I had my BM matte paint made up from an Olympic brand Lowes color. So the reverse of what you did...sorta. Any way they put the color I wanted in the machine also and the BM people then made the color match the one from Lowes. The formulas are so diffrent.They have a conversion book that tells them the brands and the formulas but they weren't right. They had to work to get them to match. It was not all that easy. But it was finally the same. They kept track of every squirt so I would be able to reproduce it and when we went back for more it was fine. So perhaps they need to smear the paint that they made on the white paper and hold it next to your BM sample and recheck the formula. They can adjust the mix to get it right. Hope this helps Caroline

Caroline, thanks for your response! I don't understand why they can't use the same formula for the BM paint with another brand. Do you think everyone uses BM paint? It's so expensive! Or are they using the BM colors with different brands of paint? I must have 10 different colors splashed on my walls, and I'm OCD:) It's driving me crazy! And to make it worse, tomorrows my birthday and my two girls are coming home tomorrow to help me paint....

They can't use the same formula since the pigments are so different. At least that is what I have been told. All I know is that I chose all my colors from Olypmic and had them made in BM matte. I love BM paint and wanted the ceramic content in the matte paint so I could scrub it if needed . I am very very happy with it. I am sure that some folks take the BM colors and get them made elsewhere. Also I know that one guy at the paint store always has a better time of mixing for me than another so I never use "bad" guy. Now why that should matter I don't know but the way they pull the handles and match on the computer varies . I hope you can resolve this. Have them put the paint on the white paper and look at it again after it dries. They can match they just need to try harder....:) Good luck and HAPPY BIRTHDAY !! c

"Do you think everyone uses BM paint? It's so expensive! Or are they using the BM colors with different brands of paint? I must have 10 different colors splashed on my walls,"

BM paint is worth every dollar to me!

And with all the money you spent on testing other brands, you could have saved money just going to the BM Decatur Buff.

Thanks WPL, I know you're right! Thanks for knocking some sense into me!

I also fell in love with NHB's Decatur Buff. I painted my sunroom today, color matched BM Decatur Buff at SW and it seems very brown to me. I was hoping to see more gold. I'll probably get used to it, but I'm not in love with it. I have an extra gallon and thought I'd paint the hallway, now I'm halfway through and wondering why I'm painting this color. I have never used a brown paint before so Decatur seems very dark to me.

Actually, everyone is pretty much using the same pigments -- Universal Tinting Colors -- but there are different paths to achieving colors, especially neutrals and that is why it is sometimes difficult to match brand-to-brand. Read the current Mercury Glass thread for more stories!

Only when you move into higher end or specialty paints like C2, BM Aura or some of the European brands, do you start to benefit from different and higher-quality pigments.

The biggest reason why color looks different from one home to the next is variation in natural light conditions, other colors in the immediate area, what kind of lightbulbs you use....even how things look on your monitor vs. in your home. That last one is a biggie. Right now I am using a crummy old laptop. When I really need to try to understand a color online, I borrow DD's whippersnapper Mac!

I had Porter paints color match a BM color for me and it was SPOT ON. I was unable to see a color difference between the Porter paint and the BM sample in any light.

Otis, you are right...it can be done. One has to find a "fussy" person behind the counter, willing to take the time to tweak. Some colors are harder than others. Sometimes, it will look the same on the chips and slightly different on the walls.

I am using some of the same colors in my New England house as I did in my Florida house. I know the colors are the same, but they do look different here. Different exposure, different quality of light and, oh yes...the blasted fluorescent bulbs my builder put everywhere! (grrr)

Ok... I was going tomorrow to buy BM paint $45.00? Why was I thinking it was only like $35? I'm having a hard time swallowing that I'm spending $240ish just for paint for one room. This isn't including tape, drop cloths etc. etc. Ah well. By the time I get around to picking colors for the other rooms I'll have more money!

It better be what it's cracked up to be. :)

Another reason your sample is darker than the pictures is that computer monitors don't display the colors accurately. Also, the picture might have been taken with a flash setting and appears lighter in the photo than in real life.

What, no pictures???? Lol!