Faq

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The challenge with sampling color on the wall is that the sample is static. You can only see how the color will look in the place you painted it. Color is significantly affected by context and light.

Stand in the middle of a room and observe how the color on your walls changes as you look around the room. The same color on a wall opposite a window looks very different from the way it looks in a corner. Notice too how a color changes depending on the colors around it. You need to see how your color choices look relative to other colors in the room or even in adjacent rooms. Small Wall® panels allow you to move your color choices around the room so you can see them in different light and in the context of other colors.

If you sample color on your walls, you will have to prime over the sample colors and  sand them down before you paint  to ensure they don't show through your finished color. Even if the color doesn't show through, often the texture from the sample brush or roller strokes may. This is called flashing.

Cardboard, poster-board and foam-board are porous materials. When you paint on them, they absorb moisture and paint color. Not only will they  warp or curl when the paint dries, they are not providing accurate color representation as they're absorbing pigment, so the color will appear differently on those surfaces than on your wall. Small Wall® is a closed-cell, non-porous surface, which means the paint and therefore the color sit on top of the surface, just like on  a primed wall, so with Small Wall®, no surface prep or primer is required and the color representation is exceptional.  Small Wall® is approved by the Sherwin- Williams Breen Technology Center as a "substitute for dry wall for paint outs and provides accurate comparison of different products for color, sheen and appearance."

Dry wall must be primed before applying color; it is also heavy and messy. In many communities, construction materials such as dry-wall cannot be disposed of in the garbage, and must be handled separately.

Yes, just like your walls, Small Wall® panels can be painted and re-painted multiple times. Unlike poster board or cardboard, which can't be recycled after they have been painted, Small Wall can be re-painted multiple times, reducing environmental waste. We even suggest crafts with Small Wall® when you are done sampling color on it , like applying chalkboard, or white board paint and using it for a note board. Small Wall's® color representation is best when painted new so you don't get bleed through from another color, (particularly painting a light color of a dark color) but using a coat of primer will cure that if you choose to reuse. Eventually, the adhesive will loose its tack, but the surface can be painted as many times as you like.

Depending on the cleanliness of the wall, Small Wall® should be able to be repositioned  up to a dozen times. If you are using it on new construction, where there is a lot of dust, this can  contaminate the adhesive so you may only get three or four uses before the adhesive loses its tack.

Like Small Wall®, styrene is non-absorbent, however, unlike Small Wall® styrene has a slick surface, which can adversely affect paint adhesion. This is why when using styrene, you need to prime your surface before you use it , so it "grips" the paint.  Small Wall®  has a slightly textured surface, similar to a primed wall and is designed to accept paint. Paint adhesion is excellent with Small Wall®. No surface prep required. Small Wall® will even support  faux finishes like Venetian plaster.

We'd love to chat with you ! Drop us an email from our "Contact" page and we'll do our best to get your questions answered straight away.