For "industrial" things and some of the topsides of the boat, I went to a local supplier of Jotun paints. The two part epoxy undercoat was excellent, but the top coat, which we wanted to be close to the dark mahogany colour, was a disaster. The first attempt on their mixing machine ended up a sort of pink colour. I objected and they reduced the price for a second attempt. This time we looked at the colour before I left the premises, and they agreed to have a third go, aiming at "Niger Brown". This turned out as a sort of Orange, which I reluctantly accepted. It actually looks OK on the boat. I've used the pink all over the place where it is not terribly visible and, for example, on the trailer it has matured to a sort of terra cotta shade.
We are now having the wood on the house painted, using a painter as I'm too decrepit for the long ladder. SWMBO and I got the colour charts and chose a British Standard colour of a slightly lighter than mid green. Being a pessimist, I went to the local Leyland supplier and bought a small tin, which they mixed on the machine. The painter did a demo plank under one window, and SWMBO has been having to intercept the neighbours and say that we really are not having that colour. It's very pale, almost dayglo and nothing like the colour chart.
So off we went to the local Dulux supplier, chose a much darker green off their rather limited colour chart and bought another small tin. I was a bit worried as the young lady who mixed it on the machine seemed to mix one tin then start again to do the one she gave us.
Back at the ranch, the painter did half a window sill. This came out a very bluey green, again nothing like the colour we had chosen on the colour chart.
By now, SWMBO is saying she has no faith in this modern paint and can't we just go to B & Q and buy tins off the shelf that are just a colour and don't have to be mixed.
I remember years ago getting the current paint mixed on a machine and it came out the colour we wanted. Have I just been extremely unlucky or have some of the nozzles inside these mixing machines got clogged or worn over the years?
Has anyone else any experience or advice. The stress level here is now quite high on an upward trajectory.