Even paint mixed to the same colour code can vary slightly from one manufacturing batch to another, a variance most manufacturers accept as within normal tolerance. On a small area that difference is invisible, but across a long corridor, several rooms or a full elevation painted at different times, batch drift can show as a visible seam.
Tinting machines, base paint stock and pigment concentrations can all shift marginally between manufacturing runs, and while any single batch meets specification, two batches placed directly next to each other can be different enough for the eye to pick up, particularly under strong or raking light.
Ordering the full quantity needed for a continuous area in one batch, confirmed by matching batch numbers on the tins, is the most reliable way to avoid drift. Where multiple batches are unavoidable, boxing them together in one container before application blends any minor variation evenly across the whole job rather than leaving a visible line.
Where a visible seam has already appeared between two areas, a coat applied across the whole surface from a single boxed batch, rather than trying to touch up just the join, is the only approach that reliably removes the line rather than shifting it.
It is more likely with tinted colours than standard factory colours, since tinting introduces an extra variable, but even standard colours can show minor batch variation.
No, a single tin is consistent throughout, which is one reason boxing several tins together before use is such an effective way to even out any difference between them.
We order the full known quantity at the outset where possible, and where a top-up is needed later we check batch numbers and, if they differ, box the paint before applying it.
Tell us the total area to be painted and we will order and box the paint to avoid a visible batch line.
Colour drift between batches is a known tolerance issue in manufacturing, and careful ordering and boxing of paint prevents it becoming visible.
Speak to a Hampshire commercial decorating contractor that turns up, communicates clearly and delivers a finish that lasts.
