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Adventures in buying custom mixed paint.

I ran out to buy 2 colors of trim paint today for my ongoing dining room painting project, and a few "trivial" supplies.

...ran out: dragged back, 3 hours later.

Michael�s Craft store, #1 stop: trying to choose acrylic tint color to add to the glaze for the paintable textured border; I wanted to match a color strip. I brought toothpicks to use to put dots of color on the strip. I opened, I'm guessing, at least 25 bottles. I know I'm picky, but there was nothing even close. Sigh. I bought 3 bottles to mix together.

Second stop, Lowe's to return some stuff and look at painting supplies. I wanted more of that 3" wide brown paper masking tape I like. They had brown masking paper, but without adhesive. Tell me exactly how I am supposed to use that?! Needed dark brown outlets, to match new oil rubbed bronze outlet plates. No brown. Brown is an important color! What were they thinking? They had at least four styles of oil rubbed bronze outlet plates. What color outlet do they imagine should go with these? And no one even makes brown dimmer switches.

I could have bought the trim paint there, but experience has taught me to get the same brand that is mentioned on the back of the paint sample chip. No matter what they tell you, they CANNOT match a competitor's paint sample closely enough for me. Ask me how I know. Ask several rooms in my house.

Third stop, Menard's for the paint, and hopefully the brown masking paper and brown outlets. By now it is rush hour and it takes me several tries to get through each traffic light. The paint department fellow messes up THREE times mixing my two colors. First time, he uses the tinting formula for a gallon, on a quart, and it's way too dark. Simple to re-do; except there are no more cans of that base in the brand that matched the strip. He calls for help. Second guy tells him which brand is closest. But there is only one can of that in semi-gloss. I have to choose a different finish for one of the cans. He mixes one, and it looks good. By this time, I am following him around to make absolutely sure he does not pick up the wrong one. I am reading the computer screen next to him to make sure the name of the color is right, the brand is right, and the volume is right. My feet are tired. I'm hungry. I should have been home an hour ago. But I am NOT leaving without the damned paint, which was the whole reason I went out in the first place. He puts the other under the tinting machine, and something goes wrong, and some of the colorant runs down the side of the can. Second guy asks, "How close does this need to be?" I say, "I want the color I came in for, and spent long enough choosing it in the first place, and nothing else will do." I must have glared, because he left pretty fast. At least first guy is not questioning my desire for an accurate color match.

Scratch that one. Back for another can. Once again, no more quarts in that base, in that finish, in that brand. Methinks the paint buyer failed to anticipate how popular quarts are in custom colors. I choose another. This time, we BOTH squat down in front of the machine, watching him hold the can right up to the tint dropper thingie. Believe it or not, I did not lose my temper. I think I was too tired, and I figured he was rattled enough having me stick to him like glue. Last can looked good, and I thanked him very civilly, found my dark brown outlets, and left. They only had three. Methinks there was also been unanticipated demand for brown outlets. One is scratched but I will put furniture in front of it. They also had only brown masking paper without adhesive. One hour to mix two cans of paint and buy three outlets.

Now I'm too tired to paint.

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