Whiter shade of pale

Actually, it's more of an off-white, though various companies call it Mystique, Foxtrot, or Brandied Pear. Can you tell I am trying to match paint colors to my existing walls? We need to do some spackling and touch-up painting, but we do not have the original wall paint used by the previous owner (not sure it would still be usable, even if we did). The good news is that the entire house is painted the same color, so we only have to get one color right, not several. The bad news is that there are about a bazillion different shades of white/off-white. Can't we all just pick one, call it cream or beige, and be done with it? Sheesh!

We finally settled on Foxtrot, which just makes me giggle. I've been aware that the Foxtrot is a ballroom dance since I was a kid, but thanks to Dancing With the Stars, I now know what that dance looks like! I want to go around telling people "yes, our walls are painted with Foxtrot" so our house will seem more refined and glamorous. It is not an exact match, of course, and I'm trying not to be terribly frustrated. And after discussing it with my BB, it was mentioned that if it has been several years since the house was painted (at least 8, for sure), then even having the original color may not prevent spot touch-ups from showing due to both wear and fading. I spot tested a couple of places, and freaked out when it was so much lighter. It does seem to be darkening some as it dries. We'll see how it does. (BTW, I really like the Brandied Pear color (too "warm" to match the current walls), and I may well consider it for a paint color in the new house, assuming we ever find a new house, but that's a different post!)

Some other points to mention, before anyone tries to leave suggestions (which are much appreciated!). No, we can't just paint the wall that needs to be fixed. Nearly every wall has some sort of gouge or nick in it, so we would effectively have to paint the whole house, which A) would be a complete pain in the.... and B) we have a 2-story foyer where the stairs are, and of course the stair walls need patching in places, so we would have to hire someone for that, which is money we would like to avoid spending if at all possible. Yes, we could try to get a different color, but the tiny sample cans (which I think is really all the paint we need) only come in satin finish, and we need flat, which is only available in quart size (or larger) and costs $10 a pop. Cheaper than hiring someone to paint the whole house, yes, but still not cheap if we need 4-5 different colors to try and get it right. ::sigh:: Again, trying not to get frustrated. Hopefully, it will be passable when it dries. Wish us luck on the great paint adventure!

Currently feeling: painterly