I am officially a paint snob, and it’s all Sanders’ fault. When we first started painting our house, I giddily skipped around the corner to Home Depot and completely denuded their paint sample wall. I mean, I took every. single. sample. While I ended up choosing one of their colors for my bathroom (which was a HIDEOUS and GLOSSY macaroni yellow mistake that got painted over not once, but twice), I couldn’t find a color for my kitchen or bedroom to save my life. I must have bought 30 samples (no lie!) and every one of them skewed red or blue or looked muddy or garish — I’m sure many of you have had the same frustrating experience with paint. Dragging my heels in defeat, I drove the extra two whole miles to Benjamin Moore after reading countless blogs’ shining praise of their paint and color selections. That’s where I met Sanders.
Sanders has this crazy encyclopedic knowledge of color that he started accruing way back in 1997 while working for Benjamin Moore, and he’s now the manager of South Austin’s Hill Country Paint. If you tell him a color name, that man can give you the number. He helped me pick several different shades for my house, and remembers every color I’ve even chosen. In short, even though Benjamin Moore’s paint is more expensive than Home Depot’s, Sanders has saved me a lot of money and time. He even talked my cheap ass (and Karly’s) into buying the $50 a gallon Aura paint, and I will never buy another paint again. It covers like a dream, and it even smells delicious (low VOC rocks!). Do I sound like I get my paint for free? I don’t. It’s just good paint.
The power of paint to transform a space is divine, and since I first met Sanders I’ve painted almost every room in this house, so we’ve seen each other relatively frequently. When Karly and I started this blog, we told him about it and Sanders is now one of our oldest readers. He still reads it every night, and can recite all of our adventures in detail (which is slightly unnerving, and reminds me that I need to be more careful about what I write). So I promised Sanders that as soon as we had more than 5 readers, I would make him TOTALLY FAMOUS by interviewing him.
When the day finally comes, I walk in and ask if he’s ready, and he says he’s so nervous he couldn’t sleep last night. I laugh because I’m pretty used to Sanders telling me what’s what in his kingdom, and it’s mildly entertaining to see his swagger a little diminished. But as soon as we sit down to talk paint, he’s all cool, calm and collected business again. I tell him that a lot of interior designers are currently painting spaces black and ask him what he thinks about that. (photo via Living etc.)
He looks a little bemused, pointing at himself in his black shirt, and stutters slightly, “W-w-wellllll….” It’s pretty clear he doesn’t like the idea, but to say so goes against his first priority, which is to give the customer what he or she wants. He goes on to say that he wouldn’t personally paint his home black, and certainly not black black, but maybe a “shade of black. It’s a personal choice.” I ask him if he thinks dark colors make small spaces look smaller, and he says, “Dark colors are fine for small spaces. The right tone of color works for a certain unique space. You don’t have to stick to whites and pastels. Dark colors can lend masculinity and power to a room.” He does say that natural light is helpful for a small, dark space, “because light is your ally,” and also to stick to “small scale, sleek furnishings” so that the room doesn’t feel too heavy and oppressive. I ask him to pick a black color palette, and this is what he chooses.
I then ask him about white, since it seems overwhelmingly to be the most popular paint color in all the decor magazines. (photo via Living etc.)
He frowns a little and hesitates. Nope, not white, either — although he is careful not to say that explicitly. He says that if you have great architecture and lots of light, white can be good, but again, not pure white. “Off white is rich and soft.” I ask for his favorite whites, and this is the palette he chooses:
By the way, if you buy the Aura paint and you’re painting a light color over a light color, you can probably get away with only one coat if you’re a good painter. It worked for me in several rooms, it looks good, and I saved a lot of time and paint. But sssshhhhhh, don’t tell Sanders, ok?! His favorite thing to say is “Two coats! two coats!”
Alright, I say, how about gray? His face lights up. A string of happy expletives tumble out. Mothereffing yes! Yes, gray is good! In fact, Sanders knows many of them by heart, including the ones I have chosen for my house (Abalone and Silver Fox, as well as Karly’s Harbor Gray). “Gray is neutral, but not boring. It’s versatile.” (photo courtesy of Jeffrey Bilhuber)
If you’ve ever tried to pick a shade of gray paint, you know how hard it is. Nothing is quite pure gray. Sanders points to all the undertones in the different shades, and stresses the importance of choosing a gray that looks good in your personal space. “The biggest mistake people make is not buying samples. Everyone’s light is different and paint changes in the environment it’s in.” I ask him if people often come in complaining about their paint selections and he says, “No. It’s ’cause I make sure they get a sample.” That and Sanders is a color matching wizard, capable of choosing something great to match the rest of your house, or custom mixing the shade of your dreams. Here are his picks for grays:
As we chat, Sanders eats his lunch and we reminisce about how we became friends. For some reason, early on he asked me where I was from and when I told him it was Texarkana (a tiny town at the corner of Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana), he said he had lived there for several years, too. We spent the better part of an hour laughing about how craptacular T-town can be, and we’ve been pals ever since. There’s nothing like bonding over harrowing times, to be sure. I ask him about his son, who is now three months old, and his face is downright beatific. “He’s growing and changing and adapting to his new world.” It’s obvious that his son is the apple of his eye, and I ask him what colors he painted the nursery. He tells me that he has light wood floors and this is his household color palette:
And I imagine that his house looks something like this, with a shot of lime in the baby’s room:
(photo via The Style Files) Very cozy, right?
Since so many people are pretty clueless about the nuances of color, I ask him how he might help a person who has no idea what they want. “I would ask them about their favorite foods, you know, places where they might go to vacation, what their interests are.” What about the whole psychology of color theory, where red is hungry, blue is soothing, etc? Sanders shakes his head and says, “Different strokes for different folks. People should have unique colors. The Dewey Decimal System of color is not the way to go. It’s an outdated idea.” What about the idea that you choose colors that look good on you, so you always look good in your environment? He shakes his head again. Another string of verrrrrry funny expletives, and I start giggling. A browsing customer looks my way and I try to take it down a notch. “You don’t need to choose colors that look good on you, but clothing choices may reveal fondness for colors. You don’t have to keep the staus quo, though.”
I go on to quiz Sanders on some technical stuff and things, so here is Sanders’ Wisdom, from him to you:
For walls, matte or glossy: MATTE. Definitely.
Even for bathrooms: Yes.
What about for trim: Glossy, and oil will give it that extra kapow ZING. (insert hand motions here)
What kind of paint do you use for concrete floors: For low sheen, use paint grade concrete stain, which is not a true acid stain. For an opaque paint, use latex Porch and Floor paint (also good for wood floors). For a glossy finish, use an oil base paint.
Can you paint tile: Yes, but you MUST use a 100% acrylic primer. Then you can cover with any paint, but the primer is the key.
How about a bathtub: No. You need an epoxy paint for that.
As we finish up, I thank Sanders for his time and expertise, and he gets all nervous again. “Don’t bash me, ok?” Don’t worry, Sanders. There’s nothing to bash!
THANKS SANDERS!
This write up is running long, so tune in on Thursday to see Sanders’ picks for the hottest new color trends. His palette is so on point, Elle Decor UK is currently running some of the same picks. I promise it will be the super antidote to fall and winter’s dreary, gray days.
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I think I’m in love with him.
A man who knows paint is my dream guy. I suck at choosing colors. Even B. M. colors. This house changes everything. It’s very low light in the front and distorts and grays the colors. I was going to paint everything white when I moved in but it just doesn’t work here.
I’m currently painting samples in my bedroom of Revere Pewter by B.M. I love gray!
HG, I have Revere Pewter in my bedroom and I LOVE it! Goes perfectly with my peachy headboard and black furniture.
Yep, Sanders knows his business. It’s really helped me a lot.
That was a very helpful interview! Sanders sounds pretty awesome.
Welcome Chandra! He is a sweetheart, and everyone should have a Sanders at their paint store.
Thanks for the comment!
I love BMoore colors and now I love Sanders too. What a great interview. I too have found that the expensive Aura paint is SO worth the extra money — goes on like a dream.
{ By the by, my grandmother was from Texarkana. As a kid, I thought that she had made up that town’s name just to get me to laugh! }
Love Sanders, love this post – so interesting. I wish I had a Sanders here.
I’m so glad you all enjoyed the interview. Sanders will be so happy!
Susieq, every now and then I meet someone from Texarkana, or with relatives from Texarkana, and it never ceases to amaze me how many people can come from that tiny little town.
OK, I am officially in paint-love with Sanders! This interview almost made me cry, because it made me think about all of the awesome people who I don’t even know but who have helped me ENDLESSLY in stores over the past 2 1/2 years of renovations.
Also, Sanders name-checked my favorite black paint ever, Toucan Black, which we used as an accent all over the inside of our house…AND the black paint we’ve been using for the exterior trim, Black Beauty. Thank you for validating my choices, Sanders!! (I’m a little sad that he didn’t put Moonlight White in his list of white picks, however.)
oh looks like the sweetest man ever! click on over because i finally photographed my all black bedroom for you!
http://woolgatheringandmiscellany.blogspot.com/2008/11/paint-it-black.html
Anna, you have such great taste you could probably open your own paint store! And it really does make all the difference to have an intelligent human help you pick paint (and to mix it at different dilutions, something Home Depot refused to do).
GracieO, your bedroom is super HAWT! I want one, too!
OMG, now I want to paint my kitchen and dining room black…
I love that D/C now has a contributor! Can we look forward to Sanders sage advice on prepping, execution, and clean-up? And also his thoughts on paint effects like ragging, sponging, combing, yada yada? Maybe we can submit queries for a reader Q&A.
TEAM SANDERS!
Raina, that is such an awesome idea! I think a reader submitted Q&A could be especially helpful… hm. Let’s see what he says.
I would repaint my house just to get to hang out with this guy – if only my Benjamin Moore had a Sanders! He is awesome!
That Sanders knows his stuff!
Thanks for letting us share the love!!
I’m doomed!
I am now contemplating canceling my Buenos Aires trip to stay home and paint my bedroom Toucan BlK. OK not really but i totally want to. And might have to strip my carpet and refinish my hardwood floors. Hmmm Erin can you and Sanders come to San Jose to help me pick colors and plan my new room??? We can go visit Albert at his vintage store. OH now I have time to go during the week and interview him. Send me a list of questions and I’ll get it done in time for Xmas!!!
Mari, that sounds awesome… I’d love to come hang out! And I do miss Albert’s store so much.
Either way, you should take the plunge and paint your bedroom black. It would look fantastic.
Okay, I’m now a Sanders fan too. Hey, how much would Sanders charge to come over to Australia with some paint samples for me?! I’m shit at choosing paint colours, but I never know I’ve got the wrong one until AFTER I’ve painted the room.
This article is fantastic. You described him to a T. I met Saunders during a paint crisis of my own. This man can talk about the undertones of paint. And what is a cool color vs a warm color. He is amazing. I feel the same way. I wouldn’t do a rehab without a visit at the store with Sanders.
That man’s paint color knowledge has seriously captured my undying design love and respect!! I am beyond sad that Sanders is so far away from my California paint dilemas. However, I am glad to hear his approval on gray as I have just recently painted our living room and part of the kitchen in a nice gray tone. (can’t remember which exactly…) Sanders, you are an inspiration!
Hi Dena, fellow Austinite, that’s so awesome that you know Sanders! Is he not the most helpful person, ever? Should we start a fan club?
And Cortnie, gray is always good!
Sa-heeriously, I’m late to the party but dizzam Sanders is my new internet blog-crush (after you two gals of course). I mean HELLO articulate colour love and knowledge and skill?
WPZ, Sanders is going to eat that up with a spoon!
My main man, Sanders…I’m so proud of you! For those of you who haven’t met Sanders, he’ll be your new best friend and favorite person. He’s not only the color guru, but he, himself is colorful!
Sanders truly is a walking, talking color rolladex. He knows every color and number by heart. He’s the best! Go see him and you’ll see.
Oh, by the way, we’ve already started a Sanders Fan Club…T-Shirts will be free with membership, so get in line….
Awesome interview, and great picks… you are so lucky you found him!
Sanders is simply amazing and a wonderful individual. He is so INCREDIBLY talented with color!!!! I’ve been following Sanders around town from paint shop to paint shop since 2004. He knows exactly what my house needs and has been spot on for every room!!!! I’m so proud of him, manager of the shop down south, new wife, new precious son, what’s next?!?!?!?!
Excellent interview and you captured his personality perfectly!!!!
He’d have quite the fan club (well, doesn’t he already?!?!?)
Dang, I love Sanders. And you too, now that I know how close y’all are to my hometown of Monroe, LA!
Anna turned me on to Toucan Black, but now that Sanders has also recced it, I have to paint something that color.
I will say that BM Super White is my favorite white ever, even though it’s not Sanders-approved. Maybe he’ll make an exception for a fellow Southerner?
Jamie and Erin, so nice to hear from some more Austinites who’ve had the pleasure of meeting Sanders first hand. He is a super paint guru, huh? And who’s making the t-shirts?
AB, hi there fellow southerner! I do so love that Toucan Black and kind of want to cover my whole house in it. Also, maybe Sanders will add Super White and Moonlight White to his fave picks… he’s nothing if not accommodating!
How lucky you are to have Sanders! Having recently painted most of my home a grey colour very similar to Abalone, it is very much on my mind. We also tried stacks of different samples and I am so glad we did. We are very happy with the results!
BM paint is the best, ever. And Sanders sounds like he really knows paint and color!
If you are interested in color check out Rachel’s blog: Hue She is a huge talent in the color world. http://hueconsulting.blogspot.com/
She posts some reader’s rooms, has color contests and loves BM paint.
Arrrgggg, would that I knew about Sanders before I painted my house!!! He sounds fantastic – I will definitely call on him whenever the final kitchen makeover is underway!
Decorina, Rachel’s blog is awesome! I’m really hoping to follow her lead and unleash Sanders’ talents on the blogosphere. Wouldn’t you all like to send in your paint queries and have them answered? yes, you would.
And Jesse, what what? You’re redoing your kitchen again? I must come and see! (and I want to check out your butcherblock counters because I think we’re going to do them on the island. Did you go with Ikea?)
Wow, not sure if I should be more impressed with the time it took to write all this down or how many people besides myself have read this entire blog. Guess I got a whole new take on a lot of things all at one time from this.
Jacqui, I’m glad this post left you impressed and not depressed! It does take a while to write these posts, but in this case, Sanders was worth it.
Sanders, you are my hero!
Sadly, I’ve been in your store before but have never spoken to you. HOWEVER, I do have a bastard derivative of Thunder in my bedroom, which has gotten endless compliments. And I’m also typing away in my 90%-painted home office, still reeking of VOCs a week later… so I think it’s high time that I come and pay you a visit and let my cheap Asian ass be convinced to buy some of that top-dollar stuff.
I could use a little more color knowledge than the stupid opposites that EVERYBODY and their mother knows, and simultaneous contrast. Doesn’t help much!
Erin, this has to be the best and most helpful D-C post ever to those of us who are design-challenged or just plain don’t have the time to give colors the serious though they deserve. Hats off.
Would I like another helping of Sanders? Why yes, as a matter of fact, I would!
nursery decor…
Interestingly, this was on CNN last week….
I was about to leave the house to head to the Benjamin Moore on S. Congress, and googled to get the address. I saw your blog post and that sealed the deal for me! I’m struggling with the right off-white cream for my new dining room, and Sanders sounds like the right one to help me. I’ll tell him I read about him on your blog, and say “hey” for you.
Hi Robin, welcome! So glad your found our post on Sanders! He is the most amazing paint magician, ever, so you’re in good hands.
Let us know how your quest for the perfect shade goes!
Hi!
Am currently decorating my new apartment and am going crazy with the different shaeds of gray. This blog is certainly going to help me a lot and I cannot wait to go and get some samples of the ones you have posted here. So my question is: is these paint names part of the Benjamin Moore collection or is another brand?
Thanks again for sharing!
Hi Eva, thanks for writing in! Gray is a very difficult color to nail down, because it takes on the complement of whatever is around it. So if you have yellow floors, your grays will look blue. And if you have blue floors, your grays will look yellow, for example.
These are all Benjamin Moore colors, and BM does sell samples so make sure you try before you buy. Write back and let us know how it turned out. Hope Sanders’ advice helps!
Good luck!
lol do the yellow n gold teeth give him the color insperations?
thank you for your help with gray paint colors. i really like abalone as it’s a very pale gray that also has some warmth at the same time. i want to paint my living room in abalone, but i’m also thinking about painting my foyer in bm november rain. do you think those colors will look okay or do they clash?
Now that it’s autumn, what are Sanders’ favorite golds? favorite oranges? favorites reds? Please give us your palettes, Sanders.
Sanders seems to transcend the color intuition of mere mortals.
Hi CF, thanks for your question!
I’ll ask Sanders to work on it… meanwhile, enjoy the cool weather!
I decided to paint my guest bedroom gray over Christmas break. This seemed like a fairly easy task- one I could knock out in a day or two. That was until the grays almost defeated me.
After painting a gazillion poster boards the wrong shade of gray, I stumbled upon this blog and went to my local Benjamin Moore to pick up a sample of abalone. While there, the strangely familiar paint guru suggested Harbor Gray, which I remembered from this post as well. I came back to the post to discover that the paint guru was, indeed, the very same Sanders. This instilled me with all the confidence in the world. I ended up going with Sanders suggestion & it looks great. It is a true light gray, but looks slightly bluish in my space, which is what I was going for. I promised him I’d post pics when I’m done. Now, if I can just defeat these textured walls, which are still looking blotchy in areas 1 gallon and 1 quart later. May have to break down and give it another full coat.
Hooray, Nicole! Sanders is truly a paint god.
But did he tell you, “Two coats! Two coats!” Because you may actually need… two coats.