Using the catalog

How to Choose a Paint Substitute

Finding a paint equivalent usually starts with color, but color is only the first question. A substitute also has to fit the way you intend to use it.

Nothing on this site is a physical paint test. A displayed match means two catalog records store similar digital color values and, optionally, similar descriptive attributes. It is a starting point for comparison, not a guarantee that one pot can replace another.

Step 1: start from the catalog color match

The delta E value shown for a match measures the distance between the recorded digital color values. A lower number means the two records are numerically closer. Use it to build a shortlist of candidates within the color family you are working in.

Step 2: compare attributes, not just color

Next, compare the attributes the catalog stores. These are the things that most often make an otherwise good color match a poor substitute:

  • Purpose: a primer, varnish or technical/effects product is not a like-for-like swap for an ordinary color paint.
  • Type or medium: water-based acrylic, alcohol acrylic, enamel and lacquer do not thin, dry or layer the same way.
  • Application: a spray or airbrush product is applied differently from a brush paint.
  • Effect: a metallic or contrast/wash-style paint behaves differently from a flat conventional paint.
  • Finish and opacity: matte versus gloss, and opaque versus transparent, change how a paint covers and layers.

Step 3: treat conflicts and gaps honestly

When the attributes agree, the comparison is supported by the catalog. When they disagree, for example a primer against a conventional paint, the catalog has an explicit conflict, and the match is flagged as a mismatch even when the colors are close. When an attribute is missing on one or both records it is unknown, not a match, and the comparison is reported as unverified.

A mismatch does not mean the two paints cannot be used together. It means the catalog does not support presenting one as a verified substitute for the other.

Step 4: decide in the real world

Before committing, test the candidate the way you will actually use it: on a spare figure or a swatch card, over the primer and undercoat you normally use, under your usual lighting. Paint applied over a primer can read differently from a screen color, and opacity, finish and drying behavior only show up once the paint is on a surface.

  • Try a small amount before replacing a paint you rely on.
  • Check the manufacturer's product page for the exact range the color belongs to.
  • Follow the manufacturer's instructions and Safety Data Sheet for any thinning, mixing or clean-up.

Where the catalog can and cannot help

The catalog can tell you how close the recorded colors are and whether the stored descriptive attributes agree. It cannot tell you whether the pigments match, how the paints cover a surface, how they dry, or how they look under your lamp. Those questions are answered by trying the paint, not by reading a number.