House of Color

Great store to shop at if you need paint supplies, hardware, keys and great customer service. I went there on a Saturday to get paint and without having any knowledge what so ever about paint (clueless to be exact) the bald gentleman came to me and asked if I needed help. .I don’t know if he noticed my puzzled face or whatever, but he explained in full detail about quality of paint, paint sheens, what goes best in each part of the house, and everything that I would need to use for the paint job. He even mixed my paint, boxed it up and carried it out to my car parked 2 blocks away. Great customer service and he got me out of there in no time. It’s good customer service like that which will have me always coming back. Great job and wonderful business!

All the staff here are great with one noticeable exception — the older Hispanic guy behind the counter. If you looked up the words «blowhard» and «condescension» in the dictionary you’d likely find a picture of him smiling and waving at you.
I’ve gone in there several times with empty cans of paint of different colors to buy more for touch up purposes; and each time he would scornfully tell me that the paint is no longer made and that the replacement color would never match the paint on my walls. Suspecting that he was speaking out of the orifice in his nether region, I chose to ignore his advice and bought the replacement color; and, of course, it matched perfectly with the existing paint on my walls even though it was «different».
Don’t think that you can avoid an interaction with him if you approach one of the other people working there. I’ve tried that and «Mr. Blowhard» will insert himself into the interaction no matter what you do to stop it from happening.
The store itself is fine, as are the other employees. I would give the place five stars it this guy would go away.

Was here recently and received the same courteous and helpful service I’ve been accustomed to over the years!

One of the best color selections in town, and Benjamin Moore is great paint. Don’t buy the cheap stuff at Builders Supply or someplace — you’ll be sorry. The guys behind the counter are patient with paint idiots and will answer questions and give examples. This store also has those little sample jars which are a very good idea — use these before you pick your final color as you won’t know how the color looks on your walls until you get a swatch up. I recommend you paint the swatch on a piece of white sample board (available here), not right on the wall. That way you can move the board around the room and see how the color looks in various places, and the current color on your wall won’t affect the new color so much. This is a great neighborhood asset plus it’s used by lots of professional painters and they know where to go.

Went to buy some samples and brought in some hangers I was painting (first attempt, terrible job! I did)
The guy at the counter gave me a lesson on paint, he’s very nice and spent a lot of time with me. I learned how to fix my mistakes with paint.
He also didn’t seem to hurry people even though there were several customers (including me) who were still there right at closing.
They have tons of color paint sheet samples that you can take, they
also sell small sample bottles ($ 3) and bigger ones.
Great paint supply and tool store!

I had a great experience here. Customer service was excellent across the board, especially from Alex. He examined our crude schematic and gave us good advice on what we’d need, even going so far as to point out where we might be spending more than we needed to for our modest project and offering advice on suitable alternatives. The work turned out great! I’ll be back.

I was on my way to a different store to get a key copied, but saw a sign in House of Color’s window that says they copy keys. The copy only cost $ 1.50, and I was out of there in under 5 minutes. In addition, the key works very well!

the guys (and gal) at house of color are awesome. always helpful, friendly, respectful, and remember what colors i like :) i am an interior designer that loves me a paint store– and this by far is my favorite. i come here for all my paint needs– both professionally and for my own home. they have a great selection of brands and tools and treat the clients i bring in like VIPs.
they do not try to up-​sell or hustle me into buying more than i need, which i very much appreciate. highly recommend!

Went there 2 days ago to buy spray paint with my 6 year old daughter, i live on the next block, and its not the first time i buy there but im sick and tired of this rude ass people, mainly the owner. Yeah, the one with gray hair…
They didnt even have plastic bags, i said i will buy one to carry my cans. but the other idiot said .we dont have plastic bags… i will never buy here again…

Professional Sign Painter here — House of Color is great and I’m not the only person that thinks so. The staff is pretty knowledgeable and attentive. They can turn around fast and definitely provide good advice if necessary.
Not sure why the bad reviews — but they do have to deal with really rude demanding types a lot. It’s not their fault if you order the wrong color, forget your receipt for a refund or walk into their store with a bad attitude. I’ve always been respectful and I get respect back. They got a business to operate and do a fine job at it.
25+ years in business speaks more volume than any Unilocal review ever will.

I came to House of Color to get advice and color samples for a large painting project. Their sales associate, Gonzalo was very helpful, both helping me choose colors and clearly explaining why each worked. The fact that House of Color is both family owned and in the neighborhood is a plus.

I wish I could give zero or better still, negative stars. This is not only the worst paint store I have ever dealt with, but one of the worst stores of any kind. The staff is worse than useless: I placed a large order and they hadn’t even started on it at the time it was supposed to be ready to pick up, so I cancelled and went someplace else. Then I went back and selected two color samples and when my client went in to order that paint, they said that they don’t carry those colors any longer. What? Why do they have samples of colors they don’t carry?
I will never go back to this awful place and suggest that you go someplace else when you need paint.

This review is for Adela. I had called another Benjamin Moore paint store close to my house ready to place an order, but chose House of Color after Adela’s awesome customer service I ordered with her. She was polite, fast & great to work with! Thank you!

Old-​fashioned, helpful service from very nice people. You never have to wait for assistance, and everyone that works here is friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable.
Just the sort of place you feel good about spending your money.

INSULTINGLY UNACCOMMODATING
After ordering over $ 250.00 in paint samples at House of Color this week, I went in to pick up the last batch of them today. I realized that I needed 2 cheap sponge brushes to put the sample colors up on the wall. I asked to add the brushes to the bill, but the credit card had already been charged, and I was told that they would need to be paid for separately. The total of the extra brushes came to $ 1.06. Since I had no cash, I pulled out my debit card, but the man said I could only pay with cash since it was below $ 5, and that there was a BofA atm right outside. Thats great, except that If I withdrew cash from that atm to pay for the brushes, the fee I would be charged would be MORE than the cost of the brushes!
I asked him if he could please just throw me a bone!!! I just spent over $ 250.00 here!!! I just need these brushes to apply the colors to the walls and I’m completely willing to pay for them with my card.
Nope.
He stared at me and told me that he couldn’t help me.
How dare you treat me with such disregard and disrespect after I spent HUNDREDS of dollars at your store???
That being said, I will NEVER spend a single cent at this store again, and I will absolutely speak poorly of this place with every chance I get.

House of Color is more then paint store. It has a number of items that you would find at a hardware store. The cons: Pricey, poor customer service. I came here looking for some advice on painting a number of rooms. The service was absolutely horrible. It seems like they expect everyone to be paint contractors. I ended up hiring painters. I made a trip to House of Control with my painter that has 30 years of experience. I hadn’t mentioned what I thought of this place. When we left, the painter commented about how much he dislikes House of Color.
I had a completely opposite customer service experience at Fregosi Paint store. They answered all of my questions. Made a number of great suggestions and pointed out the right equipment. They also have a free color consultant service. Forget House of Color and go to Fregosi if you need help.

Since moving into my apartment on Potrero Hill in 2009, I’ve regularly visited House of Color — for keys, minor hardware supplies, and PAINT. The guys here are knowledgeable, friendly, and honest. I’ve even had them talk me down from buying more expensive painting supplies when they weren’t right for the job.
Sure, you can go to Home Depot, but why? Support your neighborhood businesses, especially when they are awesome like House of Color.

I can just say that I needed a house key copied, and I borrowed my roommate’s brand new key. Had it copied at House of Color quickly and for only 1 $, but later the key still stuck in the deadbolt. Fail.
But I’m sure they have other great qualities. Like Paint.

I thought all places that carry BM paint had the same selection of samples — not true — HOC has the most I’ve seen anywhere in the city (not that I checked 50 places, but you know what I mean).
I appreciate all of the helpful tips they have given me each time I walk in with another paint project. They are always nice and offer to help in any way they can, including answering novice painting questions (why is this one paint so expensive? which roller should I use?).
And, I never feel like they are trying to sell me something — just being helpful and letting me absorb the info is what I need when I’m tackling a new project!
I appreciate the friendly attitude and the fact that this team seems to enjoy what they do and they show up to *work*. It’s really refreshing not to get hipster attitude, ghetto attitude, lazy attitude, etc.
That’s why I’m willing to spend the extra money to come here! I just wish they were open on Sundays since that’s always when I think to go buy paint. :)

Great quality. Knowledgeable staff. Fast, no nonsense service. If you know what you’re doing and don’t mind paying a little extra for fast service and top quality go here. Time is money. Plus, you can grab a Philz and al pastor in the same trip! Gas is money.
I approached the counter requesting info on low/​no VOC paints and the best approach to painting a mural for a nursery.
First suggestion: Paint large areas and use the 2 oz. sample jars for the smaller color areas. Simple solution, easy to manage, but I need A LOT of colors, most of which I don’t know yet.
Second suggestion (THE hookup): Get the bases and add tints to make ANY colors you want! (Safety note from HoC: Tints pretty much cancel out low VOC-​ness)
So I got this… www.yelp.com/biz_photos/H-EmJ9U5J3­xEq8AVCAjZHQ?select=oMrUiEydiorlD88eehqcnA
…and my kid got this… www.yelp.com/biz_photos/H-EmJ9U5J3­xEq8AVCAjZHQ?select=-beozCv7OIZaPl5vKXoj1A
Thanks, HoC!
When you get it right the first time, a discount doesn’t matter.