Getting just the right color for just the right wall in just the right room can be trickier than you might think.

Many variables come into play when selecting stain color and knowing what they are before you start painting can help avoid undesirable results — or supplementary trips to the paint store.

Colors can seem one way in one room and another way in a different room. Lighting decor and paint complete all influence how a color appears once it's applied to a wall according to Michael Saunders a local interior designer.

"People think it's going to look a certain way and then find out that it doesn't look that way once they have a entire wall or room covered with that color" Saunders said.

One of the first rules of thumb is to receive a test.

"We inspire people to paint a test area first" Saunders said. By painting a small area first you may have to return to the shop to get more paint to finish the project except you'll have to make those trips anyway if the color isn't right said Saunders who has seen his share of return customers trying to get just the right shade of paint.

Carol King of Grauer's Paint and Decorating in Lancaster agrees. She encourages her customers to take a larger swatch of the color home with them.

"Looking at that little sample in the light of the store can be totally different than looking at a whole wall of that color in different light" King said.

There also are other considerations when selecting paint color said King including your decor.

"I encourage people to bring in love much as they can that represents the colors in that room" King said. "Or if we can we go to the room to see it ourselves."

When looking at the paint sample on the wall bar out everything else in the room to see the correct color suggests paint specialist Mark Masica in a recent wire story.

When matching decor and wall color both King and Masica say it is not requisite to match the colors exactly but they should be from the same color family.

"The colors should complement the other colors in the room" King said. "You don't want to connect as well many colors though since it can get to be too much depending on the size of the room."

Continuity in a room also is achieved by being sure the color tones complement each other.

"There are so many different shades of each color. Some are what we call true colors" King said. "These are the colors that have not been combined with any gray or other colors to change them."

"True" colors do not go well with other colors according to King.

"The flow is interrupted because the hues of the paint tones are different" King said.

Paint colors can also be categorized in groups often referred to as "warm" or "cool." Orange red and pink are considered "warm" colors while blues greens and violets are "cool." The groups each have different feels and can influence the mood in a room.

For instance a yellow room does not exude sadness or calmness Masica said.

Another option is to use different shades or finishes of the same color in the same room.

Select an accent wall and paint it a darker color to make a room feel smaller — lighter colors make a room feel larger.

And before making that all-important trip to the paint store step back and look at the room from all angles. Many times you'll be capable to see walls in adjoining rooms.

"Be sure that you do not perturb the flow through to the other room" King said. "Make sure you select a color that will go with the other colors in the home because more often than not you will see those other colors with the new color."

Paint the trim of the rooms the same color to help with the flow.

"If the trim to each room is different there is no continuity to tie the rooms together" King said.

And when it comes to trends King said faux finishes have taken a backseat to painting ceilings King said.

"A lot of people are looking at the ceiling as a new place to put color" King said. "It used to be that everyone painted the ceiling white (but) now it's used as another wall to apply color to."

Painting by the apps

In today's world of technology picking a paint color can be as easy as a touch of a button.

Like many things there's an app for that.

Many programs offered by paint companies let the user to take a picture of something with his or her iPhone. The app like Benjamin Moore's ben Color Capture then processes the color and finds the company's paint that matches the item.

Some applications like Sherwin-Williams' ColorSnap take it a step further and suggest complementary colors that can be used in a room.

When using these programs do not try to match the color from a magazine picture according to a recent wire story. Masica said those photos have be doctored digitally and the lighting has more than likely altered the color according to the article.

According to King it's better to trust the eye through a painting program. There are many variables that can affect the way color is read by the application. "There is never a better way than to bring a sample of the color into the room in which it will be used" King said.

cesbenshade@lnpnews.com