I'm curious about how accurate Home Depot's paint color matching is when they use their database to find a competitor's color. I'm not referring to bringing in a physical paint sample for scanning; I'm talking about when you tell them a color name, and they look it up on their computer. I recently attempted to get a color matched from a store on the west coast, but when they mixed it for me, the paint came out looking much darker than what I expected. I understand that phone displays can skew colors, but every picture I found still didn't match what I received. My main question is, when Home Depot uses their system to match a competitor's formula, is it really the exact same formula? It just seems like there shouldn't be such a discrepancy since I didn't do a color scan.
5 Answers
It might be a good idea to reach out to the paint center at the original store on the west coast. Just remember to call early their time! They could look up the color for you and give you the mixing numbers to share with your local Home Depot, which might help get a more accurate match.
I've been surprised by how well Benjamin Moore can match colors even years after they've been painted. It’s a level of consistency that I haven’t found with other stores.
Honestly, I don't find their matching service to be very accurate. I’ve tried it multiple times, and each time I ended up redoing entire walls because the colors didn't match at all. It's super frustrating!
Mixing paint definitely feels like both an art and a science. I've noticed that even getting the same color from the same brand at a different time can result in slight variations. If you have proof, definitely discuss it with the store; they often will refund or replace your paint.
If you're unsure, see if you can get sample sizes before committing to a full can. I was deciding between two similar colors once, and Menards had these handy 4 oz sample bottles that allowed me to paint a few test patches to compare in different lighting.