Can I get a paint colour from one brand made by another brand?

NO. There, that was easy! I mean, you CAN, but that doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Why?

Paint companies are terrible at matching each other’s colours.

Whether a paint company has a computerized matching system or does it by eyeball, it’s rarely accurate. Why? Well, the main reason is that most paint companies use different BASES.

So, you know how paint cans on the shelf have ‘Base 1, Base 2, Base 3, Base 4′ or something to that effect written on them? Well, that’s the BASE that’s needed to create a certain depth of colour. Base 1 is used to make white/light colours right up to Base 4 which is used to make dark paint colours. The LRV of a paint colour would directly relate to the base needed to create it. Paint companies often use different ingredients in their bases, so you’re not necessarily working with the same foundation when you move to a different brand.

In the above example, while both samples are still wet (I mean, they aren’t literally STILL wet, surely they’ve dried by now), you can see that Sherwin William’s version of Edgecomb Gray is considerably warmer than the actual colour from Benjamin Moore. This isn’t Sherwin Williams fault, it’s just not their paint colour. However, they should be making customers aware that they can’t create a perfect match.

Edgecomb Gray in action…

Let’s take a look at Sherwin Williams Sea Salt…

Just LOOK at the variation in undertones! The BM match has more green, which means that if you had a south-facing room, it could look even greener. This might make Kermit the Frog happy, but I’ll safely assume you don’t like to eat flies or date pigs, which means you may want to get Sherwin William’s version of their own colour which casts that bit more blue in comparison.

Sea Salt in action…

Paint Colour Review: Sherwin Williams Sea Salt

Not only that, but some companies use different COLOURANTS or tints to make up their colours, ie: Benjamin Moore’s black is…black. Sherwin Williams black has a wee hint of blue in it.

To put that in example form, if you chose a popular Benjamin Moore paint colour like BM Stonington Gray, which is MADE with black, and had it made with Sherwin William’s paint, you wouldn’t get a perfect colour match because they would be using a different type of black to make it.

But why would anyone would you want one brand to match another brand’s paint colour?

To save money as one brand might be more affordable than the other
The painter says they’ll only paint with one particular brand (which is why you should read THIS)
You’re more COMFORTABLE with the other brand due to familiarity/experience

All of the above are NOT good excuses to get a colour match UNLESS you’re okay with not getting the colour you went in for.

Let’s just do the math here (not my strong point, especially after two glasses of wine). Let’s say you needed 3 gallons of paint.

Brand A: $60 per gallon = $180
Brand B: 40 per gallon = $120

What end up with is a $60 different and the wrong paint colour. If you ask ME, it would be worth spending $60 to get the right colour, rather than having to spend ANOTHER $180 to paint my walls with the RIGHT colour in the RIGHT brand when the colour match doesn’t turn out QUITE as I expected.

And of course, EXPOSURE can play a VERY BIG PART as well, but that’s a whooooole ‘nother blog post.

Let’s look at another colour matching disaster…

It’s like falling in love with a good white wine from one brand and wanting another brand, that uses different types of grapes, to make the SAME taste profile. It might be SIMILAR, but it won’t be the same (but let’s be honest, I’d drink it anyway).

Which is also a valid point with paint. If you aren’t too fussy about undertones and are just looking for ‘a colour to change your space’, then you might not care too much (and I’ll slap you with a wet noodle next time I see you). However, if you’re aware of the different undertones in paint colours and want the colour you’ve CHOSEN to be the colour that ends up on your walls, you’ll want to use the paint brand that your chosen colour came from.

Let’s hammer that one down…

If you want the colour you’ve CHOSEN to be the exact colour that ends up on your walls, you’ll want to use the paint brand that your chosen colour came from – moi

Let’s look at a few more examples, just to seal the deal (I love this stuff)…

In the above example of Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray, the PROPER sample shows the wee nugget of green that’s tucked inside of it. The colour match from SW shows very LITTLE green and is also a bit darker.

In this next example, we have Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White, a popular off-white paint colour…

Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White in action…

Hells bells, some paint companies even have a hard time getting their OWN paint colours to look as they should #thingsthatkeepmeupatnight. That’s right, as you move through the LEVELS of paint (ie: Benjamin Moore Regal to Benjamin Moore Aura for example), the recipe has to be adjusted to suit the new base, as each LINE of paint has its own base ingredients. Good paint techs can almost nail it, but you always have to make sure you actually got the colour you went in for.

Not sure which paint colour is best for your home?

Check out my Online Paint Colour Consulting, I’d love to help!