How to choose the right colour from the fan deck
A colour on a small strip looks different outdoors. These tips help you choose a colour you will still be happy with later.
Look at the spot itself
The fan deck belongs against the window frame or facade where the colour will go, not on the kitchen table.
Choose in daylight
Under lamps or fluorescent light a colour shifts. Look outdoors, or by a window in daylight. An overcast day usually gives the most honest view.
Look at different times of day
Morning light is cooler, evening light warmer. A north-facing facade looks bluer and colder than the same facade facing south. So check your favourite in the morning, the afternoon and the evening.
View the colour in different light
Daylight, a warm bulb and white LED light each make the same colour look different. Choose in daylight, but also look at it in the light you will see it in most, such as outdoor or street lighting on a facade in the evening.
Hold the fan deck upright
A window frame or door is vertical, and a vertical surface catches the light differently from a strip lying flat on a table. Hold the fan against the wall, where the colour will go.
Consider the surroundings
Brick, roof tiles, glass, greenery and the neighbours all affect how a colour comes across. Watch the undertone of the brick: warm red or cool grey calls for a different colour.
Make your choice
A strip is small. A facade is large. That is where the difference lies.
Cover the other colours and put something white next to it
Your eye always compares a colour with what surrounds it. Cover the other strips so you see one at a time. Place a white sheet of paper next to it: then you see the true shade and whether it is warm, cool, green or grey.
A large surface looks lighter and more intense
The same colour often looks brighter on a frame or a whole facade than on the strip. Torn between two shades? Choose the calmer one.
Keep it to two or three favourites
With forty colours at once you cannot compare anything. Pull the best two or three strips out of the fan, lay them side by side and let the rest go. Note the colour codes so you can find them again later.
Mind the gloss level
High gloss looks deeper and darker than satin or matt, and shows unevenness in the surface more clearly. So judge the colour in the gloss level you will actually paint with.
A dark colour needs extra attention
Dark colours heat up much more in the sun than light ones. On wood that can be a problem. With a dark colour, ask about the light reflectance value and whether it suits your surface.
Check before you paint
This last step prevents most regrets.
Paint a test patch
A test panel or sample pot on a piece of wood or board gives the most honest picture. Leave it in place for a few days, next to the woodwork, the brick and the glass.
Don't trust your screen
A photo or screen never shows the real colour. Use a photo to remember something, but not to decide.
Ask a paint specialist
Which paint suits the surface, what preparation is needed, which colour works on your facade? In our shops you can see the colour next to a real sample and get advice that fits your situation.
Borrowing a colour fan deck
You can borrow a colour fan deck in our shops to choose at home, on the spot. We charge a deposit for borrowing it.
- The maximum loan period is 5 days.
- Without an Engels loyalty card we charge € 1.50 per day.
Prefer a fan deck of your own? See our colour fan decks.
Ready to choose?
Tick off what you have already done.
Chosen a colour? Enter the colour code
Colours on a screen or in print can differ from the real paint. Always compare with a real sample.
