Paint names change between ranges, get discontinued, or sound similar across different manufacturers entirely. A specification that records only a marketing name risks the wrong tin being ordered months later. The reference code, sheen and manufacturer together are the only combination that reliably identifies the exact colour intended.
The same evocative name can exist in more than one manufacturer's range with a noticeably different actual colour, and names within a single range are sometimes retired or reused over time. A specification built on name alone can quietly drift from what was originally chosen.
A complete reference names the manufacturer, the product range, the colour code and the sheen level together, since the same code can appear across a matt, eggshell and satin base with subtly different appearance despite an identical code.
Multi-unit developments, phased contracts and any job likely to be touched up or extended years later all depend on an accurate colour record. Without it, a future decorator is left matching by eye against a faded sample, which rarely produces an invisible join.
The reference should be kept somewhere durable — a maintenance file, a schedule of finishes, or a note left with the client — rather than only existing on an old quote that gets lost once the job is finished and forgotten.
A tin lid fades and can be misread over time, and it may not survive being kept for years — a written reference code lasts far better as a record.
Yes, the same code can look noticeably different in matt versus satin because of how each reflects light, so recording sheen alongside the code matters.
A specific reference at least lets a colour matching service produce an accurate equivalent, which is far harder to achieve starting only from a name or a memory.
Ask us to record your chosen colours by full manufacturer reference before the job is closed out.
A colour name is a description; a reference code and sheen together are the only reliable record.
Speak to a Hampshire commercial decorating contractor that turns up, communicates clearly and delivers a finish that lasts.
