Ace Hardware is a major American retailer of home improvement supplies and products with over 5,000 stores across the United States. They offer a wide selection of paints from various brands, including the Royal paint line. Royal paints have been around for over 60 years and are known for their high quality and durability.
The History of Royal Paint
The Royal Paint brand was founded in 1947 by the Chicopee Manufacturing Company in Johnson City, Tennessee. Chicopee was a textile and paint manufacturing company that was one of the largest producers of paint in the southern United States at the time.
The Royal line of paints was designed to be a premium product offering high performance and exceptional durability and coverage. The name “Royal” was chosen to evoke these qualities and present the paint as the elite choice for consumers.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Royal Paint continued to grow in popularity and expand its distribution across hardware stores and paint dealers. The brand became known for its top-tier quality and reliability among both professional painters and DIYers.
The Creation of Ace Hardware
In 1924, a group of independent hardware store owners banded together to form Ace Stores, a retail cooperative designed to increase their buying power and ability to compete against larger chains. This cooperative eventually evolved into the modern-day Ace Hardware Corporation.
As Ace Hardware grew into one of the largest hardware cooperatives in the world, they began seeking out high-quality brand name products to offer in Ace stores. This included pursuing an agreement to stock and distribute Royal paints in Ace retail locations.
Royal Paint Comes to Ace Hardware
In the late 1970s, Ace Hardware reached a deal with Chicopee Manufacturing to become a leading retailer of Royal paints. This provided a tremendous new sales channel for the Royal brand to reach millions of new potential customers across the United States.
For Ace Hardware, adding Royal paints to their offerings gave them a premium, professional-grade paint line up to the standards of quality that Ace wanted for their stores. It filled a need for a reliable, durable paint brand recommended for both interior and exterior use.
The partnership between Ace and Royal Paint has continued for over 40 years. Today, Royal Paint remains one of the flagship paint lines sold at Ace Hardware locations nationwide.
The Manufacturing of Royal Paint
Throughout most of its history, Royal paints were manufactured at the original Chicopee plant in Johnson City, Tennessee. This 66-acre facility housed the complete paint making process from raw materials to finished products.
However, in 2015, the Royal Paint Company was purchased by The Sherwin-Williams Company, one of the largest paint producers in the world. This shift in ownership meant changes for the manufacturing of Royal Paint.
Today, while Royal Paint maintains its brand identity and logo, the actual paint products are manufactured by Sherwin-Williams in their network of paint plants across the United States. Though no longer made in Tennessee, strict standards are maintained to adhere to the Royal Paint reputation for quality.
Royal Paint Product Offerings
The Royal Paint brand offers a full line of interior and exterior paints and primers to meet a wide variety of consumer needs. Some of their leading products include:
- Royal Interior Latex Paint – Available in multiple sheens from flat to semi-gloss, provides excellent coverage and durability.
- Royal Exterior Latex Paint – Specially formulated to withstand weathering, fading, peeling, and mildew.
- Royal Enamel Interior Alkyd Paint – A traditional oil-based enamel that dries to a hard, reflective finish.
- Royal Primer – Unifies porosity differences and promotes topcoat adhesion.
- Royal Ceiling Paint – High hide white paint that resists yellowing.
In addition to paints, Royal also offers complementary products like brushes, rollers, paint trays, and spackling that are commonly used for painting projects.
Key Features and Benefits of Royal Paint
Some of the reasons Ace Hardware chose Royal Paint as one of its leading paint brands include:
- Durability – Formulated to withstand wear, weathering, and frequent washing.
- Coverage – Hides old colors and imperfections in fewer coats.
- Color Retention – Resists fading from sun exposure.
- Resistance – Guards against mold, mildew, stains, and moisture damage.
- Application – Applies smoothly and easily with minimal drips or splatter.
- Washability – Allows for easy cleaning without damaging the paint.
Royal Paint Reviews
Overall, Royal Paint products consistently earn positive reviews and high ratings from both professional painters and DIY consumers. On independent review sites like Consumer Affairs, Royal Paint rates 4 out of 5 stars from over 3,500 reviews. Here are some examples of positive feedback:
“Royal is my go-to paint for interior jobs. It covers beautifully and has a nice smooth finish.”
“We used their exterior paint on our house 5 years ago and it still looks freshly painted.”
“Easy to work with, dried quick but not too fast. I’m happy with the results and would use Royal Paint again.”
Some areas for improvement noted in reviews include the price being slightly higher than lower quality brands and some consumers needing extra coats for full coverage on dark colors. However, most agree the premium quality is worth the extra cost.
Royal Paint Availability
As mentioned earlier, Royal Paints are sold through Ace Hardware retail stores across the United States. Consumers can find Royal Paints at their local Ace in a variety of quantities and sheens.
Royal also has an online store locator at royalpaints.com that allows you to search for Ace Hardware locations that stock Royal Paint in your area code.
Royal Paint products are typically in the dedicated paint section of Ace stores. Prices vary by type of paint but are considered mid-range to premium. Ace Hardware also regularly runs sales, coupons and promotions that can discount Royal Paint by 10-30%.
Pro Tips for Using Royal Paint
To get the best results from Royal Paint, here are some pro tips:
- Properly prepare surfaces – Clean, lightly sand, and prime to improve adhesion.
- Choose the right sheen – Consider surface use and lighting when selecting sheens like flat, eggshell or semi-gloss.
- Apply painter’s tape – Use tape for clean edges along trim, baseboards and ceilings.
- Use a quality brush – Look for nylon or polyester bristles cut at an angle.
- Roll in sections – Divide walls into 3-4 foot sections and complete one at a time.
- Work quickly – Maintain a wet edge as you paint to prevent lap marks.
- Do the edges first – Cut in along edges with brush before rolling paint on larger areas.
- Clean tools promptly – Don’t let paint dry on brushes, trays, etc.
Conclusion
In summary, Royal Paint has been a trusted American paint brand for over 70 years. Originally manufactured by Chicopee, then purchased by Sherwin-Williams, Royal continues to be a premium product line sold through Ace Hardware stores. Consumers can expect excellent coverage, durability, and performance from the Royal Paints assortment. When applied properly, it lives up to its reputation as a top-tier paint option for home interiors and exteriors.
