Looking for the best way to test and sample paint colors? Samplize peel & stick paint samples may be exactly the solution you’ve been looking for. Read on for my full and unbiased review.
Choosing paint colors for your home can feel a bit overwhelming. And rushing to choose a paint color is one of the most common design mistakes I see. I know because I’ve been there. It took me YEARS to figure out the best approach (check out my 6 tips for choosing paint colors ). One of the absolute most important things you need to do when choosing paint colors is to test the paint colors in your home! And today I’m going to share the easiest and best way I have found for testing paint colors.
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The challenges of testing paint colors
Paint chips are inaccurate
Did you know that the small paint chips in paint stores are NOT actually paint samples? Nope. They are just paper that is dyed to match the paint color which results in a color that isn’t entirely accurate of the paint color itself.
Buying samples gets expensive and cumbersome
Since paint chips are inaccurate, most people wind up buying small paint samples to paint test swatches on their walls. I’ve done this many, many times. And it DOES work! To accurately test a paint color, you need to test samples on several walls in the same room. Why? Because paint colors look so different depending on how the light hits them. So testing paint colors on different walls is one of my biggest tips when choosing paint colors .
But buying a bunch of samples can add up pretty quickly. And then you either have to trash them (which feels wasteful and takes time to do properly) or store them. Not ideal. It’s also messy and time-consuming to paint the samples on your walls, clean your brushes, etc. This is especially true if you want to sample a bunch of colors at once.
A better way to test paint colors
Some paint stores now offer peel and stick paint samples. They usually cost around $5 each and are super handy for testing large swatches of paint without having a bunch of sample cans. But if you want to test paint colors from different manufacturers, you have to source them from multiple stores.
Well, I discovered Samplizea couple of years ago and it’s a GAME-CHANGER. I’ve shared my thoughts on Samplizein my Instagram storiesa few times. But I finally got around to writing a post all about them since I recently ordered a bunch to test colors for an upcoming project.
What is Samplize?
Samplizeis was founded by interior designer, Amber Thomas. She was frustrated with the money, time and material wasted during paint sampling. She teamed up with Taylor Thomas and Samplizewas born. Samplizesells peel & stick paint samples from 4 of the major paint players.
How do Samplize peel & stick samples work?
First of all, it’s VERY IMPORTANT to know that is that Samplizesamples are extremely accurate because they are made with genuine manufacturers’ paint, which results in an accurate color andtexture sample. That means if you order a sample of Sherwin-Williams Pure White you get a sample of the actual paintthat is painted onto the backing paper.
Samplizepeel and stick samples are now 9 x 4 inches (they used to be 12 x 12 inches) and can be used and repositioned multiple times. You can order samples from PPG (available at Home Depot) Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, and Farrow & Ball.
My Unbiased Review of Samplize Peel & Stick Paint Samples
This not sponsored! I buy my Samplizesamples with my own dollar bills. And y’all, I love them! Let me list the manyreasons why this is the only way I like to sample paint colors now.
Benefits of Samplize
- They have saved me so much time and hassle. I order them online and have them within a day or two. I can order samples from all the major paint manufacturers in one fell swoop.
- The price is comparable to buying peel & stick samples from a paint store.
- They are large enough to get a really good sense of the color.
- They are so easy to stick on and peel off to reposition if you want to.
- They are made from real paint, so they are accurate.
- NO MESS & no clean-up.
- They reduce environmental waste since extra sample paint is often thrown away (and is rarelydisposed of properly).
- I can cut a sample into pieces to test in different spots/on different walls (which as I’ve mentioned before but can’t stress enough is VERY important to do).
Cons of Samplize
There aren’t many, in my opinion.
- They are only available in 1 paint sheen (but that’s true of all paint samples I’ve purchased, unless I’m willing to pay for an entire quart).
- If you want large samples on multiple walls, you would have to order multiple samples of the same color. But I would recommend moving the same sample around to avoid this issue.
Bottom line, I highly recommend Samplizewhen it comes to choosing paint colors for your home !
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