Maria Killam | Classic and Timeless Colour

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 08:41 AM PDT

My clients often ask me if they can colour match the paint colours I’ve recommended with another paint company. The answer is yes, it can be done. However, there are a few things you want to consider before you try to match your paint colour.

Via Flower Magazine

I was in a client’s home the other day and she told me that she just found out last minute that her painter uses Sherwin-Williams. That mean she would need to get all the Benjamin Moore Colours from her eDesign renovation package matched.

To be clear, we will give you the colours you need in whatever paint system you’re using (as long as we have the fan decks). My system is entirely transferrable to other paint companies (provided the colours exist in their deck).

My client also confided that she loved the package so much because, in addition to the step-by-step plan she received, the entire process gave her a visual template inside her head for making all kinds of other colour decisions too.

And if you need to create a visual template for your project – this is exactly what my two-day workshop will do for you, too. Register here, the WOW boxes for April’s course are shipping this week.

Can I have these paint colours matched somewhere else?

Anyway, here’s the spiel I have given clients my entire career when they ask me if they can match their colours somewhere else:

Yes, you can have the paint colours I’ve selected for you matched with another paint company. But if you do, I cannot guarantee that the colours will be the same.

As a result, this often instills a fear of getting it WRONG in people’s heads and for good reason. I once had a client call me and declare that the red I had chosen to match the art in her dining room WAS WRONG.

Via HGTV

So I drove over with my paint colours, held up the paint sample I had recommended and it WAS wrong. That’s because the painter had it colour matched with a cheaper paint and it was not a good match.

Via House Beautiful

So yes, this error can definitely happen if you buy paint from a brand that is NOT the same as your paint chip.

But there are two sides to this argument and you just heard the first one.

Here’s the second one.

Did you choose the right paint colour in the first place?

If your budget would be better spent with another paint company or your painter prefers a different paint company. Sure, it’s possible to get a good colour match.

But there’s another common danger of doing colour matches.

What if you chose THE WRONG COLOUR TO BEGIN WITH. Let’s say that your painter gets it colour matched and then the colour looks wrong. Now, you’re blaming the other paint company, ie. and your painter is now wrong, maybe even technically liable. Yikes.

Here’s the thing. If you chose the right colour and the match isn’t perfect, it’s likely that the colour will still work because the undertone will probably be the same. Yay!

Having said that, I still need to caution you that lighter colours and neutrals need to be matched correctly. That’s because just a slight tweak one way or another will shift the undertone of a lighter colour in another direction.

So many people will flat out blame the colour match when really, maybe the colour just wasn’t right to begin with. Kind of like one of my students who mentioned in class that her paint colour looked wrong after she installed a skylight in her living room. I concluded that it likely had not been right to begin with, and the natural light that was added to the room (with the new skylight) simply enhanced the fact that the paint colour was wrong.

After learning my system, she agreed that I was probably right about that. And that’s why Understanding Undertones® is so IMPORTANT. More often than not, it’s the undertone that’s the culprit of a neutral paint colour gone wrong – NOT the lighting.

Something to consider.

colour match paint with another company

If you love my Benjamin Moore VIP collection, stay tuned for my Sherwin-Williams VIP collection COMING SOON!

Have you ever had your paint colour matched somewhere else?

Paint companies definitely want you to believe their paint colours cannot be matched because, of course, they want to sell their OWN paint colours. And once again, it affirms that proper testing either with large painted colour boards like I sell or you make yourself is another critical step to getting your paint colour right.

Over to you my lovelies! I’d love to hear your colour-matching escapades. Do you agree with my assessment or what’s your take? What kind of experiences have you had with paint company colour matching?

If you’d like a list of the best neutrals and whites by undertone in Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore, find them in either of my ebooks here.

5 Reasons Your Paint Colour Looks Wrong; It’s NOT the Lighting

Do the Undertones In Dark Colors Need to Match?

Is it Bad that my Paint Colour Matches the Couch?

The post Help! My Paint Colour Match is Wrong appeared first on Maria Killam | Timeless Colour.