How to Match Old Paint

Determine what color you have. Cut out a 4-by-4-inch piece of painted drywall from an inconspicuous corner of the room. Take this sample to the paint store to be matched.

Determine what kind of paint you have by rubbing a small section of the surface with a clean rag saturated with denatured alcohol. If paint rubs off as a gooey substance, it's a water-based paint. If paint remains unchanged, you have an oil-based paint.

Verify the paint type by dabbing a small amount of water-based paint onto the surface. If paint beads or separates, it's an oil-based paint. If nothing changes, it's a water-based paint.