Are these colours totally different?

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

Do they look anything alike? It was special paint for a fireplace. There were no test pots. So l had to use the colour card.

They are refusing a refund, as l didn’t request a hard copy of colour card.

It’s the bit surrounding the fire I’m on about. Not the mantelpiece. The mantelpiece is white for reference .

On first look the colour immediately around the fire looks the same as the mantelpiece, ie white. Knowing that they're supposed to be different paints I can just about detect a hint of yellow in the fire-surround shade of white, but if I hadn't known they were different paints I would have assumed it was due to the light hitting it in different ways (in the same way as the wall colour looks different in different areas).

I wouldn't call it a completely different colour though - just a different manufacturer's shade of white. Colour charts can be inaccurate (especially online) but that is definitely white.

In fact it's so obviously white I'm doubting that we're talking about the same bit - you do mean the section between the metal surrounding the fire and the mantelpiece?

Colours are very difficult to gauge from sample cards. They rely on the accuracy of the printers. Also lighting and surrounding colours can make a difference to the final finish.

The fireplace looks nice though

I think your tin of paint is actually white and has been mis-labelled. On the colour chart, each square of colour is set against a white background, which gives a clear tonal contrast of each colour in comparison with white. The fact that your painted section of fireplace is next to the white painted mantelpiece and yet there's barely a perceptible tonal difference between the two, strengthens your argument that it's not the same as the colour you wanted.

And to top it off, look at the white on the shade card in the top left corner. It has hardly any tonal contrast with the white of the background, compared with the other colours on the shade card (obviously, because they're both shades of white) and it has a slight yellow/creamy tinge to it. The tonal similarity of the 'white' paint shade against the white background of the shade card is almost the same as your supposedly 'coloured' paint next to the white mantelpiece.

Ergo, your paint is white and has been labelled incorrectly (or put in the wrong tin).

It does look white to me as well.

Totally different...still looks nice though to be honest, so I wouldn't get too worked up if it was me (in fact I'd be relieved as I actually prefer how your fireplace looks 🤣)

The mantle and area surrounding the fire look the same colour to me. I would be arguing that there should be a clear difference given that the image of the colour is set against a white background and is clearly a very different colour to the white. Whereas in your photo the area looks to be the same shade of white as the mantle there is no discernable difference at all.

Yes... I don't think the colour on the card would go very well with your wall colour. The slightly off white of the bit round the fire gives just a bit of depth compared to the mantle so it looks fine in the photo.

The colour card version looks warmer/browner/more yellow based than your photo example but as PP says, that could just be down to the lighting/orientation of your room.

Ask for a hard copy of the colour card. Blue-tack it onto the painted surface. Take a photo.

It looks better than the colour on the chart would have so I’d leave it. Which paint is it?

Love your wall colour. The whole effect is great, so I wouldn't worry if it were me. Although, how many layers have you put on? It'll probably go darker with more layers.

They’re still refusing to refund!

I don’t understand why you think they should refund. You used it.

it looks pretty close to me anyway. Clearly the tester card is just an example, they are rarely true to colour a day the light in the room, the material you are pairing onto and the surrounding colours will all affect the appearance of the colour.

it’s not refund territory. It looks fine.

Aggghh typos. I’m sure you got the gist

What paint brand is it that didn’t have a tester pot? I’ve never come across a paint that you couldn’t test first. If I were making a bold colour statement or it was really important to me to get the exact right shade I would not use a paint that you couldn’t test first.

If what you mean is, there were tester pots but you would have had to wait for one to arrive so decided to dive in without doing the tester, then I am not surprised the shop won’t provide a refund. Paints look different under different lights, the only way to know for sure how it will look in your room is to do a test patch. Paint makers know this, and provide testers for this purpose.

It is impossible to tell on a screen. Screens and paint are different. If you want to be sure of a colour then you look at a print paint chart. You cannot judge by looking at a screen. I am willing to bet that you could put that same colour chart on a phone, tablet and laptop and it would look different on each one.

Looks like you only did one coat. Take a tiny bit of the paint and put it on the test strip on the actual color you wanted. Let it dry.

I don't understand why they'd refund you when you used all the paint?

Because we thought 2 coats would give a better effect, and we thought it would dry darker.

Theres loads of paint left.

They won’t refund you because you relied on the colour on a screen. The colour matches the printed paint chart I’m sure. Screens are not reliable at all for matching colour. Bring up that paint chart on your mobile, a tablet and a laptop and they won’t be exactly the same.
They sold you the product you ordered. There is nothing wrong with the product other than your failure to check the details correctly.

But that's not their fault. You bought the paint and used it. They can't sell half a used tin of paint.

I mean, by that logic, everyone could buy paint online, use half of it, claim it's not right and get their money back!

They're totally different. Tbh, though, most colours are unrecognisable from the paint chart once it's actually on.