Painter used wrong colour and I hate it - help

[SamPoodle123]

I tried to wait and see, but I really hate the colour and its bothering me. I told the painter what colours we wanted, as we wanted to keep the same, just have the house repainted. The bedrooms are okay, but the living room and hallways are not the right colour. It now has a blue tint to it and when they first started doing it I kept saying I do not think its the right colour, but they kept insisting. He said at the beginning he uses a certain paint company and they can match it so its the same. I naively trusted this. Stupid me. I should have questioned it more and stood up for myself when I saw him do the first section of the hall way. I did voice my concerns, but the painter kept saying its the same colour as it used to be, and that the old colour just faded and that it would look different in living room because of the higher ceilings.....well nope it does not and still looks too blue. I now searched my old colour online and can see its clearly not the correct colour being used. The blue tint is the ones that were used in the bedrooms.

What can be done about this? I feel like there is no turning back and wish I insisted. The painter tried to insist about the colour for the kitchen, but I put my foot down, as I hated the living room and hall colour. And now when I looked up my old paint colour, I am really annoyed I did not stand up for myself.

I do wonder if the painter should have to repaint, since the colour he used is actually wrong and you can clearly see that when you search the paint colour I wanted for living room. I only agreed to let him use the paint brand he likes because he said they can colour match it. I said I wanted the same colour and its not....

I had the same and made the decorator stop and go and get the colour I actually wanted.
You have asked him to paint using a specific colour. That is not what he has done - or even colour matched.

If he wants paying he'll have to paint it in the correct colour.

He should repaint it. Can you prove it is not what was agreed? Are you a woman? If so do you have a male person who can speak to the painter for you? You deserve to have the job done to your specifications. You’re paying for this. Good luck

Check the colour code on the tin go to the paint centre and ask them to show you the colour on the chart. Or just take the empty tin in. Then you have the evidence, you can now ask him to repaint

I think he should repaint it for free, particularly as you queried it and he insisted it was the same.

Yes, I'd expect it done again as requested.

I should have done this. I spoke up when he had just done part of the hall. But he insisted it was the same colour and that the old colour just faded. By the time we got to the kitchen I put my foot down and finally got the colour I loved. And then I realised I should not have listened to him and put my foot down.

I am going to speak to him this morning. The thing is, I actually feel bad to make him repaint everything....it will probably take at least a day or two. But really, I tried to like the paint he used and its been several days. Issue is, my husband is so agreeable and says its fine. I even brought him in to question the colour of the paint....but he is not much help.

Thank you, I am female and unfortunately, my husband is the agreeable type and has said he likes the blue...but that is also because he just wants it all to be over with. He is not much help at all. I even asked him to come look at the colour the painter was using as I kept saying it was not the right one and kept questioning it....and he was like its fine just stick with it. And the painter kept insisting it was the colour. And this is what really pisses me off, bc when I checked now it is clearly not the correct colour.

Buy a sample of the paint you wanted and put a bit in the walk so you can directly compare. Point painter to the sample in the walk and tell him you want it redone or he won't be paid as you will need someone else to do it. He's meant to be providing you a service , not a favour.

Wall not walk !

Thanks, I am going to show him the colour of paint online and it clearly has no blue in it. The ones he used for the bedroom has some blue and matches what I sent online. I am wondering if when he had them match the colours, the company made a mistake and tbh if I knew the colour match would not match, I would not have agreed to it. But he kept insisting it was the colour. I am going to ask to see the tins and perhaps order a sample of the original colour I actually requested. I am glad I at least put my foot down for the kitchen colour.

I am going to discuss with him today. I am thinking this too. I just feel bad to ask to repaint all the halls and living room. I hate dealing with this stuff. But I voiced my concerns from the start and he kept insisting. By the kitchen I learned to stand up for myself.

Okay, thanks. That is what I thought. I will speak to him today. I hate dealing with this kind of stuff though.

Yes, I am going to do this.

Colour matching paints is always a gamble. We have a Dulux-owned colour (Thimble Case) in every room of two houses we own. It gets mixed to order at a Dulux decorator centre whenever we redecorate (holiday lets, so lots of redecoration) and it comes out a slightly different colour every time. Sometimes more bluey, sometimes more true-grey, sometimes more pinky. Fortunately we like all the permutations, and they are holiday lets so don't matter anyway!

So just be aware that the decorator might have done the right thing in specifying the right colour, and the decorating centre might have done their job correctly too by keying in the right code, but you've been caught out by the inherently risky nature of paint matching.

I'm not sure where the liability lies. I guess it depends on whether he absolutely insisted on getting it mixed to save him money, rather than buying it off-the-shelf from the paint colour manufacturer (if your colour is even available off the shelf?) and if he guaranteed to you it will be a perfect match. He could even argue that the original old paint was a dodgy rendition of the colour name you specified. It's a minefield. I hate paints!

Also some dupe paints reflect light differently. Farrow and ball for one really can't be duped perfectly.

I wouldn't be comparing paint colours online from a screen you need the chart or a sample pot.

You have to have a real sample. Paint matching from a phone screen just doesn't work, especially for colours that are nearly white.

Yea, I am not sure where the liability lies. He said he uses X paints and they could match the colour. I responded saying I want exactly the colour we had previously, which is XZ. I went ahead with the colour matching bc he said they would be the same colours. When I voiced my concerned they were not the same he kept insisting they are and its bc the paint is fresh paint etc. I should have stood up to him. It is my first time dealing with this sort of stuff and by the time we got to the kitchen I put my foot down bc I was hating the blue everywhere.

I will order a pot sample. But I know for sure its not the same colour, as I kept saying it was not from the beginning when it was showing blue. Basically, it matches all the bedrooms, when before living room and halls did not match bedrooms because they are different colours. I now suspect the company did not match the colour and just made the same bath from the bedrooms. Someone must have made a mistake. The painter should have seen this, but I suspect he did not want to admit it.

Agreed. But we previously had this colour so I know it is different. When he was painting I even said a few times its different, but he kept insisting. I should have put my foot down. This is my first time dealing with painting the house so I trusted the painter who has painted many. He said it was bc the paint faded or bc the rooms are different sizes etc. Basically excuses for why I am seeing the colour differently.

If you think he's painted the whole house in one colour (rather than two different colours, as specified) then that's easy to prove (get his paint tin, paint an A4 sheet and pin it up in the bedroom) and the liability lies with him or the paint mixers, i.e. definitely not you!

Did he paint over the old colour that was already there, or did he pre-coat / white wash over the old colour first?

Will try that dad well. I’ve also ordered sample of the actual colour I wanted. So that combined w showing the bedrooms are same as the hall now (when they weren’t before!) should show the colour wasn’t correct.

He painted over the old colour. Is he supposed to whitewash first? He filled in the cracks etc. and when he painted over I said it looks too blue and not the right colour when he did a roll of paint. But he kept insisting saying it only looks different bc walls are dirty and the paint faded. I should have insisted.

For the kitchen he tried to colour match again and I put my foot down. I’m happy w the kitchen, but not w the living rooms and hallways. It’s so frustrating for me to deal w. I keep wondering if I should just accept it. Once I get the sample I will make the decision.

I think you might have an issue as your husband has told the painter the new colour is fine and to keep going.

That’s my concern too. But the painter kept saying it was the same and saying it was bc the walls were dirty or the old paint faded so it was hard to say otherwise. It’s my first time dealing painting an entire house. Lesson learned not to listen to the professional painter and to put my foot down if something doesn’t seem right. But I assumed it is his job and he should know.