We were shocked to learn Home Depot no longer carries Martha Stewart Living paint. Shocked…and sad. You might think we have been living under a rock, but we actually just tend to buy lots of paint infrequently. We will stock up on a couple paint colors for various projects all at once. So, it had been several months since we actually purchased paint.
Here is a post on Martha’s blog in early January, where she kind of ignores the discontinuation of her paint, but promotes her color palette being mixed in the Glidden paints at Home Depot. Just a week prior, the New York Post reported Home Depot was dumping the Martha Stewart paint base. Since the Martha Stewart paint chips are still in Home Depot, which we walk by every time we go in the store, we never gave it a second thought.
This weekend we went to find paint for the guest bathroom and grab another gallon to finish off our two-story living room. We found the perfect “Enamelware” blue for the guest bathroom and we grabbed the swatch for “Zinc”, which we are using in the family room. When my hubby went to the counter to have the paints mixed up, they broke the news to us. I immediately felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. Of course we were one gallon shy of finishing the two-story living room that has taken us over a year to complete. I was in total despair. This was the current state of our living room, without a drop of Martha Stewart paint to spare:
The Home Depot lady recommended mixing the Martha Stewart color into Glidden paint. We have never used Glidden paint, and with no option for getting the matching Martha Stewart paint, we had no other choice. We were worried about the paint quality, coverage, and color matching. We are pretty adaptable to change, but when we find a paint brand we like, we try to stick with it. Paint is not an area of life where we care to experiment.
I am happy to report, we were impressed with the quality and coverage of the Glidden paint. We redid our guest bathroom in Martha Stewart’s “Enamelware” mixed in Glidden paint with a satin finish. Had you put the Glidden paint in a Martha Stewart can, I am not sure if we would have been able to tell the difference. The finished walls matched the “Enamelware” paint chip as closely as expected (there is always a slight difference when comparing a paint chip to a painted wall).
We have not used the “Zinc” paint in the family room, yet. That will be the true test. Is there anyway the Glidden paint color and sheen can match the Martha Stewart paint we already started the project with? Or will we have to re-coat the entire room to even out the color? We are crossing our fingers for a match, but preparing for the let down if it does not match. This is what we get for taking over a year to finish a paint project and not getting enough paint for the job in the first place.
Before we left Home Depot that day, I went and grabbed every paint swatch from the Martha Stewart line with the star color key symbol and several with the asterisk color key symbol. My hubby thought I was mildly crazy, as I stacked up over an inch of paint swatches in my hand. Have you ever grabbed such an obscene amount of paint chips?
All reports claim Home Depot will continue to carry the Martha Stewart color palette, but I was not taking any chances. I was just concerned the paint colors may not stay forever, but we love the color selections so much. We based our whole house color scheme on Martha’s color key symbol system and it has never failed us. We prefer colors in the star palette, so I grabbed every single paint chip with a star on it. Many we have already used, some we are planning to use, and the rest we may use some day.
Our laundry room/craft room was painted in a color from the asterisk palette. We like many of the sea glass type colors in this palette, too. I did not grab even chip from the asterisk collection, but picked out all the specific ones we like.
We have not finished painting our whole house and may want to repaint some areas in the future, but I think we will always want to stick to this color palette. I figured as long as I have all the swatches, I can always get the color matched down the line. Plus, no more standing and staring at the paint chips in Home Depot. We have the whole palette at home now for reference.
P.S. In case you didn’t know, Martha’s color key symbol system extends beyond the paint color palette. Her carpets and cabinets also follow the same system. We recently ordered samples of carpet for the basement with the star symbol. We were delighted to confirm the carpet colors with the star symbol go very well with any of the paint colors with the same symbol. Martha really has taken the guesswork out of color coordinating for the home.
Have you ever grabbed all the paint chips from a particular color palette before? Do you have a favorite paint? Ever mourned the loss of a paint brand being discontinued in the middle of your project?
18 Responses to Martha Stewart Paint R.I.P.
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We used Plumage recently in our dining room and had to have it color matched at Lowe’s with Olympic paint. I thought it was just our Home Depot, but apparently it’s all of them. Disappointing, as I really like the colors and how easy it is to coordinate!
Martha Stewart paint may have actually been Glidden paint with just a different label. This happens very often with specialized branding (my own company makes a name brand product and the same product packaged into a “special brand” container). If Martha’s blog promotes the Glidden paint using her palate, then this is even more likely.
Are Martha Stewarts color scheme available in Europe? Is there an international standard like ICS standard for her colors? love the colors and they fit in our home- but it would be easier if I could get them here, instead of guessing the color from photos on the internet… :D
Synne, I am sorry I don’t know about the availability in Europe or where to find the color formulations. Hopefully another reader will be able to chime in with the answer.
I had no idea about the Martha Stewart paint being discontinued or about the marked color palettes. (That’s so Martha though) Makes me want to grab a stack of swatches too. Great Post!
~Danielle
Yep, I’m still mourning the loss of the old Every Day Paint line at Kmart. So many gorgeous colors. In fact, I was able to get one of those colors at HD (Pale Naples Yellow) – it’s been my kitchen color for years. I went back to grab another gallon and was informed the color formula was no longer in their computer. Boo. Fortunately
I’m soooo bummed. I just started collecting the Asterisk colors and was putting together a color scheme for my home. I was at Home Depot last weekend getting samples of MS paints. Maybe my Home Depot is trying go through the lot before they discontinue it. I love how easy MS makes choosing colors. Those undertones get me every time.
I did this same thing — take all the MSL paint chips — just a few weeks ago! I found out they were being discontinued and ran to the store immediately. While we have always had the shade colormatched in another brand, I have never painted with an MSL color I didn’t like. Everyone laughs at my swatch collection now…
I also just painted my dining room Plumage by Martha Stewart but had them mix it with the Glidden paint. Read bad reviews about Martha Stewart Paint. Love, love, love the color…paint was just the right thickness and super easy to apply. I agree, Martha colors are wonderful & unique. Will have to send you pics of dining room once I finish buying accessories.
Suzy, I definitely want to see pictures!
Martha Stewart paints were made by Glidden, so I think the color match should be ok. I have 2 gallons of Bedford Gray left but I think I’ll need three to finish my guest bedroom. I’m in the same boat as you.
Wow this is so interesting. I just painted my front door in Sparkling Brook by Martha Stewart but my Home Depot is already using the Glidden paint so I had no idea there was ever any Martha Stewart paint. Thanx for the info.
Oh no! I used Whetstone Gray in my last office/studio and loved it. I used Morning Fog in my last bedroom and loved it even more! It looked so light and fresh, sometimes more blue, sometimes more green. It was really pretty. I also have a couple of their little samples of bay leaf, and possibly another green. I’ll have to go snag some paint chips next time I’m in HD, if they still have them out!
I love the whole Martha Stewart system of matching colors with the symbols. This saved me, and I work with the moon symbols which have worked out beautifully. I think I’ll go and get all the moon swatches very soon, cause they’re out of the book of colors at my Home Depot, with no plans to get more. How sad they’re discontinuing her line. Great colors too!
I like this color as im looking to paint my master a charcoal gray but was wondering if you notice any undertones in it? I know grey can have like blue, green, pink etc undertones so have you noticed any?
Reba, Zinc would be a great color for a bedroom. We have used it in our family room and also our office, both of which get different lighting. I really have not noticed any undertones in the color. If anything it would lean towards the blue/green side, but if you look at pictures around my slate fireplace, you can see the zinc wall color is straight gray. It is a wonderful dark neutral.
Awesome thanks :)). That’s what I’m looking for. God bless!!
Do you happen to have a swatch of “Ocean Floor” in that stack? Martha discontinued the paint color; I’m trying to determine if it’s a star or an asterisk. Thanks!