Just get a couple sample sizes or quarts and mix it up yourself so you can have a look. Just make sure it's a 50/50 ratio. 50/50 because it's easiest to duplicate in a large enough quantity to paint the whole room and have some leftoever for touch ups.

If you find a different ratio is what it takes to get the color you want, then it's easier to paint up a sample, let it dry thoroughly and then have the tinter make you a custom formula to match your sample.

The tinter at the store may or may not want to get involved with your color designing escpades. Bottomline is you'll be buying whatever paint is used so might as well start small with samples/quarts on your own.

As a tinter in an upscale Paint/Hdwr. store, I think Fun-C hit it on the head!

Sure, we love to help with colors, etc...to a point...
* When people start requesting BLENDING though, that's a different animal.
* Some responsibility tends to fall on the STORE (in a customers' eyes), where none should exist. It's the CUSTOMERS' choice to alter colors in these cases.
* Yes, keep track of your ratios. Use dixie cups, or other small/cheap mixing container.
* Brush each "ratio" out on FOAMBOARD squares, maybe 1'x1'. Let them dry a day or so, then move them to different wall areas, check @ different times of day, etc.
* Do TWO average coats though! You want a "real life" coat thickness/appearance.
* When you're set on "THE Mix/color", buy a gallon of each, and blend each color, using scaled-up mixing containers.
* It may be as goofy as..."1 butter-dish of X, to 2 butter-dishes of Y"!
* Store the excess mixed paint into GLASS canning jars, leaving as little airspace as possible in each.
* Keep track of the colors/mix-ratio in a "Home-paints" folder! Get a 2nd formula print-out from your store too. I'd even save the whole label from the can!

Faron

Thank you both for your replies. Your suggestions make a lot of sense. I guess my main concern then would be mixing the colors well enough. I'm not confident that the standard wooden paint stick & some elbow grease would do the trick. I'm off now to google the best way to mix your own paint.....
Thanks again!

Great info and insight from Faron - as usual. :)

Starling, the key when mixing your own color is to keep the quantity small.

You don't have to mix - and stir up - whole entire gallons.

Just a few ounces. For the 50/50 mixes, just a 1/2 cup of each color is enough. You end up with 1 cup to paint out samples and take to the store for custom color matching.

Like Faron said, just keep track of the ratios.

I stir up small quantities like that with plastic knife or fork.

When you arrive at the color you want, it is helpful to take in the dried sample, of course, but also sharing with the colorist *how* you arrived at the color can help.

All that information they'll want to know because it will help them duplicte your color work in larger quantity.

I have mixed a little bit of another color into a gallon and not had a problem getting it evenly mixed. The bigger issue is getting the color you want. Starting with a couple of sample pots is a good way to play with how the colors mix as well as trying the pure colors on test boards -- or even a large area of wall so you can see if the color really looks too dark or too cool when you see less of the white.

Thank you everyone, for all of your suggestions and insight. (I'm actually a makeup artist so I'm always mixing & playing with colors).
I have a bunch of paint samples to play with. Jeez...those Sherwin Williams sample sizes are quite large!
Thanks again, much appreciated!

Sherwin Williams. When they say "Color to Go" they're serious.

If the people at the paint store can't help you here I'd find another place to buy your paint.
you can do a 50% of the formula. You can change the rec. tinting base. You can do so many things to adjust and do it simply. Just be prepared to buy a sample quart with each try and be very diligent about documenting what was done. Don't make it their responsibility to know the color and formula. Take ownership of YOUR color.

I am a painter of furniture and teach classes. My go to for mixing paints is a whisk. Works better for blending thoroughly. Much better than a paint stick. I have two sizes, large and small, depending if what quantity I am after.