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olivesmom_gw

Should I bother matching SW color to BM Aura?

olivesmom
12 years ago

13 sample cans later I finally decided on the paint color, Sherwin Williams' Taupe Tone @ 40%. I originally planned to go with BM Aura as I am looking for a durable, super matte finish to hide the orange peel texture on my walls. However, I ended up with a SW color as their store is only five minutes from my house compared to the hour long drive it would take me to get BM.

So in addition to being a pain to get, I'm worried that BM won't be able to match the SW color properly. Do you think BM can match the SW color? Would you just stick with the SW color in the Duration formula, or is BM Aura really that much better?

If it matters I will be DIYing this paint job and it's going to be a mother (2 story foyer w/open staircase and two story living room). The house is six years old and the walls currently have a flat SW off white, a few walls have a dark brown Behr color.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Comments (7)

  • PRO
    Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
    12 years ago

    Do you think BM can match the SW color

    Yes

  • macybaby
    12 years ago

    Maybe BM can match SW, but I gave the SW two tries at matching a BM color and they didn't succeed. The big problem was it looked like a perfect match in the store, but looked horrid next to the other color at home.

    This was for wainscoting/trim in one room that went into another room already painted the BM color. I ended up going back to BM to get the exact color match. But I didn't need a color almost the same, I needed the exact color.

    I would test the SW color match on a sample before purchasing enough to paint. You may find they don't get the match perfect and it has different undertones with different light (including daylight).

    I have the same problem, SW is about 20 miles away and BM is about 70 miles away in the other direction.

  • jessicaml
    12 years ago

    If you're choosing a color based off an ink-on-paper color chip, you'll likely be satisfied with a color match. If you've tried the actual paint and lived with in it different lights to see undertones and what-not...you may not be as satisfied. If you're trying to put paint from one company next to color-matched paint from another company, you're probably in for a disappointment. This is a good reason to shop locally!

  • luke22022
    12 years ago

    I have recently used SW and BM paints. I used SW to match a SW color, and Benjamin Moore in a different house. I have used Ben and Aura.

    Personally, I found that the SW covered just as well and it costs a lot less than BM. If you're trying to match a SW color, I'd stick with SW.

  • Reginmund
    12 years ago

    I worked at an Ace Hardware for a few years. Like most Aces we sold Ben Moore paint.

    Most paints use "universal colorants" to tint their paints, BM uses a proprietary colorant system. Therefore it is easier to tint non-BM colors into BM paint than it is to tint BM colors into non-BM paint.

    Any good paint dealer should be able to match the SW paint color into BM paint. (Within the industry acceptable margin of error...something like +/-2%) However it may take a few tries.

    Always, and I mean ALWAYS, have any custom tinted paint checked for color accuracy. Make them dry a small sample and you personally look at it under multiple light source types (florescent, sunlight, etc) before you agree on the color match.

  • Faron79
    12 years ago

    Within a few years, many more paint companies' colorants will be "Proprietary".
    (In way, they are all proprietary now, because every co. has slightly different versions/colors of their colorants)

    I've been at an ACE for almost a decade now.
    We don't have BM by choice.
    We've got C2 for our high-end line and haven't looked back!

    Like BMs' upper lines, C2 has more than 12 colorants available to match colors from other lines (16 available).

    So yes....it's much easier to match INTO a paintline that uses more colorants.
    Going the OTHER direction RARELY works, and is usually optically impossible. A color made with 6 or 7 colorants (some that are high-strength too...) is technically impossible to match into a company that only has 10 or 11 colorants.

    Example:
    By store policy, we don't match C2 colors into ACE. There's a reason for that!

    Faron

  • Shay02
    12 years ago

    I painted 10 interior rooms this year using SW cashmere paint for all but two rooms. I painted my guest bath in BM Regal, loved it but I can't say it was any better than the SW paint. I painted by M Bathroom BM Aura Bath & Spa Matte however don't know what all the fuss is about as it did not out perform SW and it needed two coats not one coat as some claim. I also have textured walls and none of the paints I used covered the texture, don't you have to scrap it off, prime then paint it? Seems like major work for a professional and I like a little texture. I love both brands, both are user friendly and both have great coverage. Hope this helps.