions. The two fixed colours are the COLORSTEEL® roof – dark green and the aluminium joinery which is dark brown. A. A lighter colour will emphasise the dark brown joinery a lot and make more of a feature of it - is this what you are wanting to do? All colours when seen on the exterior have the potential to appear much lighter/brighter due to natural light stripping the depth of the colour back. So though these are light to mid toned colours they may well appear much paler and especially when compared to your existing colour which is very dark. These colours come as much lighter and in some cases much deeper variants so they can have other versions of which colour you choose for accents on the house to provide different levels of contrast.
October 2017
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Q. I have some Resene Quarter Iron paint I would like to use but wonder if it’s a good option for our house. I would like to use it in a bedroom. It is the coldest bedroom but still gets plenty of sun, and our carpet is a mix of light and dark grey. Otherwise it could go in a smaller bedroom, which is sunny and has the same carpet. I would like a colour to use for the largest bedroom (two large windows). It gets plenty of sun and has the same carpet. Preferably a green or blue toned colour that isn't too cold feeling i.e. light colours I like Resene Duck Egg Blue or lighter, and even Resene San Juan for something dark and bolder if it suited the room of course. A. Firstly, if you have the Resene Quarter Iron paint and you want to use it, I would paint the larger room. You have more opportunity to warm the room up with furniture and linens in this room rather than the smaller one but really either room would look fine. As for the master bedroom, here are some colour options: Resene Whirlwind, Resene Undercurrent, Resene Nepal, Resene Botticelli, Resene Breeze or Resene Periglacial Blue (this also has a half and quarter version). Resene ColorShops stock folders with A4 sizes of each of our colours and these are great to look at before deciding on your final colour. Ask one of our staff to show you the larger samples before purchasing a testpot or paint. You may need to carefully test colours to see how they respond to light and shadow. Don't apply a testpot to the already coloured walls - it won't look true to reality because of the greater amount of existing colour influencing it negatively. If you paint large A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) with all (two coats) of the testpot it lets you see a huge amount of colour. Please leave an unpainted white card border all around the edge of the card to act as a barrier between the tested colour and the existing wall colour. You can move it from wall to wall so you can see how it alters during the day and night. Each wall may show the colour in a different way. October 2017
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Q. I have a northwest facing bedroom with wooden floors and three metre high white ceilings with lots of natural light. It is a 100 year old villa. I’m looking for a soothing pale green grey and was wondering if you have any suggestions please. A. You might like to look at these colours: Resene Haven, Resene Nebula, Resene Secrets or Resene Celeste. Due to the height of the room you could definitely get away with a deeper colour if you wish. I’ve provided lighter options, but there are slightly darker versions of these if you want to bump the colour up. All these colours have slightly different undertones, some warmer than others. Once you paint a colour on all four walls it will appear slightly darker.
October 2017
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Q. I have used a grey subway tile in a well-lit bathroom which now it’s on the wall, looks more like your Resene Perfect Taupe. Do you have a suggestion for a white wall colour that will tone down the taupe and make it appear more like grey? A. If the tiles are really like Resene Perfect Taupe, which has a distinctly warm taupe (almost pink in some lights) tone to it, another colour may not be able to succeed in making it look grey - if it isn't. You might check out these whites, to see if they modify how you see the colour of the tiles - Resene Quarter White Pointer, Resene Sea Fog, Resene Double Black White or Resene Wan White.
October 2017
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Q. We are currently renovating our 1950/1960s house in Napier, ready to sell it. All the walls have been skimmed and look great, but I am struggling with an internal colour, as though I personally like pale grey, cool colours do not seem to work in the house. It's kind of cottagey (not a villa though) and still has the original skirting and mouldings, (not squared, sharp edged modern ones). Warm, light colours seem to work better in it (though personally I'm not a fan of whites, I need to choose a colour to go throughout that will appeal to a large amount of people). Are you able to suggest any light, warm colours (I tried some greys but they looked really cold and odd)? I'm quite wary that creams/beiges, all seem to make the rooms look quite dated. If you have any warm, light greys or warm, light colours that may work, that would be great. A. If the interior responds well to warmer colours then you might check out these suggestions - they are quite pale and don't have the amount of yellow or brown in them that those that you have mentioned have. Whiter/brighter whites are extremely versatile and very popular. Try Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene Merino, Resene Half Soapstone, Resene Half Bianca, or a slightly warmed grey/white colour - Resene Wan White.
October 2017
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Q. Could you have three walls in Resene Secrets and one in Resene Amulet or Resene Seagrass, for a feature wall or would they clash? Would Resene Rice Cake be better for the neutrals, in my 18 year old's bedroom? He wants some dark green, but I worry about his bedroom being too dark and depressing. Would Resene Eighth Dutch White be okay for the trim, as I want that for the trim and window sills, in most other rooms? A. If you did use Resene Eighth Dutch White for the trim and window sills, in most other rooms in the house, then it would be practical if you used the same colour, in your son's bedroom. You might use exactly the same colour on the walls in his room - that way; you would know for certain that it would work with the trims etc. But if he wanted a more coloured neutral, in his bedroom for three walls and a deep green feature, then what was chosen would still have to co-ordinate well with Eighth Dutch White. Some options to consider - Resene Villa White, Resene Half Thorndon Cream or Resene Ecru White. Or, the colour you have mentioned, which is a definite green and would make the room look very green: Resene Secrets. Feature wall options - Resene Paddock, Resene Xanadu or Resene Spanish Green. These greens aren't super dark - but may appear deeper, depending on which wall they were used on and whether or not you painted the other three walls a lighter/brighter neutral colour. If your son is desperate for dark green, then perhaps you might have drapes or blinds in a dark green. October 2017
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Q. I'm after a warm grey that will complement Laminex Half Antique White on the walls, in the lounge/dining/hallway and then a darker, maybe blue/grey to contrast for a feature wall. A. The following are some warm greys that you could check out to see how they appeal to you - Resene Double Concrete, Resene Whiteout, Resene Rakaia or Resene Triple Sea Fog. Deeper greys (some with undertones of blue in them] for contrast could be like one of these - Resene Half Tuna, Resene Quarter Grey Friars, Resene Raven, Resene Rhino, Resene Revolution or Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey.
October 2017
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Q. Would Resene White Pointer walls and Resene Alabaster ceiling, work with Resene Sea Fog cabinets? If not - are there any suggestions you can make for Sea Fog kitchen cabinets? I want some warmth and an elegant feel. A. Resene Alabaster for a ceiling colour will work really well with a huge amount of wall colours. Sometimes, you need to carefully test colours for the walls, to see how the overall space, wall angles, natural and artificial light within a room, makes the colours look - as well as how it looks with the cabinets and work tops. Your favoured colour suggestions are very good. A few others that you could check out - and compare with Resene White Pointer - might be these ones - Resene Half Truffle, Resene Quarter Cloudy, Resene Concrete or Resene Triple Sea Fog. These paler neutrals, always create a light open look and depending upon the natural light in the room (and the aspect i.e. N/S/E/W) they can be quite warm or not so much. South facing rooms often have the type of natural aspect/light that makes colours seem cooler.
October 2017
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Q. We have painted our seaside cottage in Resene Sea Fog. We have wooden floors and a neutral, beige carpet in the bedrooms. We also have a rattan lounge suite that has milk chocolate, covered cushions. We would like to have set hues of blues and greens as accent colours, rather than dark steel greys. We have blue tinted windows and would like to keep it light and beachy. What colours would you suggest? A. You have a huge range of colour options available to you. You might look at these blues and greens, to see if they appeal to you - For blues - Resene Azure, Resene Smokescreen, Resene Awash, Resene Frozen or Resene Half Halcyon. For greens - Resene Juniper, Resene Paris White, Resene Sea Nymph, Resene Destiny or Resene Rainee.
October 2017
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Q. We are painting a country weatherboard house, red and white, similar to the Scandinavian red barns. We have tried six 'reds' and the closest to what we are after, is Resene Jalapeno, however it is too orange. We have also tried Resene Shiraz, which is too purple, Resene Old Brick which is too pink and Resene Smashing is too orange. A. In Sweden, this traditional red is called Falun Red. I think the closest reds are either Resene Red Oxide or Resene Pioneer Red. Colour on an exterior, has the potential to look much lighter or brighter, due to the brightness of the sunlight reflecting off the surface. So these earthy reds may not look as bright as those that you have already looked at, but I would imagine they might appear brighter when seen under our fierce and often glaring sun.
October 2017
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Q. I am installing a light filled, Rey traditional English orangery kitchen. The woodwork, of which there is plenty, will be Resene Quarter Spanish White and the kitchen island will be Resene Quarter Heathered Grey. I have a 1.5m Aga which is Charcoal Grey and the work surfaces and the splashback are granite, in a similar colour to the woodwork. The floors are a smoked, light oak and the space is large, at around 90sqm. Can you recommend a colour for the wall units and the walls please? They can be different or the same. A. I think that the walls and the cabinetry should be the same colour. If the walls were a velvety matt enamel finish, and the cabinetry was satin or semi-gloss enamel, the subtle sheen difference would create a visually appealing difference. It would allow the granite work surfaces, the splashback and the kitchen island to be the features, as well as the traditional styled woodwork. You could use exactly the same colour as the woodwork - Resene Quarter Spanish White - for a traditional white look or (because of the amount of natural light and the size of the room) you could use a deeper variant - i.e. Resene Spanish White. It would create a warm ambiance, that wasn't as stark as an all-white look.
October 2017
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Q. I am looking for a whitish colour for my kitchen/dining/lounge. The trims are Resene Black White. Aluminium joinery is a colour called Appliance White. I intend to do the front of the kitchen island in Resene Rhino and the cabinetry is a colour called Snowdrift. Our floor will be a mid-wood colour. A. You might like to look at these colour options: Resene Merino, Resene White Pointer, Resene Rice Cake or Resene Cararra. I wasn’t sure which kind of white you wanted so I’ve suggest two grey options and two warmer ones. All of these options will work with the Resene Rhino and existing colours, but some won’t have much contrast with your trim colour (Resene Black White). You could also consider using the Resene Black White as a wall colour, this would reduce the amount of colours used in the space – particularly the kitchen.
October 2017
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Q. We are looking to repaint our interior lounge walls. We want a good neutral colour that's not too cold, stark or crisp, and not too cream or yellow. The room is very small and has a tiled grey fireplace and rimu accents that we have to consider. It gets decent morning light, although can be dark in the evenings. Overall we want to make the room bright and light but not yellow. We are wary of going too grey as we live in Wellington and its dark and freezing in the evenings. We like colours like Resene Blanc, Resene Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Linen and Resene White Linen (but we're entirely flexible). What would you suggest? Another consideration is that we would like to use the same colour to repaint the adjoining kitchen dining room which is much bigger and has the same light situation but a red tiled fireplace A. Resene Blanc may give you a light warmish colour but it does throw quite a bit of mushroom (pink) grey. Both Resene Thorndon Cream and Resene Half Linen throw up yellow/green undertones and Resene White Linen is a delicate pink white. All colours when seen in an interior can look deeper than you might expect and a shadowy room may deepen the colour further. You do need to test colours carefully so that they can be judged alongside the tiled fire surrounds, the flooring, the drapes, the upholstered furniture and the kitchen cabinets. You may find the tested colour is perfect with some of these things but perhaps not all of them. Two other colours that may be worth checking out are Resene White Pointer and Resene Half Truffle. They are not too pink, grey, green, brown or cream toned.
October 2017
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Q. I would like help choosing a colour for the outside walls of a new house that my husband and I are building. We are keen on Windsor Grey for the roof and Silver Pearl for the window joinery. There will be some LINEA® board, but most of the outside cladding will be Rockcote. I don't want white, but maybe a light warm colour, and the colour of the LINEA® board needs to be a contrast. The house is on a farm and will be on a flat ground. A. The following colours might be appealing - the lighter one for the Rockcote and the deeper contrasting one for the LINEA® - Resene Triple Sea Fog and Resene Half Gravel, Resene Double Merino and Resene Taupe Grey, or Resene Truffle and Resene Triple Truffle. The lighter colours suggested that we have a wee bit of depth so the contrast between light and deeper isn't as definite as white and black are. If they aren't light enough all of the lighter colours have two or three paler versions available that may be worth checking out. The colours are warmer (slightly earthy) tones that would work well in your environment and with the very dark roof colour and the warm grey of the window joinery.
October 2017
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Q. We are painting the walls of our wee bach Resene Quarter Grey Friars. The aluminium joinery is Metropolis Silver Pearl and we are looking for a colour for the facing boards around the windows. We are also changing our back door and think we might paint this Resene Quarter Frozen. I wonder if the trim being Resene Triple Sea Fog would work with these colours. A. You have two options when it comes to painting window trim around aluminium: Colours outside will appear about half a shade lighter once they are on the house, so keep this in mind in terms of contrast. If you are aiming to have your trim colour the same as your windows, you’ll need to opt for a darker colour than Resene Triple Sea Fog, perhaps something like Resene Foggy Grey. If you want definite contrast, I would use Resene Double Sea Fog. This would also look better with the Resene Quarter Frozen (which will also look a little bit lighter outside, if this is an issue then use the full version instead).
October 2017
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Q. I am thinking of painting a 1950s fibrolite (original cladding) cottage a shade of black with white trim, maybe using the CoolColour technology. It does get good sun, especially late afternoon. Would the heating/cooling affect the fibrolite? Is painting it a dark colour a bad idea? I want to create a quirky beach bach feel so I would consider other colour combinations too. A. This question is perfect for me, I’ve painted my fibrolite house in a dark colour and I think it looks amazing (of course!). On my exterior I used Resene Half Nocturnal with Resene Alabaster trims. I added the corner boards on to help balance out all the charcoal, this might be something to consider. The colour is a warm charcoal without too much coloured undertone, by that I mean it doesn’t look purple, or green or brown, just charcoal. If I were to repaint, I’d opt for a blue charcoal, perhaps similar to what you’re thinking, so here are some options for you to consider: Resene Foundry, Resene Double Cod Grey or Resene Blackjack. Other options: Resene Coast, Resene Elephant, Resene Tangaroa or Resene Smalt Blue (from the Karen Walker Paints collection). Fibrolite can be painted any colour; CoolColour™ technology isn’t necessary for the substrate but is definitely worth getting for the paint itself. I haven’t had any issues with bubbles forming on my house, but I took the time to scrub the whole house by hand before painting to ensure there was no dirt or dust which would make the new paint bubble. You cannot sand fibrolite because of the asbestos, so give it a good hose down and clean with Resene Paint Prep & Housewash. If any paint comes off and it goes back to bare cement, then prime those areas with Resene Sureseal. If the paint is in good condition you do not have to prime the whole house, you can just paint over what is already there. For your interior, if you can paint your ceilings, trims, doors, windows etc in Resene White or Resene Alabaster it will help to make the spaces feel larger. Wall colour options are: Resene Merino, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream or Resene Bianca. October 2017
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Q. I'm about to paint my house exterior, the roof, guttering, and carport, and seek your advice on colours to use. The house is small (80 sq m) single storey, with no architectural features. The roof is corrugated iron. The wall cladding is roughcast over Fibrolite and was constructed in 1950. The joinery is aluminium, very dark bronze that would pass as black from a distance. I am located in small town, with a rural/bush setting in a 'green' area, with lots of native bird life. The house frontage faces south. It gets good sun, apart from losing it early in winter afternoons, due to the bush clad hill behind. The section is bounded with a wooden picket fence, presently in a charcoal colour. In the absence of any architectural features in the house, I've created interest, by establishing a cottage garden. It is the dominant feature and completely fills the front section. During the growing months, the cottage appears to be tucked in a swathe of flowers. I'd like to capitalise on the ‘British cottage’ theme, with the cottage garden lending support. My initial thoughts are: Charcoal roof with black bargeboards, black guttering, and the exposed ends of rafters picked out in black, and white walls.If I opt for this colour scheme, I'd freshen up the picket fence, but leave it the present charcoal shade. A. I think to be sympathetic to the surroundings, the colours need to be softened to a degree – so I wouldn’t use ‘Black’ or ‘White’ as these can be very harsh. Below are some alternatives you might like to look at: Roof/guttering/barge etc: Resene Bokara Grey (this would be my first preference), Resene Ironsand or Resene Blackout. Cladding options: Resene Half Thorndon Cream, Resene Cararra, Resene Merino, Resene Eighth Tana or Resene Pearl Lusta. I have chosen colours with slightly different undertones for the cladding. Most of these are warmer, with hints of yellow or green while still being ‘white’. These colours all have ‘family’ members, so can be made lighter or darker depending on your preference. Once you paint a colour outside, it will appear lighter, so keep that in mind while testing.
October 2017
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Q. We have chosen Resene Quarter Truffle for our interior walls. We have a slight grey fleck, light brown carpet. What would be the best white for the ceilings and trim and what colour would be good for feature walls? Also, we have chosen either Resene Concrete or Resene Double Concrete for the open plan kitchen /family room. What colour would be good for a feature wall? We have a testpot of Resene Concrete and Resene Quarter Truffle – they look okay next to each other, but are they meant to be complementary for each other? A. Resene Concrete can take on more of a silver/lilac/grey undertone and Resene Quarter Truffle, is a pale mushroom/taupe - they are both really lovely neutrals. As long as the 'white' used on the woodwork and ceilings allows for a clear demarcation between the two colours (and they don't intrude into each other’s spaces) then I see no problem with how they look. One of these two whites might be considered for the ceilings and trims - they work with both of the colours you intend having in the house - Resene Eighth Black White or Resene Quarter Alabaster. A. A feature wall colour needs to be definite enough to enhance the wall colour of the room you plan to use it in. You have a huge amount of possible options. You don't mention what colours you favour, whether you have any other colours in the rooms (drapes, blinds, duvets, upholstered furniture, and colourful accessories) and where exactly the feature colour would be featured. You could check out these colours to get you started - Resene Jimmy Dean (looks lovely with both Resene Concrete and Resene Quarter Truffle), Resene Triple Rakaia (looks lovely with Resene Concrete), Resene Emerge (looks lovely with Resene Quarter Truffle) or Resene Merlot (looks lovely with Resene Concrete and Resene Quarter Truffle).
October 2017
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Q. We are choosing colours to repaint our house. The roof is tiled in Permanent Green and not changeable, so we were thinking about using Resene Secrets for the house and Resene Rivergum for the trims. The doors and windows are all aluminium in Arctic White. The other option we were looking at was Resene Quarter Titania and Resene Organic, but thought these might be too light. A. I am not 100% sure about using the varied and unrelated assortment of greens that you mention on the exterior of the house. You may find that the greens carry too much yellow undertone. The Arctic White powder coated joinery, is a very cool almost blue toned white (check it out next to a sheet of white printer paper and you will see what I mean) and that creates another definite note. If you are keen on using a green for the main colour on the house, then one of these may work - certainly they do have a cooler undertone, which may associate well with the very cool Arctic White joinery and the traditional green roof colour - Resene Quarter Lemon Grass or Resene Tasman. Other colour options for the trims that you might look at are, Resene Permanent Green to match the roof colour or a classical charcoal/black like Resene Foundry, which would look very smart with the Arctic White joinery.
October 2017
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Q. We have to make a decision about going with a colour for our feature wall. Up until recently, we were happy to go with Resene Nepal, but when we tried out the testpot – it seems too light blue. Could you possibly help, by suggesting other colours which could potentially match with what we are trying to go for? Our ideal colour would be a dusky blue/grey colour. A. You could possibly find one of these colours suitable - Resene Blue Bayoux, Resene Tsunami, Resene Bermuda Grey, Resene Lynchpin, Resene Escapade, Resene San Juan or Resene Seachange.
October 2017
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Q. What Resene colour or colours, would you recommend for the exterior of a one level, bungalow of the 70's which has Bronze aluminium joinery? We have a property that needs a painting facelift, without spending a fortune on new joinery. A. One of the following colours may appeal to you. Any of them would work with the Bronze aluminium joinery - Resene Truffle, Resene Triple Blanc or Resene Double Akaroa, or slightly deeper - Resene Craigieburn.
October 2017
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Q. My aluminium windows are a stone beige colour and I am seeking advice on a colour to paint the exterior of my ex-state house. The roof is Karaka COLORSTEEL® and the outside shack, is a dark grey COLORSTEEL®. A. The warm beige colour on the windows would looks good with any of these types of colours - perhaps you might check them out and see what appeals to you - Resene Half Bison Hide, Resene Perfect Taupe, Resene Half Cougar or Resene Half Drought.
October 2017
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Q. We are going to paint our walls, Resene Quarter Solitaire. What colour do you recommend for the trim and ceiling? Should we do the trim in Resene Quarter Solitaire and the ceiling in white? A. I am slightly more inclined to your second suggestion of the white ceiling and wooden trims being the same colour as the walls - but the finish for the trims would be a semi-gloss enamel finish, so the sheen difference would be the only difference. It is a personal choice however. You might prefer the sharper contrast of the white, on all the wooden trims so that the wall colour was emphasised more.
October 2017
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Q. I can't decide on a colour for render walls at each side of my house and also for the wrought iron gate. The house is painted Resene Quarter Nullarbor and the roof is New Denim Blue but faded. The door is currently Resene Dark Knight, but could be changed. A. You might like to try these colours for the rendered walls: Resene Thorndon Cream (or Resene Half Thorndon Cream), Resene Cararra or Resene Quarter Napa. You could think about using one of the above colours for the wall and another colour for the top railing. This colour could be something like Resene Half Ironsand which you could also then use on your front door and gate; this would help to think the spaces. If you would prefer to have the fence all one colour, here are some front door options: Resene Whizz Bang, Resene Good As Gold or Resene Organic.
October 2017
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Q. Would love some help with kitchen cupboards, a splash back and wall colours. We are using Staron Qasar White for bench tops and would like a light soft grey for the glass splashback (in shade of approx. Metaline Palladium Perle) with a slight deeper grey for the cabinets to contrast. The bathrooms are fully tiled with a quite white Cararra greyish imitation tile and the cabinet colour will be the same as the kitchen. I would like a bright white with just a touch of grey for the wall colour. A. Splashback and cabinetry combinations could be: Resene Double Black White (splashback) and Resene Half Foggy Grey (cabinet), Resene Double Merino (splashback) and Resene Half Atmosphere (cabinet), or Resene Eighth Tapa (splashback) and Resene Kensington Grey (cabinet). The wall colour should be Resene Alabaster. This is a white with a hint of grey, just enough to take the brightness out of the pure white. Failing that, you could try Resene Half Black White which has slightly more tint.
October 2017
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Q. I am looking for a wall colour for my 1940s kitchen. I am going for a 'by the beach' look. I intend to use Resene Quarter Powder Blue on the cupboard doors and have white enamel on the door and window frames and Resene Half Rice Cake on the backdoor. The floor and kitchen bench will be polished matai. The appliances are white and cupboard handles are brushed stainless. What should I use for the contrast on the cupboard framing and on the walls? Should I use a contrast grey/white on the walls that is darker than the Resene Quarter Rice Cake but works with the blue? Or have I got too much going on here and should stick with Resene Rice Cake? A. I think the cupboard carcasses should be white to match the other trims and appliances. This will give you a nice crisp finish and link the spaces together. The walls should just be a version of Resene Rice Cake, which will give you a little bit of colour on the wall but still be a beachy/off white. Using the Resene Rice Cake will simplify the space, it’s very easy to add different colours in but it can also be very overwhelming.
October 2017
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Q. We have 1980s bungalow square rectangle and I'm unsure which colours to use. I quite like the mid warm greys and was thinking of using Resene Celestial Blue on the gable, but am open to change. Windows and roof are light silver; they are unpainted but look painted. We could also change the colour of our roof but at a later date. A. You might like to try these options for the cladding: Resene Half Gauntlet, Resene Quarter Friar Greystone , Resene Atmosphere, Resene Half Taupe Grey or Resene Truffle. All of these would work with the Resene Celestial Blue and give the scheme a pop of something different and unexpected. You might also want to consider using the blue on your garage door, to link the two buildings together. Roof colour will work as it is now, but if the time comes that you need or want to paint it, consider using darker colours such as Resene Grey Friars or Resene Ironsand to give the scheme some depth.
October 2017
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Q. My roofer has given me one day to decide on a colour in order to have enough time to order the product. I like dark browns and a little bit of warmth so am thinking COLORSTEEL® Ironsand for the roof spouting, garage door, but I want to know what you would recommend (paint colours) to paint the weatherboards and feature oblique boards? A. Ironsand sounds like the perfect option for the roof, garage door and spouting. It will enable you to choose warmer or cooler colours for your weatherboards. So which direction would you like to go in? Whiter or greyer colours will give you a crisp modern effect. Or creamier, browner colours will look softer and have a bit more depth to them. October 2017
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Q. I am looking for a wall colour for lounge, entrance and dining rooms. Resene Alabaster is the ceiling colour. I have wooden flooring, wooden joinery and wooden cedar blinds. Every colour I have tried – Resene Double Sea Fog, Resene Wan White and Resene Half White Pointer appears cold. The current colour is Resene Blank Canvas but is too heavy now. A. I think that changing from a rich warm glowing colour - Resene Black Canvas - which possibly sits very well with the wooden flooring, joinery and blinds to a much whiter/greyer colour that the contrast would appear cold by comparison. Sometimes in making a colour change from a deep more definite colour it is important to consider whether you want to go drastically different or moderately different so please do consider how the change of colour will look in relationship with the flooring, the joinery, the cedar blinds and any other furniture. It is important that a balance of harmony be achieved. You might look at these pale but warmer hues to see if they work well and appeal to you - Resene Quarter Biscotti, Resene Eighth Sisal, October 2017
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Q. I have a small kitchen with green granite bench tops, I would like to paint the cupboard doors a different colour from the dark green Karaka colour they are now. The rest of the house is in Resene Half Spanish White with double strength on the trims. I am thinking of a deep taupe or Resene Double Tea. A. I like your colour ideas - and these other options might be worth checking out also to see if they appeal to you - Resene Akaroa, Resene Eighth Arrowtown or Resene Quarter Evolution. Or you might use the same colour on the cabinets as that which is used on the trims - Resene Double Spanish White. This is a default choice but a way of tying everything together in a tidy way. Sometimes in making a colour change from a deep more definite colour it is important to consider whether you want to go drastically different or moderately different so please do consider how the change of colour will look in relationship with the flooring, the drapes, the furniture as well as the existing wall colour and bench tops. It is important that a balance of harmony be achieved.
October 2017
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Q. We are seeking guidance on colours for a weatherboard home to go with a COLORBOND® Monument roof. Looking at a range of colours from whites to greys to greige (colours we like include Resene Sea Fog/COLORBOND® Surf Mist). I was wondering if you had thoughts on trends and combos. A. The classical look of your home does respond really well to the paler colours that you have mentioned. You might look at these other colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Barely There (a little bit grey), Resene White Pointer (a touch of greige), Resene Half Truffle (still greige but slightly warmer than Resene White Pointer) or Resene Quarter Foggy Grey (slightly green/silvery grey). If the windows - and you don't mention whether they are wooden/painted or metal/powder coated - are a distinct white then the whole look is crisply contrasting and elegant.
October 2017
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Q. I have a New Denim Blue roof and spouting. My brick house has been painted Resene Zorba with Resene Sandstone and Resene Cab Sav trim on the windows and weatherboards. I'm looking for a suggestion for the trims to freshen it up. A. You might check out these colours to see how you feel about using them for the trims - Resene Biscay, Resene Xanadu or Resene Sambuca. Or for paler neutral options - Resene Quarter Perfect Taupe, Resene Blanc or Resene Westar.
October 2017
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Q. We are looking at painting our new home. We are looking to have SmartStrand Vader carpet and are wanting a modern look with light grey walls and white trim for the skirting etc. The thing is we know the look we like but are really struggling to pinpoint the grey on the colour swatches. We are leaning towards either Resene Concrete or Resene Half Rakaia but don’t know if we are on the right track so are open to other colours, A. Some other greys to try before making your final choice are: Resene Quarter Foggy Grey, Resene Quarter Truffle, Resene Double Sea Fog or Resene White Pointer. These are all warmer greys, so have a browner undertone while still looking grey. The colours you have suggested (Resene Rakaia and Resene Concrete) are cooler looking and have blue and purple undertones. Each direction of colour will look great with a crisp white for trims etc (something like Resene Alabaster), you just need to have a think about what type of undertone you want in the house.
October 2017
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Q. I have just repainted my house Resene Quarter Spanish White and changed the carpet to a grey, and need a door colour to complement the change. We also have a tile in the kitchen family room area that is cream with a grey soft pattern. Do you have any suggestions for a door colour? A. You might like to look at these options: Resene Rascal, Resene Unwind, Resene Whirlwind, Resene Coral Tree or Resene Whizz Bang.
October 2017
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Q. We have Resene Half Tea on our walls at work. We want to paint a feature wall in something along the lines of Resene Havelock Blue. What blue colour goes with Resene Half Tea? A. Was there something about the Resene Havelock Blue that you don’t like? Because it works very well with Resene Half Tea. Perhaps it’s too clean and bright? Here are some other options for you: Resene Norwester, Resene Hemisphere, Resene Matisse, Resene Yarra or Resene Waterfront.
October 2017
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Q. We are keen to paint our house exterior in a grey colour. Our house is a small, built in the 70s with Hardiplank®. Windows are slightly off white aluminium and the roof is an Ironsand colour. A. You might like to try these colours: Resene Eighth Masala, Resene Quarter Friar Greystone , Resene Atmosphere, Resene Half Foggy Grey, Resene Half Innocence or Resene Dusted Blue.
October 2017
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Q. We have painted a small bach in Resene Ironsand and love the dark colour but we are thinking of a darker roof with a nice light grey for the outside of this property. We have lots of wood inside and would like a nice white to use as well. Would you be able to suggest some please? A. Nice whites that you might consider using in the interior could be one of these options - Resene Sea Fog, Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Chalk Dust. Some exterior roof colours to consider might be one of these colours - Resene Windswept, Resene Element or Resene High Tide. And some lighter greys for the main colour on the bach - Resene Half Foggy Grey, Resene Double Barely There or Resene Quarter Silver Chalice. September 2017
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Q. I need a neutral colour that will go with a macrocarpa ceiling (lounge) and paint in our other rooms. A. You don't mention what other colours you have in the house or the flooring, existing drapes and other soft furnishings but some ideas to get you started are: Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Pearl Lusta, Resene Quarter Tea or Resene Quarter Tana.
September 2017
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Q. We are repainting a bathroom, which has a combined shower and toilet, on the south side of an ex-railway house. We have a painter pricing to repaint the ceiling and walls. Do we use the same colour which is in the rest of the house or choose a different colour? Could we add some difference by making one wall a feature? A. I do think having one (or two) walls in a new feature colour and the others painted to match the ceiling might be considered. The whiter neutral colour for the ceiling and two (or three) walls will enlarge and lighten the bathroom. The feature colour allows you to add a little bit of oomph to the bathroom. Please think carefully and test colours well, so that you know exactly what will work for you. Having lived in a railway house in the far distant past, I am aware that they aren't usually spacious or blessed with lots of sunshine, so using good lighting/heating/ventilation, a large mirror and a lovely feature colour will add a huge amount of appeal. September 2017
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Q. I am thinking of painting my bedroom Resene Wan White with Resene Merino doors. One side of the bedroom opens out onto a deck with two sides of walls and above the bed, is a long window about the width of the bed. My friend has used Resene Wan White and it looks great. The bathroom has been done in Resene Sea Fog. A. Resene Wan White and Resene Merino are both nice colours - one is very cool/greyish (Resene Wan White) and the other (Resene Merino) is warmer and slightly yellow/green in its undertone. Personally I wouldn't use them as co-ordinates, as the conflict between them, may make either the walls look too grey, or the doors look too earthy. When you see a colour looking very nice in another situation, you do expect that it will look perfect for you as well - but sometimes it doesn't. If your room is exactly the same as your friend’s room (same shape/same windows/same light/same flooring/same drapes and bedlinen etc) then I am sure it will look very similar, but all colours have the potential to look radically different in each different situation. Please take you time and test the colour by painting all of the testpot (two coats) on to a large A2 white card (available from Resene ColorShops for a modest cost). If you leave a narrow unpainted border all around the edge of the card, it helps your eyes to focus on the reality of the colour. You can pin it up and move it from wall to wall in the bedroom. This will help you see how it truly looks and whether it is absolutely perfect. Resene Wan White is very much the same type of colour as Resene Sea Fog but cooler. It does look very nice with Resene Quarter Wan White or Resene Half Alabaster.
September 2017
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Q. Our COLORSTEEL® roof is New Denim Blue, our windows are Matt Appliance White powdercoated and I would like a Resene Moroccan Spice front door. What colour would you suggest to paint the LINEA® board exterior cladding? We would prefer a light greyish colour. A. You do have lots of options when it comes to a light greyish colour for the exterior. These are worth checking out - Resene Triple Black White, Resene Athens Grey, Resene Quarter Silver Chalice, Resene Iron, Resene Surrender or Resene Double Concrete.
September 2017
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Q. Our kitchen has cream cupboards, but we are hoping to paint the room (living/dining/kitchen) a white or a very light neutral other than cream, without it clashing. The bench top is a dark grey/blue. Can you recommend how to choose a white that will be ok? I imagine the base to the white will make a difference. A. You may need to carefully test several whites and light neutrals before you get the one that looks good with the existing colours you have. If you paint all of the testpot (two coats) onto a large A2 white card (available from Resene ColorShops) and move the sample from wall to wall and watch how changing natural and artificial light alters how it is seen, it will give you a better idea of what works and what doesn't. I recommend that you leave an unpainted border all around the edge of the card so your eye focuses on the reality of the sample colour. If you test by painting onto a coloured wall, it may make you misjudge what the colour really looks like. These suggestions may be a starting point - Resene Eighth Rice Cake, Resene Quarter Bianca, Resene Double Black White, Resene Double Alabaster or Resene Athens Grey.
September 2017
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Q. I want to paint my bedroom and I need advice on colour please. The room is quite dark and looks into the hallway, which is painted in Resene Half Wheatfield. I have bedspreads in Aqua, Blue Toile and Burgundy which I change, according to the seasons. A. The following colours are light and warm, and look well-co-ordinated in relation to the hallway colour - fingers crossed that they work well with your seasonal bedspreads. Try Resene Pearl Lusta, Resene Half Orchid White, Resene Bianca or Resene Quarter Spanish White.
September 2017
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Q. We are painting our house, and would like to go through what colours would look good on our home. Should we stay with the existing colours (khaki green with dark base and roof) or a complete change? My husband is thinking of some type of white colour, except the roof is a dark colour. A. I think having a complete change colourwise, does make you feel good. I understand where your husband is coming from - the 'white' look is so fresh and appealing and very popular in a timeless way. Perhaps you could check out these options - roof colours included - Resene Snow Drift with Resene Steel Grey (roof), Resene Alabaster with Resene Element (roof), or similar - but lighter/brighter - tones to what you have now - Resene Ecru White with Resene Karaka (roof).
September 2017
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Q. I really like the new dark colour schemes and am very keen on an exterior colour scheme of Resene Bokara Grey and Resene Milk Chocolate. As I can't change my cream joinery, or karaka grey roof, and brick, am thinking of Resene Bokara Grey on the weatherboards but wondered what lighter colour I should paint under the overhangs. I was wondering whether the Resene Milk Chocolate (copper looking) mix would look good on eaves as well as the pergola out front. A. Because of the brick, the cedar garage door, the powdercoated window joinery and the Karaka roof - I am inclined to think warmer/earthier deep colours may be more harmonious. You might check out these options to see how you feel about them - and compare them with your favoured option - Resene Bokara Grey. Try Resene Sepia (warm toned to pick up on the cedar and bricks), Resene Triple Dune (earthy/green olive to relate to the roof colour) or Resene Blackout (a carbon/black/brown). A lighter colour for the soffits (overhangs) might be a warmed neutral - not too stark – Resene Half Thorndon Cream or Resene Quarter Spanish White. Cleaning down the cedar and re-staining it will give it a freshen up and make it look renewed. Try Resene Woodsman Warm Kwila. Rather than introduce another colour for the pergola and the eaves I would be somewhat inclined to stay with a match colour to the roof so that it is integrated and not left out of the new palette of colours – use Resene Karaka.
September 2017
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Q. I am painting the exterior of my house. I need a secondary colour to go with black weatherboard stain which on about 60% of the house. Currently it’s a yellowy cream colour and looks pretty ugly. My house is a two storey 70s oblong shape without any heritage features. I was hoping for a modern look. A. You could try these colours: Resene Double Black White, Resene Quarter Foggy Grey, Resene Eighth Lemon Grass or Resene Eighth Tapa. Generally a lighter colour with a grey undertone gives a more modern look, so these colours reflect that view.
September 2017
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Q. I have an old villa which I don’t want to paint the white of a standard light grey. Maybe a darker colour. It is getting re-roofed with COLORSTEEL®. Could do a light roof with a dark house colour? A. The reason why you see so many white and off-white/grey villas is due to the fact that they are not recommended to be painted a darker colour. This is because the old timber cladding, which has always been a light or white colour, may not cope with the stress of heat that comes with darker colours, and the timbers would warp and move, and your paint could bubble. For those reasons, Resene does not recommend you paint an old timber clad house in a colour with a darker LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of less than 50%. Perhaps you could use a dark colour on places like handrails, window frames, front door etc? That way at least you’re getting a dark element into the scheme without compromising the paint finish to the cladding. September 2017
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Q. We are painting exterior walls (some weatherboard, some Hardiplank®). Our roof is Grey Friars. I am trying to decide on the best complementary colour. We are looking at Resene Quarter Sea Fog for the window frames. I want something classic and elegant. A. Do you want to paint both cladding types in the same colour, or would you like two different colours? Are your windows aluminium or timber? If you want off-white and light grey types of colours, you might want to look at these options: Resene Quarter Foggy Grey, Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Quarter Truffle or Resene Eighth Friar Greystone . Resene ColorShops stock folders with A4 sizes of each of our colours and these are great to look at before deciding on your final colour. Ask one of our staff to show you the larger samples before purchasing a testpot or paint.
September 2017
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Q. What neutrals should I use with Resene Howzat? Would it be ok to do a whole room in it? I like neutrals like Resene Half Bianca or greys like Resene Quarter Duck Egg Blue. A. You might like to look at these neutrals: Resene Albescent White, Resene Milk White, Resene Double Rice Cake or Resene Half Villa White. Resene Howzat is quite a bright, clean green so it could be overwhelming on all walls of a room – depending on the size of the room. If you absolutely love green (and colour) then go for it. I’d say if you can accessorise well and balance the colour out with neutrals and plenty of texture, you could get away with putting it on all four walls. The neutrals I’ve given you are all on the warmer side as opposed to the grey. This is because green and red are opposite on the colour wheel and therefore those warmer undertones are going to like the Resene Howzat better than cooler greys.
September 2017
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Q. We have a red brick house and have just put up a pine post and rail fence which we would like to stain. What colour stain do you recommend? A. You might like to look at these wood stain colours – Resene Tiri, Resene Iroko, Resene Limed Gum or Resene Equilibrium. I think a charcoal or grey with green undertones would look really lovely on the fence. Something earthy and natural nothing too yellow. All Resene ColorShops have a big woodcare stand in store which has samples of stains onto pine, so you can see what your fence would end up looking like.
September 2017
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Q. I really like the look of the weatherboard home on your website painted Resene Thorndon Cream. I have recently had my roof painted COLORBOND® Dune. If I painted my weatherboards Resene Thorndon Cream would it look nice with the Dune roof? A. Because COLORBOND® Dune is a light colour - and it may look much lighter depending on the angle of the roof to the direct sunlight - I recommend you paint a slightly lighter version of Resene Thorndon Cream if you wanted to see a contrasting difference between the roof and the weatherboards. Perhaps Resene Half Thorndon Cream might be considered for the main colour. To create visual interest on the exterior you might look at using a very pale colour and a very deep colour to enhance the windows, doors and a deeper contrast colour related to the roof colour for the posts. You could try Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream for window sashes and door frames, Resene Double Thorndon Cream for doors and any other detail like window surrounds/sills, and Resene Settlement or (deeper) Resene Coffee Break for the veranda posts.
September 2017
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Q. I am painting our kitchen and lounge and dining room which have red and blue cabinets in the kitchen, denim blue carpet in the lounge and red velvet curtains. Which is the best shade of white to complement all these areas? The areas are huge and the kitchen has brown flooring. A. You have a huge amount of possibilities. You might check out these whites to see how they appeal to you and how they work with your other coloured elements in the house - Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Merino, Resene Eighth Pearl Lusta, Resene White Linen or Resene Half Sea Fog. These suggestions offer you a range of quite different 'whites' all of which carry unique undertones of colour in them.
September 2017
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Q. We have a new build happening and I'm after some interior colour ideas. We have a huge living/kitchen/dining area with pitched ceilings and glazed gables. Our aluminium joinery is black. The kitchen is black and an oak look timber finish. The floors are polished concrete in a charcoal colour. We are not sure if we should paint the walls and ceilings in colour or not. It is square stopped. What colours would you recommend? The exterior is stained in Resene Pitch Black with Cedar trims. A. With square stopped pitched ceilings people often use the same colour on the walls and the ceilings. In a lot of new builds the tradespeople spray all surfaces so they find this decision great. But it is your choice - not the tradeperson’s. If you wanted the ceilings to be pure white and the walls to be something else then that would be fine. It is your house/your decision. You might use a toned white colour - and because there are so many to choose from you might check out and carefully test a few to see if that look appeals to you - Resene Double Black White, Resene Sea Fog, Resene Merino, Resene Black Haze, Resene Quarter White Pointer or Resene Barely There.
September 2017
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Q. We are building a new weatherboard home, with an iron roof. We have timber frames around the windows, garage doors, ranchsliders and corner edges. We are looking at using aluminium joinery in Matt Titania with the weatherboards in either Resene Half Ash, Resene Half Tana or Resene Half Linen. The timber framing around the windows will be in Resene Alabaster. For the roof, we are considering Grey Friars or Sandstone Grey. We are looking for a blend between the joinery, weatherboards and roof and would like your opinion or suggestions on our choices please. A. I do like your ideas for colours. The following are my thoughts: using Grey Friars for the roof colour will give you a steel blue charcoal that differs from your other colours but it does add a bit more contrast and depth, to the overall palette of colours. Some people find it looks too blue toned, so it may be wise to consider whether you want this colour influence or not. Sandstone Grey has grey warmth that sits reasonably well with the other colours, but it may appear lighter than you might imagine it will do, especially if the angle of the roof reflects a lot of sunlight. This may make the roof look half the depth of the sample that you may have seen. Alternative options for the roof colour that sit well with your other colours (not as light as Sandstone Grey and not as steel blue as Grey Friars) that you might consider are COLORSTEEL® TernStyle or Thunder Grey. The Resene Alabaster around the timber framing, around the windows etc, will create a sharp contrast to highlight these wooden features. Is that the look you are hoping to achieve? All colours seen on an exterior have the potential to look much lighter/brighter than you might expect, so the main house colour may look like the quarter tone versions of the colours you have mentioned. Is a very pale subtle colour on the exterior, what you are aiming for? I suggest you paint up samples of the full strength versions of the colours you favour and tape them on the exterior of the weatherboards, so you can see how much lighter they will appear during the daylight. That will give you a true judgment as to which colour, appeals to you the most.
September 2017
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Q. We have used Resene White Pointer and Resene Double White Pointer throughout our interior. We are about to paint a further two bedrooms - they are particularly bright. What is another neutral shade that would tone in with Resene White Pointer but be a bit darker please? Resene Triple White Pointer just wasn't right. We have rimu doors and skirts and warm grey carpet. A. You might check out these colours - they are a little deeper than those you have already used in the interior of your house - Resene Truffle, Resene Eighth Stonehenge, Resene Eighth Pravda or Resene Silver Sand.
September 2017
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Q. I am repainting the internal colours of a little old villa with double hung windows. The floor is carpet and sanded rimu. The walls are Resene Half Spanish White. The ceiling and trim at the top is Resene Quarter Spanish White. I am wondering what to do the frames of the windows in. At the moment I have plain untinted Resene White, but it looks too stark. Would you have any suggestions? Also, what colour do you use for the skirting trim to tie in with everything? A. Possibly in your case, the skirting, door frames, doors and window frames and sashes would all be the same colour for a neat co-ordination and harmony. You could use Resene Quarter Spanish White - same as the ceilings - for a soft toned look. Alternatively, if you wanted less contrast, you could use the same colour as the walls - Resene Half Spanish White - but in a semi-gloss (e.g. Resene Lustacryl) or full gloss (e.g. Resene Enamacryl) waterborne enamel finish. That then highlights the woodwork, by the change of paint sheen but not a change in colour. If you wanted a lighter colour again you might consider using Resene Eighth Spanish White - or if this appeared too pale pink/peach by comparison to the slightly cream/beige walls you might check out Resene Chalk Dust or a whiter and much lighter colour could be Resene Bianca.
September 2017
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Q. I am looking for an exterior paint for my house. I am thinking of a light Resene grey tone. My joinery is Matt Charcoal and the roof is Charcoal shingles. Is there is a better choice of colour that you could recommend please? A. A light grey tone may replicate the same colour as the grey of the unpainted concrete block exterior. Is that the look you are after? If that is the case, then you could check out these colours - Resene Double Concrete, Resene Half Silver Chalice or Resene Quarter Delta. If these greys look a little bland or grim, you could check out some warmer grey/beige tones to see if they are appealing to you - Resene Truffle, Resene Eighth Stonehenge or Resene Quarter Friar Greystone .
September 2017
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Q. We are about to paint the exterior of our plaster home. The roof is a grey/black concrete tile. The gutters and garage door are FlaxPod (Resene Element). We are looking at doing the window frames Resene Alabaster and the walls Resene Stack - will these colours all go together nicely? A. I think they will work ok. Perhaps if you look at some other types of grey, and compare them with Resene Stack and look at them with Resene Element (match to COLORSTEEL® FlaxPod) which is a warmer/earthier charcoal one of the colours may look better than the other. You could check out these greys - Resene Gunsmoke, Resene Gauntlet or Resene Half Scarpa Flow. The grey that looks wonderful to your eye is the right one. It is your home/your choice.
September 2017
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Q. We are going to paint our house in the next month and were wondering if you could help with a colour choice please? It will be nice to have a change. Do we leave the edge around the windows the same colour these days, or paint it a lighter shade like we did before? Would that also apply to the chimney? Our windows are Denim Blue, the roof is bitumen shingle and the spouting is copper. What would you recommend for the cedar, paint or re-vamp? A. Having very distinctive coloured window joinery, can limit your new colour options, but the following may offer you options to choose from - Resene Half Craigieburn, Resene Truffle, Resene Double Tea, Resene Triple Blanc or Resene Half Pravda. There are many stain colour options to choose from and it does give a very natural finish to the cedar. You might check out these stain colours - Resene Bleached Cedar, Resene Sheer Black or Resene Oiled Cedar. If the cedar has never been coated previously - and you wanted to paint it instead of staining it - then after vigorous cleaning with a solvent/detergent cleaner, you would need to apply coatings of product with the first being an oil based primer, followed by 2 -3 coats of Resene Lumbersider waterborne low sheen paint, in the colour of your choice. You might check out one of these paint colours - Resene Groundbreaker, Resene Jambalaya or Resene Monkey. In regard to the raised border detail around the windows and the chimney - keeping them both the same as the main house colour, seems like a simple way to go - and it will always be right, whereas introducing a new lighter colour may just make the house look a bit fussy. But it is your choice however. September 2017
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Q. What are the best neutrals for a sunny warm house? We are looking at Resene Quarter Tea or Resene White Pointer for the main walls, are these good choices? Resene Half Thorndon Cream was too green and Resene Rice Cake too light. What is the best white colour for trim/doors/ceiling to match these wall colours that will highlight, that the walls are a darker colour? We don't want anything that will look pink, green or very yellow. This will have to match dried peat carpet, brown tiles in the bathrooms and also the kitchen which has black cupboards with a black/grey/white top and white splashback tiles and light floor tiles. A. Some 'white' options that will work well with both of the favoured wall colours that you are considering might be these ones - Resene Chalk Dust (looks nice with Resene Quarter Tea) or Resene Quarter White Pointer (looks best with Resene White Pointer). Or for a white with less coloured undertone, that would work with either of the two mentioned wall colours - Resene Double Alabaster.
September 2017
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Q. I have an east facing bedroom which gets morning light but is also darkened by a carport outside one of the windows. I want to create a soft relaxing, aqua type wall. The closest testpot I've tried, is Resene Escape (I also tried Resene Conch and Resene Duck Egg Blue). What would you suggest to get this look? Would it be better to use Resene Half Escape instead? Also, what white would you suggest for the trims and ceiling? A. Colours in an interior often look a lot deeper, once all four walls are painted - these can double their overall depth. So because of this, and also the fact that the room loses the direct sunlight and has shadow in it, it may be wise to use a lighter version of the colour - i.e. Resene Half Escape. Other colours that I have seen that look lovely are Resene Half Halcyon and Resene Cut Glass. Perhaps you could check them out to see if either of them appeals to you. A slightly toned type of white for trims and ceilings that might suit is either Resene Alabaster or Resene Half Black White.
September 2017
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Q. I’m trying to find a pink colour for my daughter’s room. I want a dusky or blush type pink which will last as she gets older and that she doesn’t outgrow. The room is very small and was previously an office. A. You might check out these pinks - they are dusky and almost nude rather than eyeball clenching bright pink - Resene Ebb, Resene Half Sauvignon, Resene Spring Wood, Resene Half Pot Pourri or Resene Cest La Vie. They are pale, but colours in an interior, can double in depth when all four walls are painted, so lighter tints may be better than finding out that the pink you have chosen, looks much stronger once painted. It is always possible to add more layers of pink into a room - i.e. drapes, duvets and other soft furnishings - to make the room appear pinker.
September 2017
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Q. We are a young (ish) family of five who are having serious issues with finding a colour/s for our exterior. We have reclad the whole house in plaster, as well as putting on an extension at the back. The roof is to be repainted a dark charcoal/black colour, with the windows also charcoal black, in aluminum. There will be a large deck at the front. The inside walls have also been redone in Resene Double Sea Fog and the ceiling in Resene Alabaster. A. On an exterior, colours can look a lot lighter/brighter because of the natural light reflecting off the surface. Coupled with the very dark roof and window joinery the house colour (if it is very pale) may look quite stark. Is this the look you are wanting? Or would you prefer a colour with a bit more depth and character? Some ideas to get you started - pale colours - Resene Triple Sea Fog and Resene Double Concrete. Or deeper tones - Resene Triple Truffle and Resene Delta. Or warmer tones - Resene Double Thorndon Cream and Resene Parchment.
September 2017
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Q. We are painting the exterior of our part rendered/part weatherboard house, in Resene Bison Hide. We are having trouble selecting a complementary light colour, like an off white or pale cream for all of the trim (windows and other features). A. You might check out these white and pale cream colours - they look really nice with Resene Bison Hide - Resene Half Thorndon Cream, Resene Rice Cake, Resene Quarter Wheatfield, Resene Half Titania or Resene Quarter Bianca.
September 2017
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Q. I'm planning to use Resene Merino on all the walls for one of my retail stores, which has no windows, only LED lights. I want to use Resene Double Alabaster for the ceiling, doors and skirting. I would like to know if Resene Double Alabaster is too dark for the ceiling and if those two colours work well together? A. If you didn’t want to see very much contrast between wall colour - Resene Merino and Resene Double Alabaster on the ceilings and trims, they may work well together. But the ceiling would definitely look more shadowy - similar to Resene Half Sea Fog perhaps. I think Resene Alabaster may be better, or even Resene Half Alabaster. These options would allow you to see the contrast between the wall colour and the trims and ceiling.
September 2017
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Q. I'm looking to renovate units I have purchased. My unit is on a street that has similar units. I really want my renovation to be a catalyst to lift up the presentation of the street as a whole, as it looks a bit shabby. I want them to be a real, modern, fresh looking home that stands out from the others. I would like some advice on what colours I should paint the units. Also, should I paint the bricks or are bricks part of the units’ heritage and the brick colour can be worked with and add value? A. Perhaps if the colours used on the units were less eye catching, and distinctive, they may not date as much. These colours will hopefully afford you some inspiration - the main colours are soft warm white that I think may embrace the colours in the bricks, in a quietly harmonising way. Try window trims in Resene Half Bianca, roof in Resene Element, doors in Resene Dynamite, eaves in Resene Half Bianca, exterior in Resene Double Bianca, exterior base in Resene Double Bianca, garage exterior in Resene Double Bianca, garage doors and fence in Resene Windswept. For the interior walls you could try Resene Half Bianca. Interior colours do favour very 'white' colours and often drapes and carpets are much deeper - almost slate grey/pewter/charcoal influenced.
September 2017
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Q. We are thinking of getting a Colorcote New Denim Blue roof. The house has silver aluminium windows. At present the walls and wooden features are neutral, creamy brown colour. But I was wondering what neutrals to repaint the walls and trim with? A. You might check out these options to see if they appeal to you - Resene Silver Chalice and Resene Quarter Black White (a cooler palette of colours), Resene Thorndon Cream or Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream. You might do some accents on the house (i.e. steps/doors/base of the house or fences) in a deeper charcoal like Resene Double Cod Grey or a lighter version of the roof colour - Resene Quarter Grey Friars to emphasise the new colour on the roof.
September 2017
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Q. We are renovating our bathroom, and I am looking for paint colour suggestions for the walls and roof. I'm not sure what colour(s) to paint the walls (although the rest of the house is white paint, I'm open to brightening things up a bit). We are looking at a white ceiling, but I'm open to shading suggestions. What you should know: it's a tiny triangle shaped bathroom. Not large enough to swing a cat. We're using mirrors and natural light to make it feel lighter. The window sills are chrome coloured. The three windows have white glass. The vanity will either be a light wood colour or white. The floor is a light wood vinyl. A. I think it is important to try and maximise the space and to do this one must keep it light and simple - as in uncluttered. If the ceiling and the walls were the same 'white' it may make the space seem larger - the type of paint used for these surfaces is the same – Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen waterborne enamel - so painting is simplified. If the ceiling was different to the wall colour/different from the floor/different from the vanity/different from the shower enclosure etc it may make for too many 'different' elements all seeking to exert a influence and attract attention. Is it possible to have the flooring and the vanity exactly the same - or as similar as possible? That may also work to simplify by removing an element of contrast and thereby making the space seem larger. With that thought in mind you might look at these subtle tints of colour to see if they appeal to you – Resene White Thunder, Resene Half Carefree, Resene Quarter Titania, Resene Quarter Duck Egg Blue, Resene Mystic, Resene Half Sea Fog, Resene Quarter White Pointer or Resene Quarter Albescent White.
September 2017
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Q. I have a cement rendered home that faces east west. It has an Australian red terracotta roof. At the moment it has COLORBOND® Classic Cream aluminium windows, and a Mission Brown gutter/fascia. The walls are painted in a dull grey. I believe we need to better match the cream and highlight with a gutter colour but have no idea, and we are scared to select another colour in chance of failure again. A. With a very definite roof colour and very creamy yellow toned windows it is important that any colour chosen for the house work harmoniously with them. I suggest you check these colours out and paint up large samples on to a large A2 white card (available from Resene ColorShops) so that you get to see a huge amount of colour before purchasing the new colour for the house. The card can be moved all around the walls of the house and you will be better able to judge how it alters during the daylight hours. And it does - all colours do - often to a surprising degree. Warmer neutrals may work best – Resene Rodeo Drive, Resene Double Haystack, Resene Bronco or Resene Half Gargoyle. Or for a paler colour (though this may make the window colour look much stronger) – Resene Half Spanish White, or a very deep colour (to force you eye to see the Classic Cream as a lighter less definite colour) Resene Half Baltic Sea.
September 2017
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Q. I have a small Hardiplank® cottage on a concrete block basement, with a Grey Friars roof and silver aluminium joinery. I would like to paint my house maybe a smoky blue colour and am wondering what would look best for a trim colour. A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Dusted Blue, Resene Neutral Bay, Resene Bounty or Resene Bali Hai. Trims and doors might look good in crisp whites to emphasise the main house colours. Try these colours – Resene Rice Cake, Resene Half Orchid White, Resene Half Barely There or Resene Black White.
September 2017
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Q. We are planning to replace our windows of our red brick 1965 bungalow with Fairview Aluminium and use their Warm White Pearl colour as this will replace the existing white wooden frames well. After many testpots we have finally settled on a warm grey to use throughout the indoors: Resene Quarter Foggy Grey. I had originally planned to use Resene White for all internal doors, wardrobes and trims, to contrast with the grey. However Resene White seems to contrast too much with the Warm White Pearl for the architraves etc. I went into Resene ColorShop and they said if it was IPT powder coating then they could do an exact match, however Fairview are unaware of this terminology. Can you please recommend a colour closest to Warm White Pearl but still very white to bring out the grey of the Resene Quarter Foggy Grey? We would use this for the internal doors, trims, wardrobes, architraves etc. and we plan to use Resene White for the ceilings to brighten the hallway and small bedrooms. A. A huge amount of people want a paint match to their powdercoated colours which is why Resene has created a Resene version of each manufacturer’s range of colours. If you don't want the Resene match to Warm White Pearl and are happy to have a standard colour you might check out Resene Quarter Bianca or Resene Double Alabaster. Both of these look really lovely with Resene Quarter Foggy Grey.
September 2017
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Q. I am having my house repainted. The house is plaster with Karaka coloured flashings all around. I am currently considering a two tone with lighter Resene Quarter Grey Olive on the upper exterior and Resene Half Grey Olive below the window lines where there is an obvious break afforded by the control breaks. I have picked the grey olive to go with the karaka while also providing a high LRV to protect the substrate. Do these colours seem the best for the project? A. I like your colour choices. They will work well with Karaka. I do suggest that you paint up large samples of both the colours on to an A2 white card which can be purchased from all Resene Resene ColorShops for a very modest cost. This will allow you to see a huge amount of the colours- seeing about 1 square metre of the colours is the best way of judging the reality of the colours. The card will also be able to be taped up onto the house and viewed from close up and much further away. You need to see how the colours look on all sides of the house. Each aspect of the house may show the colours in a slightly different way. The reason why I am suggesting that you do this is because in bright natural sunlight at certain times of the day you may not see the difference between the two colours. At best it may appear to be very subtle. Is that what you want to achieve? Colours seen on the exterior can look lighter/brighter and you need to see this in order to know whether your colour choices are perfect or not so perfect. If you do like the subtle harmony of the colours then all is well. If you would like to see a little bit more contrast you might use Resene Ecru White in place of the Resene Quarter Grey Olive.
September 2017
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Q. I am going crazy trying to find a ‘Dark Barn Red’ paint common overseas, but I can’t find one. A. I’ve had a look through our charts and some options are Resene Dark Tan, Resene Red Planet, Resene Scoria, Resene Rustic Red, Resene Barn Red or Resene Redwood. The best thing to do would be to pop into your nearest Resene ColorShops and ask to see the A4 sizes of each of these colours. Take them outside into the light to get the best idea of how they look in an exterior situation. Colours will look lighter outside, so choosing a colour that you think might be a touch too dark, is probably about right. Colours will always look different outside and en mass, so it’s very tricky to choose a colour from a small sample. Once you have narrowed down the options, try the colour with a testpot and see how it looks at your home.
September 2017
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Q. We have a beach house/cottage. The aluminium is dark olive green… we think. It’s very salt burnished but the windows are in good shape still and we are not keen on replacing them!! The interior is wood like a Lockwood. The cottage was chocolate brown with green roof originally. But since then the roof has been painted black; as were the exterior walls. We thought we’d try a deep grey Resene Half Nocturnal with Resene Half Surrender on the deck trim and carport. However with the light there we feel the wall grey looks wrong - flat and not complementary to the windows; they looked brown before. We have had Resene Stonehenge suggested to us for the walls. We have a black exterior which some family thought looked quite smart. We had wondered about adding cedar battens to the vertical wall around the door to bring the brown all together and add some texture/interest too. We are looking for some suggestions – we prefer not to repaint the Resene Half Surrender trims everywhere. A. I do think an earthier type of dark colour would harmonise better with the existing window joinery. Resene Stonehenge may be a little bit too brown but you could check out these deep colours to see if they appeal to you as well as work with the joinery - Resene Half Masala, Resene Chicago, Resene Double Tapa or Resene Half Gravel.
September 2017
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Q. We need colour for a dynamic office space. We would like to paint the back feature wall a bright orange to complement the below colour waves (blue and white logo design). We would like all other walls and woodwork to be a brilliant white colour. Can you please recommend which orange and which white to go with please? I was looking at the charts and to my untrained eye I was thinking Resene Juicy, Resene Outrageous, Resene Energise or Resene Adrenalin? Please let me know what you think is best. A. I would personally go with an orange that isn’t quite as yellow based – something like Resene Daredevil. Compared to the others you were looking at, it isn’t as bright, but once you get this colour on the wall it will look quite bright and bold. A colour with too much yellow undertone could be harder on the eyes, and those colours are very bright! I also think the Resene Daredevil will look better up against the blue and white corporate colours, and balance them out. Pop into your local Resene ColorShop and ask to see the A4 sizes of those colours and take your corporate colours in with you so you can view everything together.
September 2017
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Q. The exterior colour of my bungalow is Resene Silver Chalice. The windows are white and the metal roof is New Denim Blue. Please can you advise options for the front door? We are keen on something edgy or vibrant? Perhaps in blue or red? A. You might like to try these colours: Resene Big Bang, Resene Havoc, Resene Ringo, Resene She’ll Be Right, Resene Green House,
September 2017
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Q. I would love exterior suggestions in warm light greys maybe, to freshen up a large sunny weatherboard house with white wooden joinery. The problem is the colour has to work with new silver iron roofing (the type that looks 'unpainted' but is the finish). A. You might like to try these colours: Resene Quarter Foggy Grey, Resene Quarter Delta, Resene Concrete or Resene Half Atmosphere. If you want to look at something a little different, here are some colours that have a grey undertone: Resene Secrets, Resene Half Duck Egg Blue or Resene Half Mischka. All Resene ColorShops keep A4 sizes of each of our colours in their in store colour library. I suggest you pop into your local Resene ColorShop and ask to see samples of each of these colours. Take them outside to view in the sunlight as most colours will look roughly half a shade lighter once outside and applied in a semi-gloss finish.
September 2017
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Q. I've been struggling a bit with changing the colour scheme in our house. It's a new build and all the walls are painted in Resene Half Spanish White. It has a really high vaulted ceiling with a lot of windows so its very light and we feel like we're getting blinded! We live on a rural section surrounded by paddocks and west coast bush. The exterior of the house is cedar weatherboard in a dark brown with Ironsand coloured roof and light silver aluminium window/door frames. We have a lot of timber/rustic furnishings. I have painted one wall in Resene Wasabi but am looking for some other colours in keeping with the bush/cedar/rural surrounds to try and draw the outside in. I was hoping to find some bold and subtle colours in green/brown tones - would love any suggestions! A. These are some bold colours that may be appealing to you - Resene Momentum, Resene Koru, Resene Masala, or subtle tones -
September 2017
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Q. I wish to introduce something exciting and unexpected with the colour of our front door. It is currently grey and in need of a repaint. A. I hope these suggestions inspire you - Resene Ayers Rock, Resene Fire, Resene Dark Side, Resene Buttercup or Resene Celebrate.
September 2017
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Q. We're building a home in the country and have chosen the following colour scheme inside: walls – Resene Half Sisal, skirting boards, window frames and sills – Resene Pearl Lusta and doors – Resene Bison Hide. We have a cathedral truss ceiling over the rectangular dining and living area, and 2.7m stud flat ceilings through the rest of the house. Should we paint the ceilings Resene Pearl Lusta, or should we use a different strength instead? A. I think Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta is a good choice, as it is only slightly coloured but will definitely work with all the other colours. It will also lift the 2.7 metre flat ceilings and not make them appear too low, in comparison to the cathedral truss ceilings. Colours in an interior have the potential to double their depth - or their brightness - which can be a bit of a surprise to the unwary. Colours on ceilings always appear more definite because of the way light falls away, making them have shadow which deepens them.
September 2017
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Q. We are thinking of painting our open plan lounge/kitchen/dining in Resene Rice Cake. Our kitchen bench and cabinets are cream. We will be painting the rest of the house, Resene Half Rice Cake. Will that colour go with the kitchen and is Resene Rice Cake a warm or cold colour, as our house doesn't get any sun in the winter? A. Sometimes you need to compare several creamy colours, in order to see how they differ from each other. Without doing that you can misjudge them. Resene Rice Cake is referred to as a sharp/clean yellow/green edged white. It can look warm or cool, depending upon what is seen close to it, as well as the type of natural light you have in the rooms. If you compare it to Resene Half Pearl Lusta, Resene Orchid White, Resene Bianca or Resene Half Villa White, you will see they all look quite different to each other. Comparing helps you see the under tones of colours with in each hue. Because you already have a cream kitchen bench and cabinets, it is really important that these colours look very harmonious with the colour you are considering for the wall. Do they like each other? Or does Resene Rice Cake look sharper/greener and does it make the kitchen cabinets and bench top take on a peachy, yellower or browner undertone? Take your time and test colours carefully. Resene testpots really are your best friend if you take the time to watch how the colour works - each wall will take on a different colour tone, every change of light and every coloured element within the room will also alter how the colour is seen.
September 2017
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Q. Our house is currently Resene Oilskin, with Resene Quarter Malta soffits and trims in Resene Diesel. We need to change Resene Oilskin to a colour with an LRV of 40 or more, but would prefer not to repaint the soffits or trim. Can you please let me know, if you have a colour palette that would suit? A. The following colours (with the appropriate LRV listed) will all work, but because the soffits are such a definite colour - Resene Quarter Malta - you are a little more compromised with your choices. Try Resene Sandspit Brown (LRV 65%), Resene Quarter Drought (LRV 67%), Resene Joss (LRV 48%), Resene Sandcastle (LRV 46%) or Resene Quarter Gargoyle (LRV46%). Or as a default that is related to the colour you have on the soffits - Resene Malta (LRV 41%).
September 2017
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Q. I have an exterior, metal front door and garage in Ironsand and need help finding the right white to paint the weatherboards etc to complement the colour. A. You might check out these slightly warmer/earthier toned whites - they will all work with Ironsand - but it really depends which colour appeals to you - Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Titania, Resene Eighth Parchment, Resene Quarter White Pointer, Resene Albescent White or Resene Black Haze.
September 2017
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Q. We are repainting our modern, plaster and weatherboard house. We have used Resene Eighth Tapa on the weatherboards of a recent extension and really like the colour, as it goes well with the aluminium joinery but we are struggling to get a complementary and contrasting colour for the plaster. We dislike yellow based creams and struggle with light colours looking too cold. The colour can contrast with the double garage door, large entrance door and two storey, weatherboard clad chimney. A. You might use one of these colours - they are not yellow based creams but are light warm/stone/grey neutrals - Resene Triple Black White or Resene Sea Fog, or slightly deeper – Resene Double Sea Fog or Resene Titania, or slightly lighter - Resene Half Titania, Resene Half Atmosphere or Resene Quarter Foggy Grey. Some deeper colours that work as a contrast might be Resene Quarter Gravel, Resene Tapa or Resene Half Tapa. September 2017
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Q. We are currently building a modern home. The exterior will be stained to match the existing part of the house in Resene Tiri. The joinery is Silver Pearl and the front door is a bright yellow. The interior will be mostly black and white, with birch plywood. I need some ideas to choose the colour of a brick feature wall, which starts outside, next to the yellow front door, runs through the entrance way and is also in the kitchen, on the reverse. So it needs to go with the bright yellow door, Resene Tiri, black and white in the kitchen and ply on the ceiling. I was thinking of a soft grey, or light blue grey like Resene Concrete, or one of the light blues from the Karen Walker Paints range, but I also have been wondering about something darker like Resene Coast or Resene Gravel. A. You might like to have a look at these colours: Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey, Resene Gauntlet, Resene Quarter Atmosphere, Resene Powder Blue or Resene Duck Egg Blue. Resene Coast or Resene Concrete would also work really well. Either would look beautiful and obviously work with the black and white and keep things neutral and sophisticated. If the brick is your opportunity to add some flair and a bit of excitement, a deeper colour is ideal. It will depend on what colours you have in the kitchen, if you choose a deep neutral it might have to be grey instead of having a brown undertone, to work with a stone top for instance. I’ve also given you a couple of colours that have purple undertones (like the Resene Fuscous Grey), because purple is opposite to yellow and work really well together. It doesn’t mean you need to have a bright purple wall though. All of the colours I’ve supplied above have different strengths, so you can get a half, or double of some of these colours. Pop into your local Resene ColorShop and ask to see the A4 sizes of each of these colours. Take along all the samples of finished you have, including kitchen and ply. They will also have samples of the Resene Tiri, Resene Black White and a yellow similar to your front door, I’m sure. View everything together and see how you feel about the two different looks of either the soft or bold.
September 2017
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Q. We have an old villa in Northland that needs a lift! We are restricted to some extent, by the green verandah railings and boards. The roof is also pale green. Ideally we need a soft creamy sage, to complement the white windows. We have water views so Resene Pewter is a colour we like, but would it need to be half or quarter strength? A. You might like to try these colours: Resene Half Secrets, Resene Nebula, Resene Paris White, Resene Ottoman, Resene Green White or Resene Quarter Tana.
September 2017
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Q. I have a two storey dwelling, completely clad in Shadowclad and painted in Resene Black. All the joinery is black also. I'm having trouble selecting a colour for the front plastered fence. What would you suggest to soften the black facade? I have tried Resene Concrete grey, but it doesn't work. A. I think mid based colours would look best, this could be grey or brown based. Pop into your local Resene ColorShop and ask to see larger sizes of these colours: Resene Inside Back, Resene Half Gunsmoke, Resene Half Masala, Resene Gauntlet or Resene Quarter Evolution.
September 2017
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Q. I’m looking to paint the whole interior of my house in a neutral colour, nothing too bold, probably an off white. My house faces north, so it is definitely not a cold house. My aluminium windows are Silver, but I don’t want a cool colour. A. You might like to look at these colours: Resene Sea Fog, Resene Double Merino, Resene Rice Cake, Resene Cararra, Resene Quarter Truffle or Resene Albescent White. These are all soft, off-whites with various undertones. If you have a white ceiling and white or just off-white (Resene Alabaster) trim, then your walls will look like a colour, instead of white.
September 2017
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Q. I need to touch up some paint from another brand that is no longer available. How could I get the same colour to repaint? A. There are options for you: September 2017
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Q. We are painting the exterior of our pre-1920s house and can’t decide what colour to paint it. It is currently green but we don’t like it, and we don’t want white. Do you have any ideas for a main colour and another colour for a trim please? A. There are so many colours available to choose from so you are spoiled for choice. These suggestions may appeal to you - Option #1: Roof in Resene Ironsand, main walls in Resene Quarter Arrowtown, trim 1 in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, trim 2 in Resene Mighty and fences same as the trim 1 or same as the roof. Or option #2: Roof in Resene New Denim Blue, main walls in Resene Duck Egg Blue, trim 1 in Resene Chalk Dust, trim 2 in Resene Steam Roller and fences same as the trim 1 or same as the roof.
September 2017
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Q. What's the closest Resene colour to that stone cold, classic mid-century brown, that so many modernist houses were painted? A. You might check out these colours from (historic) Resene charts from 1950-1960 - Resene Pine Cone, Resene Lisbon Brown, Resene Cement, Resene Friar Greystone , Resene Flint or Resene Coffee.
September 2017
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Q. We're insulating and relining our early 1990s cedar weatherboard house and are looking for some internal colour ideas. We're looking to use Resene Quarter Powder Blue through the open plan living, with Resene Half Black White for trims and ceilings. We're looking for a darker colour, to use on two internal walls that might pop a bit against the Resene Powder Blue (we have considered, but dismissed options including Resene Gothic and variants of Resene New Denim Blue, we quite like Resene Tax Break from the 2008 range). For info, the rest of the palette will include Resene Eighth Powder Blue in the halls (darker space than living), Resene Cut Glass and Resene Kumutoto for bedrooms and Resene Half Surrender for the office. The cabinetry in the office will use Resene Turbo and Resene Hullabaloo, so we're not afraid of a bit of colour. A. Some darker colours to use with Resene Quarter Powder Blue may reduce any blue in that colour, leaving it presenting as a cool grey - would this be ok? You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Arapawa, Resene Spinnaker, Resene Blumine, Resene Teal Blue or Resene Bismark. September 2017
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Q. I am using Resene Double Merino on all walls and Resene Half Merino on the ceilings. I want to find a few bright colours for some feature walls that will tie in with a neutral, colour scheme. I have tried Resene Galliano and Resene Clockwork Orange but I think something more muted would be easier on the eye. Also, maybe a teal blue type colour. I am also considering painting the doors a darker grey colour... not sure if this would be a step too far? Our basic colour scheme is black/white and wood with concrete floors, with a slight industrial look. A. Softer toned colours that you might consider are - Resene Twine, Resene Tuscany, Resene Aquamarine or Resene Ming. Deeper toned greys for doors might be one of these colours - Resene Quarter Chicago or Resene Quarter Gravel.
September 2017
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Q. We own a small two storey block of flats. They are red brick on the bottom floor and roughcast plaster on top. Some windows have been replaced with aluminium, White Pearl. We are having it reroofed and painted in January. We will leave the bricks but will paint the top storey, window frames, fences etc. So far we are thinking to keep White Pearl on the window frames and do a COLORSTEEL® Ironsand. Do you have any suggestions as to colour for the rest? We recently renovated a house and painted it all Resene Ironsand with white windows. We loved it and it turned an old brick state house into something modern. Would this work leaving the red brick below? Or do we look at something lighter? A. I think you may already know the answer to your question. Using the same colour as the roof - Ironsand - on the whole of the top storey with the red brick base may be a strong but not necessarily marvellous look for the flats. Two deep colours like the Ironsand and the red bricks can only antagonize each other. I do like your choice of White Pearl - it has a soft look to it and is classically smart. Had you thought of using a softer earthy colour on the top storey? And perhaps a lighter but related colour to the roof colour on the fence/base of the steps/ramp and edges? You might check out the following colours to see if they appeal to you: upper storey colour - Resene Triple Truffle or slightly more olive/brown Resene Castle Rock, fence/base of steps/ramp and edges - Resene Quarter Ironsand, metal hand rails - Resene Blackjack or Resene Bokara Grey.
September 2017
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Q. I am doing up a rental property. The white paint on the body of house is plastered and in good condition so I was hoping to be able to leave as is. Please advise a colour scheme to modernise the roof, windows, trims etc. A. If you are only doing the roof, window trims etc and leaving the white plastered main exterior you might check out these colours:
September 2017
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Q. What is a paint colour that is like the dark black/brown creosote colour? A. You might check out the following colours - Resene Cosmonaut, Resene Sooty, Resene Blackout or Resene Bokara Grey.
September 2017
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Q. I am wanting to change the colour of my house. Ideally I want to update its look. The colour is currently brick-red (yuck!). I want to keep the actual brick due to cost constraints/ ongoing maintenance issues. I am thinking of going charcoal grey/black (perhaps even something to match the mortar, which has a dark blue hue). I will be changing the garage doors, and want to stain the newly installed small retaining wall at the front, I really do not like wood just being left, as I think it looks too raw, I like a nice finished look (I am happy to re-stain every few years). I am looking for cohesion and a modern look, without taking out a second mortgage. A. The red brick on the house does constrain your freedom of colour choices but you might check out these colours for a stain colour and a new colour for the garage doors as they are such a feature of the lower storey - Resene Woodsman Bleached Cedar and Resene Double Foundry, or Resene Woodsman Tiri and Resene Half Fuscous Grey, or Resene Woodsman Pitch Black and Resene Grey Friars. Any new stain colour may inherit some of the previous stain colour (stain is semi opaque and doesn't totally block out what the previous colour is as paint would do) and might make a new colour so it is very wise to test with the stain testpot in an unobtrusive place to make sure that the new colour covers well and that you get the look you want. A stain colour applied to new timber may look different to the same stain colour applied over an existing stain colour. Take your time - testpots are your best friend and will help you a lot.
September 2017
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Q. We are building a modern style, country home in Australia. We have a dark charcoal COLORBOND® roof (Monument). We are looking for a grey that will go well with our roof and are looking at Resene Half Foggy Grey. A. Resene Half Foggy Grey would be a good choice. Alternatively you might check out Resene Half Delta and Resene Triple Black White.
September 2017
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Q. I'm painting a weatherboard bungalow in Resene Half Lemon Grass but need a white for the detail (window and door and corner surrounds). We have been using Resene Half Wan White but it is too 'bright white'. Can you suggest a couple of better options - looking to bring out the bluish tones in Resene Lemon Grass rather than going towards creamy yellow? A. Resene Half Lemon Grass may look cooler/bluer on the east and south sides of the house and so might the whites. All colours can look slightly warmer toned on the west face of the house because of the type of sunlight from that quarter. If Resene Half Wan White is too bright white, then Resene Wan White may also be too white - but it is worth checking out just in case it is ok.Other alternative whites that are also worth looking at are these ones - Resene Black White or Resene Double Black White.
September 2017
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Q. We are repainting our home 1970 weatherboard house. We like light, neutral colours. We need wall, trim and ceiling colour ideas. A. These colours may start you thinking about what appeals to you - Resene Quarter Truffle – walls and Resene Black White - trims/ceilings, or Resene Quarter Tea – walls and Resene Quarter Merino - trims/ceilings, or Resene House White – walls, Resene Double Alabaster – trims and Resene Half Alabaster - ceilings (this could be used for ceilings with any of the other main colours if desired). All colours in an interior do have the tendency to appear deeper according to the natural light and spaces and angles of the rooms so it is wise to carefully test colours. You might pick up a copy of a little booklet called Habitat Plus - Whites & Neutrals, from your nearest Resene ColorShop. It is full of great ideas and it may help you. It is certainly worth looking at. You can also view it online.
September 2017
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Q. I am using Resene Triple Concrete on some walls and Resene Black White on others. I need a colour for trim on the same palette as Resene Triple Concrete but darker. What do you recommend? A. You might look at these colours - Resene Surrender or Resene Half Jumbo.
September 2017
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Q. I have a pink Summerhill stone brick house, and would like to paint the roof. It has a brown colour on it which I don't like, so I am thinking maybe grey instead. Can you please give your recommendation as to which colour would work the best? Also, do you think I need a windowsill colour? A. These colours may appeal to you as roof colours - they may also be used as a window sill colour if that idea appeals to you - Resene Steel Grey (classic mid/deep grey) or Resene Bright Charcoal (deep metallic charcoal) and Resene Windswept (warm grey).
September 2017
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Q. We have a colonial house with a 1980s extension living area, which flows into the kitchen. It has a particle board ceiling with varnished cedar beams. We have decided we want to paint the whole ceiling, and in time the walls and into the kitchen, which will be renovated at some stage. There are rimu doors, skirting, scotia and shelving. The area does not have a lot of natural light at times during the day, so we need to lighten the whole area. Can you please suggest a warm white combination for the ceiling and walls? I was thinking of Resene Eighth Spanish White, Resene Quarter Spanish White, or Resene Half Spanish White but would love your ideas. A. If you wanted the ceiling to look lighter and brighter, rather than using Resene Eighth Spanish White - which has an undertone of peach in it - I would suggest that you use Resene Chalk Dust. The other Resene Spanish White variants you mention may need to be carefully tested, to make sure they didn't appear to be much deeper in tone, due to the richness of the rimu woodwork and the lack of natural light in the rooms. Resene Quarter Spanish White may provide enough colour, but Resene Half Spanish White may look double the depth of colour and might take on a muddy look.
September 2017
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Q. I am currently renovating the exterior of my unit. The foundation of the unit, below the brick, will be painted Resene Stonehenge. Hopefully this colour will work with the mixed yellow brick finish. Finding a colour has been a challenge! I would like to paint the surrounding wooden fence and wooden deck in a medium dark brown. Are you able to suggest two options for a wood paint for these exterior surfaces, which will be compatible in colour? A. You might check out these medium dark browns - Resene Judge Grey (looks nice in association with Resene Stonehenge), or Resene Woodburn (this is warmer and darker and may associate well, with all the colours in the bricks). The type of paint to be used on the fence and the deck is called Resene Lumbersider which is a low sheen finish.
September 2017
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Q. We are redoing our kitchen and lounge area and need to choose a wall, ceiling and trim colour. The kitchen cabinets are Resene Designer White with a stone bench top. I would like to keep the same kind of colour scheme for the whole area. What colours would you recommend for the walls, trims and ceilings? A. Possibly the simplest thing to do is to use a crisp clean white for the ceilings and trims - Resene Quarter Black White or Resene Half Alabaster. You do have a huge amount of possible options available to you for colours. You might check out the following colours to see if any of them appeal to you - Resene Concrete, Resene Quarter Truffle, Resene Thorndon Cream, Resene Athens Grey or Resene Quarter Ash. They are all quite different to each other. Please view the A4 real paint samples in the Colour Library at your local Resene ColorShop and compare them, it may give you a much better idea of what they truly look like.
September 2017
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Q. I live opposite the ocean and I want to paint the whole house ‘white’! It is a double storey house with some brick, timber and some bagged blue board. I have been recommended Resene Wan White but it looks a bit grey. Could you please suggest an alternative? A. You might check out these alternatives to see if they appeal to you - Resene Alabaster, Resene Half Black White or Resene Quarter Milk White.
September 2017
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Q. I am looking for help with exterior house colours. We are building on 21 acres of flat, green land and for the first stage we are constructing a large shed, entirely in FlaxPod COLORSTEEL® with Appliance White joinery and cedar roller doors. Our main house will be a small transportable home (113sqm) with LINEA® weatherboard and NK PVC joinery (colour matched by Resene as ‘NKW Off White 733’). I am looking for a dark colour for the house exterior that will tie in with the shed colour, possibly Resene Bokara Grey with the brown undertones similar to the shed. For the house roof colour, I was thinking to lighten it up with a Zincalume roof, Sandstone Grey or Gull Grey COLORSTEEL® roof. Can you please let me know any other colours that would work for consideration? A. If you want a closer match, you might paint the house Resene Element, which is a match to COLORSTEEL® FlaxPod. Or if you want to see a different dark colour on the house, then Resene Baltic Sea is a good option to consider. I am not 100% sure about Resene Bokara Grey, as it has a yellow/red undertone, which can flash more brown shadings and that may make the COLORSTEEL® FlaxPod look a little more yellow/green by comparison, when seen in close proximity. I really like COLORSTEEL® Sandstone Grey for the roof, as it has a little more warmth compared to the COLORSTEEL® Gull Grey. Roof colours can look a lot lighter, due to the angle of the roof to the prevailing sunlight, so they may appear half as light again. This may make the Gull Grey look more like unpainted Zincalume - would this be what you were looking for in a roof colour? You may need to think your roof options through carefully, to ensure you get the right balance of colours.
September 2017
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Q. I have used Ironsand and I would like a colour to highlight this, in places. Would there be something in the white range you could suggest please? A. You might check out these whitish colours, to see if they appeal to you and work with the Ironsand - Resene Merino, Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene White Pointer or Resene Double Sea Fog.
September 2017
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Q. We have a 1900s cottage and the interior is black and white, with wooden flooring. Can you please guide me on what white I should paint the walls, ceiling and doors, throughout the home? A. You could check out these whites, to see how you feel about them - Resene Black White, Resene Snowdrift or Resene Double Alabaster. You can create a layering of white on white - if you want to see some visible contrast - by using real white Resene White for ceilings and woodwork trims. This will make the white on the walls take on subtle undertones of delicate shadow. It is most important to carefully test colours to see how the natural and artificial light with in the rooms alters them - whites can often change the most with light - each aspect (N/S/E/W) in rooms has a unique ability to change colour. Quite a lot has been written about Whites, in an informative Resene booklet called Habitat plus - Whites & Neutrals, which you might find inspirational. You can get a copy at your local Resene ColorShop or view it online.
September 2017
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Q. We have chosen to use Resene Double Pearl Lusta as the 'white' for ceilings and trims throughout our 103 year old villa. I am about to paint a large, south facing bedroom, and need a colour that is light and warm. Some ideas include Resene Canterbury Clay, Resene Sour Dough or Resene Half Sisal. The hall outside is a yellow... similar to Autumn Leaves. A. All colours in an interior have the potential to look almost double their depth or brightness. This is very much the case on ceilings, as the light falls away, making the ceiling look more shaded, so as well as looking to be a stronger colour, it may look heavier in hue with shadows on it. South facing rooms have a unique sour or greyish natural light, so some yellows can look very harsh, overly bright or muddy. Please, do test colours very carefully in order to see just how they are affected by light - both natural and artificial. If you paint up all of the testpot (two coats) on a A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) leaving a narrow, unpainted edge all around the edges of the card, it will help you a lot - Resene Double Pearl Lusta, a very strong yellow/cream and will look much more like Resene Triple Pearl Lusta, on the ceiling. Perhaps if you want a very definite ceiling colour, you might need to make sure it doesn't look as deep as the wall colour. So you might use Resene Pearl Lusta instead - as it could look like Resene Double Pearl Lusta on the ceiling. Please do take your time to get it right. Testpots are your best friend, when used the way I have indicated.
September 2017
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Q. I am keen to use Resene Link Water for the main house colour (weatherboards), with white windows. For sills/trims, I'd like a grey but I don’t want it too dark, so I was thinking Resene Raven or Resene Half Raven. What are your thoughts on this colour scheme? I’m not sure about the square area top of gable – perhaps a white frame and Resene Link Water inside? A. I really like your idea of using Resene Link Water as it is really pale, pretty and delicate, especially when used with real white - Resene White as a trim for the windows. I am not 100% sure about using Resene Raven (or the half version of this colour) with it, as it is very hard edged. Perhaps you might check out these greys to see if they work better for you - Resene Half New Denim Blue or Resene Half Hammerhead. These suggestions have an undertone of blue in their greyness and are soft - almost chalky - looking so that quality may work harmoniously with the delicate lilac/blue of Resene Link Water.
September 2017
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Q. I am about to paint my house and get a new roof and would like some help with selecting what colours would look best. The roof colour I am getting is Windsor Grey and I would like to paint my barge boards and trim the same colour (if you could advise what this would be that would be fantastic) and I am looking to keep with the colour theme of my current house, however just to make it look a bit nicer and perhaps sharper. A. Resene can tint a Resene version of Windsor Grey using Resene paints and tinters. You can request this at your local Resene ColorShop. If you would prefer a slightly lighter charcoal, the Resene Grey Friars works well with Windsor Grey. You might use Resene Double Black White as a main colour and Resene Quarter Black White for windows and other trims.
September 2017
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Q. We are planning on painting our house Resene Eighth Stonehenge (with Resene Quarter Black White ceilings and doors). We want a dark blue for a feature wall in the master bedroom - can you recommend a colour please? A. There are quite a few dark blues that you might check out to see if one of them appeals to you - Resene Coast, Resene Dark Side, Resene True Blue, Resene Regatta, Resene Bunting, Resene Midnight Express or Resene Tangaroa.
September 2017
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Q. We are trying to find a good exterior colour scheme (rural/coastal Hawkes Bay) stucco with wood panelling detail. We are keen to move away from the bright blue we have and are wondering about reversing tones with our stucco darker? A. Darker stucco would definitely work, although I would balance that out with large amounts of white (or off-white) for the windows and possibly the panelling. You might like look at these colours: Resene Double Stack, Resene Tapa, Resene Half Masala, Resene Quarter Bokara Grey or Resene Quarter Gravel. You could put a lighter version of the stucco colour on the panelling, or a slightly darker white so that you have a nice tonal scheme happening.
September 2017
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Q. We have a two storey 60s house with a strange aspect (front door at side of house). I am looking for advice on exterior paint colours I am interested in light grey with white trim at this stage. A. You might like to try these colours: Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Eighth Lemon Grass, Resene Quarter Foggy Grey or Resene Concrete. Now I am no gardening expert but if it were possible to plant some white flowers/shrub (like a daphnia or mini hydrangea) near the front door, it would go a long way to help balance out the large expanse of weatherboard colour with the white trim. And would smell great. Are you also going to repaint the front door? Another way to make it obvious that it’s the front door would be to put a small awning over the door, again, helping out with all that weatherboard.
September 2017
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