Does this sound crazy? Paint experts please!

16 years ago

Please let me know if this sounds crazy, and help me understand what is going on. Is it possible that a paint store might have their color formula wrong? We think that the paint store didn't give us the color we chose, but rather gave us a different color.

We are in the process of painting the inside of our entire house (new construction). We chose an all over color for the house (ceilings and walls) that was sprayed on. You may have seen me on the boards agonizing about paint color. Anyway, we really wanted to get this right so we got 6 paint sample cans from Sherwin Williams that were all kind of in the same color family--creamy yellow tan. The last time I went to the store, I picked up 3 colors--Napery, Cottage Cream, and Concord Buff. When we painted them onto our poster board, the Concord Buff and Cottage Creams did not look like their paint chips, but rather, they were reversed. One is a lighter creamier color, the other is a deeper color. So it was obviously not right. When you reversed the paint chips, they matched exactly. To make sure, we painted the paint chips themselves to see if they matched, and they did. We figured that the guy at the SW store messed up bc he was making 3 pretty similar colors, literally as the store was closing. Anyway, so we went with the Concord Buff that matched the paint chip (although the can was labeled Cottage Cream). Fast forward, they painted our house, and it looks like Cottage Cream. I took home a painted 2x4 from the site and it matched my Cottage Cream and not my Concord Buff. So, what is going on? Although the 2 colors are similar, they are different enough to know that the Concord Buff is deeper (LRV 70) than Cottage Cream (LRV 72). The color on our walls is a brighter color that matches the Cottage Cream and not the Concord Buff. Is it possible that the forumlas got switched? I'm not 100 percent sure that the color on the walls is Cottage Cream, but it's something like that, a lighter creamier beige yellow, and is definitely not Concord Buff. What do you think?

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Comments (4)

nanny2a
16 years ago
It's entirely possible that the paint store made a mistake and mixed up the formula numbers. I choose a grey color from our Sherwin Williams, (Rain), and gave the chip to the man working behind the counter. He mixed the paint and put the can on the counter. We went home and opened the can, preparing to paint, and the color was gold, definitely not the grey shade I'd selected! I called the store and they said to return the paint. It turned out that he'd transposed the numbers of the formula when he mixed the paint. They gave me a new gallon with the correct color.

BTW, that's why I like Home Depot paints, at least they put a splotch of the color on the lid when they finish mixing. At least then you know before you leave the store, that it's the right color!
mjsee
16 years ago
If you want the color tested before you leave the store, both Ben Moore dealers AND SW will do so. In fact, they'll test it against a color strip. At least, they have in my experience.
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karinl
16 years ago
You could check it by going back and getting a tester in the colour you wanted, and putting it on the wall to see if it blends in.

In the end, what really matters is whether you're happy with the colour. It's always a bit uncertain whether the whole room effect will give you what you liked on the chip anyway.

KarinL
redbazel
16 years ago
I think you need to take your sample back to the paint store and have them answer your question. There's no real way for us to answer it, because we don't have the chips and the paint at hand. Now, do I understand correctly that you thought that the can labeled 'Cottage Cream' was your favorite, but that it was really Concord Buff? And that, going with that assumption, you said, "Mix us up some of this"? If you really liked the test quart that was labeled Cottage Cream, and you had them mix it the same way they mixed the test quart, then, you should have received the color you chose, whether it be mislabeled or not. So, if you don't love it, because it's too light, then, you need to get that settled and decide whether to repaint with the right color, even if that right color is not the color name you thought was right. And if you do like it, then, it would be very nice to know for sure what color is on your walls for future reference. Either way, you need to have them check the formula.

Red