Paint matching questions

[Scott]

There is minor damage to the wall of our close (common stairway for readers in England). I'm just wondering how to carry out a temporary repair. The Factors (managing agents) claim that matching the paint is too difficult.

1. Is the Dulux colour matching app reliable? I took an ordinary photograph and it looks nothing like the colour of the wall, so I have my doubts.

1. It is a very small indentation (about the size of a pound coin) so I wondered if I could use car touch-up paint. This would give me a large choice of colours at low cost compared to having a whole tin mixed up at B&Q.

2. Is basic Polyfilla okay for a minor repair to plaster?

[polygonum_on_google]

Some years ago, I got Johnstone's to match a Dulux colour. I continued painting the same wall where I had run out of Dulux - and there was no perceptible difference. (I got a discount on Johnstones's so it made sense at the time.)

You simply cannot expect a photograph to work. Far too much variation unless there is good colour management in use.

Can you take a physical sample? Most decent paint mixers have photospectrometers.

[Scott]

Thanks, but I was looking for practical advice about the paint matching app:

I would not consider using a photo for the reasons stated. .

The problem is that I could then be accused of making the damage worse. This is a mutual area and relations with neighbours are less harmonious than they once were.

[Pancho]

Wikes do paint tester pots. If necessary mix it your self

[Martin Brown]

It can be but you might do well enough for a tiny patch with a small sampler shade card and pick the two closest and a neutral white. Then mix a small amount of the exact colour - bear in mind that it usually dries to a different shade to when it is wet.

Car touch up paint is intended for painting metal and usually a base coat pigment clear gloss finish. It will stick out like a sore thumb!

The emulsion samplers are a much easier way to do it. Dulux and various own brand versions are available. But you may be in trouble if the surface finish is anything other than matt.

The eye spots straight lines so stipple any repair paint on.

Yes. A touch of the right colour paint in it can help too.

[spuorgelgoog]

It's very unlikely that a close painter used a custom or fancy colour; look at British Standard BS381C, BS2660, BS5252 and BS4800.

If it's a glossy finish, yes; I have done that in the past and it was imperceptable. It helps that older car colours were probably also BS colours, before the car companies got custom paints made.

Polyfiller might be too soft compared to a hard wall plaster.

Owain

[tabbypurr]

Pretty close with most colours, some it's no good with. A cleaned paint sample is essential, without that forget it.

There are other approaches. Take some colour charts home & see what matches. Mix your own won't be an option for you. Paint a pattern onto the repair in another colour.

don't

Yup, that's what it's meant for. If you want extrahard, use well diluted pva instead of water.

NT

[Scott]

This is certainly good advice. Could I get a colour chart from the Dulux shop as I would not trust my mobile phone to reproduce the colour precisely? There may be a difficulty in that my neighbour (sadly now deceased) told them the paint was the wrong colour and made them do it again. Anything could have happened at that stage.

It is very glossy, probably oil-based gloss.

What about car filler (which comes with the touch-up paints anyway) if I am attempting to use car paint?

[Theo]

The link to the Android app is broken. If I search for the app ID on Google Play it doesn't show up, although other AkzoNobel/Dulux apps do. It might be a hint that one of them is an app for using a Bluetooth colorimeter - I don't think they would bother if a phone camera was good enough.

(The iOS app link tells me to download iTunes, which is no good on Linux)

You can get tester cards from paint vendors - as others have said trying RAL/BS colours can help. Although if they've painted it in pound shop Magnolia you might discover that every magnolia is a different shade...

Theo

[Scott]

Actually the wall is shiny gloss.

I may be in trouble then :-)

Thanks.

[Dave Liquorice]

Should be able to and a phone hasn't a hope in hell of colour matching.

I very much doubt any car colour will match a decoration colour.

Bit odd to use an oil based gloss on walls. But if it's that glossy I think it must be (or a water based high gloss paint). I've never come across a high gloss emulsion.

When picking up the colour charts pick up the one covering gloss paints...

Probably not an issue unless the dinge is there due to the repeated impact of say a door handle. In which case a door stop is required meaning the dinge can be filled with polyfilla. Provide a decent key for the filler, scratch out/remove the paint from the hollow.

[spuorgelgoog]

Normal in Scottish closes which are intended to be washed down - weekly, when the auld wifey put the little card saying "it is your turn to clean the close" through your letter box.

Either gloss on the lower half, or 'wally'.

Owain

[Scott]

I just phoned them and she sounds very helpful. She says it's 'cool'.

It was done more than 10 years ago in an attempt to retain the traditional appearance. I think the aim was 'Glasgow Corporation green' but it looks darker than that to me.

Will do.

It's not. I believe the impact occurred when roofers lowered a bucket of debris from the loft but I cannot prove that allegation.

[NY]

I wouldn't trust any colour chart, whether on a phone or a printed colour chart.

We bought some "terracotta" paint which looked that colour on the chart and in the see-through plastic "tin" but was more of a pink when applied to the wall.

We bought some "emerald white" (*) paint which looked very pale green on my phone and on the colour chart, but is very pale blue on the wall. That paint was bought in a hurry to replace some green paint that the builders applied but which was a far more saturated and vivid colour than the colour chart suggested.

(*) Emeralds are a *green* gemstone.

[charles]

used to be advised for kitchen & bathrooms

[polygonum_on_google]

The other day we were looking round some paints. One particular colour - two pots. Both with areas purporting to be the colour. They were more different to each other than to completely different colours.

[Dave Liquorice]

Ah, that and "Glasgow Corporation Green" brings back memories of green gloss walls in old (victorian vintage) hospitals.

Tried asking Glasgow council what their green was(is)? If some one complained the orginal colour was "wrong" then perhaps it was redone in Glasgow Corporation Green.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Scott expressed precisely :

Why bother, when it will happen again?

Instead, why not just fit some sort of door stop where the ding is, to hide the ding?

[Scott]

Its wally up to the first floor then painted thereafter.

[Scott]

Cos I'm thinking about moving :-)