Instructions

1

Realize that yellows on those little paint chips are often deceptive. What looks like a delicate, buttery yellow may look like school bus yellow on your walls. When choosing yellows, use restraint.
2

Gather different color chips so you can compare them and really see the underlying tone. Like all colors, yellow has undertones. Some have a red-orange cast, some more green, some a hint of brown. This will make a big difference to your finished project.
3

Spread the paint chips out in the room you are going to paint. Look at the colors in the room. If there are a lot of cool colors like greens, blues and grays choose a cool yellow for the walls. If the palette is warmer with spicier red and brown tones choose warm yellow for the room.
4

Pay attention to your lighting at night. While natural daylight is cooler and won't make yellow paint so intense, most incandescent bulbs have a very yellow cast. At night, this will intensify the paint color.
5

Invest in a test quart or 2-ounce tester and put the paint directly on the wall. Then, live with it for a day or so. This is cheap insurance against buying expensive paint, doing all the work only to decide you hate the result.