HOME & HORT

HOME & HORT

Why I Never Use Colour-matched Paint

What’s Actually In a Tin of Paint? And Why a Dupe is Nothing Like the Real Thing

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JP Clark
Sep 28, 2025
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This is the first of an occasional series I am writing on painting and decorating your home, using my decades of experience of doing it all myself. Join Home and Hort as a full-time member to get the most out of your subscription.

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Hello everyone. I’m so pleased to be back after a mini break. Hope you all had a great week.

I’ve done a little experiment to illustrate my reasons for disliking colour-matches. It’s not a snobbery thing, or that I don’t use home brand paints, I do all the time. It’s not about only buying expensive paint, or about natural over synthetic. It’s about staying true to your colour instincts. It’s about the alchemy of the paint, and if you let me explain, you’ll see how the imposter emulsion couldn’t ever even try to be the same thing.

There’s a little video that will clearly show the difference between a branded paint and its supposed dupe. Plus, I’ll go into all the reasons why you should just buy the colour you really want and be done with it. Buy once, save in the long run.

This is a post that could very possibly rile a few people, particularly if you don’t actually read it properly and see my reasoning. But, in a world of cancel culture, do hear me out.


To read the rest of this very juicy post, see the enlightening little video and be able to comment and be part of our community, you’ll need to be a paid member. Come and join us.

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