The Trick to Get Designer Paint Colors on the Cheap

A simple trick for getting designer paint colors at inexpensive hardware store prices.

At least once a week, I get a paint question in my inbox. And most of the time it’s either 1.) What paint color is in your [insert room here]? Or 2.) What do you mean you mixed one paint color into another?

I guess I just gave away my paint trick at the very beginning of this post, huh?

For the past two years since starting this blog, I just assumed most people knew this little paint color trick, but the more I find this question in my inbox, the more I realize that maybe it’s not as common knowledge as I thought.

So guess what! Here’s the kicker: You can mix any brand’s paint color into any brand of paint you want.

I’m completely hooked on designer paint colors, but I often don’t have room in the budget to spend on those brands or don’t want to wait on a sale or don’t feel like driving across town with a squirmy toddler for a special trip to pick up a gallon at the paint store.

A lot of times, I get the Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore colors I want mixed into Glidden or Valspar (depending on if I happen to be in Home Depot or Lowe’s).

There are hundreds, even thousands, of paint colors in an online database, so you can walk right up to the hardware store counter and pick what you want, and you’re not limited to just whatever color swatches happen to be on the wall in the store.

I’ve tried a lot of different paints, and Glidden seems to be my favorite, less pricey option lately.

See that label below? That’s Glidden paint but in the color Moonshine by Benjamin Moore. And the Glidden is about $22 less per gallon than Benjamin Moore. I’ve even gotten rebates on top of that before too.

I do really like the coverage of Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams, but most of the time, a gallon of the less expensive brand is still all I need for one room. And Robert seems to have perfected the art of painting a whole room in one coat too.

So now you know my handy little secret, if that was a tip you didn’t already have in your budget DIY bank. Every penny counts, right?

And about those paint colors…

I’ve been meaning for so long to round up all of the paint colors in our house into one post. Our house still has a couple of bare rooms left upstairs, but I’ll probably just come back and update this post when we get to those.

Guest/Kid’s Bathroom– Sherwin Williams Sea Salt mixed in Valspar

This paint color is my absolute favorite color in our whole house because it’s so peaceful and clean feeling. It’s in our powder room as well, and might even end up in our laundry room one day when the time comes. It is definitely one of those chameleon colors that seems to change with the light to shift between blue, green, and gray.

Oh, and the bathroom cabinets- Benjamin Moore Winter Gates mixed into Valspar

Master Bathroom – Sherwin Williams Pediment mixed into Valspar

This one is my favorite light neutral that has a really great balance between warm and cool tones, so it’s one of those great no-brainers when you’re feeling stuck on choosing a paint color.

For our cabinets, the same color as our guest/kid’s bathroom is on them- Benjamin Moore Winter Gates.

Office – Sherwin Williams Pediment mixed into Valspar

We had a leftover gallon from our master bathroom and a white room. Makes sense to me! Waste not, want not. I sometimes wonder if I should have gone hyper masculine in this room with a really dark, handsome color but I do still like the Pediment.

Master Bedroom – Benjamin Moore Moonshine mixed into Glidden

We just kicked off the first step of this room makeover, but I’m thrilled with this color. It is a very light gray, peaceful, and perfect for a bedroom.

Foyer – Sherwin Williams Pure White mixed into Valspar

This white is my go-to throughout our house for our plank wall, trim, fireplace, anything.

Olivia’s Bedroom – Benjamin Moore Grey Owl mixed into Sherwin Williams 

Sherwin Williams was having a 40% off sale when I decided on this color. I love this light gray color and could easily paint our entire house in it. To me, it has a tiny hint of blue in it.

Dining Room– Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige

This is one of those colors that I sort of regretted. I had to choose a paint color in a hurry for the entire downstairs before moving in (during another 40% off sale), and my method of doing that was just picking from a bunch of paint card swatches in a matter of a few minutes. It’s not that I don’t like this color, but it is darker and more beige than I had planned. But we all have to learn our lessons somewhere. It does seem to change quite a bit with the light and sometimes appears to be gray depending on how the sun hits it. It’s pretty, just not what I would have picked in hindsight. And it doesn’t bother me enough to want to repaint either.

Yep, it’s in our living room, kitchen, and breakfast area too.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, our kitchen chairs are painted in Annie Sloan Duck Egg. My fave color for us neutral-loving, color-fearing gals!

There ya go! A full color palette tour of our house. I put them all in one place in case you ever want to pin it for future reference:

You can check out more of my paint color choosing tips on this post too:

And a few painting pointers for saving time here:

Since we still have our laundry room and playroom to tackle in the paint department, I’m still on the lookout for any that inspire me. I would love to hear your favorites! Are there any paint colors out there that you’re jazz-hands level excited about?

Follow:

Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Google+ | Bloglovin