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....

Its not cornflower white is it?

I'd get the colour myself just to ensure no misunderstandings. But yes, ask for it to be done again if the error was on their side - and ask your husband to grow a pair of balls! 😅

Isn't this funking dreadful that this still has to happen (my experience too).

I had a similar situation

in my shoes the decorator volunteered that it wasn’t right and sorted it. Which makes me think that yours should too.

Are you expecting him to buy the replacement paint too?

When was the last time it was painted? Paint does fade over time

Some companies “colour match” and when they make a dupe, they mix that colour exactly. Other places have a palette of 1,000s of colours already made and pick the closest match.

If you flagged the issue I would get them back to re do it. It’s the wrong colour.

(also, don’t pay F&B prices for a colour match paint!)

No, but actually he did try to match that for the kitchen and I refused it. As I had the sample so I knew it was not a perfect match. I am happy with the kitchen because I went with what I knew. And I guess that is what got me thinking why should I accept the wrong colour match done for the living room/hall. I was told it would be the same colour. If you want to know the colour it is little green wood ash 229. And you can see it should not look blue. It should have a hint of grey. The bedrooms are supposed to be little green Gauze 106 and 164. And it looks like the living room has been painted the Gauze colour. TBH I am not sure if he even got the bedrooms correct bc they all look the same. But only one of the bedrooms is supposd to be 164 and the rest 106. But I can live w the bedrooms.

Lol. Yes, I think he needs to grow some for sure. He just did not want to be bothered with it and is so agreeable. And yes 100% if we repaint, I will be ordering myself.

So what happened for you? Did you ask them to repaint? What did they say?

Ah I asked as when I tested it, it was blue, very blue but pictures online it isn't.
Little green wood Ash doesn't look blue at all online!

Yea, I think anyone objectively looking at it would see it is not right....but not sure if the painter will want to agree when he kept insisting it was right when I kept questioning and saying it was too blue. But now when I looked up the original colour I know for sure it was all wrong. When we bought the house it was already newly painted 5 years ago and I liked the colours. And we knew the colours and when we had some water leek and had to repaint, we asked for the colours from the previous owners. They told us and the company that sorted the leak and repainted. All was fine and I noticed no change in paint colours. So the paint colours should not change that much as it was repainted 3 years ago in one area.

I know, this is why even more so I know the painter was wrong. They must have made a mistake or the brand that makes the paint, as the colours look like the blue from the bedrooms...which are a shade of blue. This is why it was so frustrating for me when the painter kept saying no its the same colour as I requested - wood ash. argh.

The kitchen has been pained in cornforth and it actually has no blue tint....its very much grey...but a neutral grey. But perhaps I dont notice any blue to it because my living room is so tinted blue now....argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least I am happy with the kitchen colour.

I am not sure. TBH I think that he should, as he was the one that insisted to colour match and saying it was the correct colour etc. When clearly it is not. I felt like I could not stand up to him, as he should know better....but clearly I should have trusted my gut and said no and not let him colour match.

However, I am willing to pay for the paint if need be to repaint, as I do feel bad to ask him to redo it....even though I should not, as he was in the wrong.

Parts were repainted 3 years ago when we had a small leak and those painters managed to use the same brand and get the colour the same...so I doubt it changed that much.

I am not sure exactly the price difference for the paint. I should have just said I would pay or the paint myself and go direct to the brand, but he insisted to use a certain brand he likes and colour match it. Lesson learned....will just order the paints myself in the future.

He should repaint for free. I’ve dealt with so many builders and it’s so stressful if they don’t have a helpful attitude. You have to stay so strong and really stick to your guns. If you lose focus for a moment or doubt yourself, you’re lost. Not necessarily because you’re a woman, just because they’re looking for the easiest way through.

Anyway, it sounds like it’s only a small part of the job he’s re-doing. He’s done all the prep work, that’s usually the hardest bit, and you’re leaving most of the rooms as they are.

Thanks, this makes me feel slightly better. He did mention before its the prep work that takes long (putting fillers in the cracks etc). So I am hoping the painting again won't be such an issue. It's just the hallway goes way up with the stairs etc so a little more work then just living room and one hall. However, bedrooms are fine, kitchen fine, bathrooms fine.

And yes, you are right, they are just looking for the easiest way through. I get that. I just hate dealing with difficult situations, but like you say I just need to be strong. It would have been so much easier if I just stood up for myself when he had only done the top hallway (but he insisted its because the ceiling is low there that is why it looks more blue..). Then it became its bc the paint is fresh and the old paint fades and is dirty and so on. ARGH.

I feel for you! I also hate dealing with things like this. We do all our own decorating for this reason :(

You paint your house yourself? I am wondering if I should just learn myself!

Yes I do. We're not tradespeople at all, we just have basic DIY skills, built up over time. We started with painting, because it's super low risk to learn - if it goes wrong you can just sand, wipe, and paint again!

There are lots of guides online and demonstrations on YouTube. We get basic tools from B&Q or Brewers decorating centres. Remember to use a thin white wash on absorbent (e.g. newly plastered) walls, but for previously painted walls just make sure they're clean before you start. We use red devil filler for small holes and imperfections after we've done our base coat, with a light sand to make sure it's smooth.

It takes longer for sure, but I think we've saved thousands of pounds over the years and with our recent renovation (we had the builders leave it to a plaster finish), and I can take my time picking colours. We've had so much practice now people think we've had professionals do it!

We're going to wallpaper our hallway after Christmas, which is a new one for us. I'm quite looking forward to having a go :)

Few little things I've found over the years, or learned at work.
Paints will fade, and can get dirty.
The same paint from the same tin will look different in rooms with different light/lighting.
I find that if I get 'mixed to order' paint from the same manufacturer, even if it is a 'mix', and even if it is years later, it will match exactly (though I rarely used any mixed paint other than Dulux Trade, so can't speak for other manufacturers).
If I have to repaint just one part of a room after a good few years, I will always do it by whole flat sections, up to a change of angle- not a patch. This is so as to avoid any fading showing up.
I would never expect a match from a different manufacturer to be exact. Colours online are nothing like in real life, even on a colour-calibrated screen like mine. As in, they are nowhere near accurate- especially greys, which can look pinky when they are greeny, and so on. Manufacturers' colour charts are far better, but sample pots on the actual wall in qustion are best.

There is a website where you can compare what are supposed to be the same colour ( by pigment number or the old British Standard Number if it goes back so far) from different manufacturers. You can see from that that they are significantly different, even on a screen ( which will be very inaccurate in itself, but here it's the differences that matter). If you want an exact match, you have to stick with the same manufacturer. If you want to change manufacturers for the same colour, get a sample pot from them and test it.

If you buy a paint with the same colour but a different surface (gloss/matt/silk/supermatt/satinwood/anything else) it will also look slightly different. It should be close if it's the same brand and a good brand, but it will take light differently, so may not look exactly the same colour- gloss tends to look a bit darker than the same colour in matt, for example.

And finally- whether you're DIY or getting someone in to do it, get sample pots and test them out. When you have chosen what you want, order/specify both the manufacturer AND the colour, and preferably the number as well if there is one. In writing. When I have paint mixed even for home, I write it down and hand the written note over the counter. Because of the potty way manufacturers name colours, you can have the same name in two different manufacturers' paints for two entirely different colours.

Luckily I used this system when raising a work order for 15L of paint once. It came out dirty pink rather than bright blue- not much good for what was probably a 50' wide and 40' high sky. The retailer had mixed the name without checking the brand. They had to take the lot back and remix the colour I had ordered. They were mad about it, but I was adamant- and the order I had put through left them without a leg to stand on. So I advise you to do likewise!

Just wanted to update this thread. I explained to the painter about the colour not being right, showed the sample and he agreed it was not correct. He went to the mixer and found out there were 3 different kinds with the same name.....so it was their fault and he re painted no problem. All good and happy with the results!

Pleased it all got sorted for you.

It's always worth specifying both brand and name, and number if you have it, as different manufacturers use the same name for different colours.
In Ye Olde Days when very few colours were available, you specified by 'British Standard' number, which was, in theory the same colour from every manufacturer whatever name they used for it, though sometimes names were the same across a lot of brands for the same number. Great system, and some lovely colours (like Moorland, a lovely soft mid-green, and Trafalgar, a lightish navy blue) which you can only get now by special mix- but the likes of Dulux still can mix to BS numbers if you ask and know the number.