Generally, if a color is only a little off, I just leave it as it is, but if it's so off that it means a lot of effort to get it right, I just bite the bullet & repaint. It's less trouble and it's more predictable than going with an easy-but-messy wash or a labor-intensive dry-brushing technique over the existing color, neither of which procedures are guaranteed to fix things, anyway. I figure if you're gonna spend the time & effort, you might as well just start over and do it right. That's my advice. But in regard to your larger--and, unspoken--issue, here's an answer to a similar question that I posted to another forum just a few hours ago... ............................................. Well, since your husband isn't up to repainting your too-strongly-colored walls, this little tip won't help you much, but at least might help someone else. I've never paid much attention to that 'one-chip-lighter-on-the paint strip' bit, but then, I'm a fan of dark colors, so if a color came out brighter or stronger on the walls than what I originally intended, I'd probably still like it, or I'd just learn to live with it, anyway. I figure life's hard enough already without obsessing over a bit of color. I know a woman who's always repainting, and yet, despite all her hard work--and she's a total perfectionist--she's seldom satisfied with her results, either because the final color doesn't look like what she envisioned, or it doesn't look the same as it does at her friend's house--and, really, how could it? The chances of a single paint color (no matter how popular, or how beautiful) looking exactly the same in two different rooms or two different houses are about the same as the chances of a dress looking the same on two different women. Ain't gonna happen. The difference is that we KNOW it won't happen with the dresses, and yet we expect it to happen with paint. This does not compute. Anyway, this poor, frustrated woman once sked me how I managed to get the color "perfect" every single time, and I told her the secret of happiness: realizing that success with color doesn't depend on what's in the can but on what's in the mind. Or, as I put it to her, "The secret of contentment is setting your standards really low." And, of course, I was just making a joke, but it's true. If a color comes out darker than what I expected, I'm not in a big hurry to label it a 'failure'. Like they told us in sensitivity training back when I worked at Ma Bell, talk like that is hurtful: hurtful to the paint, yes, but also to yourself. Don't label, don't grade your efforts like that. Don't define yourself buy what you can't do. So instead of beating myself up over a 'wrong' color choice, I look at a situation like that as an opportunity for letting go: letting go of the narrow idea that there is only one 'right' color for your room, more importantly, letting go of the will-o'-the-wisp of "perfection" in the first place. Face it: we live in a sad, imperfect world, and the endless quest for a non-existent perfection--the perfect gold paint, the perfect granite, the perfect c*a*n*d*i*d*a*t*e, whatever--is doomed from the start. Besides, in these green, environmentally responsible days, I like to go with whatever solution requires the expenditure of the least amount of energy, and in this case, that would be my living with the color just as it is & not repainting unnecessarily. I mean, are MY energy resources less important that what's under a frozen tundra somewhere? I think not. Anyway, I've backed away from the urge to 'fix' a paint color often, and I can tell you this: it gets easier with time. BUT for those who are still merely thinking about painting--and for me, that phase can last for months--I can, at least, tell them to stop messing around with color boards that you have to haul around the room. The problem with a flat surface, no matter how big it is, is that you never get the cumulative effect that comes from color bouncing off & reflecting onto the adjacent walls, color that's getting stronger with every single bounce. That's how that subtle Wheaten Breeze that looked so ethereally lovely on the chip or on that sample board suddenly turns Screaming Mimi Yellow once it goes up on the wall. So you need to take into account that ricochet factor before you pick a paint color. Here's a trick I learned in interior design school: paint a 6x10 sample of paint on a flat board, and then paint the inside of a Kleenex box the same dimensions. Compare & contrast. You'll be surprised. You'll also never go back to flat color boards again. Regards, MAGNAVERDE.

Now that Sherwin Williams was brought into the discussion... If you go to a Sherwin Williams store during non-peak business hours, you may be able to get someone to work with you on a custom stain color while you're standing right at the desk. Downside is that most of the reps are better with paint than stain (more practice) but they can start with a clear base and sneak up on the color you want if you provide samples prepared just like the ones going into your home. Not sure how well that will work for you since you'd be dependent upon the rep's skill. I usually stay during the mixing process and instruct them about which pigments to add. Visually breaking a wood-tone stain color apart into its primary colors takes experience.

That thundercloud is an awesome color. Try that. Before you start changing things, please get a cohesive plan. What do you want the end product to be? Putting new countertops on old cabinets can look like putting lipstick on a pig. Best to know what the end result will be, then you can make informed decisions. And not come back here with a HELP me correct my errors!!! I don't think your flooring will support a white quartz. I think it may have too much beige in it.

Here is how I would expect a pro to spray paint kitchen cabinets. An amateur job should follow the same path. A brush painted job would differ slightly in that you wouldn't hang the doors to paint. You'd place them on a work table or easel instead. It's time intensive work, and should take 7-14 days for a Pro to accomplish completely and cost between 8--10K depending on kitchen size and amount of detail in cabinets. Remove doors and drawer fronts. Remove hinges and hardware. Clean with Spic and Span Rinse and let dry. Scrape any loose finish. Fill any damaged spots or hardware holes that won't be reused. Sand fill smooth. Scuff sand the rest. Tack off dust. Hang in dust free paint booth with wires through hardware points to spray both sides. Or lay on a spinner, and do one side at a time. Tack off dust again. Spray with shellac based primer. Scuff sand again. Tack off dust. Spray with second coat of primer. Spray with first finish coat of a polyurethane enamel (DIY) Or conversion varnish, (Pro product) . NOT house paint. Never house paint. Spray with second coat. If glazing is to occur, that is next. Spray with clear over glaze that is compatible with base coat and glaze. Add more molding or decorative details to boxes, filling nail holes and sanding smooth. Repeat prep process with face frames and exposed cabinet sides using plastic to create a spray booth on site. If interiors are to be done, they are done before face frames and sides. Interiors are difficult, and add both time and expense to the job. Most interiors are laminate and don't accept paint well. Allow everything to fully cure. That's 7-14 days. Clean hinges and hardware and clear coat if you're keeping the old hardware. Install new (or old) hinges and hardware. Re-install doors and drawers and adjust for proper clearances. If you are receiving or doing a job without this amount of effort, then you are not getting a quality job. You are getting a poor quality job that will not last. Anyone who paints cabinets with the doors on should be fired immediately. If they paint the hardware too, go straight to smacking them also, and saving the world from such complete ineptness.