Getting paint samples is a crucial first step when taking on any interior painting project. Paint samples allow you to test different colors on your walls before committing to buying full gallons of paint. This helps ensure you end up with a color you love. For many years, paint stores have typically offered small paint samples for free. But with rising costs, some paint companies are rethinking their sample policies. So are free paint samples still available? Let’s take a closer look.
The purpose of paint samples
Paint samples, often called paint swatches, are small amounts of paint – usually 2 oz. or less – that painting professionals provide to customers. There are several important reasons to use paint samples:
- Test colors – Samples let you see how colors look on your walls before buying a full can. Colors look different in a store versus your own lighting.
- Identify favorites – By testing multiple samples, you can compare colors side-by-side and identify favorites.
- Check coverage – You can verify if a color provides sufficient coverage over existing wall colors.
- Coordinate – Samples help coordinate trim/accent colors with wall colors.
Without sampling first, you risk choosing a paint color you don’t like or that doesn’t work well in your space. This could lead to having to repaint if you don’t like the color after completing a full room. Paint samples help avoid wasted time, effort, and money.
Traditionally free from paint brands
For many years, all major national paint brands have offered complimentary paint samples. This includes companies like Behr, Benjamin Moore, Valspar, and Sherwin-Williams. These samples are small – usually 1-2 fluid ounces apiece. But they are enough to paint a decent sized swatch on your wall to evaluate the color.
The paint brands offer samples for free for a couple of key reasons:
- To aid customers – Free samples provide a valuable service to help customers pick colors.
- To increase sales – Samples get paint onto walls and help drive paint sales.
Benjamin Moore estimates over 50 million free paint samples are provided to customers each year. The sample cans cost $1-2 to produce but deliver over $1 billion in annual paint sales. So for paint brands, giving away free samples has been an extremely effective model.
Rising costs putting pressure on free samples
In the last couple of years, paint manufacturers have faced rapidly rising costs for materials, labor, transportation, and more. Supply chain issues have also made procuring ingredients and cans more difficult. As a result, profit margins are shrinking.
Giving away millions of free samples now represents a more significant expense than it once did. Some analysts estimate sample costs have risen 30-50% for the major paint brands. This has led companies to reconsider their sample policies.
Recent changes to policies
So far most major brands are maintaining free samples, but some changes are emerging:
| Brand | Sample Policy Changes |
|---|---|
| Behr | No reported changes |
| Benjamin Moore | No changes yet but evaluating options |
| Valspar | Limiting samples to 4 per customer per visit |
| Sherwin-Williams | Considering charging $2-5 per sample |
Limiting samples or charging small fees could save paint companies tens of millions in costs annually. But they also don’t want to lose sales from customers not sampling first. So brands seem to be proceeding cautiously.
Finding free samples from retailers
Even if major paint brands eventually charge for samples, you may still be able to get free samples from some paint retailers. Stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s provide their own store-branded paint lines, such as Behr at Home Depot. They have motivation to provide free samples to promote their own paints.
The downside is you may not get to sample the exact brand or color you want. But if you are flexible or open to an equivalent color, free samples may still be obtainable. It’s also possible hobby and craft stores like Michaels could offer painting samples.
Purchasing affordable samples
If obtaining any free samples becomes difficult, purchasing samples is still an affordable option. At $2-5 per sample, you would likely only spend $10-20 to sample a few colors for a single room. This is inexpensive insurance to avoid a paint mistake costing hundreds of dollars in time and supplies to redo.
One emerging option is direct-to-consumer paint brands that sell samples online. For example, Clare provides samples starting at $2.50 with free shipping. And Backdrop sells sets of 3 samples for $10. Purchasing online can provide broader selection and convenience versus visiting physical stores.
Being strategic with samples
If you do need to pay for samples, be strategic to minimize costs:
- Order online for convenience, selection, and lower cost.
- Narrow your selection to 3-5 favorites first.
- Prioritize sampling on bigger walls and rooms.
- Get the smallest samples – you usually don’t need more than 1-2 oz.
- Purchase samples only of your top 1-2 contenders.
Careful planning allows sampling all your top choices while minimizing unnecessary costs.
Consider complementary tools
Beyond physical paint samples, also take advantage of complementary digital tools. For example:
- Mobile apps – Apps like Benjamin Moore ColorReader let you virtually preview colors.
- Paint visualizers – Brand websites feature visualizers to digitally “paint” a room image.
- Pattern cards – Color strips make it easy to coordinate patterns across rooms.
These tools provide additional guidance on picking colors at no added cost.
Conclusion
While rising expenses are causing paint brands to reevaluate sample offerings, free samples remain widely available – for now. But even if major brands begin charging small fees, you typically can still obtain samples at no cost from retailers. And purchasing a few inexpensive samples may provide convenience and flexibility advantages. With strategic planning and using complementary tools, smart sampling ensures you still pick the perfect paint color for every project.
