Why You Should Buy More Paint Than You Need
Today I learned a valuable lesson in why you must buy paint in batches - more paint than you need - and also why I should follow my own advice!
03/06/2021
My painted kitchen is almost done and the reason it has taken so long is that I only do the work in the evenings and spare time I have. It might have taken me 3 years to complete, but that 3 years of work has saved me a LOT of money. When I finish the article that covers my kitchen renovation you will be pleasantly surprised at how much you can save by doing it yourself.
Anyway back to the problem at hand. one of the drawers in the drawer unit needed to be adjusted slightly in size to properly line up with the other floor cupboards. It was only a small difference but when you know it's there - you know it's there and will bug you forever if you don't fix it. I originally ordered enough paint for all the kitchen cabinets and cupboards, but didn't allow for extra for any touch-ups or future repairs.
A new drawer face was made up and painted to match the existing paint colour on the cupboard doors and drawer fronts and this is where the problem comes in. Even though I got the paint mixed to the exact same colour that was previously used - the colour is not the same. Take a closer look at the bottom drawer in the images above and below and you can immediately see that the colour does not match, even though it is the same colour swatch code. This means that I now have the paint all the doors and drawer fronts with the new colour - and yes, I bought extra this time!
WHY DO COLOURS NOT MATCH WHEN THEY HAVE THE SAME SWATCH CODE?
The answer is a simple one. Try to imagine painting a picture where you mix two colours to use on the painting. If you run out of the mixed paint before you are done you need to mix more paint and it is almost impossible to use the same paints to achieve the same colour. Just a minuscule amount of one colour and the paint colour differs. The same applies when having colour mixed at your local Builders or paint store.
You provide them with a swatch code and they mix up the paint for you by adding the requisite number of paint drops into the paint. But if you don't buy enough of that colour paint and need to go back for more, there is no guarantee that you are going to get the same colour. There are too many variables in play to expect the same results and that's one of the reasons why you should always buy more paint than you need for a specific project.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BUY TWO TINS OF THE SAME COLOUR BUT THEY ARE NOT THE SAME?
When purchasing paint that requires more than one can to finish it is vitally important that both paint colours you select are from the same batch. When paint is mixed and packaged at the factory it is done in large batches and these paint can are stamped with the same batch number. When you go into the hardware or paint store don't forget to check the batch number - usually found on the base of the tin - and make sure you buy two or more tins of paint from the same batch. If you don't, you could end up with two or more slightly different colours.
