Should you paint your walls as soon as you move in? Design experts say this is how long you should wait to avoid making a mistake

If you’re anything like me, moving into a new home is always accompanied by very mixed feelings – it’s all very exciting but also stressful, full of fun new opportunities that are somewhat daunting, too. One of those ‘opportunities’ to make the new space feel more like you are the walls and giving them a new coat of paint – but the question is, should you paint as soon as you move in? Or how long should you wait before taking the plunge?

Of course, the process starts with gathering your favourite paint ideas and shades you naturally gravitate towards. But the orientation and lighting should also be a factor in choosing the perfect paint colour for each room – so ordering paint samples before buying your tins of paint is highly recommended by experts. Give yourself a few weeks to unpack, get to know the new space and settle in before ordering your samples, though.

‘Amid the whirlwind, it’s tempting to reach straight for a roller and start painting,’ says Victoria Yardley, founder of Victory Colours. ‘But when it comes to colour decisions, a little patience goes a long way.

'We always suggest living in your new space for a few weeks - if you can bear the magnolia - before committing to colours. Observe how natural light behaves in each room throughout the day. You’ll often find that the colour you adored in your last house looks entirely different in this one. It’s all about mood, aspect, and how you feel in the space. Once you've had time to settle, ordering samples is the logical next step. Order them as soon as you start to get a feel for how you want each room to function and feel.’

How long after ordering paint samples should you paint your walls?

But this leads to another question – which is, how long should you live with paint samples on your walls before making a decision, ordering the paint and painting the walls at last? For this, the experts recommend living with the samples for about a week.

‘Once those samples are up, live with them for a few days, ideally a full week. See them in morning light, evening glow, and under your usual lamps. Paint behaves like a chameleon, and what looks like a calm sage in daylight might morph into a moody olive after sunset,’ Victoria at Victory Colours advises.

Sara D’Souza, content strategist and creator at Frenchic Paint, adds, ‘It can also be helpful to see the shade on a sunny day and a gloomy day, to see how the colour changes and how the samples resonate with your mood. Go for the shade you’re most drawn to.’

As soon as you make that decision, just order your paint and give those walls a lick of your chosen paint as soon as possible after you actually get your hands on it. ‘Order the paint and get on with painting as soon as you’re settled on the colour,’ confirms Caroline Thornborough, design director of Thorndown Paint. ‘You can always paint over it if you change your mind on the colour.’

How many paint samples should you order?

While it’s great to see how various paint colours look IRL in the environment of your own home, there is such a thing as having too many testers. It can be overwhelming and look quite messy if you’re testing lots of different paint samples at the same time. That’s why most paint experts recommend sticking to five at most at a time.

‘When ordering samples, it's best to start with a limited selection of three to five colour options,’ says Bailey Williams, colour expert at Earthborn. ‘This range allows you to explore tonal variations without becoming visually overwhelmed. Ordering more than five colours at once can complicate the decision-making process, especially when the differences between shades are subtle.’

She adds, ‘If none of your initial choices feel quite right, consider a second round of sampling, refining your selection based on your first impressions.’

These days, many paint brands opt for stick and peel paint samples over tester pots. But if you do get yourself a sample pot of paint, there are also lots of easy DIY projects you can use your leftover paint with.

Where to get your paint samples?

So to summarise – give yourself a few weeks after moving into your new abode before ordering a batch of three to five paint samples to test out on your walls. Then live with those for about seven days before ordering your paint and finally covering your walls with your colour of choice.