08 July 2010

Paint brands are not interchangeable


The gang at Benjamin Moore sent me a trade alert last week and it bore the headline, Benjamin Moore colors can only be made with Benjamin Moore paint.

I have a highly critical eye when it comes to separating fact from fiction when it comes to marketing messages and in this case what Benjamin Moore is saying is true. I repeat the same thing to my clients all the time. Paint brands are not interchangeable.

From Benjamin Moore:
Mismatched colors are often not evident until the paint is on the walls, and the results can be disappointing for your clients. Competitors may claim they can match Benjamin Moore colors, but the truth is that they can’t.

You can only get true Benjamin Moore colors using Benjamin Moore paint. The reason lies in our manufacturing process. Our paints are created using proprietary colorants and resins and formulated with our patented waterborne technologies. This highly controlled system ensures the quality of Benjamin Moore paints and the purity of our colors.

When another store offers to match a Benjamin Moore color, their scanner simply provides its "best guess" for matching the color using another paint, generic colorants and a different tinting system. While it may be close, the final result is not the color you recommended to your client. In other words, it’s a knockoff.
Be sure that the color you envisioned is the color you get.

Authentic Benjamin Moore colors are only available at your local Benjamin Moore retailer.
Truer words were never spake. When it comes to paint colors, the formulation of the paint itself is the key. This is true across the board. I understand wanting to shave a buck off of the total cost of a job, but trust me, quality paint is not a corner you want to cut. Paint brands are not interchangeable.

16 comments:

  1. So true. I had this very experience during that short time I lived in rural Indiana.

    I took my BM swatches to the local Mom & Pop paint store who swore they would hand-mix the exact same shades. They turned out to be washed-out and just plain off.

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  2. It's the base formula lurking under the color that makes all the difference. Even quality brands can't match one another.

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  3. I agree, I had the same issue when I was doing some patching work on the kitchen. They said it was matched up and it did look close but after it dried, it was way off. Now I have to redo it again.

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  4. I've never seen different paint brands matched perfectly.

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  5. I used Ben Moore in my bedroom, specifically because there was a color my husband was in love with. I found the price of the paint kinda high, so I bought some Valspar at Lowes for the ceiling color. Well. The ceiling took two coats and I'm still not happy- and it's an off-white! The walls took one coat plus touch ups after the flooring was installed. It's a beautiful blue. The paint was a dream to use. I'm a believer now... That said- I would use Behr from Home Depot (I've had good luck with it), but never, ever Valspar.

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  6. Insider tip: Home Depot paints are Glidden products and Lowe's paints are a combination of PPG Industries and Valspar. You will have better luck matching a Glidden color formulation to Behr than trying to get Behr to pull off a Benjamin Moore color.

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  7. J'adore Benjamin Moore. He's so cute.

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  8. I also got this email from BM and it reminded me of my design experiments with different paint brands (I like to try it myself before recommending anything to my clients).
    There are many more aspects to paint selection than the color. Contractors usually recommend paint with the best coverage (= less layers = job finished faster). I am concerned about cleanability, UV-resistance (how long will the color stay the same you've picked) and smell (your favorite VOCs, Paul).
    The bottom line: when hiring a painter, you're paying significantly more for labor than for the paint itself. You don't want to repaint soon because the paint quality did not stand up to your expectations (faded, rubbed off, stained, etc.) I think this applies to DIY as well.

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  9. I agree with you 100% Bozena. Thanks! Brand and formulation is everything when it comes to paint!

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  10. What are your favorite paint brands in terms of quality? Would love to hear more about this.

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  11. Oh I could go on for days. Most designers have a really strong loyalty to Benjamin Moore and I don't really understand that. Being the contrarian I am I have a brand loyalty to Sherwin-Williams. I find their paint quality to be top notch and their palettes are easy to use. They also give me a level of support no other brand comes near.

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  12. I always thought that was a hoax until a few months ago when I ended up with a poor color match. It was originally Ralph Lauren and Home Depot doesn't carry Ralph Lauren anymore but swore that the Behr would match perfectly. It was close but no cigar. It was quite the bummer to have to repaint my bathroom!

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  13. If you're trying to match a paint color that's been up on the wall for a while you're out of luck regardless of the brand. Paint ages and mellows with time. That means its color changes subtly. Even a brand new Ralph Lauren can't match the same color that's a year old.

    The Home Depot guy was right by the way. Ralph Lauren paint at Home Depot was a licensed product made by Glidden. All it was was a more expensive palette than their normal offerings but it was the same product.

    Home centers do that a lot. Thomasville cabinetry from Home Depot isn't made by Thomasville for example. It's made in the same factory that Diamond at Lowe's is and Thomasville furniture never touches it. HD would love to have you think otherwise though!

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  14. Hi Paul! You are so correct in this one! When I built my showroom the contractors painted the ceiling and I was really mad because the paint was not the B/M color I had selected. Turns out they took the color choice to a Sherwin Williams store and tried to match... Luckily they needed to do another coat and I insisted they buy the B/M and it looks fine.

    Hope all is well with you! :-)

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  15. I have to say I'm thrilled with the results I had when I used Ralph Lauren paint swatches and had the guys at Home Depot make the colours with Behr paint... guess I got lucky!!!

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  16. Behr and Ralph Lauren are both Glidden paints, it was an even switch. The problem comes from having Behr try to be Benjamin Moore or another non-Home Center brand.

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