"Color Match Paint?" Topic

Hey, does anyone know of a service that can do color matched hobby paints? Think Home Depot/Lowes/Walmart housepaint, you give them a sample or a hex/rgb code and they will make you a pint/quart/gallon of paint color matched to it.

I have a color code for what I'm looking for, but nobody makes a color at all close to it, the closest matches from Citadel, P3, Vallejo, Reaper, Tamiya, Gunze, etc. has a delta of 10-20 and just doesn't even look right.

I have heard that home depot sells certain acrylic paints that can be matched in this manner, but I have no idea what brand, etc. these are.

Start with these

scalemodeldb.com/paint

paint4models.com/index.html

link

link

Right, I've already said that no match for the color I'm looking for exists and the nearest match is far too different/has too high a delta for me to use, so clearly I've already done my homework and visited these sites. What I'm asking about is my options for custom/mixed color matching paint, like you would find at a place like Home Depot.

Have you tried mixing it yourself?

I'd be interested in finding a supplier for this as well.

Similarly, I've been wondering if there was a service that would let me choose any color AND get it in a spray can.

If you have the color code then go get a small can from home depot. The code should work and buy the high end grade of paint. If the color does not match then you don't have to pay for it. It's worth a shot.

If you can make a swatch about 2" square with a good solid coat of the color (NO White through) you need most hardware stores should be able to get a pretty close match.

There is usually a minimum quantity to get a good colour match (I have to have Coat D'arms made in 5 litres per colour to ensure a good colour match) so it is unlikely you'll get less than 1/2 a litre.

Mike

What does this mean?

has too high a delta

John T

I think he's spent too much time around mathematicians or engineers. ;-) Delta (often using the Greek letter rather than the word) is just shorthand for difference.

hex/rgb codes wont work particularly well when matching paint colours, you need pantone or US/BS standard numbers for that.

Mixing your own colours isn't really that difficult, you should try it and see. It would certainly be a lot cheaper that way.

I am a rental property owner/manager and use Home Depot often to match paint for the rental units. You need a good, solid sample of the desired color on an object about the size of a US Quarter. I usually deal in 1-gallon or 5-gallon quantities when I purchase but you can buy a small sample of just a few ounces mixed as a take home test.

Have you tried mixing it yourself?

Yes, but I' can't get a good match for it using hobby paints even using the color mixing tools available online, in part due to the 'recipes' also requiring a color that isn't really matched by anything available from any of the major hobby paint manufacturers. I have been able to mix it using artists paints, but the results I got from trying to paint my minis wasn't too good since the paint is both thicker and less pigmented than the typical vallejo/p3/tamiya, etc. I tried thinning it down but it was basically unusable afterwards. I tried primary color mixing using RGB and RYB as well, but either Im really bad at it or the paints Im using arent true Reds/Greens/Blues/Yellows.

If you have the color code then go get a small can from home depot. The code should work and buy the high end grade of paint. If the color does not match then you don't have to pay for it. It's worth a shot.

Do I just ask for a can of premium grade non-latex acrylic paint? Is there a particular brand, etc? I assume whatever they give me will need to be thinned, yes?

There is usually a minimum quantity to get a good colour match (I have to have Coat D'arms made in 5 litres per colour to ensure a good colour match) so it is unlikely you'll get less than 1/2 a litre.

Mike

Does Coat d'Arms do custom colors? How do I go about doing that??

I think he's spent too much time around mathematicians or engineers. ;-) Delta (often using the Greek letter rather than the word) is just shorthand for difference.

I AM an Engineer :P

If you're curious about how exactly the delta for colors is determined, you can read this: link

hex/rgb codes wont work particularly well when matching paint colours, you need pantone or US/BS standard numbers for that.

I have all that, so no issues.

Mixing your own colours isn't really that difficult, you should try it and see. It would certainly be a lot cheaper that way.

Again, hasn't really worked, I can get close, but not close enough.

You ask what their top of the line paint is. I would then show them you color and ask if the can match it. Then say you would like to get small can as a sample. You give the the code or a good sample of the color you want and see what the can do.

That's what I would do.

Hi

No, we don't do custom colours – I own Coat d'arms – that is why I order them.

Mike

I would like to try an boil down all of the options that you say have failed….

How about a "real" paint store---think Sherwin Williams

Ask everything you are thinking to a guy that only has paint in the store---hardware stores usually have only quick trained teenage employees and will be not much help in your quest

If/when you find the match…you will have an official color code lid to take anywhere and get another batch

What kind of color are we walking about? Blue, yellow, what?

House paint works fine on terrain, but I have tried it on things as small as a 15mm tank and it is a mess.

Its a specific hue of teal

How about Sherwin Williams paint match app for your phone?

Re mixing it yourself: I'd ignore any on-line references and trust your eyes in daylight. Pointless trying to mix colour in anything other than daylight IMHO.

If you can't get a good match to your eyes then you are clearly aware of what's wrong so keep going until you get it right. Do you want to show us or tell us what this illusive colour/ref number actually is – we might be able to help more if you did. I understand it's teal but need a bit more to go on and why what you are doing isn't working.

I've been able to get good enough matches to any colour I've been after and I'm very critical of my efforts. I mix all my own colours and very rarely use anything straight out of the bottle.