Sherwin-Williams

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” 

It’s a famous quote most of us have heard throughout our lives, and while deciding who originally said it remains a point of contention, the spirit of those words extends far beyond those one-on-one meetings we encounter along the way in our lives.

Another category where a great first impression can mean everything is with your home. What do the colors on your walls say to those walking through your front door for the first time?

“Your personal preference is the ultimate deciding factor when it comes to paint,” said Joey Allen with the Sherwin-Williams Paint Store in Bryant. “What I find to be aesthetically pleasing or what you find to be pleasing is individual to us, and the truth is, no one else may agree. 

“It’s such a subjective process to your own eye and to your taste. What’s so interesting is that the colors you choose say a lot about your personality, and we really enjoy helping our customers work through that process.”

Whether it be for new construction, a full remodel or a home touch up, choosing the right paint can be a tall order, and one place that makes the entire process as painless as possible is the Sherwin-Williams Paint Store in Bryant.

“I’ve been doing this for 36 years,” Allen said. “To [our team], many of the customers we work with are like family. We get excited about the projects they’re working on and want them to be satisfied with the finished product. That said, we try to go above and beyond to help get them there.”

It’s that level of commitment Melissa Galaviz with Sherwin-Williams says sets her teams apart from other brands and competitors.

“We pride ourselves on our people, and that’s what our brand is all about,” she said. “You can find paints almost anywhere, so what we aspire to do is separate ourselves through our people. 

“A lot of our locations are in rural areas, so going to our stores provides a real hometown experience. We take a genuine interest in what a customer’s working on because, odds are, we know them. Therefore, we want to make sure they get exactly what they need, along with the best possible service.”

If you’re curious about how to get started, no need to worry. It’s 2024, and Sherwin-Williams offers its Color Expert on your smartphone. It’s a free app that uses AI to help users find the right paint color for their space. It can analyze existing colors in a room using the device’s camera, or review uploaded photos, to color match and offer recommendations. That way, you can have an idea before ever meeting with your paint professional.

“Choosing colors and tones can be stressful for people, creating a lot of anxiety. We want to make sure we’re there to help walk them through the process to make it as stress-free and enjoyable as possible,” said Galaviz.

So, when it comes to colors, just how far do the options go?

“We have about 1,700 base colors to choose from, but we can custom create any color,” said Galaviz. “People can bring anything with a color, and we match it. Someone may bring in their dog and say, ‘Match him.’ They’ll bring in sentimental objects, ordinary things like candy wrappers, clothing, or rocks and ask us to color match it, and we can.”

Even with so many options from which to choose, Joey Allen maintains the most important thing to always remember is that quality matters. “Durability, washability, and stain resistance are all things to consider when you’re choosing a paint,” he said.

“You must also consider how many coats are needed for the wall. A lesser quality paint may require four coats, whereas a higher quality paint requires only two. There were no real savings by going with a less expensive paint. What’s more, the higher quality paint will hold up longer.”

Unlike technical projects like electrical or plumbing, requiring professional expertise, Allen agrees that if you have the constitution, painting is a project where you can save money by doing a little DIY.

“If you have the patience, time, and ability, you should absolutely consider painting yourself,” he said. “Most people will get tired of the project quickly, mainly because they want to see the immediate results of color on their walls.

“Also, if you’re talking about a full house, that’s going to be a significant time investment on your part, and a professional will get it done a lot faster than you or I would be doing it on our own. But there’s no denying, considerable savings can be made-up by doing a project like painting, yourself.”

For more information on picking the proper paint, visit www.sherwin-williams.com. For help getting your next project started, visit our teams at either Sherwin-Williams Paint Stores in Bryant or Benton.