Paint....does brand matter or is it just about color?

I am often asked for recommendations on brands of paint. I used Benjamin Moore exclusively but I did research choices so I could educate myself. So for the greater good, I need to pass on all this incredible insight.

You can get a good color match from any brand by taking in a paint chip or fabric or sample color. But why not let your fingers do the walking and try out Color charts.org, an online database of Manufacturers Standard colors. Besides browsing their library of paint colors you can Color Match and find similar colors available from different manufacturers. I found the perfect color for my bathroom at Sherwin Williams and found that Benjamin Moore had one that was a close match (I think 95%) called Bath Salts. Perfect name for the spa feel I wanted in my bath.
http://www.colorcharts.org/ccorg/html/aboutus.aspx

I do think that brand matters. In the end, its all the technology that we do not see that matters. So here are a few of the standouts.


1. Benjamin Moore: The little paint sample pots are addictive and you can never have just one. It was available locally for me and all the painters seemed to favor it. I used Linen white throughout the lower floor because I loved the color. I used Dove white on exterior trim because the slightly off white color seemed fresher than a stark white. I used their low VOC Aura paints in my daughters room and the coverage was amazing! It also cleans better than the their regular line. They are coming out with a zero VOC choice in Spring 2009 that I may use when and if I get to repaint anything!

How may times does this happen to you? You order a bed from Pottery Barn along with all the linen and accessories and it doesn't quite look like you imagined it. What if you painted the walls in the exact shade that the catalog staged it? Well, Benjamin Moore has teamed up with Pottery Barn and now they provide the paint colors used right in the catalog. How cool is that!

 

2. Fine Paints of Europe Superior quality paints but pricey. I really wanted to use their Dutch Door kit in Coach green or Espresso on my front door ( I also really want a dutch door). Their enamel paints are really long lasting and have a brilliant finish that looks incredibly elegant. Its not just the glossy color but there is a real depth to the color.

http://www.finepaintsofeurope.com/dutch_door_kit.aspx

 

 

3. Donald Kaufman Color Collection These are full spectrum paint colors with more depth and luminosity than standard paint. Their formula uses as many as 13 pigments for each color whereas most paints use 2 or 3. What does this mean? It is difficult to describe but I'll try - the paint seems translucent but with many layers of color that provides a depth that is mind-bending. It is as if there is much more information there than just color. Before all of you rush out to pick up this paint and some mushrooms from your backyard, I do have to caution you that their sample pots (16 oz.) will run you about $25 and a full gallon about $100. Still I hanker for the tinted white DK-24 in my living room.

 

 

4. Pittsburgh Paints These were the paints we used when we had the interiors painted after buying our house. Some of the rooms untouched in the renovation still have these colors and 10 years later they give us as much joy as when we walked in as new homeowners into our newly painted home. The color choices are great and the paint has amazing coverage. I once bought some cheap paint from Walmart to paint a storage closet and I couldn't figure out if was me or the roller or the paint. I figured I would use some left over Pittsburgh paint for the second coat (even though it was yellow). What a difference....and that closet remained yellow for eight years.

And I love that they have a page on color theory on their website. Ok, a pet peeve....why aren't kids taught color theory in art class? http://www.voiceofcolor.com/en/aboutcolor/color_theory/vocabulaire/index.asp