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vieja_gw

why shade different in gallon size & 5 gallon paint..??

vieja_gw
11 years ago

I got a 5 gallon bucket of a color code of paint at a local chain store. I needed a bit more so ordered a gallon can of the same color code but when I began applying it, I could see the shade was a bit darker than the same paint & color code of the 5 gallon bucket .. what a mess now to repaint it all so it matches! Any idea why this same color code (it was not matched by the light 'thing-a-ma-jig'... I have found fault with that method of matching!) but by the color code)wasn't an exact match ... was it the fault of the person who mixed it for me? Should the amount- 5 allon vs. one gallon size make a difference assuming it was mixed sufficiently?

BTW: the color was a very light beige satin finish.

Comments (5)

  • jessicaml
    11 years ago

    If it's a big difference, likely either the gallon or the 5 gallon bucket was tinted wrong by the employee mixing the paint. Slight variations can theoretically be caused by different batches of the base from manufacturing, too, which is why it's always recommended to buy enough the first time and batch all the paint together before painting.

    Hopefully, you didn't get very far in your painting once you noticed it was going on darker, and hopefully, the error was in the gallon of paint rather than the 5 gallon bucket you started with. I'd bring the can and bucket back to the store and see what they can do to make it right.

  • Jumpilotmdm
    11 years ago

    Less expensive products can have different tint strengths, or lack thereof.
    Boxing your paint [pouring all of it together first] would have prevented such a situation.
    Also, sometimes if you always start and stop at a break of some kind the shade difference can be less obvious.

  • vieja_gw
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Was running out of the paint in the 5 gal. container but didn't need another 5 gal. to finish the job so got the gallon size instead. Took the gal.can back & guess the person getting mixing the paint used the correct tint code but used a different base brand than what I had used before. I guess this new brand required a different settng amount of the mixing of the tint... which WAS the correct color code I had used in the 5 gal. bucket. Learn something new every day!

  • paintguy22
    11 years ago

    Well, if they used the wrong base, then this is their fault and you shouldn't have to pay for the paint that was mixed incorrectly.....let me guess, Home Depot?

  • lorentz4
    last year

    I had the issue between the 5 gallon and having to buy more with the one gallon Sherwin Williams aaid yes you wont have any problem so of course painted my walls (cut in was with the 5 gal and told them that) what a disaster, huge difference the 1 gallon was darker went back to SW and owner said there is nothing he could do!! At $90 a gallon what discusting customer service! The labels on the 5 and 1 were different ratios, he said its because of the different sizes, is that right?