Need help with paint color please!!

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by bethmcd

hi,
.......
i took the old paint to sherwin williams, seems like it matched...went home, painted in an area that is not visible, let it dried and it still looked different....went to home depot with another sheetrock sample and it looked the same but again was different....went to another paint store with the old kwal paint and again it was different after it dried....now i have about 4-5 cans of paint that is basically useless to me....does anyone have any recommendations? i can not paint the whole wall because it would look different then the rest..the whole house is this one color even the ceiling!!

please help!!!

All these stores use computer color matching machines. They should really be called be called color estimators. Seldom is the resulting paint color good enough for touch ups.

They are really great as a first step. Then somebody has to take the resulting paint and complete the color match by eye. Not very many people can do this anymore.

Before I was retired I was in the paint business for many years and I could match colors by eye.

[Ultrarunner]

It really does take a skill to expertly match paint... flat whites are the easiest and difficulty increases from there

Also, tints have been reformulated here... so even taking an original can and getting a stock color is problematic without needing to tweak it.

In the apartment business we paint a wall or to a natural break... the area under kitchen bar counters was always in need of paint from shoe scuffs... ceilings would often be pristine... halls not so much.

[crone]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

It really does take a skill to expertly match paint... flat whites are the easiest and difficulty increases from there

Also, tints have been reformulated here... so even taking an original can and getting a stock color is problematic without needing to tweak it.

In the apartment business we paint a wall or to a natural break... the area under kitchen bar counters was always in need of paint from shoe scuffs... ceilings would often be pristine... halls not so much.

I can take a sample for matching to 2 different Sherwin Williams stores and get 2 different results. Matching old paint takes talent and skill.

And the paints formulas have change a lot since they are taking out VOCs.

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by bethmcd

hi,
we bought a 10 year old home and some of the walls needed touch ups...i looked in the garage and found some paint...it was in a paint can but didn't have any manufacturer label...just a masking tape with "desert castle" written on it. The paint was in a cardboard paint carrying container with kwal logo....i think this was the original paint that was here when the house was built. i proceeded to paint some areas and the color matched perfectly.

fast forward 1 year later....the paint can has dried up (only a little to begin with). i had some nicks on a wall and took a sample of the color from a sheetrock and went to sherwin williams (they bought kwal awhile back). at the store it seems to match the sheet rock....i went home and proceeded to touch up the walls...a little dab here, a little dab there....everywhere i see a nick, i would put a little paint. 24 hours later, i was horrified! all the little "dabs" of paint was very noticeable!!

i took the old paint to sherwin williams, seems like it matched...went home, painted in an area that is not visible, let it dried and it still looked different....went to home depot with another sheetrock sample and it looked the same but again was different....went to another paint store with the old kwal paint and again it was different after it dried....now i have about 4-5 cans of paint that is basically useless to me....does anyone have any recommendations? i can not paint the whole wall because it would look different then the rest..the whole house is this one color even the ceiling!!

please help!!!

This is why I like WHITE walls. It's much easier to touch them up.

Even if you bought the exact paint in "desert castle," it wouldn't match exactly, IMO, because the paint on your walls is aged and the color has changed over the years...the effects of grime & grease from cooking, air particles, simple aging. The formula for "desert castle" may have even changed.

It is not uncommon to paint one wall a different color or shade these days. That's what I would do. I'd maybe go with the same color, only one full shade lighter. That way, it looks intentional, rather than "I couldn't match the color." Or I'd go with a different color entirely, but which is part of your color scheme. Even just the trim color (cream or white). In my case, with putty walls, I will have to repaint a couple of walls. I plan on painting them soft white, to match the trim. If that doesn't look good, I may go with a very very light shade of the putty color...only a whisper of the color...so it will offset the cream colored drapes more, but still blend with the other walls.

Alternatively, you can try to match as closely as possible, and do that entire wall. It may not be noticeable. But I think it might be noticeable enough so that it's obvious the color couldn't be matched.

How to use light and darks shades in same room: https://youtu.be/0DqbysEl8OY

Accent walls: https://www.lowes.com/projects/image...all-Inline.jpg

Gray & white walls in room: http://desertpriderealty.com/wp-cont...r-bedroom-.jpg

[bethmcd]

thanks for the suggestions