Comments on: Decorating Dilemma #10 http://www.decorateyourspace.net/designstrategies/wordpress/2008/03/decorating-dilemma-10/ Create a sense of Place. Decorate Your Space. Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:24:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Denise Smith http://www.decorateyourspace.net/designstrategies/wordpress/2008/03/decorating-dilemma-10/comment-page-1/#comment-55 Denise Smith Fri, 09 May 2008 11:17:02 +0000 http://www.decorateyourspace.net/designstrategies/wordpress/?p=7#comment-55 I have read the Consumer Reports about paint before, but not for a while. I knew Dutch Boy rated high, and the premium lines did not do so well. For those of you who haven't hear my speech: Ask the paint store, regardless of who, to mix the paint by looking the formulation up on their computer. All the major players have the formulations for their competitors' colors already figured out. Don't rely on the color matching devise that shines light through. That machine will give you too much variation. The computer will spit out the same formula every time---Assuming--Jim---that you CAN go back to the same store. True story I tell to my clients every day: I used Ben Moore on my Dining Room in my old townhouse. I ran out on a Sunday, when they were closed. Bought Valspar at Lowes to finish an adjoining wall. Went back a year later to touch up. Forgot about the two different brands used until I was already painting and put the wrong brand on the wrong wall. COULD NOT TELL. Not even to my perfectionist eye. Moral. Ask the lazy bum behind the counter to spend the extra minute it takes to type. I have read the Consumer Reports about paint before, but not for a while. I knew Dutch Boy rated high, and the premium lines did not do so well.
For those of you who haven’t hear my speech: Ask the paint store, regardless of who, to mix the paint by looking the formulation up on their computer. All the major players have the formulations for their competitors’ colors already figured out. Don’t rely on the color matching devise that shines light through. That machine will give you too much variation. The computer will spit out the same formula every time—Assuming–Jim—that you CAN go back to the same store.

True story I tell to my clients every day: I used Ben Moore on my Dining Room in my old townhouse. I ran out on a Sunday, when they were closed. Bought Valspar at Lowes to finish an adjoining wall. Went back a year later to touch up. Forgot about the two different brands used until I was already painting and put the wrong brand on the wrong wall. COULD NOT TELL. Not even to my perfectionist eye.

Moral. Ask the lazy bum behind the counter to spend the extra minute it takes to type.

]]> By: Jim T http://www.decorateyourspace.net/designstrategies/wordpress/2008/03/decorating-dilemma-10/comment-page-1/#comment-42 Jim T Fri, 09 May 2008 02:55:52 +0000 http://www.decorateyourspace.net/designstrategies/wordpress/?p=7#comment-42 Plan, plan & then plan some more... because if it can go wrong... it will go wrong (eventually). As I am a loyal Consumer Report Magazine (CR) user who never makes a purchase without first checking CR first I thought I had all the bases covered? CR recommended Dutch Boy brand paint which happens to be sold by Wal-Mart & it’s a good price. Denise picked the color/s (some great choices I might add) & Wal-mart matched it to perfection… home free right?... well not exactly. 90% of the way through the project I ran out of paint. No problem I thought I just go back to Wal-mart & get more, after all I had the formula on the can so it should be a no-brainer right? WRONG! When I went back store #1 they were out of the base color so they sent me to Wal-mart store #2. Store #2 used a completely different system to measure the paint mixture & the result was not a perfect match with the initial purchase. Fortunately the area which showed the differences was rather small & I just repainted the entire surface. Had it happened in a larger space I don’t think I’d be writing this article with a smile on my face. I learned three things: 1. Denise was right. 2. CR made a good recommendation. 3. Despite 1 & 2 I still managed to mess it up. Plan, plan & then plan some more… because if it can go wrong… it will go wrong (eventually). As I am a loyal Consumer Report Magazine (CR) user who never makes a purchase without first checking CR first I thought I had all the bases covered? CR recommended Dutch Boy brand paint which happens to be sold by Wal-Mart & it’s a good price. Denise picked the color/s (some great choices I might add) & Wal-mart matched it to perfection… home free right?… well not exactly. 90% of the way through the project I ran out of paint. No problem I thought I just go back to Wal-mart & get more, after all I had the formula on the can so it should be a no-brainer right? WRONG! When I went back store #1 they were out of the base color so they sent me to Wal-mart store #2. Store #2 used a completely different system to measure the paint mixture & the result was not a perfect match with the initial purchase. Fortunately the area which showed the differences was rather small & I just repainted the entire surface. Had it happened in a larger space I don’t think I’d be writing this article with a smile on my face. I learned three things: 1. Denise was right. 2. CR made a good recommendation. 3. Despite 1 & 2 I still managed to mess it up.

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