Custom Color Matching

 

     In addition to state of the art color matching equipment, we have many years of color matching experiance with the ability to match almost any color you bring to us.  We are equipped with color catalogs from most of the major competitive paint manufacturers and several of the smaller regional paint manufacturers as well.  This way if you need a color from one of our competitors, we can make it for you.  Below is a helpful guide to make your color matching experiance fast and efficient.

 

Custom color matches are time consuming.  Some colors take 5 or 10 minutes and other could take hours.   Feel free to wait and watch as we do our magic, however, we suggest dropping off your colors and come back later. 

  

The better the sample, the better the match.  We've matched cookie crumbs, teddy bears, tree bark, you name it .  These items are more difficult to match.  The best sample are flat, one solid color, and larger than a quarter. 

 

If you're wanting a color matched in an oil based product the wait may be a bit longer.  The reason for this is that when paint dries, it changes.  In some cases pretty dramatically.  So each time we add pigment to the paint we have to shake it, draw it down on a sample card, and wait till it dries until we can see what it really looks like.  It's not that it's harder to match, but we have to wait longer till it dries!

 

If you don't need an exact match, tell your salesperson.  This will reduce your wait time.  We can get really close to almost any color in just a short time.  It's the dialing it in exactly that takes the time.  So if you're repainting everything and your color sample has faded anyway and you just need it close, just let us know.

 

Touching up can be tricky.  As we've stated, we can match almost any color you bring us.  But, when it comes to touching up, it can get tricky for more than one reason.  First and foremost, sheen.  All paint manufacturers sheen levels vary.  So if we're matching a competitor's satin finish, our satin could be a bit higher or lower in sheen, therefore affecting the touch up capabilities.  Our color could be dead on, yet our sheen isn't and touch ups could stand out.  Also fading!  Colors fade mostly due to light exposure.  So one side of you home may have faded more due to heavier exposure to the sun.  So if we match a sample from only one side of the house it may not match exactly to the other. 

 

Wood stains and laquers are extremely difficult to match.  These matches can take multiple hours.  THE FIRST THING WE ASK WITH WOOD STAIN MATCHES IS IF YOU COULD BRING US A PIECE OF THE NEW WOOD YOU'RE STAINING?  Every piece of wood stains differently.  So one cabinet door with multiple pieces could look slightly different on each piece.  If you don't have a piece of the wood you're staining, we have to use stir stick, which is a really light cheap grade wood.  This would obviously stain different than red oak.  Also, after you put a polyurethane or varnish on the stain it changes, so if we don't have your finish coat, we can't tell exactly how it will look.

 

If you have any questions regarding color matching of any kind, please do not hesitate to contact us.