Paint matching

First off, sorry for the long post. I have a new house (2 years) that I am trying to touch up the paint on. It is a flat enamel paint and I have the exact paint from a can the contractor left behind and went to the same paint store to get two additional gallons for touch ups. However, when I use the paint on the walls it a shade or so darker. Is it possible that the painter altered the paint has it was being applied. I believe they sprayed then rolled the paint because there are quite a few areas where the paint is really light and it completely washes away when you attempt to wash the walls. Could they have thinned the paint with water to make it spray easier and thus lightening the paint's original tint. I really don't want to have to completly paint a wall just to do a touch up if I can avoid it.

Thanks

Leslie

 

What brand and line of paint was used?

Hard to say if it was thinned to spray, if he used a big enough airless and tip - no thinning is necessary. Thinning the paint shouldn't alter the color any. Spraying and then back rolling is the correct way to apply wall paint with an airless. The painter wouldn't have altered the paint in any other way. Do you know if he used a primer? It's possible the paint manufacture has altered the paint base slightly over the years. How well the paint store keeps their tint machine calibrated could also play a role.

Some of the cheaper paints [especially if no primer was used] aren't very washable

 

Touching up can be tough, sometimes you just have to paint the whole wall

Odds are you could buy better paint anyway, especially if this was left behind by the builder