Carpet Color
Matching Carpet Color
Did you Know? All carpet colors, with the exception of white,
are created by mixing the three primary colors (Red, Yellow, and Blue) in different
proportions. Carpet color selection and matching paint color is made easy using
a color wheel.
In buying carpet, the first consideration for most carpet buyers is carpet
color. This is typically due to decoration decisions and matching paint colors,
already in place. However, by placing carpet color selection as the primary
decision in buying carpet, carpet performance may suffer.
You should first look for a carpet style that is built with endurance in mind
and then choose carpet color based on the color hues available. With this in
mind, carpet color selection should next be based on the purpose you hope to
achieve with your new carpet installation.
In choosing carpet color, you should first determine how permanent the carpet
installation will be. If your plans are to replace the carpet in a few years,
when you redecorate (the average consumer replaces carpet every 7-8 years),
choose a bold, balanced palette. If you are preparing the home for resell, you
may choose to select a neutral palette, or one in which the new owners can easily
manipulate their current decorating choices. It is always recommended that you
replace existing carpet prior to resell, because new carpet is always a nice
selling feature.
I remember when I sold my home in Boca Raton, shortly after Hurricane Andrew
blew through, I installed a high quality blue frieze carpet just prior to the
open house. Every potential female buyer who came through my “by owner”
open house called back to ask if this was the house with the “Blue Carpet”.
I sold the house in three days at a substantial profit, by owner, to the first
couple that came through. This after about 12 offers from other open house visitors.
Carpet makes a substantial contribution to the selling proposition.
In buying carpet, make sure you evaluate local soiling conditions. Georgia
Clay is highly visible on lighter color hues, while lint and other soils are
highly visible on darker color hues.
The next question you’ll want to answer is your decorating style. The
color selection of Early American, Victorian, or contemporary, are typically
within a limited color range. You want to pick a color that you want to accentuate
in the color palette. Paint colors should contrast the carpet color –
more on contrast later.
What are you going to keep and what's going to the yard sale? - Are you planning
to buy new furniture, repaint, or change draperies? Furniture should probably
be your first color decision because furniture is highly limited in color choices.
Carpet is the next most limited, and paint colors are infinite. In fact, with
paint, you can take a piece of carpet, pillow, or fabric to your local Home
Depot and they can match the color identically in Glidden or Ralph Lauren paint.
A recent "Wall Street Journal" study revealed Glidden and Ralph Lauren
paints provide the truest color match of all paint brands on the market and
they are two of the highest quality paints available from any source.
Type of Lighting
I remember when I was a carpet manufacturers representative in Indianapolis
during the 1980’s, our color design people developed a display with
numerous lighting styles. At the turn of a switch, you could change lighting
from daylight, to cool white, to incandescent to whatever. I am still amazed
at how some colors change under different light conditions. I am still amazed
how some brown colors in incandescent turn to green in sunlight. Make sure
you take color samples home and view under a variety of lighting conditions.
I am also still amazed that the brown pair of pants in my closet turns green
when I leave home, and I finish the day being color-challenged.
Recently, we redecorated our great room and selected a beautiful Ralph Lauren
River Rock color for the two end walls and a Ralph Lauren Eggshell for the
two side walls. This paint is magnificent. During the daylight hours the walls
produce a warm gold or autumn wheat color. In the evening, using artificial
light, the color transcends into Pea Soup green-not an "Exorcist"
pea soup green, but a very nice yellow green. It probably sounds hideous,
but the walls actually match our furniture print in both daylight and evening
hours, even though the color changes and the effect is beautiful. The wall
colors actually accentuate different colors in the furniture print as the
day ebbs and flows and the wall color gradually changes. Recently, one of
our neighbors came over during the evening and she asked if we had repainted,
again. We explained how light affects color and her reply was "coooool,
but how did you know the color would change to match your furniture in both
daylight and evening light?" Our answer?, "careful planning".
To accomplish this yourself, purchase some of the Ralph Lauren color testers
from Home Depot, spread the paint on the wall, and evaluate the small area
for a few days under different types of lighting.
Adjacent Room Colors
Make sure you evaluate how carpet color in one room will affect transitions
to other rooms. During the 1960’s before carpet production advances
made carpet affordable for everyone, my family could only afford carpet remnants.
Our home was a polka dot of carpet colors. During the 1980’s fashion
trends changed to using the same carpet color throughout. Today, we have transitioned
back to targeted color schemes in each individual room. Make sure you evaluate
how that beautiful green carpet will look when it butts against the blue in
your family room.
Some colors actually change the hue of other colors when they are used in
adjacent areas.
Size Matters
What do you hope to accomplish with room decoration. Darker colors make a
large room cozier, while lighter hues expand room size. Darker carpet, medium
shade walls, and white ceilings tend to balance your room size. If you want
to lower your ceilings, try tinting ceiling paint color to 25% of your wall
color and lighten your carpet color. Lengthen a room by painting one wall
lighter than the side walls. In theory, dark walls and dark carpet make a
room appear smaller. Light carpet, white ceilings, and mid tone walls make
a room seem larger and airier.
If you are attempting to create a specific emotional mood, review our Psychology
of color section.
Color Theory
We all view color differently. What our eyes see as color is actually a combination
of three factors. 1. Light reflectance value (LRV) 2. Hue, 3. Chroma. So essentially,
when I'm trying to match socks each morning the sock on my left foot has a different
LRV than the sock on my other left foot. I should thank The Glidden Company
(ICI Paints) for their assistance in writing this section. Their color work
over the last 100 or so years is the basis for many color pallets in the carpet
industry, as well as the paint industry.
Hue - Hue is actually the color or color family. Blue, green, yellow, and red
are the four primary color families, though it has been said that all colors
originate from Red, Yellow, and Blue. Blue + Yellow = green, Red + Blue = Purple,
Yellow + Red = Orange, etc. All colors can be assigned to these four primary
color families.
Light Reflectance Value (LRV) - LRV is the measure of reflective lightness
or darkness of a color. Colors within the same hue (color family), such as light
green and hunter green, are perceived as different colors because of the amount
of light that they absorb or reflect.
Texture also affects LRV in both carpet and paint. If you were to paint a wall
using a 1/2-inch nap paint roller, it adds texture or stippling to the wall
surface. This stippling redirects light to alter the perception of color. If
you were to touch-up an area using this same 1/2-inch nap roller, it would add
additional stippling and may produce a color change, which produces a color
change. The LRV change would magnify the area that was retouched and the repair
would stand out. This may sound elementary, but this may help explain carpet
foot prints, trackless carpet, and some carpet color variations.
Chroma - Chroma is actually the saturation or intensity of a particular color.
A bright color such as lemon yellow has much more intensity than a creamy yellow.
All color theory is based on the principle that color is light. Chemicals (colorants)
used in carpet dyeing have the property of selectively absorbing or reflecting
certain areas of the light spectrum.
So what does all this have to do with matching carpet color? A color wheel
can help.
The Color Wheel
The color wheel is an ingenious invention for those of us who are color challenged.
Its makes color matching a lot easier unless you still have to match the little
grr animals. Sir Isaac Newton invented the color wheel shortly after he was
thumped on the head with an apple.
If you look at these two color wheels, you will find that the three primary
colors (R<Y< B) are at equidistant points on the color wheel.
Complementary colors are any two colors that are directly opposite one another
on the color wheel. In theory, two complementary colors mixed together in equal
amounts will produce gray. Picture all colors all positioned on a globe, such
as the earth. The north pole would be white. The South Pole would be white,
while the equator would be gray or gray-like. All other colors fall somewhere
in between. This is a theoretical hypothesis, since the Glidden Master Color
Palette displays reddish grays, greenish grays, etc. What this indicates is
any color may be softened or will lose intensity by adding its complementary
color.
So what does all this have to do with matching carpet color?
Colors on the color wheel are divided into Primary colors (RYB), Secondary
colors (violet, green, orange--obtained by mixing equal amounts of primary colors)
and ttertiary colors (red-orange, yellow-green, mixing primary colors with adjacent
secondary colors). Blacks, browns, and grays are obtained by mixing combinations
of secondary and tertiary colors.
Complementary colors are located opposite each other on the color wheel; for
example - red and green, yellow and violet. Each color brings out the richness
in the other. When using complementary colors, one color should be subtle and
the other color should be more dominant. For example, an intense, dark violet
should be paired with a medium to light yellow.
Matching Carpet Color
Glidden. com has a very useful tool for matching color using their comprehensive
color palette. In addition, they offer an inexpensive color match tool, marketed
through Home Depot. This "Color at Home II" program allows you to
photograph your room using a digital camera and import the image into the Color
at Home Program. With a few simple alterations of the image, you can change
the carpet color, room color or furnishings with click of a mouse using their
extensive color palette.
Another good color matching resources is at colormatch.com. http://www.colormatch.com/dk/.
This simple color match tool allows you to click on a color and six complementing/contrasting
colors are displayed. As you slide the color levels to the right, colors change
as you adjust the three color models. Note: if you slide all three slide bars
to the same place you will obtain gray.
The color wheel is a valuable tool in matching carpet color paint color, and
furniture color, once you understand the relationship of color basics. Color
experimentation, through the years, has produced a number of color schemes that
produce pleasing aesthetic properties.
Monochromatic color schemes - A monochromatic color scheme utilizes one color
family or hue, but several different values (shades) The monochromatic color
scheme is the most often used because of its simplicity.
In the example to the left, the green color family has been used. The example
to the right is actually a Glidden color card which displays other monochromatic
colors within the same hue.
Analogous (Or Adjacent) Color Scheme - This color scheme combines two or more
colors which are beside one another on the color wheel.
This color wheel selects colors such as blue, blue-green, green, or even blue-purple.
Adding a second or third adjacent color from a different color family can produce
a stunning effect and creates greater depth than monochromatic color choices.
To add additional depth, add a larger of variety of tints and shades within
the same color family.
Complementary Color Scheme - The complementary color scheme utilizes two colors
which are exactly opposite one another on the color wheel. In examining the
color wheels at the top of the page, you will see that red and green are complementary
colors.
Split Complementary Color Scheme - This color scheme utilizes two complementary
(opposite) colors on the color wheel and a third color (usually adjacent to
one of the complementary colors). The third adjacent color is typically used
as an accent. The example to the right utilizes green, yellow green, and red.
However, these colors are primarily shown for demonstrating positioning on the
color wheel rather than actual color reflectance or "trueness" of
color.
A double split complementary color scheme amounts to a complementary color
scheme using two colors opposite one another on the color wheel, but utilizes
two additional colors. Rather than simply combining two complementary colors,
such as red and green, the double split complementary color scheme utilizes
the two adjacent colors on either side of red and one either side of green.
This may amount to a combination of blue and yellow or various combinations
of blue-green or yellow green with violet or orange or some shade variation
within this range.
Among the most striking of all color schemes is the triadic color scheme. The
triadic color scheme utilizes three color which are equidistant on the color
wheel. On the color wheel at the top, if you choose red-violet as your primary
color, count 4 colors to the right (yellow-orange) and 4 colors to the left
(blue-green) to obtain matching triadic colors.
In this wheel, use colors from within the same shade or tint ring.
Neutral Color Scheme - Neutral color schemes, Black, white , and gray do not
appear on the colors wheel, but they do appear on the Glidden Master palette.
The Glidden master palette can be viewed at your local Home Depot. Every color
has a gray, neutral shade, whether it is a blue or orange or green. Remember
as you move toward the "equator" on the color globe, every color turns
gray. If you are planning to resell your home or the color schemes above are
confusing, gray is a very forgiving color.
Gray, black, are not really colors from a technical perspective. They're called
"neutrals". Neutrals are extremely useful in creating contrast. White,
though not recommended for carpet, due to soiling, is actually the result of
a combination of all colors. White reflects all wavelengths of light uniformly
or equally. Black, on the other hand, absorbs all wavelengths equally. Gray,
expressed as a percentage of black, is a combination of black and white.
While this section may not provide suggestions for color matching, it does
describe to you how to use the color wheel to use an organized approach to color
matching. The Glidden Color at Home program sold at Home Depot will prove a
useful tool for assisting with color matching. Also, Glidden paint products,
marketed through Home Depot are some of the best values in paint products available
through any source. While some home improvement warehouses may try to market
and sell you their "flagship" paint product, Glidden paints provide
the best value based on independent testing. Also, according to a recent (Oct,
2004) Wall Street Journal evaluation, Glidden paints provided the truest color
match of any paint tested, as you might expect from the leaders in color development.
Matching Gray Carpet
Gray (and white) is the ultimate neutral color, but every gray doesn't match
every color. Every hue has its' own gray. You may find green grays, blue grays,
yellow grays, red grays and many, many other grays. So how do you match your
gray with another color? As an "old Paint guy", the best advice for
matching your gray carpet is to isolate the hue family of your gray.
The easiest method of isolating your gray (carpet) is to take a small sample
of your carpet color down to your local Home Depot Paint Department and ask
to see their copy of the Glidden Master Color Pallet. Each page associates various
shades of the same hue, with the appropriate gray down the center of the center.
The Glidden Master Pallet is arranged to represent (in order) the colors of
the rainbow. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet (Roy G. Biv).
The image below show a small portion of one page of the Glidden color pallet1.
If it were possible to display the entire page of this single (portion) color
page, the colors to the left of the gray in each row would begin to arrive at
a true yellow. (Remember Roy G. Biv?) As the "yellow" pages continued
they would arrive at a "yellow" gray and eventually an "orange
and then "red" gray. Each hue has any number of grays.
If we were to move to the right on each row, we would eventually arrive at
a "true blue", (again Roy G. Biv) then blue-gray and on to indigo
gray and then violet gray and true violet. In theory, if we were to move past
violet, we would arrive at red once again and the color spectrum begins anew.
This indigo page is the left-hand portion of the Glidden Master Pallet. Moving
to the left you would find pure Indigo and to the right you would find violet
and then red, again.
Below is an excerpt of an entire half-page which provides a visual of how the
colors move to gray.
Once you have isolated the hue family that your gray carpet belongs, proceed
with the color matching procedure identified above by either selecting a hue
within the color family in which your gray belongs (monochromatic) or mixing
and matching colors from opposite or adjacent hue families.
Both Glidden and Ralph Lauren paints are some of the highest quality paints
in the world. Avoid other brands found at Home Improvement Warehouses. While
a particular Paint brand may have been identified as being a (the) top quality
brand by consumer reports. The tests used by this consumer testing group are
highly anecdotal or "unscientific" (in our opinion). We learned this
first-hand when the author of this site managed the Carpet Industry Vacuum Cleaner
Test Standard. The protocol that this Consumer advocacy group used to rate vacuum
cleaners had a 65% deviation of results for each test. The Test Procedure that
the Carpet Industry developed had a 3% deviation of results. The Vacuum Cleaner
Industry fought this new test procedure vociferously.
Regarding Paint Brands consider this: Glidden (ICI Paints) is the largest paint
company in the world, followed closely by Sherwin Williams. The Home Improvement
Warehouse brands are far down the list in terms of sales volume, yet these Home
Improvement brands are, by far, the most profitable Paint Manufacturers in the
World. This could be because:
They put less "stuff" (quality ingredients) in the can or,
They overprice their products, where equal quality ingredients are found.
These "Flagship" Home Improvement Warehouse brands also earn the
Home Improvement Warehouse Retailer a higher profit margin per gallon than National
Name brands because they own exclusive rights to the brand. Keep in mind, that
when you go to a Home Improvement warehouse and simply ask for the "Best
Paint" they have, you must decide whether they are offering you the Best
Paint" for "you" or The "Best Paint" for "them".
Article by Michael Hilton of carpetbuyershandbook.com - the Largest Online
Source for Unbiased Carpet Information (http://carpetbuyershandbook.com)
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