Insights Into Professional Colour Matching At HMG Paints

Making sure you have the right colour for your decorating job is not always straightforward. There are many factors in colour matching that has nothing to do with whether or not you are colour blind, a condition that only affects about 4.5 percent of the British population anyway.

HMG Paint has researched the subject of colour matching very thoroughly and has issued a detailed guide to help both the user and the decorator to get it right first time.

Shade cards and wall charts can prove misleading so HMG offers some sensible do’s and don’ts. Colours can vary slightly throughout shade cards and that can be as a result of the printing inks used. Cards can ‘yellow’ over time, matching one batch with another can be tricky and observing colours under different sources of illumination can be misleading.

HMG ensures that ever colour in its library is standardised in digital format, all are allocated unique library codes and every colour produced is measured against the standard using a spectrophotometer. The firm’s batch cards are also stored for up to five years in a dark storage area so previous batches can be checked.

Simple advice to the end user includes always make sure you use the same batch on the same job and when ordering colours be specific. HMG makes the point that ordering, for example, Ford Gentian Blue is not specific but ordering Ford Gentian Blue XSC1146 is.

Orders should also be placed against standard RAL or library codes and users should bear in mind that colours are a matter of perception. One person’s view of “one shade lighter” can differ from someone else’s view. A physical sample is a better bet.

Meanwhile, distributors are advised always to order sufficient paint to ensure the same batch can be used for a specific job and there are a series of helpful hints for merchants mixing colours.

HMG reinforces the point: “has the colour been observed in natural daylight?” HMG colour match all of their paint under natural daylight.

The comprehensive?Guide to Achieving the Correct Colour is available via the HMG Paints website, part of the company’s comprehensive Knowledge Base of informative articles covering various aspects of decorating from paint application to problem solving in regards to colour matching.

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