Color Stories is BenM's full spectrum color paint line. What that means is more colorants than usual in the formula and no black. If BenM is mixing their full spectrum colors to that widely, generally accepted full spectrum color mixing standard, then it's a color that's going to be more difficult to color match in another brand. Also depends on your tolerance for what constitutes a 'color match'. If you can decide that close enough will be good enough, then you'll be fine. If you must have a spot-on 'color match', you're gonna have a tougher time getting happy with the resulting color match in another brand. Color Stories colors can be mixed in Aura exterior. But since City Shadow is so dark, maybe your store doesn't carry the right exterior base to mix it. Guess I'm wondering why you think that color can only be mixed Aura interior?

Go find out what's the best paint/stain for redwood. I do know that redwood bleeds through regular opaque stains. Cabot opaque stains can be tinted to Ben Moore colors but if you want to leave it natural, you'll probably want a clear coat of some kind. Do not trust any information you get about these stains from Lowe's or Home Depot, even though they sell it, the person helping you isn't always familiar with the product. Find yourself a stand- alone paint store that sells decking and siding stain. PS. Thompson's Weather Shield isn't the right product for this.

My neighbor's reply to a potential buyer concerned that lead paint was used somewhere, sometime in her 1950's house: "Probably, but it didn't stop our son and daughter from receiving full cost scholarships to Stanford after living here for 18 years." Who lets her children eat paint? I WOULD be concerned about the aged lead water piping throughout older cities, delivering poison to every home.

My painter said if the samples are not very heavy they shouldn't bleed through the paint job. Any cracks to your stucco they should be priming and patching first as prep regardless. Not a painter, but in the same boat. Pretty house! good luck