You can still get MS paint at Sears? I thought they pulled the plug on it when they yanked it from K-mart shelves during the Sears/K-mart merger. Thought Lowe's was going to be the sole provider of Martha's colors now. Could swear my local Sears Hardware pulled her color charts off. Know K-mart did because when I went in to get some swatches before they were all gone the rack looked like it had been ransacked save for an odd swatch or two.

But I digress.

There are several people over in Home Dec here who have posted pics with Martha colors, they might be able to offer assistance over there as well. I love color in general and find some of the her colors very inviting (am determined to find a wall somewhere, even if it's not in my house, that I can put "Atlantis" on!) :D I would have no qualms about having your preferred dealer match the paint. Some frown on this, but honestly I've done it several times when I was repainting our home and picky as I am, have been perfectly content with final results. I stopped using Behr and switched to primarily BM paint, and my BM dealers have mixed colors from Behr, Lowes Eddie Bauer Line and SW for me, and it's all good ;)

I think that with "regular" paint, as opposed to full-spectrum paint, color matching can work. I did a whole condo in those Martha colors (Verdigris, Caneware, Meadow Way and Winter Surf four-color chip, as well as two trim colors, three extra colors for bedrooms and bath, and a pale blue for the ceilings) but I had them all matched at Benjamin Moore. Have done the same here at this house with a few more Martha colors...like the Atlantic in my bathroom...the color Moonshadow covets!

Here's the catch...persistence and a good eye are often required to make a good match. Yes, the computer will scan the color, but the person doing the mixing must also paint a bit on the sample card, dry it down and then tweak it until it's right. That is all about going beyond what a computer can do and using the human eye. Hopefully, said human has lots of experience! My BM guy spent nearly 30 minutes trying to get the Winter Surf right. It is a complex color and he really worked at it. He wasn't happy, but he didn't give up.

I have never used Behr and admittedly, I am a paint snob! ;-) I wouldn't dream of using the K-Mart paint, even of it were available. (I love the "boutique" brands and full spectrum paints. Otherwise I am a Benjamin Moore fan.) I think what matters most is whether the person at Home Depot will really work to get it matched right. And whether you like Behr.

I can just imagine a busy Saturday morning. HD is slammed and they won't take the time to make it the best they can. They're busy and they don't really care. But, I can also imagine a quiet Tuesday morning. You find someone who has been there a while, takes pride in their work and likes a challenge. It could go either way. That'll have to be your call. My experience with service at HD has been marginal.

I also hear that HD can be fussy about taking back mistakes. In all likelihood, you won't have that problem with a Benjamin Moore dealer.

What color are you looking at, btw?

Meant to say "Atlantic" not "Atlantis" in my post. I've been watching too much Discovery Channel lately ;D

Great job of conveying some of the ins and outs of color matching, amy! You should show carol9999 your bathroom I am so envious of!

Go directly to Sherwin Williams for Martha Stewart colors. Much more economical paint than any Home Depot, Lowe's. About $17.00 a gallon compared to $22.00 at Home Depot or even $25.00 at Lowe's. The quality of the paint is quite good as well. I've used several of their colors throughout my home and after 6 years have not noticed any color fading which is common among other paint colors.

"Go directly to Sherwin Williams for Martha Stewart colors." You have to know which MS color you want, though, because SW no longer has an MS display since they lost their contract with Martha Stewart. They do not have her colors on display and many SW branches do not even have all of her chips "in the back." Also, her colors on her new contract with big box stores are not the same as the ones SW used to have.

Consumers reports wasnt too impressed with Martha Stewart paints.

Here is a link that might be useful: CR

the paint may "stink" but the colours are wonderful - and there were 2 sets of colours at one time - you could get a colour at Kmart and it wasn't in the SW swatches (vice versa) but you can take it to HD and get it matched with a Behr base.

WONDERFUL

I go to lowes to pick colors from the American Traditions line. Then I go to Wal-Mart in the evening during the week there is a guy there that is very good at matching colors. I will have him mix the color for me in Dutch Boy paints, which I have had good luck with. I painted my last house with dutch boy's dirt fighter satin, I fount it didn't fade and washed up good.

Posted by carol9999: how is the martha stewart paint and is it wise to go with it....
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No it is not wise. Do not even think about using MS paint. When I first bought my home I bought MS for the whole place and it was the worst paint I have ever used in my life. I have lots of amateur painting experience since I always painted every apartment I ever lived in.

Coverage was terrible. I used three coats and it still had the previous color coming through. I was painting a pastel color, over a pastel color, so there should not have been a problem. The paint I was painting over was not old either, since the PO had painted everything for resale.

I have a new neighbor who is professional painter and he told me a story about a woman who insisted her whole house be done in MS. He said it was the WORST paint he ever used. He told me to NEVER even consider using that brand. I wish I had gotten that warning ten years ago.

I repainted everything in Restoration Hardware paint and got one coat coverage and beautiful results.