Thinking of painting a room in your home for a while now? In some cases, paint can be a very intimidating thing. While paint is never permanent, what if you go to the trouble of hiring a professional painter, and you choose the wrong colors for your rooms? What if you have to live with your mistake for months – even years – and you regret your decision every day?

Yes, paint sometimes can involve your fears. Here are 5 painting tips that can help you move forward, take action, and choose the right colors for your rooms.

1. Fear

Fear is the number one reason people either put their professional painting project off indefinitely, or head back to safe and boring white. Ultimately the world is divided 5 Painting Tips To Choose The Right Colors For Your Rooms into two groups – those that are color courageous and those that are color cowards. The best way to get over your fear of color is to start with a color you love. Maybe it’s the painting in the dining room, or a pillow that’s been on your couch for years. Talk to your painter about incorporating that color onto one wall on your room. Test it first; if you really feel its too dark, ask him to lighten it up or tone it down with a little more gray. If you like the hue and you’ve lived with it in some capacity in your home, chances are you’ll love it on your walls too.

2. Too Much Color

If your room is already filled with color – a vivid rug, a bright bedspread, and wild chairs – a bright paint may push you over the edge. If you love your vivid rug, let that be the focal point and make your walls a shade or two lighter. If your color palette is fairly neutral in your décor, liven it up with a brighter paint choice. Look to examples online or in magazines for what stands out to you. Your professional painter can use those clues to make suggestions.

3. Not Enough Color

Designers typically use the 60-30-10 rule – 60 percent of the color comes from walls, 30 percent from upholstery, floor or window coverings, and 10 percent from accent pieces. Which means no matter how you slice it, your walls will have an impact in the overall look and feel of your room. No matter what shade or hue you choose, get away from boring white and liven up your space with a new color.

4. Don’t Rush But Move Forward

Rather than contemplating your color choice indefinitely, work with your professional painter to have a small section of your room painted in your color choice – a 4 by 4 foot section should be adequate. Place your color in an area that will pop in the sunlight and show its true shades at night. Then live with it a day or two before the painters come in to finish the job. You’ll be able to tell in no time at all whether you love it and want to keep it … or want to tone it done and lighten the color just a bit.

5. Don’t forget the primer

What color is your wall now? A dull gray or a vibrant red? In either case, your old color can impact your new color choice, changing the tones of what you thought you’d see into something else. Primer can make a difference, especially when changing from one color to another.