Last week, I wrote about the partnership between Pantone, a color system that is used in a variety of industries but isn’t a household name to most consumers, and Fine Paints of Europe, a paint company known more widely to professionals than to consumers, as well.
It is my understanding that Fine Paints of Europe and other alliances with Pantone are focused on getting their brand in front of and recognized by the retail customer.
I have now had an opportunity to learn more about the new paint line, although haven’t yet sampled it. What I’m wondering is how many retail customers are going to be willing to pay over $100.00 for a gallon of paint? Granted, Fine Paints of Europe touts high quality and I do believe that their paint has a depth of color that is not easily achieved with most standard brands.
This is a tremendous advantage to someone like me that needs to put on three or four coats of standard paint before I feel satisfied with the depth of color. However, I know that most people think I’m crazy because they can’t immediately detect the difference between two coats and four coats of paint.
This week, the Washington Post did an article (excerpted below) that questioned the high cost of the new Pantone paint line.
“There’s nothing more expensive than cheap paint.”
So say the folks at Pantone, which is escalating the paint wars with the
introduction of its first retail paint line selling for what comes out
to an astonishing $133 a gallon……While most American paints sell for $19 to
$45 a gallon, Pantone’s Dutch-made 2.5-liter Euro gallon (a smaller can
than the American gallon) made by manufacturer Fine Paints of Europe
costs $85 to $95. A fan deck of 3,000 colors is $165.Pantone
touts the durability of its “filler-free” product, saying a proper
Pantone paint job could last 12 to 15 years. Lisa Herbert, executive
vice president of Pantone, says the paints are aimed at the high-end
homeowner. “They are for someone who really wants high quality. The
finish is very luxurious. It would take six coats of an American paint
to achieve the brilliance and saturation of Pantone paint.”
Is it worth it to you to spend more for the better quality paint or do you see paint as something temporary that you aren’t willing to pay top dollar for?
