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Answers to your questions from our colour experts, p. 76

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

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

 
 
 
 

Q&A   p. 76

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


Q. We are in the process of a renovation of our 1970s house with exterior timber cladding being replaced with vertical cedar, brick painted and new joinery and roof painted. We had originally had the joinery as Grey Friars matt, the stain as Resene Shadow Match, the roof as Grey Friars and the stucco bricks as Resene White Pointer. We are looking at changing the joinery to Ironsand (COLORSTEEL®) and were wondering if the other colours still worked with this, or whether some different tones would work better?

A. The Ironsand joinery will definitely work with the Resene Shadow Match stain and Resene White Pointer on the brick. The one area of concern for me is the roof, is there a reason for not also changing the roof colour to Ironsand? When you have two similar depths of colours that are used close together, it can sometimes look like one was a mistake, or you tried to get something close but got it slightly wrong etc. If you hardly see the roof, that’s a different situation, but just have a think about how it will look seeing two different charcoals at once. Technically, those colours work fine together (we aren’t talking about red and pink here) but it’s the depth that worries me. You may be better to use Ebony or FlaxPod on the roof.

May 2018

Q. We have used rustic oak on battened plywood for our exterior colour. We have Pearly White window joinery but were wondering about the roof colour – the view from the road includes a significant amount of 'roof' with the backdrop of mixed trees in the green belt. I have wondered about Ironsand. What are your thoughts?

A. Resene Ironsand is a good choice – it is warm, earthy olive toned brown so it would be appropriate. Other options worth considering are Resene Karaka or Resene Windswept.

May 2018

Q. I live in a 1970s townhouse; there are five houses in the block. We need to be able to agree on a new paint colour for the house and roof and would love some suggestions please.

A. I think it may not be difficult to find lovely colour options – the difficulty may be in getting five people to agree.

You could check out the following colours to see if they appeal – Resene Triple Friar Greystone , Resene Taupe Grey, Resene Paddock, Resene Templestone, Resene Fifty Shades or Resene Gumboot.

May 2018

Q. I want to paint the exterior walls of my house, white. I want a classic and traditional look. Could you suggest some Resene white colours please?

A. The following colours are classic/traditional whites that may appeal to you – Resene Half House White, Resene Wan White, Resene Black White, Resene Sea Fog or Resene Milk White.

There are very subtle differences between them all, but these would not be all that apparent unless the large A4 samples, which can be seen in the Colour Library at your local Resene ColorShop, were viewed alongside a sheet of white printer paper, which is optically true white.

May 2018

Q. We are adding an extension onto our 50s style home. The roof colour is Cloud (which isn’t visible at any angle), the windows are Permanent Green, and the trims and pergola are in Resene Stonewall, which I like. The cladding is currently Resene Triple Fossil, which is looks too yellow.

The extension slopes down a hill, and looks quite separate from the old house. The roof is seen from many angles and I think Touchstone would go beautifully with the Pohutukawa and cabbage trees in the garden. I’d like a red front door, possibly Resene Fahrenheit. Can you suggest a colour scheme for cladding on the old house and new part of the house and also the aluminium joinery on the extension? I like both dark and light joinery, although I prefer warmer colours and have been looking at Resene Sea Fog, Resene Napa, Resene Triple Napa and Resene Half Stonewall.

A. I like your idea of Resene Touchstone for the roof on the extension and Resene Fahrenheit for the front door. Another couple of reds worth considering are Resene Hot Chile and Resene Salsa. You could use COLORSTEEL® Cloud for the joinery on the extension (it would tie in with the roof of the existing house even though it isn't seen) or COLORSTEEL® Titania.

The extension would look really smart as Resene Half Stonewall – this looks really nice with the Resene Touchstone roof and either of the powder coat colours for the joinery. If you did use this colour, the existing house could be painted deeper (because of the Permanent Green window joinery) in a colour like Resene Stonehenge. But if this is still a little too yellow toned, you could consider Resene Climate CC which links in the roof colour and still serves to look related but not exactly the same as the new extension.

If you have anything else that needs a colour – fences or garden furniture – you could use Resene Permanent Green so that the joinery in the existing house isn't alone and unloved.

May 2018

Q. We have a Lockwood home and I would like to know what neutral colour would be good to paint our kitchen cupboard doors that will go with the stainless steel bench, and a white bench and appliances. The floor is the same colour as the Lockwood. I don’t want anything dark. At present it’s a very light pale green.

A. You have a huge amount of possible options in neutrals to choose from.

Lighter coloured neutrals may look good so the following are some suggestions that you might check out – Resene Bison Hide, Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Clotted Cream, Resene Joanna, Resene Quarter Lemon Grass or Resene Half Foggy Grey.

May 2018

Q. We would like one wall of the living area to be Resene Blue Moon, and the rest of the walls a neutral/white. We would like a definite colour rather than a hint – for example, Resene Half Bianca was far too white for this room!

A. If you were looking for a warmed neutral like Resene Half Bianca but one that didn't look as white, you could check out the following colours to see how they look – Resene Bianca, Resene Double Bianca, Resene Quarter Spanish White, Resene Cararra, Resene Albescent White or Resene Thorndon Cream.

Colours in an interior can look a lot deeper than you might expect them to. But if the room has windows on two or three sides, there may be a lot more natural light which can make colours look whiter.

May 2018

Q. Our exterior is Resene Half Tea and we have a COLORSTEEL® roof in a light green colour. The roof needs to be painted and I do not want green any longer – I want a very neutral, tin like colour (as if roof was unpainted tin).

A. Do you want the roof to look very bright, so that when the sun reflects off it you need to wear sunglasses? If that was the case, then you might consider painting it Resene Aluminium or Resene Sword. Both of these are metallic silvery colours.

Alternatively you might just use a pale grey like one of these colours – Resene Atmosphere, Resene Half Silver Chalice or Resene Quarter Delta.

I am not 100% certain that the lighter, silvery greys work well with your main house colour – Resene Half Tea – unless the roof itself had a low profile and wasn't seen.

Had you considered the possibility of using a warmer beige/grey neutral like Resene Foggy Grey or Resene Half Friar Greystone ? All exterior colours look a lot lighter, due to the bright sunlight stripping their depth and making them more reflective.

May 2018

Q. I have a 1970 tallish house with white joinery; I am looking to change the exterior to a darker colour like Ironsand. Would you recommend a darker colour on the concrete at the bottom and lighter on top?

A. I do recommend that a darker colour be used on the bottom of the house as it is concrete and quite high. Also concrete won't get dark colour/heat related problems that the timber weatherboards would do. If you like Ironsand then the base of the house might be one of these colours – Resene Half Ironsand or Resene Quarter Ironsand.

The upper weatherboard part of the house might be one of these types of colours – Resene Gauntlet, Resene Eighth Masala or Resene Friar Greystone .

Even though the colours suggested aren't very deep they will still attract a lot heat.

I do strongly recommend that the paint for the weatherboards be a reformulated CoolColour version of these colours in order to minimise heat build-up.

May 2018

Q. We are looking to paint the whole house. We want to lighten the house up. The windows are slightly tinted and so we need a fresh light colour for the main part of the house and for the bathrooms, laundry and toilet are keen to find a relaxing but vibrant colour that will match the existing furniture, tiles and furnishings.

If it helps my husband and I have taken the colour questionnaire and are summer personalities!!

A. You might check out – and carefully test – the following colours to see if they work for you – Resene Half Rice Cake, Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream.

Freshening up and brightening the rooms may need to extend to using a pure white – Resene White – on the ceilings.

The elements in the house that can't be changed easily – the flooring especially – followed by kitchen cabinets, bench tops and tiles greatly influence how a change of wall colour will look. Your choices are somewhat compromised. Your summer personalities might mean that colours that attract you may need to be lesser influences like accessories, bed linen and artwork.

May 2018

Q. We are painting our small 1950s bach. It is very retro, and the main living area has Formica® kitchen benches in white and red specks. It sits opposite the sea, with a large grass area surrounding it. I'm not sure whether to do just one white – I've been suggested Resene Quarter Sea Fog, Resene Black White, Resene Quarter Tea and Resene Rice Cake. Or should we have the ceilings done in Resene Alabaster and walls a darker colour like full Resene Sea Fog.

A. If you want to see a little bit of contrast on the walls, I suggest painting the ceilings, doors and trim using Resene Alabaster. You could then use a Resene Half Sea Fog or similar for the walls, which will give you a hint of grey but overall a white finish. Alternatively, or for other areas of the house, you could use something with a little colour: Resene Zumthor, Resene Breeze, or Resene Duck Egg Blue.

These colours all have grey undertones, so they won’t be clean and bright but would flow really nicely from a grey-white neutral in the living spaces or hallways perhaps.

I’ve also had a quick look on our Habitat website and found an article about bach colours – using off-whites. Hopefully this is useful for you. https://www.habitatbyresene.co.nz/decorating-bach.

May 2018

Q. We are doing up our 1960s farmhouse and replastering the exterior. I’m seeking advice on external paint colour that would go with an Ironsand roof and windows and blend in with the landscape.

A. You might check out these lovely neutrals and interesting green edged colours to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter Napa, Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Kangaroo, Resene Double Thorndon Cream, Resene Tea or Resene Joanna.

May 2018

Q. We have repainted our interior walls/ceiling Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream. I would like to have painted cabinetry in the kitchen a white colour to coordinate but be slightly different to walls. Do you have a colour suggestion? Possible white/grey white on composite bench top.

A. You might check out these whites to see if they appeal to you – Resene Eighth Rice Cake, Resene Half Alabaster, Resene Half Black White or Resene Half Wan White.

If there are only a few options to choose from in the composite bench top range it may pay you to check them very carefully against the colours you are considering using for the cabinets.

May 2018

Q. I am building a new house and was thinking of a grey flannel corrugated iron roof, with Resene Half Cloud on the fibre cement weatherboards. The joinery is Matt Appliance White. Just wondering if you think these colours will work in the rural setting.

A. I think the colours you mention are lovely. Resene Half Cloud may look a lot lighter on some sides of the house that receive very bright sunlight for the longest period of the day so it may pay you to paint up all of the testpot (two coats) onto super large A2 card and look at it on the different sides of the house so you can see if it is fabulous or not so fabulous. If it seems a little light you could opt for the darker Resene Cloud.

May 2018

Q. I am painting the bedroom walls in our house Resene Quarter Spanish White (SE facing, light brown/pink ash floors) and Resene Half Spanish White (N facing, golden pine floors) I've always painted ceilings with plain white ceiling paint but wondering whether to add a slight tint – Resene Quarter Alabaster or Resene Half Alabaster has been suggested. How would this look different to plain white? We are after a light, soft feel but not stark, as our house is old and bodgy, and so is our furniture.

A. There will be minimal different between white and Resene Quarter Alabaster or Resene Half Alabaster. If you want a nice off-white, I would suggest using Resene Alabaster. This will absolutely still give you a white look; it just won’t be as crisp and clinical as pure white can look. If you have a higher stud than normal (2.7 or higher) I would even consider using Resene Double Alabaster which will add a bit more depth.

May 2018

Q. We are just about to paint the interior of a holiday home. The house is two stories. The top storey gets lots of sun and light. The bottom floor is polar opposite being dark with no sun. I love greys and blues. I am thinking of painting the top floor walls in Resene Double Sea Fog or Resene Sea Fog and the ceiling, doors and trim in Resene Alabaster and downstairs Resene Half Sea Fog for walls and Resene Alabaster for ceiling trims. Could you give your opinion on the colour especially on a darker, less light space? I am open to painting the odd feature walls in a colour that pops with the grey. I am also considering painting the odd bedroom in a bluer colour that still works alongside the Resene Sea Fog theme. We have also considered using Resene wallpaper for the odd feature wall.

A. You appear to have thought very carefully about your interior spaces. Downstairs in the rooms that have no sunlight and are dim you certainly can't go wrong with Resene Half Sea Fog and Resene Alabaster. These rooms may look lighter/brighter but they may not feel warm or have a comfortable or intimate ambiance.

To achieve that you may need to explore using warmer colourful soft furnishings, furniture, and artwork and possibly wallpaper. You have to put the personality into the spaces as the predominant look will be cool and possibly a bit grim. If the lower floor has all the bedrooms on it, it is really important that they are made to feel cosy. These rooms may not look good if you use greys or blues as feature colours. The upper storey has the sun and light and this is where using the blues and greys as feature walls with Resene Double Sea Fog is appropriate.

May 2018

Q. We live amongst large natives. Our walls and ceiling have been painted in Resene Chalky however I would like to lighten the ceilings. Can you advise on a good white for the job!

A. Any paler light bright colour on the ceilings is going to lift the whole look of the rooms. You might check out these 'whites' to see if they appeal to you – Resene Quarter Dutch White, Resene Double Bianca, Resene Half Gin Fizz or Resene Half Pearl Lusta.

May 2018

Q. Please advise a nice soft pink for a girl’s bedroom for a 6 year old and a green or blue for a boy’s bedroom for an 8 year old.

A. Young children tend to like quite clear bright colours and their parents often like less bright and more pastel toned colours.

I have included both types of colours so you and the children can have 'discussions' about the look they want in their rooms.

Try Resene Pink Lace, Resene Peppermint or Resene Sail or Resene Sauvignon, Resene Apple Green or Resene Pattens Blue.

All colours in interiors have the potential to look a lot stronger – sometimes double the depth or brightness that you might imagine they will be when all four walls are painted. Take your time testing them – paint up some super large samples on A2 card and move them from wall to wall and watch how they alter during the day and at night. If you roll the painted card into a tube with the colour innermost and look into it you will notice that the colour is stronger – this is a good representation of what four walls of the colour will look like.

May 2018

Q. The roof on our 1920s bungalow is painted Grey Friars and I am having trouble finding a house paint that will look good with it. I was looking for a light blue grey (Resene Echo Blue) to go with it but that isn't going to work. Can you make any suggestions please? I also looked at Resene Gothic but it is too dark to begin with.

A. You might look at the following slightly greyer toned blue colours - Resene Neutral Bay, Resene Freestyling, Resene Longitude, Resene Gull Grey or Resene Regent Grey.

Resene Echo Blue
Resene Echo Blue
Resene Gothic
Resene Gothic
     
Resene Neutral Bay
Resene Neutral Bay
Resene Freestyling
Resene Freestyling
Resene Longitude
Resene Longitude
Resene Gull Grey
Resene Gull Grey
Resene Regent Grey
Resene Regent Grey
May 2018

Q. I have a 1930s bungalow that I have painted the interior walls with Resene Rakaia. Could you please suggest a shade of white for the skirting, scotia and window frames that would be a good match for this?

A. I think it may be worth looking at one of these tints of whites for all your trims - Resene Quarter Rice Cake or Resene Quarter Black White. The first option is a warmer white which will emphasise the lilac undertones in your grey. The second option is a cooler white which might emphasise the grey without drawing attention to the lilac undertone.

Resene Rakaia
Resene Rakaia
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Quarter
Rice Cake
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
May 2018

Q. Can you please suggest a warm white that might go with Resene White Pointer, Resene Black White and Resene Quarter Black White?

A. Because Resene Quarter Black White is so 'white' it is difficult to suggest a 'whiter' colour. You might use real white - Resene White if you wanted a universal white to act as a contrast. It isn't a warm white but it is a crisp clean contrast to your slightly cool greyed palette of colours.

Alternatively you could use Resene Eighth Black White as your white to work with Resene Black White, Resene White Pointer and Resene Quarter Black White. It isn't what I would refer to as a warm white but it isn't as stark as real white - Resene White.

Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
   
Resene Eighth Black White
Resene Eighth Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene White
Resene White
May 2018

Q. I am about to have a house built using COLORSTEEL® Grey Friars for the roof, wall cladding and joinery. There will be opportunities to use a trim colour on gables, veranda posts, a back porch and carport. I am thinking Resene Limed Oak or Resene Driftwood from your exterior woodcare range. Additionally I will have a front and back door, both of which will replicate a 'Dutch' or Barn style split door and a timber bifold large single garage door. I would like to see these three doors painted with high gloss/semi-gloss paint but am at a loss to select a colour. Window treatments will be timber blinds or shutters so I need this third colour to add some life to the overall colour scheme. The build is not located in a high density urban environment and the partially two storey profile will have an alpine tree backdrop.

A. If you are keen on a paler stain colour for the contrast details on the house I do recommend that you test the stain colours (two coats) on some off cut timber so that you can judge the reality of the colours. It will be easier for you to make a choice that looks good with the Resene Grey Friars cladding that way.

Your house doors and garage door - if painted in a super high gloss finish - will look amazing. Some colours to consider: Resene Ayers Rock, Resene Grass Hopper, Resene Red It, Resene Discover, Resene Malarkey or Resene Hashtag.

Resene Limed Oak
Resene Limed Oak
Resene Driftwood
Resene Driftwood
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Ayers Rock
Resene Ayers Rock
Resene Grass Hopper
Resene Grass Hopper
Resene Red It
Resene Red It
Resene Discover
Resene Discover
Resene Malarkey
Resene Malarkey
Resene Hashtag
Resene Hashtag
 
May 2018

Q. We are revamping an old 1950s brick house with a re-roof, new joinery and are painting the bricks. The roof is Ironsand and the joinery is black so I'm looking for a colour for the bricks to tie these in as well as an area of Cedar on the front door area. I like white painted bricks and thought Resene Wan White but other than that I'm a bit stuck.

A. Resene Wan White is a great colour to work with existing features. It will give you a modern, grey white – a look which is very much on trend right now. If anything, I would only suggest adding a touch of brown to the white, to warm the colour up and tie into the cedar. You could try Resene Merino or Resene White Pointer.

These are the same depth of colour as the Resene Wan White, just a hint warmer. All three colours would work though, and look fantastic!

Resene Wan White
Resene Wan White
Resene Merino
Resene Merino
Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
May 2018

Q. I have painted the bottom storey of my house in Resene Truffle however would like a darker colour for the top. Am looking at Resene Arrowtown however could you recommend a darker shade that would be complementary please?

A. Here are a range of colours that work well with the Resene Truffle. These colours all have different undertones which should help to eliminate a few and steer you in the direction you desire. Some of these colours also have lighter versions, so keep that in mind while looking over choices. I advise you pop into your local Resene ColorShop and ask the staff to show you large A4 sizes of each of these colours before taking home testpots of a couple of the frontrunners.

Try Resene Nest Egg, Resene Kabul, Resene Sandstone, Resene Masala, Resene Triple Friar Greystone or Resene Tapa.

Resene Truffle
Resene Truffle
Resene Nest Egg
Resene Nest Egg
Resene Kabul
Resene Kabul
Resene Sandstone
Resene Sandstone
Resene Masala
Resene Masala
Resene Triple Friar Greystone
Resene Triple Friar Greystone
Resene Tapa
Resene Tapa
 
May 2018

Q. We will be repainting our beautiful Art Deco property. The current colour scheme is Resene Linen accented by Resene Soya Bean and Resene Karaka. I want to keep it similar but freshen it up. We are getting new aluminium joinery in Alabaster. I was considering changing the main house colour Resene Linen out with Resene Thorndon Cream; I imagine this to be lighter? Then just looking for complementing colours for the trims and garage door, terrace and handrails.

A. To give you some context around the Resene Thorndon Cream option – it is almost the same as Resene Half Linen. So did you want to be slightly lighter (little bit less green/grey too) or much lighter? If so, perhaps consider Resene Half Thorndon Cream.

As for your accent colour – I’m assuming the Resene Soya Bean is staying? I think a blue would not only look amazing, but also a nod to the art deco period. So here are a few colours that you could use for the garage door, front door, trim and steps. I’d keep the handrail in the Resene Soya Bean, this will streamline the property. Try Resene Tangaroa, Resene Licorice or Resene Big Stone.

Resene Linen
Resene Linen
Resene Soya Bean
Resene Soya Bean
Resene Karaka
Resene Karaka
Resene Thorndon Cream
Resene Thorndon Cream
 
Resene Half Linen
Resene Half Linen
Resene Half Thorndon Cream
Resene Half
Thorndon Cream
Resene Tangaroa
Resene Tangaroa
Resene Licorice
Resene Licorice
Resene Big Stone
Resene Big Stone
May 2018

Q. We have a bach, open plan with a cathedral rimu ceiling, two bedrooms off the living area and one bedroom mezzanine upstairs. The main area has four walls of Resene Hot Chile. We would like to keep a feature wall. What could we paint remaining rooms that would complement the Resene Hot Chile plus brighten the bach? It was painted 17 years ago with Resene Wild Rice and Resene Hot Chile and is looking dated, but we love the Resene Hot Chile, plus lots of rimu wood skirting.

A. The main colours for interiors have lightened and moved toward whiter colours or interesting neutrals so the 'new' look may be a bit of shock to your system after having such a bold colour. Testing colours may also be a bit of a problem unless you were to completely paint over the Resene Wild Rice walls with white undercoat so the yellow doesn't negatively influence how you see new colours. You might need to do the same to the Resene Hot Chile walls that you want to change.

Some colour ideas for you to check out are these ones - Resene Cararra, Resene Half Thorndon Cream, Resene Quarter Spanish White, Resene Quarter Parchment, Resene Quarter Tana and Resene Quarter Tea.

Lighter modern looking neutral colours may make the spaces seem very bright and larger. Many of these colours also come as much deeper variations.

Resene Hot Chile
Resene Hot Chile
Resene Wild Rice
Resene Wild Rice
Resene Cararra
Resene Cararra
Resene Half Thorndon Cream
Resene Half
Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Spanish White
Resene Quarter
Spanish White
Resene Quarter Parchment
Resene Quarter Parchment
Resene Quarter Tana
Resene Quarter Tana
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
May 2018

Q. I'm looking for some white options to go with a feature wall of Resene Splat for a bedroom for two preschool boys and then some white options that would complement a black chalkboard feature wall in a teenage boy’s bedroom.

A. You might check out these whites to see if they appeal to you - Resene Black White, Resene Quarter White Pointer, Resene Quarter Merino, Resene Half Bianca or Resene Sea Fog.

There are cooler and warmer options and you may need to carefully test the colours to see how they respond to the other coloured elements in each room - flooring, drapes, duvet etc.

If they appear to be too white all of the colours listed do have slightly deeper versions also.

Resene Splat
Resene Splat
       
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Quarter White Pointer
Resene Quarter
White Pointer
Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
May 2018

Q. We are about to paint our separate toilet and laundry area. We have Resene Half Akaroa in most of our house so want something that goes with that but would like something different. The flooring is a natural oak look vinyl.

A. You could use a much lighter version of your main colour - Resene Eighth Akaroa or a deeper variant - Resene Akaroa. Perhaps one of these pastel colours might be appealing - Resene Half Duck Egg Blue, Resene Geyser or Resene Paris White. Or a warmed white - Resene Half Villa White or a cooler white - Resene Black White.

Resene Half Akaroa
Resene Half Akaroa
Resene Eighth Akaroa
Resene Eighth Akaroa
Resene Akaroa
Resene Akaroa
   
Resene Half Duck Egg Blue
Resene Half Duck Egg Blue
Resene Geyser
Resene Geyser
Resene Paris White
Resene Paris White
Resene Half Villa White
Resene Half Villa White
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
May 2018

Q. I want to select the right white for my sitting room area - a warm white that can be used with grey blinds. I want the colour to 'warm ' up the room which is partly grey at the moment.

A. The right warm white will be the one that looks best after careful testing. It is not just the flooring, furniture and drapes that will influence how the wall colour will look. As the natural light changes in the room, the colour will change. You need to see that over a 24 hour period of time.

If you paint up all of the Resene testpot - two coats - onto super large A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and leave a narrow unpainted band around the perimeter of the card, you will be better able to judge what it looks like in reality. Each wall will make the colour appear differently, so the sample does need to be moved around. It will always look to be a more shaded colour on window walls and much brighter/lighter on the wall that receives all day bright sunlight.

These warm whites are worth checking out - Resene Half Bianca, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream, Resene Eighth Spanish White, Resene Quarter Villa White, and Resene Quarter Albescent White or Resene Half Sea Fog.

Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream
Resene Eighth
Thorndon Cream
Resene Eighth Spanish White
Resene Eighth
Spanish White
Resene Quarter Villa White
Resene Quarter Villa White
Resene Quarter Albescent White
Resene Quarter
Albescent White
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
May 2018

Q. I am trying to find a timber stain which would contrast nicely with Resene Eighth Tuna, to use on fencing, a car deck and garage area.

A. Perhaps one of these stain colours may appeal to you - Resene Woodsman Bleached Cedar, Resene Silvered Grey or Resene Skywater.

I recommend that you test the colours on offcuts of pine - apply two coats - so you can see what the overall effect will be.

Resene Eighth Tuna
Resene Eighth Tuna
Resene Woodsman Bleached Cedar
Resene Bleached Cedar
Resene Silvered Grey
Resene Silvered Grey
Resene Skywater
Resene Skywater
May 2018

Q. I'm building a house at the moment and the cladding is the Resene Integra panel system. We would like a combination of dark charcoal/black coloured walls, with contrasting lighter grey walls on the gable ends that would match in with the concrete honed block. I understand that I will need to utilise the CoolPlast and CoolColours to enable the use of the dark colours. I was wondering if you could suggest any suitable colours that would go well together and achieve the look.

A. Providing you can obtain these depths of colour you might look at these suggestions - Resene Double Foundry and Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey, or Resene Bokara Grey and Resene Quarter Bokara Grey, or Resene Nocturnal and Resene Half Baltic Sea.

Resene Double Foundry
Resene Double Foundry
Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey
Resene Quarter
Fuscous Grey
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Quarter Bokara Grey
Resene Quarter
Bokara Grey
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Half Baltic Sea
Resene Half Baltic Sea
   
May 2018

Q. We have a 1970s brick and block, two storey home. It has an orange/red brick façade on top of block running along the first level of the house. The double garage doors are painted Resene Ironsand, with the block currently painted a light blue/grey, which I think dates the house. This blue runs along under the roofline and soffits but the window panes are all white. I want to paint over the blue but I don’t want a light colour. Any suggestions of what will work best with the brick and Ironsand garage doors? The house sits at the top of a sloped section so is really visible.

A. It might be worth considering a white (to match the windows) colour under the soffits - a deeper colour in this particular area, makes the house look too segmented. There are already quite a few elements on the house that have a colour.

It is always worth thinking about what is already on the house in the way of colours. Perhaps a warm grey/brown (a lighter variant of the Ironsand) might tie in the garage door colour i.e. Resene Eighth Ironsand or even a bit lighter - Resene Gauntlet.

If you wanted a deeper colour, you might check out deeper variants of Resene Ironsand - i.e. Resene Quarter Ironsand or Resene Half Ironsand.

I am not 100% certain that trying to paint the block base to match the bricks is a good idea – it may be too difficult to truly match the bricks if they have a subtle variegation of colours in them. White, like the windows is far too stark. A random `other’ colour may always strive to be part of the scheme because it is unrelated.

Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Gauntlet
May 2018

Q. We have three studio units that we let out for holiday lets. We would like to freshen up the inside, and maybe paint them a warm white/off white. These units are sunny and face north. We have a charcoal couch and bedspreads and plan on putting up curtains with a grey theme.

A. Off-whites are going to be a great option for these spaces, and if they are all the same, then I’d say a white with a hint of grey would be a great way to go. Here are some colours - Resene Half Sea Fog, Resene Half Rice Cake, Resene Chalk Dust or Resene Zumthor.

You could also consider adding a feature wall; these look fantastic and add depth to the scheme - Resene Half Fuscous Grey or Resene Atlas.

Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Chalk Dust
Resene Chalk Dust
Resene Zumthor
Resene Zumthor
Resene Half Fuscous Grey
Resene Half Fuscous Grey
Resene Atlas
Resene Atlas
May 2018

Q. I'm about to begin repainting part of an Auckland villa. I intend keeping the main weatherboard colour as cream pastel. I'm considering using this colour or a slight contrast on the window surrounds to simplify the look. I also need a very dark navy on the front door and a charcoal type colour on the deck at the front.

A. If you want to replicate the current look (and depth) of colours used on your building, here are some colours which will achieve that: front door - Resene Zinzan, Resene New Denim Blue or Resene Dark Side, decking - Resene Half Gunsmoke, Resene Half Gauntlet or Resene Quarter Tapa.

All of these colours should work well with the existing cream, however I do recommend testing to confirm.

Resene Zinzan
Resene Zinzan
Resene New Denim Blue
Resene New Denim Blue
Resene Dark Side
Resene Dark Side
Resene Half Gunsmoke
Resene Half Gunsmoke
Resene Half Gauntlet
Resene Half Gauntlet
Resene Quarter Tapa
Resene Quarter Tapa
May 2018

Q. I have a back hall which is rather large and tall ceilings in an old bungalow house and the entire hall is tongue and groove. The back hall gets no sun, due to a covered patio outside of it. When I walk into this hall, I want a clean white/cream colour that envelopes you with warmth.

A. Does the tongue and groove go all the way to the ceilings? Would it be possible to cut it down to only dado height and put a trim on top? That way you can retain some of that beautiful timber but also get a light paint finish too.

If not, here are some warm colours that you could use - Resene Half Spanish White, Resene Quarter Biscotti, Resene Pearl Lusta, Resene Eighth Sisal or Resene Albescent White.

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.

Resene Half Spanish White
Resene Half Spanish White
Resene Quarter Biscotti
Resene Quarter Biscotti
Resene Pearl Lusta
Resene Pearl Lusta
Resene Eighth Sisal
Resene Eighth Sisal
Resene Albescent White
Resene Albescent White
May 2018

Q. We are renovating our bathrooms, using white vanity units and toilets and chrome tapware. The floor will be a warm, wood-look vinyl (Karndean Opus Cera), and the splashback around the bath and over the vanities will be white gloss tiles with feature tiles in Turquoise. The walls of the shower will be back-painted glass, Resene Pelorous (our feature tiles match it perfectly). The hallway outside the bathrooms is painted Resene White Linen, but we have used Resene Double Rice Cake elsewhere in the house. We want to paint the bathroom walls, ceilings, skirting, scotia and architraves, white. I think it needs to be a bright white in this setting. What do you suggest?

A. The splashback colour - Resene Pelorous - is a lush retro inspired porpoise blue - really gorgeous! If you want to see the colour totally true to reality, you need to use crystal clear low iron oxide glass. The standard float glass makes colours look different to how they really are, because it has a dull mint green cast to it.

If you used Resene Half Rice Cake, it would be bright and warm and still look different when seen close to the true ceramic white of the bathroom fittings.

But if you wanted to match the white ceramic bathroom fittings, then you might use a cooler white like Resene Eighth Black White
Or alternatively, you might just use a real white - Resene White as it goes with anything.

Resene Pelorous
Resene Pelorous
Resene White Linen
Resene White Linen
Resene Double Rice Cake
Resene Double Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Eighth Black White
Resene Eighth Black White
Resene White
Resene White
May 2018

Q. We are doing up our kitchen and are wondering what colours match cream. The skirting boards and architraves are this colour, which are oil based and in very good condition. We don't want to change this colour. The walls will be done in waterbased colours.

A. There are a huge amount of cream colours - all slightly different to each other - so it really does depend upon which particular cream you have got.

If you just want a few colour ideas to consider for the walls to get you started you might check out these suggestions - Resene Secrets, Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Half Dusted Blue, Resene Half Tea, Resene Fossil, Resene Quarter Perfect Taupe or Resene Biscotti.

They are all lovely colours. The first three are delicate greens and blue-ish colours, and the last four in the list are interesting neutrals.

Resene Secrets
Resene Secrets
Resene Duck Egg Blue
Resene Duck Egg Blue
Resene Half Dusted Blue
Resene Half Dusted Blue
Resene Half Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Fossil
Resene Fossil
Resene Quarter Perfect Taupe
Resene Quarter
Perfect Taupe
Resene Biscotti
Resene Biscotti
 
May 2018

Q. We are going to use Purestone Oriental Bay for our kitchen bench tops, and we’re trying to find a soft calming grey to go on the shaker style, hand painted cabinets. We also need a neutral to go on the walls and trim. The kitchen will be a light space with lots of windows. It flows into the hallway, so whatever is on the walls in the kitchen will also need to be in the hall, which is darker. Our house is an old villa with many original features.

A. You might check out one of these colours for the cabinetry - Resene Quill Grey, Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Triple Black White or Resene Quarter Atmosphere.

For the walls one of these neutrals could appeal to you - Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream, Resene Sea Fog or Resene Black Haze.

You could reverse the sequence of colours and use the white colours on the cabinetry and the soft grey on the walls, with the cabinetry colour for the ceiling and all painted woodwork as an alternative theme also.

Resene Quill Grey
Resene Quill Grey
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Triple Sea Fog
Resene Triple Black White
Resene Triple Black White
Resene Quarter Atmosphere
Resene Quarter Atmosphere
Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream
Resene Eighth
Thorndon Cream
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Black Haze
Resene Black Haze
 
May 2018

Q. I have a two bedroom weatherboard bach on the Kapiti Coast and am doing an exterior paint. I have chosen Resene Half Truffle for the walls – I love the pumice, beachy look it has, and I think it seems to create the calm effect I’m keen to achieve.

Could you advise me on a white for the windows that will provide contrast with the Resene Half Truffle, but still look soft? I’m keen that the white not look cold or crisp. Would Resene Half Bianca work?

And then there’s the new pergola! I had thought that I could use Eighth Truffle, but that seems a bit too brown in the afternoon, when that area is shaded.

Finally, it’s time to paint the roof too – it’s currently an orangey red corrugated iron. I’m open to suggestions – just want to stay away from a formal look and keep it summery and light.

A. Resene Half Bianca is a lovely soft off white, which would work well with Resene Half Truffle.

Had you thought about doing the pergola the same colour as the windows? It is worth considering. It is a clean simple look.

Colours on a roof may look lighter/brighter due to the way the roof angles to the bright sunlight. The roof could be painted one of these types of colour- Resene Gauntlet, Resene Settlement or Resene New Denim Blue.

Resene Half Truffle
Resene Half Truffle
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Half Bianca
Resene Eighth Truffle
Resene Eighth Truffle
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Settlement
Resene Settlement
Resene New Denim Blue
Resene New Denim Blue
May 2018

Q. I’m looking for advice for painting our pergola, railing around the deck, fence and garage door/roof. Our roof also needs addressing but the plan is to do that later. I’d been advised to use Resene Nocturnal on the pergola, fence and garage and white for the deck railing. I’m finding the pergola (which is bathed in north facing light) looks wrong - it’s quite grey, and lacking in depth. I’m considering going for a blacker fence and using Resene Nocturnal or Resene Double Foundry for the garage - I am in two minds re the pergola. Should it be darker, or white? The grey is really showing up the colour of roof, but it’s not far enough away colour wise to be contrasting, just feels a bit mismatched and untidy. I would love some help. Currently the house is a shade of Resene Tea, with white trims.

A. Your front fence and the pergola could be a white - it is a clean simple and timeless way to go with these elements on the house. The railing around the deck and the garage door might be a nearly black colour and the roof on the garage could be a bit lighter.

You might check out these colours - Resene Half Sea Fog (under the soffits and the pergola and possibly the top handrail on the deck),
Resene All Black (all the deck railings/fences and garage door) - this is a match to COLORSTEEL® Ebony, Resene Element (garage roof and possibly the house roof later on) - this is a match to COLORSTEEL® FlaxPod.

The reason I have looked at using the colour matches to Colorsteel colours, is in case at some time you need to replace a roof, or build a little powder coated garden storage shed or replace the guttering on the house.

Resene Nocturnal
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Double Foundry
Resene Double Foundry
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene All Black
Resene All Black
Resene Element
Resene Element
May 2018

Q. I have a front door, old style with yellow glass. I want to repaint the door and was curious what colours might work. I’m not a fan of a bright yellow door but could be open to any other colour.

A. If your front door is the older style with amber glass in it, you may find that the influence of the glass colour stops you having complete freedom of choice.

The following are colours that may be worth checking out - Resene Trouble, Resene Sumptuous, Resene Dark Side, Resene Atlas, Resene Zeus or Resene Double Ironsand.

If you do find that the new colour you choose, doesn't work well with yellow glass then perhaps it may be time to replace the glass. A clear, faceted, opaque or frosted glass may give you a completely new look even with the old paint colour. Is that worth consideration?

Resene Trouble
Resene Trouble
Resene SumptuousResene Sumptuous
Resene Sumptuous
Resene Dark Side
Resene Dark Side
Resene Atlas
Resene Atlas
Resene Zeus
Resene Zeus
May 2018

Q. I’m looking to paint aluminium window frames that are currently a brownish colour. I also wonder what colour you would recommend to give a more modern look. The building is red brick. I’m tossing up between black, dark grey or white.

A. It is possible to paint coloured aluminium windows with the right preparation and correct primer and topcoats and to achieve a new look. I am not 100% sure about using black - but it is your choice not mine. If you were to consider a warmed grey or a toned up white (not too stark) they may be harmonious and work well with the red brick exterior.

Perhaps one of the following colours would work for you – Resene Sea Fog, Resene Black White, Resene Quarter Gravel or deeper versions of the same colour, or Resene Half Baltic Sea, or a deeper variant of the same colour-

Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Quarter Gravel
Resene Quarter Gravel
Resene Half Baltic Sea
Resene Half Baltic Sea
May 2018

Q. I painted the exterior fibre cement areas of my home Resene Half Tea and the eaves Resene Quarter Tea. The roof is a charcoal colour. We would like to paint the bricks of our home now in a colour that compliments the Resene Half Tea - possibly a darker grey colour. Do you have suggestions on darker greys that complement Resene Half Tea and charcoal? Our joinery is silver aluminium.

A. The following suggestions look really nice with Resene Half Tea: Resene Half Fuscous Grey or Resene Fuscous Grey, Resene Half Nocturnal or Resene Nocturnal, Resene Baltic Sea or Resene Ironsand.

Resene Half Tea
Resene Half Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Half Fuscous Grey
Resene Half Fuscous Grey
Resene Half Nocturnal
Resene Half Nocturnal
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Nocturnal
Resene Baltic Sea
Resene Baltic Sea
Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
 
May 2018

Q. We are currently renovating our farm cottage, completely replacing the exterior weatherboards with the same size new boards. We recently replaced our roof with COLORSTEEL® Ironsand so I really need a colour to complement that. I prefer to have more of a grey colour rather than brown and a dark colour to make the white windows and trims really ‘pop’. I've even considered a duck egg colour.

A. Some of these colours are worth checking out – Resene Atmosphere, Resene Silver Chalice, Resene Half Stack, Resene Archive Grey, Resene Half Gunsmoke or Resene Neutral Bay.

It is important not to choose too dark a colour if the cladding on the exterior is real wood.

Resene Atmosphere
Resene Atmosphere
Resene Silver Chalice
Resene Silver Chalice
Resene Half Stack
Resene Half Stack
Resene Archive Grey
Resene Archive Grey
Resene Half Gunsmoke
Resene Half Gunsmoke
Resene Neutral Bay
Resene Neutral Bay
May 2018

Q. I was just wanting to ask your advice on the best whites to use with warm timber accents, ie tawa/rimu. I am working on a large scale commercial dining area where the ceiling, posts, skirting and joinery are all timber. The floor will be a neutral sandy tone. I'm thinking more a warmer white like Resene Rice Cake is, but interested to know your thoughts.

A. Resene Rice Cake and its much lighter variants are good choices of white to use - especially with tawa and rimu. Other whites that may also look good are these ones – Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Merino or Resene Quarter Albescent White.

If you carefully test the colours and place them in various positions in the environment close to the woodwork and all flooring it may make deciding on which one looks best much easier.

Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream
Resene Eighth
Thorndon Cream
Resene Half Merino
Resene Half Merino
Resene Quarter Albescent White
Resene Quarter
Albescent White
May 2018

Q. I am renovating a lounge room but contained in that room is a light grey kitchen, light grey curtains and dark grey carpet and we are looking to put down some mid coloured timber flooring. The room is currently painted Resene Half Black White. I would like to warm it up a bit with another white. Would a colour like Resene Villa White or Resene Rice Cake look better than the Resene Black White?

A. With your existing grey finishes in the room, I wouldn’t advise using a pure yellow/cream on the walls. Grey and yellow do not like being next to each other, unless the grey is mid tone and reasonably warm. Resene Rice Cake is a great colour; it has a green/grey base with a hint of yellow. I have it in my house, and chose it for its versatility. Other colours you might like to try that have a hint of grey but warmth overall are Resene Cararra, Resene Half Albescent White or Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream.

Resene Half Black White
Resene Half Black White
Resene Villa White
Resene Villa White
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Cararra
Resene Cararra
Resene Half Albescent White
Resene Half
Albescent White
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter
Thorndon Cream
May 2018

Q. We are looking at painting our lounge; it's currently a cream colour with the roof the same cream colour and I am wanting a change. It's a light sunny room with a conservatory coming off it and a large window, plus opens out to the dining room which is also light. I was looking at choosing a grey colour and was talking to a colour consultant and ended up getting testpots of Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey and Resene Quarter Stack. I am thinking the Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey might be too dark for the entire room and the Resene Quarter Stack too cold.

We are into mid-century style furniture and currently purchasing a new piece which will have a retro orange and teal in it. I'm having doubts now about grey as I want something on trend and not sure if it is anymore. I also like the look of a sage green colour which seems to be popular but not sure if that would work. I was looking at Resene Quarter Black White or Resene Alabaster for skirting boards and ceiling.

A. If you want the furniture and other accessories to be colourful and reflect the mid-century vibe then you might use a light off white for the walls and a whiter colour for the woodwork.

You could try: Resene Double Sea Fog (walls) and Resene Alabaster (woodwork and ceiling).

Once the new furniture is in the lounge you may find it easier to match up the colours and accessories. A feature wall colour could be wallpaper - had you thought of that as an option?

Resene Quarter Fuscous Grey
Resene Quarter
Fuscous Grey
Resene Quarter Stack
Resene Quarter Stack
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Double Sea Fog
May 2018

Q. I have a light brown carpet and would like some ideas on selecting the colours for the walls.

A. The modern take on interiors is to have a simple one colour look to tie the rooms together harmoniously. Lighter colours increase the light aspect in rooms and make them seem much larger. They also allow for drapes, furniture, artwork and accessories to have more colour influence and excitement than the wall colour. Larger sunnier rooms may have slightly deeper variants of the main colour. Painted woodwork may be the palest/whitest version of the main colour used in the house. Kitchen cabinetry may be painted to modernise the kitchen.

May 2018

Q. I am doing up a lounge and am selling the house. It has pale brown tone carpet and full length two tone grey curtains. Which colour should I paint walls, ceiling and wood trims? It is a 21 foot x 15 foot room which needs brightening.

A. The pale brown carpet and the two tone grey curtains will have unique undertones of colour in them. You may have to test several paint colours carefully to see how they work (or don't work) before you find the one that works best for the room.

The following suggestions are worth checking out - Resene Quarter Truffle, Resene Quarter Tea, Resene Barely There, Resene Eighth Akaroa, Resene Half Albescent White or Resene Eighth Spanish White.

Applying a testpot to a very large A2 card (all of the testpot/two coats) (available from Resene ColorShops) and moving it from wall to wall is the best way to see how the colour works and how it alters at different times of the day or night. It isn't advisable to put little sample patches all over the wall as the greater amount of wall colour alters your perception of what the colour truly looks like - in a negative way.

A room will always appear brighter if the ceiling is a white - it also makes very subtle wall colours look more definite. These are two whites that have proved to be very obliging and work well with browns and greys without looking too stark - Resene Alabaster or Resene Quarter Black White.

If you want to highlight the wood trims in the room then you might use the same colour as the ceiling but in a semi-gloss enamel finish or you might prefer to minimise their overall impact by painting them to match the walls so they merge and don't stand out. It is your choice.

Resene Quarter Truffle
Resene Quarter Truffle
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Barely There
Resene Barely There
Resene Eighth Akaroa
Resene Eighth Akaroa
Resene Half Albescent White
Resene Half
Albescent White
Resene Eighth Spanish White
Resene Eighth
Spanish White
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
May 2018

Q. We are doing up our house, and about to paint our first room. We were thinking Resene Alabaster for the windows, door frames and possibly skirting, then Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream for the walls/ceiling. Just wanted to get your opinion on things:
1) Thoughts on the combination? We are keen for a neutral light colour.
2) Would it work painting the ceiling the same colour?
3) Would it be suitable for us to use this combo throughout the house?

A. Resene Alabaster is a great option for windows/woodwork/trim/doors etc. It works with both warm and cool colours and looks crisp. Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream is a yellow based neutral but it does have a hint of grey which stops it being too cream. It’s a great option if you want a soft, warm colour for all the spaces throughout the house. Even though it is ‘off-white’ you can tell there is a colour on the wall, as opposed to the Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream which looks whiter.

Painting the ceilings in the same colour as the walls makes the space feel smaller, and the colour would be a little more intense due to being enveloped in it. I would paint the ceilings in the Resene Alabaster, or just standard white. This not only gives you a break from the colour, but also provides the contrast needed to show the wall colour as a colour.

Resene ColorShops have a colour library with A4 swatches 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.

Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter
Thorndon Cream
Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream
Resene Eighth
Thorndon Cream
Resene White
Resene White
May 2018

Q. I have Rivergum coloured joinery and would like to disguise it as much as possible when viewed from the interior. What colours do you recommend?

A. If you truly want to disguise a colour, you need to paint the surrounding walls in a similar tone. Failing this, you can paint using a similar depth of colour. For instance, if you paint your interior walls in off-white, the windows will stand out even more. You just need to decide if you’re going to decorate with the window colour in mind, and work around it. Or if you are going to ignore the windows and have the paint colour you want, like off-white.

The good thing about the Rivergum is that you can use cool or warm colours with it. So you could have a beautiful cream, Resene Double Villa White, or something more modern like Resene Truffle.

Resene Double Villa White
Resene Double Villa White
Resene Truffle
Resene Truffle
May 2018

Q. My mother lives with us and she is away for two weeks. Her room receives sun first thing in the morning only so looks cold and dark, please suggest some colours.

A. Perhaps one of these colours may be appealing - they are all warm and some are mellow and full of gentle sunshine - Resene Half Solitaire, Resene Orchid White, Resene Half Spanish White, Resene Quarter Biscotti, Resene Half Gin Fizz or Resene Half Milk Punch.

If you visit your nearest Resene ColorShop to view the large A4 samples of real painted colour in their Colour Library it may make choosing the right colour much easier. If your mother has a favourite duvet or bedspread perhaps it may also be wise to make sure it looks ok with the new wall colour.

Resene Half Solitaire
Resene Half Solitaire
Resene Orchid White
Resene Orchid White
Resene Half Spanish White
Resene Half Spanish White
Resene Quarter Biscotti
Resene Quarter Biscotti
Resene Half Gin Fizz
Resene Half Gin Fizz
Resene Half Milk Punch
Resene Half Milk Punch
May 2018

Q. We are painting the interior of a community hall. We wanted advice on what colours would modernise the look, but be serviceable and robust enough for years to come and suit its purpose. The hall gets used for school sports, practices, parties and functions. Currently it is pink and grey/blue. A mural at the back is going.

A. Warm neutrals are very popular and obliging - you might consider one of these as a main colour for the walls - Resene Orchid White or Resene Quarter Dutch White.

You could also try: Resene Kumutoto (all cupboard and other doors), Resene White (kitchen cabinet carcasses), Resene Truffle (all doors), Resene Half Truffle (lower wall feature colour), Resene White (all ceilings) and Resene Quarter Truffle (toilet wall).

Back wall of stage where the mural is presently, could still be a strong colour feature - Resene Sea Crest or Resene Half Pohutukawa.

Resene Orchid White
Resene Orchid White
Resene Quarter Dutch White
Resene Quarter
Dutch White
Resene Kumutoto
Resene Kumutoto
Resene White
Resene White
 
Resene Truffle
Resene Truffle
Resene Half Truffle
Resene Half Truffle
Resene Quarter Truffle
Resene Quarter Truffle
Resene Sea Crest
Resene Sea Crest
Resene Half Pohutukawa
Resene Half Pohutukawa
May 2018

Q. What colour would you recommend painting a house of LINEA® and brick? The roof is new and is Grey Friars and windows are Silver Pearl. I love grey and charcoal and would like to go for those. I want a contrast to the window frames and am keen to go darker, if that works.

A. The roof colour - Grey Friars - is a blue grey - and looks quite light in the bright natural light. One of the following charcoal colours may appeal to you - Resene Double Cod Grey and Resene Double Foundry.

You might use whichever colour you choose on both the LINEA® and the brick. The texture of the brick will create a subtle difference in how you see the colour.

Resene Double Cod Grey
Resene Double Cod Grey
Resene Double Foundry
Resene Double Foundry
May 2018

Q. I have a five year old home with brown wallpaper on all the walls, the carpet is brown, and ceilings/doors/sills seem to be painted Resene Spanish White; also the kitchen is quite dark. I am keen to strip off all the wallpaper and paint with feature walls, but what main colour would you recommend that is light and fresh and not brown?

A. Using light warm neutrals may help you achieve the new look you are after. You might check out these colours, to see if they work with the flooring (this is the major coloured element) once the wallpaper is removed. Try Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Sea Fog or Resene Quarter Villa White.

Resene Spanish White
Resene Spanish White
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter
Thorndon Cream
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Quarter Villa White
Resene Quarter Villa White
May 2018

Q. I have a rendered outdoor wall to paint and I want to replicate the red/orange earth colour, similar to Resene Ayers Rock. Would you suggest Resene Ayers Rock paint, or any other? What finish would you suggest?

A. It may be like Resene Ayers Rock or it may be earthier like Resene Rumour Has It, Resene Alert Tan or Resene Hazard. It would be a good idea to pop into your nearest Resene ColorShop to view the large A4 real painted samples in their Colour Library and then carefully test the colours on the rendered outdoor wall.

Resene Ayers Rock
Resene Ayers Rock
Resene Rumour Has It
Resene Rumour Has It
Resene Alert Tan
Resene Alert Tan
Resene Hazard
Resene Hazard
May 2018

Q. Our house was painted inside and out, with Resene Scotch Mist 25 years ago. We have built on and want to gradually reduce the yellowness. A couple of feature walls are painted Resene Napa, which goes with Resene Scotch Mist. What colour off-white or cream do you suggest we paint the new rooms? These rooms can be seen from the rest of the living areas and are sunny all day. I have been looking at Resene Half Thorndon Cream, but I am not sure.

A. Resene Half Thorndon Cream is a beautiful off-white but it could look quite ‘dirty’ next to the cleaner Resene Scotch Mist, as it has a fair amount of green grey tint in it. I would suggest that if you like that type of colour, you use Resene Rice Cake instead, this is a cleaner version and about the same depth.

Otherwise, here are some alternative colours for you to look at - Resene Cararra, Resene Albescent White, Resene Quarter Sisal or Resene Wheatfield.

These colours all have different undertones and should help you decide which type of look you’re going for. All are warmer colours, but some are slightly beige, pinky, or yellow etc.

Resene ColorShops have a colour library with A4 swatches 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. 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.

Resene Scotch Mist
Resene Scotch Mist
Resene Napa
Resene Napa
Resene Half Thorndon Cream
Resene Half
Thorndon Cream
   
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Cararra
Resene Cararra
Resene Albescent White
Resene Albescent White
Resene Quarter Sisal
Resene Quarter Sisal
Resene Wheatfield
Resene Wheatfield
May 2018

Q. Our architect drew us a picture of our house exterior but can’t supply us the colours. It has black and dark grey together, with silver trim and roof. We like the look of a dark, modern lake house.

We would like dark colours which won’t tend to fade in the sun or get too hot to touch. We have been recommended Resene Blackjack by a friend and wondered what grey would work well with this. We are limited on garage door colours, so will probably go Grey Friars. Can you please suggest a grey that would work well with the black to give a modern look? We were thinking of the following colour scheme - Roof - Sandstone Grey, joinery - Palladium Silver, garage door - Grey Friars, soffit - Resene Quarter Black White or LINEA® boards - Resene Blackjack.

What grey would you suggest to go with this, giving a smart contrast to the cladding but a modern dark look? We were thinking maybe one of these colours – Resene Aluminium, Resene Double Stack, Resene Scarpa Flow, Resene Half Grey Friars or Resene Baltic Sea.

A. Firstly - all colours fade in the sun. In New Zealand our UV is extremely strong and causes a lot of problems over time.

All of the colours you have indicated are quite different from each other in their undertones - is that the look you are seeking?

Your garage door colour – Grey Friars - has a distinctly steel blue undertone when seen in bright sunlight and when you compare it to other types of grey or charcoal. If you like this type of charcoal colour, had you considered doing the roof in the same colour so the powder coated large areas match harmoniously?

Or alternatively, if you really like the lighter grey - Sandstone Grey - which has a lovely muted slightly yellow undertone - you could use that for the roof as well.

Resene Blackjack is a warm, leathery carbon black - it may make Grey Friars look bluer by comparison - is that ok with you?

If you wanted colours that harmonised well with each other, you could check out these ones: If Sandstone Grey was the preferred grey for garage door/roof, you might use Resene Bokara Grey for the LINEA®. A warm toned grey that works well with these might be Resene Half Ironsand or a slightly lighter variant - Resene Quarter Ironsand, or even a paler version of Sandstone Grey - Resene Half Gauntlet. You might consider changing the joinery colour to Silver Pearl as it has the same warmth as the Sandstone Grey, so they are very well suited to each other.

If Grey Friars was the preferred grey for the garage door/roof you might use Resene Double Foundry for the LINEA®. A cooler toned grey that works well with these might be Resene Quarter Grey Friars or Resene Steel Grey. A paler grey that will pick up more of the steel blue undertone might be Resene Tuna. The Palladium Silver joinery looks really nice with any of these colours.

It would be very helpful to you if you could visit your nearest Resene ColorShop, to view the large A4 real painted colour samples of all these colours in their Colour Library. Seeing reality when it comes to judging colours is always helpful. It would be good also to take real metal power coated samples of the joinery colours I have mentioned, so that you can see all of the colours together.
You could even print off very large copies of the architectural drawings of your house, and paint them up to see how the colours look together.

Resene Blackjack
Resene Blackjack
Resene Quarter Black White
Resene Quarter Black White
     
Resene Aluminium
Resene Aluminium
Resene Double Stack
Resene Double Stack
Resene Scarpa Flow
Resene Scarpa Flow
Resene Half Grey Friars
Resene Half Grey Friars
Resene Baltic Sea
Resene Baltic Sea
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Quarter Ironsand
Resene Half Gauntlet
Resene Half Gauntlet
 
Resene Double Foundry
Resene Double Foundry
Resene Quarter Grey Friars
Resene Quarter Grey Friars
Resene Steel Grey
Resene Steel Grey
Resene Tuna
Resene Tuna
 
May 2018

Q. Two questions:
1. We have White on our walls and ceiling throughout but with dark floors and limited natural light it feels cold and unwelcoming at times. Can you suggest a very neutral (not yellow) white or very light 'greige' that will bring out some warmth in the home?
2. We would like to paint a neutral nursery for our impending arrival (don't know gender of the baby). I like light greys and 'greiges' but cannot decide on a colour. Any recommendations as to what is popular right now?

A. If a straight white appears cold and unwelcoming it indicates a lot of shadow in the rooms or perhaps that the main natural source of light may be southerly, which is often a cool or grim type of light and makes white look unfriendly.

Some neutrals that you might check out could be these colours - Resene Half Merino, Resene Quarter White Pointer, Resene Half Sea Fog, Resene Eighth Truffle or Resene Milk White.

If you maintain the real white for the ceilings and possibly the wooden trims it will help add light and contrast to the subtle neutral wall colour - whichever one you choose.

If you favour greyer colours for the nursery you might check out these colours - Resene Concrete, Resene Quarter Rakaia, Resene Athens Grey or Resene Double Black White.

It is important to carefully test the colours and move the large A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) that you have painted all of the tester onto from wall to wall. This way you can see how natural and artificial light alters what the colour looks like - and it does often to an amazing amount.

Resene Half Merino
Resene Half Merino
Resene Quarter White Pointer
Resene Quarter
White Pointer
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Eighth Truffle
Resene Eighth Truffle
Resene Milk White
Resene Milk White
Resene Concrete
Resene Concrete
Resene Quarter Rakaia
Resene Quarter Rakaia
Resene Athens Grey
Resene Athens Grey
Resene Double Black White
Resene Double Black White
 
May 2018

Q. I am painting my bedroom walls in Resene Albescent White. I have Resene Eighth Albescent White for the ceiling - would this be a right choice or will it be too light? I have Resene Quarter Albescent White for window trim and skirting. I also have four wardrobe doors and was wondering what suggestions you have to go with the walls and trim. The room gets medium light and is south facing.

A. If you want the room to feel like it has some depth and is warm/inviting then use the Resene Eighth Albescent White on the ceiling. This will make the walls look slightly darker because there is more contrast being created.

As for the wardrobe, I’d use the trim colour of Resene Quarter Albescent White, instead of introducing another colour to the room. This way you get a nice soft contrast with the wall colour and it ties in with windows etc.

Resene Albescent White
Resene Albescent White
Resene Quarter Albescent White
Resene Quarter
Albescent White
May 2018

Q. We’re painting our bedroom. We have a villa and the bedroom faces south-west with afternoon light. We’d like to paint three walls Resene Rice Cake or Resene Half Rice Cake, and were thinking of a warm blue for one wall. Thinking about Resene Seachange, would this work with Resene Rice Cake (half or full) and are there other colours you suggest?

A. The colour will work with any of the Resene Rice Cake palette of colours. But in a south/west facing room you may notice that Resene Seachange may look a little cooler in the mornings and you might notice more of a grey tone in the colour in the late afternoon.

Have you painted up a testpot (two coats/all of it) onto an A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and pinned it up on the wall to see how the natural light alters it? It may pay to. Testing it is the only way of seeing for sure if it achieves the look you are after.

If it doesn't look as good as you would like you could test one of the following to see if they appeal to you - Resene Blue Moon, Resene Escapade, Resene Bermuda Grey or Resene Wedgewood.

Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Seachange
Resene Seachange
 
Resene Blue Moon
Resene Blue Moon
Resene Escapade
Resene Escapade
Resene Bermuda Grey
Resene Bermuda Grey
Resene Wedgewood
Resene Wedgewood
May 2018

Q. I love the Resene paint and colour range. Could you help me with suggestions for a colour scheme for my 1980s house with terracotta tiled roof and black aluminium windows. It is presently painted in the colour Sand. I am not sure whether to look at a shade of the whites or a warm ‘Mediterranean’ colour.

A. If you aren't planning on painting over or changing the tiles on the lower portion of the windows and the entry posts then I would suggest it may be more appropriate to use a warm light colour. It is important that the balance of harmony of between the main house colour and roof and tiles is maintained so the Mediterranean look is maintained.

Perhaps you might check out the following warmer whites - Resene Quarter Spanish White, Resene Orchid White, Resene Double Bianca or Resene Anglaise.

These colours are not a huge change from what you already have - sometimes a lesser change is appropriate.

Resene Quarter Spanish White
Resene Quarter
Spanish White
Resene Orchid White
Resene Orchid White
Resene Double Bianca
Resene Double Bianca
Resene Anglaise
Resene Anglaise
May 2018

Q. I'm building a white weatherboard house, what colour stain would suit a pine wood deck?

A. It is very much a personal choice but if you pop into your nearest Resene ColorShop to view the Wood Products display stand see if the following colours appeal to you - Resene Woodsman – Resene Bleached Cedar, Resene Woodsman – Natural, Resene Woodsman – Warm Kwila or Resene Woodsman – Nutmeg.

Resene Woodsman Bleached Cedar
Resene Bleached Cedar
Resene Natural
Resene Natural
Resene Warm Kwila
Resene Warm Kwila
Resene Nutmeg
Resene Nutmeg
May 2018

Q. We have a grey problem. We have bought a house with medium size rooms, with lots of light and we are struggling to envision what the colours will look like. We have chosen Resene Alabaster as our trim and have looked at Resene Concrete, Resene Athens Grey and Resene Double Concrete to try and find a cool toned, silver grey that keeps a nice open light feel. Resene Double Concrete is our winner so far but will it provide enough contrast on a larger surface?

A. Generally speaking, colour in an interior appears slightly deeper - even with huge floor to ceiling windows and all day natural light which a lucky few have in their homes.

In some spaces four walls of colour can double the depth (or brightness depending on the type of colour it is) in a room. This is very noticeable in hallways (walls are closer to each other) and smaller rooms. In very large light rooms, it is noticeable in the corners of the room and on the walls around windows. You may have already seen this when you moved the swatch of colour from wall to wall/room to room. At different times of the day and night as the light changes, you will see the colour undergoing changes - this is normal, as colour is a chameleon. Each change of light will alter how the colour is seen.

Another thing that helps you see the overall depth is when you roll the large A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) (that you have painted the entire testpot colour onto) into a tube. With the colour innermost, you will notice when looking into the tube that it appears much deeper/more concentrated. This is a very good representation of how deep the colour will look when all four walls are painted.

Sometimes seeing a definite contrast between your lightest/whitest colour and your main colour can be tricky (if they are too closely related) but in your case this shouldn't be a problem because both colours are different enough to be seen as such.

Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Concrete
Resene Concrete
Resene Athens Grey
Resene Athens Grey
Resene Double Concrete
Resene Double Concrete
May 2018

Q. We are painting the interior of our beach house and are considering Resene Chalk Dust as the wall colour, but we are unsure of what colour to use on the ceilings as we don’t want a stark white and the main living area has exposed wooden beams to consider.

A. You might use Resene Alabaster or if you really don't want to see a slightly paler/cleaner looking contrast colour, you could even consider using the same colour as the walls - i.e. Resene Chalk Dust.

Resene Chalk Dust
Resene Chalk Dust
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
May 2018

Q. I am getting a relatively small house built for myself. I have a question about the colours I am proposing for the bathroom. The bathroom is small and only 1.8m x 2m and I was planning on painting it a type of white to make it feel bigger. It is on the southern side of the house so I was considering a warm white on the walls like Resene Bianca, however, I am concerned that this might not make it feel as big compared with if I painted it brighter like Resene Quarter Bianca. Is this really such a concern for a room like this do you think, or as the room is so small it doesn’t really matter? Also, I am planning on having a reflections splashback in mint – is there any rule about not combining green tones (i.e. Mint), with yellow tones (i.e. Bianca)?

I was planning on the ceiling being ceiling white. I have not 100% picked my flooring yet, but was thinking a warm white large tiles. Would the warm white tiles, visually ‘cancel-out’ the natural white walls (i.e. if I was to go for Resene Quarter Bianca) if I was going to do this?

A. I really like Resene Bianca because of its sweet, fleecy warmth - and the lighter variants of the colour are nice as well. South facing rooms have a cool/dim natural light, so anything too white can take on a greyish cast. It is wise to test colours by painting very large colour samples onto an A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and moving them around from wall to wall and looking at them during the day and the night so you can see how they alter - and they do - often quite a lot.

I think that a very small bathroom benefits by not having lots of coloured elements in it, because all of these demand attention and consequently make the space seem smaller/busier to the eye. If the flooring is very similar (or a very sympathetic variant) to the wall colour, then it will appear larger because there isn't a definite contrast colour vying for attention.

If you like the Mint green splashback colour and it looks nice with the wall colour then all is ok. Soft watery aqua works well with any of the Resene Bianca palette of colours also. If there is that option to choose from, then perhaps you might check it out to see how it compares with the Mint and if it appeals to you.

If you did use the lightest variant of the Resene Bianca palette - i.e. Quarter Bianca – it may cancel out the white on the ceiling if you wanted the white to look like a crisp contrast to the wall colour.

Resene Bianca
Resene Bianca
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene Quarter Bianca
Resene White
Resene White
May 2018

Q. We are renovating our kitchen. We have Resene Half Spanish White on window architraves/skirting boards and are using this colour on the kitchen doors, with a warm concrete Corian kitchen benchtop. We need a contrasting colour on the cupboards in the centre kitchen island that will have a Caesarstone® Cosmopolitan White benchtop. The colours in the dining room are warm, natural brown leather chairs and a natural dark timber table. The wall colour is Resene Half Parchment and the floor tiles throughout the home are warm mottled sandy/grey/beige.

A.You might consider looking at those colours you have already used, so there is a continuing flow on effect. If you used Resene Half Spanish White for the cabinets, this would merge with the same colour on the window architraves/skirting boards and doors. Alternatively, you might consider Resene Half Parchment on the cabinets.

If you wanted a contrasting feature colour, you may need to think about how many coloured elements you have in the room already – floor, bench top, woodwork, walls, splashback, kitchen island.

If you are completely wedded to the idea of a contrast feature colour, then a colour that was a bit black might be ok - not a real colour but a statement just the same. Perhaps Resene Half Bokara Grey or Resene Half Ironsand as they are warm, brown based charcoals which may pick up on the leather chairs or dark timber table in the dining room.

Resene Half Spanish White
Resene Half Spanish White
Resene Half Parchment
Resene Half Parchment
Resene Half Bokara Grey
Resene Half Bokara Grey
Resene Half Ironsand
Resene Half Ironsand
May 2018

Q. We are looking for ideas for both an interior and exterior. The inside is quite dark at the moment as there are not many windows, so we are looking at trying to lighten it up. We want something quite neutral, as we may sell in 3-5 years.

A. Here are some exterior options for you to consider:
Garage doors - Resene Half Bokara Grey, Resene Ironsand or Resene Element.
Gable ends – there are two different ways to approach – neutral or colour.
Grey options - Resene Triple Truffle, Resene Gauntlet or Resene Friar Greystone , or,
Colour options - Resene Viktor, Resene Inside Back or Resene Bluff.
Weatherboards - Resene Secrets, Resene Hermitage, Resene Quarter Truffle or Resene Half Thorndon Cream.
A veranda or similar could be off-white like Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream or a light grey.

You’ll need to firstly decide, which direction you want to head in for the weatherboard colour – do you want to try and make the house greyer or do you want a warmer colour?

Have a look at all of these colours at your local Resene ColorShop; ask one of the staff members to get the A4 samples out for you.

Resene Half Bokara Grey
Resene Half Bokara Grey
Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Element
Resene Element
   
Resene Triple Truffle
Resene Triple Truffle
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Friar Greystone
Resene Friar Greystone
   
Resene Viktor
Resene Viktor
Resene Inside Back
Resene Inside Back
Resene Bluff
Resene Bluff
   
Resene Secrets
Resene Secrets
Resene Hermitage
Resene Hermitage
Resene Quarter Truffle
Resene Quarter Truffle
Resene Half Thorndon Cream
Resene Half
Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter
Thorndon Cream
May 2018

Q. Our lounge, dining room and hall walls are Resene Half Surrender with Resene Black White trim and ceilings (will be same right through house). As two of the rooms meet at the kitchen, I am looking for wall colours that will co-ordinate with this and what contrasting colours to use on the cupboards.

A. Are you wanting a darker feature wall in the kitchen space or a new colour altogether for the kitchen? Did you want a slightly deeper version of Resene Half Surrender or perhaps a grey blue? As for the cupboards – is this the kitchen cabinetry? Are you having it resprayed or painting yourself? I’d most likely use a version of the Resene Black White, to tie it into the rest of the house.

Resene Half Surrender
Resene Half Surrender
Resene Black White
Resene Black White
May 2018

Q. We are a school looking at brightening up the look of the place for our 50th jubilee. We want to make a legacy wall/fence for all the children to leave their mark on. We want to paint the windbreaker fences in rainbow colours so each panel is a different colour of the rainbow. What colours would you recommend for a rainbow? ROYGBIV? Also we want to put white hand prints of the kids over the rainbow. What would be the best paint to use for the fence and the hand prints? Would we also need a sealer over the top?

A. I think you can do your fabulous rainbow project with testpots of Lumbersider paint. Each testpot can paint around 1 square metre. Resene Lumbersider can be used on many surfaces but often to paint fences so it will stand up to all weathering really well. You might purchase one litre of the Resene Lumbersider white as it seems that there is going to be lots of hand prints.

Colours for the rainbow might be these ones:

  • Red - Resene Flashpoint or Resene Chaos
  • Orange - Resene Ecstasy or Resene Orang-atan
  • Yellow - Resene Wild Thing or Resene Bright Spark
  • Green - Resene Japanese Laurel or Resene Wham
  • Blue - Resene Discover or Resene Wet N Wild
  • Indigo - Resene Space Cadet or Resene Surfs Up
  • Violet - Resene Pukeko or Resene Christalle
  • I have provided two versions of each colour - for choices. If the children choose then they feel they have vested interest and it may provide a nice experience for them.

Resene Flashpoint
Resene Flashpoint
Resene Chaos
Resene Chaos
Resene Ecstasy
Resene Ecstasy
Resene Orang-atan
Resene Orang-atan
Resene Wild Thing
Resene Wild Thing
Resene Bright Spark
Resene Bright Spark
Resene Japanese Laurel
Resene Japanese Laurel
Resene Wham
Resene Wham
Resene Discover
Resene Discover
Resene Wet N Wild
Resene Wet N Wild
Resene Space Cadet
Resene Space Cadet
Resene Surfs Up
Resene Surfs Up
Resene Pukeko
Resene Pukeko
Resene Christalle
Resene Christalle
   
May 2018

Q. I have been painting the interior of my new cottage Resene Rice Cake. I also need to paint the exterior, including a sleepout. It’s looking very depressing at the moment! The setting is very rural/green on a small rise. The house can be seen from the road. I don’t think I want to paint it white, grey or too dark. I would like it to look really welcoming and sweet. The roof is grey. At the moment there are dark brown trims etc. that I really dislike.

Also I would like to paint or stain the decks (I have two decks one in front of the house and one smaller one to the side.

A. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Option #1 - Main colour - Resene Linen, all 'white' trims - i.e. under the soffits, fascias, guttering, veranda posts and balustrades, windows - Resene Eighth Rice Cake, gables, window surrounds and doors - Resene Greige, and decks - Resene Woodsman Iroko.

Or option #2 - Main colour - Resene Triple Pearl Lusta, all 'white' trims - i.e. under the soffits, fascias, guttering, veranda posts and balustrades, windows - Resene White (yes real white), gables, window surrounds and doors - Resene Inside Back, and decks - Resene Woodsman Limed Ash.

Or option #3 - Main colour - Resene Half Dusted Blue, all 'white' trims - i.e. under the soffits, fascias, guttering, veranda posts and balustrades, windows - Resene Quarter Rice Cake, gables, window surrounds and doors - Resene Double Rice Cake, and decks - Resene Woodsman Pickled Bluewood.

Resene Rice Cake
Resene Rice Cake
Resene Linen
Resene Linen
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Eighth Rice Cake
Resene Greige
Resene Greige
Resene Iroko
Resene Iroko
Resene Triple Pearl Lusta
Resene Triple Pearl Lusta
Resene White
Resene White
Resene Inside Back
Resene Inside Back
Resene Limed Ash
Resene Limed Ash
 
Resene Half Dusted Blue
Resene Half Dusted Blue
Resene Quarter Rice Cake
Resene Quarter
Rice Cake
Resene Double Rice Cake
Resene Double Rice Cake
Resene Pickled Bluewood
Resene Pickled Bluewood
 
May 2018

Q. I have white 1890 villa that, until recently, had a black corrugated iron roof which is currently being re-roofed with the colour 'slate'. I want to paint all the trims, finals and window surrounds in white. Could you recommend a colour for the exterior weatherboards please? For the interior of the villa I have Resene Half Rice Cake for the walls but would like a warmer colour for the exterior i.e. Resene Half Thorndon Cream or perhaps Resene White Pointer.

A. Colours on an exterior often look much lighter/brighter than you might expect them to - like a half version of the colour. If you favour the look that shows off the trims as very crisp and eye poppingly white and the main colour as different/deeper than the following colours are worth checking out - Resene Double White Pointer, Resene Double Thorndon Cream, Resene Double Barely There or Resene Double Rice Cake.

If you prefer sharper cleaner cream colours - like the Resene Half Rice Cake you have used in the interior - then you might consider Resene Double Rice Cake.

Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Thorndon Cream
Resene Half
Thorndon Cream
Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
 
Resene Double White Pointer
Resene Double
White Pointer
Resene Double Thorndon Cream
Resene Double
Thorndon Cream
Resene Double Barely There
Resene Double
Barely There
Resene Double Rice Cake
Resene Double Rice Cake
May 2018

Q. We have a stairwell we are painting in Resene Blanched Pink, that opens into an open plan room with Resene Foggy Grey architraves and the main kitchen wall which is opposite in Resene Bright Spark which also wraps around above the stove top bench (will be white tiles with dark grey grout as a splash back so the yellow is only about 800mm from the splashback to the ceiling which is broken up by a plywood shelf). The window aluminium is dark grey (mid sandstone) and I am getting lost trying to find a white to balance both the heavy warm yellow and also the dusky pink. We will have a lot of leafy green houseplants and our table etc is all raw wood. The flooring is a mid-brown vinyl (wood like) planks and the lighting is mostly led dimmable downlights, with ply wall lighting for ambience.

A. You might check out these whites to see how they appeal to you - Resene Half Black White, Resene Alabaster, Resene Half Sea Fog or Resene Half Rice Cake. The first two whites are cooler and the last two carry a subtle undertone of colour in them. You do need to carefully test the colours by painting all of the testpots (two coats) onto A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) and move the card from wall to wall to see how they respond to the type of light you have as well as the colours.

Resene Blanched Pink
Resene Blanched Pink
Resene Foggy Grey
Resene Foggy Grey
Resene Bright Spark
Resene Bright Spark
 
Resene Half Black White
Resene Half Black White
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Rice Cake
Resene Half Rice Cake
May 2018

Q. I want to paint my front door, currently it is varnished wood with stained glass. The surrounding trim is white and the wood panels are painted in Resene Bokara Grey. The rest is brick veneer.

A. For the door there is a wee bit of prep work involved - sand the varnish, seal it, prime it and paint two coats of topcoat - but it does give you a fabulous new look. Because of the neutrality of the white and the Resene Bokara Grey you have lots of options available to you. Perhaps a bold bright colour might be considered - Resene Wild Thing, Resene Left Field, Resene Bingo, Resene Sushi or Resene Daredevil. Or the default is Resene White like the door frames.

Resene Bokara Grey
Resene Bokara Grey
Resene White
Resene White
     
Resene Wild Thing
Resene Wild Thing
Resene Left Field
Resene Left Field
Resene Bingo
Resene Bingo
Resene Sushi
Resene Sushi
Resene Daredevil
Resene Daredevil
May 2018

Q. How do I get the right match of white to a pre-existing colour on the ceiling? We have added a wall but can’t match the correct ceiling paint to the existing paint colour.

A. Matching existing colours is always tricky unless you know what colour was used originally. Even if you did know and purchased exactly the same colour again you may find it didn't match as the original has aged and possibly changed or slightly discoloured over time.

Sometimes it is easiest to repaint all to a new `white' and make sure you write down the colour name for future reference and carefully save a little touch up paint in a smaller container.

May 2018

Q. I am contemplating painting the exterior of my house Resene Linen or Resene Half Linen. Do you have any recommendations for a roof colour to match this? I am wondering about Resene Ironsand, Resene Grey Friars or Resene Flax.

A. Any of these colours would work but in completely different ways.

Resene Grey Friars is a steel blue edged charcoal and quite classical. Resene Ironsand is a smoky olive brown edged charcoal and warm and earthy. Resene Flax is a lighter/brighter yellow based green and is very fresh. What look do you like?

It may be easier to see what the colours look like and to judge the overall effect if you checked out the A4 real paint samples in the Colour Library at your local Resene ColorShop. Then if you painted up very large A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) to make samples using the testpot and looked at them outside in bright natural light it would help also as bright natural light does alter how colours are seen.

Resene Linen
Resene Linen
Resene Half Linen
Resene Half Linen
Resene Ironsand
Resene Ironsand
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Grey Friars
Resene Flax
Resene Flax
May 2018

Q. We have picked quite a dark carpet. We had originally loved Resene Black White but feel something more like Resene Alabaster may be more in line with the carpet we have picked. I’m stuck with what colour to do the trims as I want to ensure there’s still a difference in colour. We will be painting the whole interior in the same colours (potentially with a feature wall in each of the bedrooms in the future). We have a light grey lounge suite. Three of the bedrooms have white furniture and the master bedroom has natural stained wooden furniture.

A. Resene Alabaster is as close to white as you can get, which doesn’t allow for contrast between walls and trim. I would stick with your original thought of Resene Black White for the interior walls and use Resene Alabaster on the trims/doors/ceilings etc. The Resene Black White will definitely work with a charcoal carpet but also give you a hint of grey to the walls.

If you want that really ‘white’ gallery kind of look, then Resene Alabaster is the colour you want. One way to get contrast is to use sheen instead of colour. So use a low sheen for the walls and a semi-gloss for all the trim, that way it will look slightly different, even if it’s the same colour.

Resene Black White
Resene Black White
Resene Alabaster
Resene Alabaster
May 2018

Q. I am looking for your help that I want to add two more splash-backs near my old one and am looking for similar colour to tint?

A. It’s very hard to colour match from a photo, and splashbacks are even harder because the colour painted on the back is often much lighter than what it looks like under glass.

I suggest you get a white piece of paper or card and place it next to your splashback. This will give you a better indication of what type of colour you are dealing with. Grab some colour charts from Resene and match to the closest colour. You’ll need to do this at different times of the day too, because the light changes how you see the colour.

May 2018

Q. We are doing some renovation on our property, removing wallpaper and skimming the walls, then a lot of paint. We are in doubt about the colours for the walls. At this stage, we will live in the property but later sell or rent. We have painted the ceiling in Resene Half Black White and the architraves, doors, skirting boards and windows are Resene Quarter Tea. Our first thought was to use a light tone of blue, green or grey for the walls, with a darker colour for a feature wall behind the bed, then different colours for different rooms (ceiling, architraves, doors and windows all the same). We have also thought about neutral colours but are not sure what colours would match with those combinations.

A. Because you have chosen a very definite colour - Resene Quarter Tea - for all the painted woodwork in the rooms, you may need to use colours that are slightly stronger in tone. The following suggestions are worth checking out - they look very nice with Resene Half Tea and Resene Half Black White - Resene Unwind, Resene Dusted Blue, Resene Half Mountain Mist, Resene Eighth Pravda, Resene Copyrite or Resene Half Perfect Taupe.

The last four are more neutralised tones that carry interesting undertones of colour in them, and the first two are a beautiful green and soft muted blue.

I am not 100% sure that another colour as a feature in the bedrooms is a good idea - if you already have three paint colours in the rooms, then that would make four in total before choosing coloured drapes, blinds, duvets and accessories in other colours. It is a personal taste choice of course so you must lead with what delights your eyes and heart.

Resene Half Black White
Resene Half Black White
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Quarter Tea
Resene Unwind
Resene Unwind
Resene Dusted Blue
Resene Dusted Blue

Resene Half Mountain Mist
Resene Eighth Pravda
Resene Eighth Pravda
Resene Copyrite
Resene Copyrite
Resene Half Perfect Taupe
Resene Half Perfect Taupe
May 2018

Q. We are doing up our bathroom and laundry. In the bathroom there will be a grey tile with a taupe undertone, so we are painting the walls Resene White Pointer. We are thinking about doing the ceiling and frames etc in Resene Quarter White Pointer. I'm just slightly concerned that they might look too similar when done. Do you think this will be okay? The room has average natural lighting.

A. There should be enough difference between a full strength colour (Resene White Pointer) and a quarter tint of the same colour - Resene Quarter White Pointer. If you carefully test the colours by painting both the colours (all the testpot/two coats) onto super large A2 card (available from Resene ColorShops) you will be able to judge how they look together.

Tape Resene White Pointer on the wall and Resene Quarter White Pointer up on the ceiling and look at them during the natural light of day and the artificial light at night. That way, you might be assured about the difference between the two colours.

If you wanted to see more contrast between the wall colour and the trims and ceiling colour, you might check out Resene Double Alabaster to see if that appealed to you.

Resene White Pointer
Resene White Pointer
Resene Quarter White Pointer
Resene Quarter
White Pointer
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Alabaster
May 2018

Q. What colour do you suggest we paint the exterior walls of a 2001 built townhouse with a New Denim Blue roof and aluminium joinery? We like dark colours and want to modernise the look.

A. A deeper colour may have heat related issues, so it is really important to investigate how this will affect the surface cladding. This type of building - when built originally - always had to have a very pale paint colour in order to comply with consents and compliance. If you go ahead with a deeper colour, I strongly advise that you use Resene CoolColour™ reformulated colours (look for CC after the colour name on the colour chart) in order to try and minimise heat absorption into the surface.

New Denim Blue is a blue grey. Often it looks more blue than grey in bright natural light. Were you considering a similar tone for the house? If so, you might consider using a related (but lighter) variant of New Denim Blue, such as Resene Half New Denim Blue or another similar toned colour - Resene Half Tuna or a soft bluer colour - Resene Neutral Bay.

Resene Half New Denim Blue
Resene Half New
Denim Blue
Resene Half Tuna
Resene Half Tuna
Resene Neutral Bay
Resene Neutral Bay
May 2018

Q. Can you please advise me on a white paint colour that is warm but does not go yellow?

A. You might check out these warmer whites to see if they appeal to you - Resene Half Sea Fog, Resene Half Merino, Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream, Resene Half Soapstone or Resene Quarter Albescent White.

They all carry unique undertones of colour within them. This is apparent when you view large A4 real painted samples in the Colour Library at your local Resene ColorShop and judge them against each other and alongside a pure white - like a sheet of printer paper.

Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Merino
Resene Half Merino
Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream
Resene Eighth
Thorndon Cream
Resene Half Soapstone
Resene Half Soapstone
Resene Quarter Albescent White
Resene Quarter
Albescent White
May 2018

Q. I'm painting the interior of my villa. I was hoping to have the same white colour on the walls throughout our house, and a contrasting white on the skirting, ceiling and doors. There will be light grey curtains and blinds throughout, golden wooden floors and grey carpet. Our bathrooms are quite starkly white with black tapware. And the kitchen cabinetry is high gloss white. I don't want a white that is too stark because I want the house to feel warm and spacious, especially the bathrooms which are on the southern side. But I'm having problems with the creamy whites looking too yellow against the white bathroom fixtures and the kitchen and the grey whites being too cool. Can you recommend a warm white with grey undertones that would tie in the curtains/carpet/tapware and a contrasting white for the skirting etc?

A. In some of the rooms (south or east facing or in hallways) even a warm white may look cooler than you expect. You do need to carefully test them.

Try Resene Sea Fog, Resene Half Merino, Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream or Resene Quarter White Pointer.

Seeing as you have real white as the bathroom fixtures and kitchen cabinets, I suggest you use Resene White (yes, regular true white) for trims and ceilings.

Resene Sea Fog
Resene Sea Fog
Resene Half Merino
Resene Half Merino
Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter
Thorndon Cream
Resene Quarter White Pointer
Resene Quarter
White Pointer
Resene White
Resene White
May 2018

Q. We have a new build that has two types of cladding that we are trying to decide on what colours to use. The weatherboards are Resene Awash and the other cladding is board/batten and we were thinking maybe grey but are open to suggestions.

A. You might check out these colours to see if they appeal to you - Resene Quarter Silver Chalice, Resene Triple Black White or a lighter colour - Resene Surrender or for a dramatically deep colour - Resene Big Stone.

Resene Awash
Resene Awash
Resene Quarter Silver Chalice
Resene Quarter
Silver Chalice
Resene Triple Black White
Resene Triple Black White
Resene Surrender
Resene Surrender
Resene Big Stone
Resene Big Stone
May 2018

Q. I have painted the fence and the surrounds of my pool area in Resene Double Foundry and I love it! However, I have a rendered raised garden bed, which I thought would look good in the same colour - I was wrong! Do you have any colour suggestions please?

A. An option might be to paint it the same colour as the house so it merges back rather than leaps at you. Once the planting is established - and especially if it cascades down the face of the concrete to soften the hard edges - the look will be much more natural, so you might defer your colour decision until later on if it is too difficult now.

Resene Double Foundry
Resene Double Foundry
May 2018

Q. We are building a new home by the ocean with a Rockcote finish. We have chosen Grey Friars for the COLORSTEEL® roof, garage door and front door. We have chosen white windows and joinery. For the exterior colour we are looking at a few greyish colours such as: Resene Mischka, Resene Geyser, Resene French Grey, Resene Silver Chalice, Resene Surrender and Resene Grey Chateau. We are finding it hard to make a decision between these colours and would appreciate your expert input.

A. Paint up huge A2 cards (available from Resene ColorShops) with all of the testpot (two coats) of each colour and tape them up on the exterior of the house close to the window frames. If you move the test samples around each side of the house, you will see the colours alter with natural sunlight and shade. This is helpful as you get a much better idea of what the colours are truly like. If you leave a narrow unpainted band all around the edges of the card, the contrast between real white card and the painted samples makes the undertones of colour more apparent. You need to see this.

The following colours have a little lilac undertone – Resene Mischka, Resene French Grey, Resene Geyser and Resene Grey Chateau. The other two have a slight silver blue cast to them.

Resene Mischka
Resene Mischka
Resene Geyser
Resene Geyser
Resene French Grey
Resene French Grey
Resene Silver Chalice
Resene Silver Chalice
Resene Surrender
Resene Surrender
Resene Grey Chateau
Resene Grey Chateau
May 2018

Q. We are going to repaint our front door and would like to know which colours would go well with our house colour (Resene Half Bison Hide) and our brown steps? We're keen on something red based if possible.

A. Here are some reds for your front door – I’ve gone for the orange side of red rather than pink, given you have brown steps at the front:
Resene Lusty, Resene Red Berry, Resene Trouble or Resene Ringo.

Gloss paint would give this door an extra little bit of oomph (and protection from the elements!) and look fantastic. Ask one of the staff at your nearest Resene ColorShop to show you the A4 swatch of each of these colours, before taking home a testpot or two.

Resene Half Bison Hide
Resene Half Bison Hide
Resene Lusty
Resene Lusty
Resene Red Berry
Resene Red Berry
Resene Trouble
Resene Trouble
Resene Ringo
Resene Ringo
May 2018

Q. I am the manager of a small gym. It needs painting and brightening up.

A. You don't mention whether the gym is unisex or a specifically male space. The following colours might be a start point for consideration – Resene Quarter Coriander, Resene Half Rakaia, Resene Surrender or Resene Jet Stream.

They are all delicate but definite colours - as opposed to whites - and they have a fresh appeal.

Doors often get a lot of use and can look tired fairly quickly so you might think about using a deeper colour on them to add another dimension to the interior.

Some of these deep tones are worth checking out – Resene Zinzan, Resene Atomic, Resene Green Meets Blue or Resene Couture.

Resene Quarter Coriander
Resene Quarter Coriander
Resene Half Rakaia
Resene Half Rakaia
Resene Surrender
Resene Surrender
Resene Jet Stream
Resene Jet Stream
Resene Zinzan
Resene Zinzan
Resene Atomic
Resene Atomic
Resene Green Meets Blue
Resene Green Meets Blue
Resene Couture
Resene Couture
May 2018

Q. I'm building a Hampton style two storey house and I'm looking to use Resene White Triple Pointer for the main LINEA® board cladding with a Surfmist COLORBOND® roof gutter, fascia and garage door. Could you please recommend a complementary white trim colour that will work with both Resene White Triple Pointer and Surfmist COLORBOND®? Would you use the same trim colour for the front door or would you recommend that to be surfmist?

A. Whites that work well with the warmer tone of your main colour might be one of these colours – Resene Quarter Titania, Resene Half Sea Fog or Resene Quarter Merino, or a crisper tinted white like – Resene Eighth Black White.

If you were to compare these whites with a true white like printer paper it would help you judge the unique undertones of colour within them.

If you wanted to see more of the yellow/green/grey edged colour like the Surfmist to be used on the front door then that is your choice. But using more of your trim white colour would work well as well.

Resene Quarter Titania
Resene Quarter Titania
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Half Sea Fog
Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Quarter Merino
Resene Eighth Black White
Resene Eighth Black White
May 2018

Q. Is there a blackish colour between Resene Element and Resene All Black for exterior?

A. You might check out the following blacks – Resene Blackjack or Resene Nero.

Resene Element
Resene Element
Resene All Black
Resene All Black
Resene Blackjack
Resene Blackjack
Resene Nero
Resene Nero
May 2018

Q. Our house has all joinery in Desert Sand and the roof and garage are in Ironsand. We’re looking for a colour for the LINEA® to match. We have looked at Resene Doeskin and Resene Half Doeskin but are a bit concerned that it will come out quite orange. We’re after a nice light-mid tone golden sand sort of colour.

A. There is a Resene match colour for all powder coat colours. The match colour for Desert Sand is called Resene Desert Sand. If you wanted a slightly lighter version of Desert Sand you might check out Resene Double Biscotti or Resene Triple Spanish White.

Resene Doeskin
Resene Doeskin
Resene Half Doeskin
Resene Half Doeskin
Resene Desert Sand
Resene Desert Sand
Resene Double Biscotti
Resene Double Biscotti
Resene Triple Spanish White
Resene Triple
Spanish White
May 2018

Q. I am doing up the entire house. I plan to paint out all the beams and trim in white and have a light grey on the walls and a darker grey for the stairs. The bathroom already has a cream tiled sunken bath and light grey wood look floor tiles are going down.

A. For the beams and trim, I would use Resene Double Alabaster. This will give you a beautiful (slightly dulled) white, not clinical like pure white.

For the light grey for the walls, try Resene Double Sea Fog, Resene Quarter Silver Chalice or Resene Quarter Foggy Grey. For the darker grey for stairs, try Resene Half Tuna, Resene Fuscous Grey or Resene Gauntlet.

As for the bathroom, you might end up needing to paint a warm off-white on the walls to ensure cohesion with the cream bath tiles. Perhaps something like Resene Bianca.

Alternatively, you could use a colour on the walls in there – I would use a beautiful forest green or deep teal blue for a little pop of interest. Or use the charcoal from the stairs. Loads of options.

Resene has A4 swatches of each of our colours available for you to look at before buying a testpot. I suggest you pop into your local Resene ColorShop and ask one of the staff to show you these colours and perhaps any others that you like the look of.

Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Alabaster
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Double Sea Fog
Resene Quarter Silver Chalice
Resene Quarter
Silver Chalice
Resene Quarter Foggy Grey
Resene Quarter Foggy Grey
Resene Half Tuna
Resene Half Tuna
Resene Fuscous Grey
Resene Fuscous Grey
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Gauntlet
Resene Bianca
Resene Bianca
May 2018

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