Can anybody recommend an accurate Alabama Crimson paint manufacturer and color name? I'm getting ready to do up a Bama room.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is always tricky. The official crimson color - which is supposed to be used on all printed logos - is Pantone 201C. However, you can't take that to your average, local paint store and have them mix up a batch of that. You can't even give them RGB or CMYK values for them to use. They need a paint "dye" formula. Which means using a PPG store (assuming one's available), having them call the Tuscaloosa store to get the formula, hoping it gets properly translated over the phone, and hoping the tech mixes it properly.
Also, the color matching at those places is not very good. I took a properly printed PMS 201C sample - printed on a high-quality, calibrated printer - to three different stores to get samples of different paints to try. All three were noticeably different from each other as well as noticeably different from the printed sample after drying on the wall.
On top of that, paint is not paint is not paint. The color that a particular paint "formula" appears on a wall in a room is dependent upon the brand/type of paint purchased, the sheen of the paint, the base (paint, primer, bare sheetrock) upon which the paint is applied, the number of coats of paint applied, and - more than you'd think - the amount of direct sunlight as well as the light bulbs in the room.
Also, if you compare your Alabama memorabilia, you'll find at least half a dozen or more different shades of "crimson" - none of which might actually match a properly printed PMS 201C sample.
I recently painted my office and ran into the same conundrum. I was also very perplexed and annoyed at not being able to give them a common color identifier - from the very system that is used to ensure that their printed paint strip samples match their paint on the wall - and have them mix the paint. So, I made one design decision, did a lot of research, and came up with what I think was an excellent solution.
First, rather than painting the whole room crimson I painted one "accent" wall crimson and the rest gray. From a decorating perspective, I have my non-crimson - mostly black and white - memorabilia on the crimson wall so that there's not any clashing crimson. My other stuff - at least what of my collection I chose to put in my office - is on the gray walls.
Second, I found two standard Benjamin Moore paints that are within a 95%-97% match for the official crimson and gray for which virtually every paint store will have the formula:
Crimson: Benjamin Moore Flamenco - CSP-1195
Gray: Benjamin Moore Cinder - **-705
I went with Valspar Signature from Lowes (they had a really good deal at the time) in a a semi-gloss finish. The semi-gloss finish looks great on textured walls. For flat walls I would go with satin.
Note, the Cinder is not as close to a perfect match to the gray as the Flamenco is to the crimson; it's a little bit lighter. However, especially for small to medium sized rooms, a little lighter is better. Also, the Flamenco is going to look way too bright red going on but it dries darker.
Good rule of thumb for painting samples on a wall: wait 24 hours before really looking at them.![]()
Any color that's even close to Crimson is better than orange!Nail on the head UAF4L. We had a thread about this a long while ago-I couldn't find it- and the general consensus was that there seems to be several different crimson colors. Helmets vs jersey color etc etc. "official" fan clothing seems to vary from supplier to supplier. Find an official crimson you like and go with it. If your guest says "that don't look like official crimson" throw his butt out. Substrate, sheen. light reflectance value and adjacent colors all make a difference.
So says seebell, formerly know as the best paint contractor east of the Mississippi River.![]()
If you ever want to take working vacation, over to Texas, let me know. Can find lots of work for you.
Several years ago (6ish), I painted my Bama room using colors from The Home Depot - they used to have a "college colors" deal, so I'm not sure if they still carry the paint or not. Most folks on here have seen my room several times, so I'll share only one photo, but it turned out really, really good. Roll Tide and good luck! Would love to see the finished product.
![]()
That's the Glidden line at the Home Depot. I got a sample of that and it was way too dark - compared to the official Alabama Crimson. Of course, most of the Nike clothing is much darker than the official Alabama Crimson, so it's actually more likely to match the Jerseys and stuff.Several years ago (6ish), I painted my Bama room using colors from The Home Depot - they used to have a "college colors" deal, so I'm not sure if they still carry the paint or not. Most folks on here have seen my room several times, so I'll share only one photo, but it turned out really, really good. Roll Tide and good luck! Would love to see the finished product.
![]()