Monarch Paint & Wallcovering

I have dealt with this Monarch location for several years, but infrequently. I buy the paint only — no experience with the wall-​coverings or window treatments there. After my my recent visit I realized how satisfied I always am with the experience of shopping there. It’s a subtle feeling, but I feel welcome and well-​treated at this store — and not because I spend a pile of money at each visit — because I don’t.
What I like: The old building has some character, the folks at the desk and cash registers work well together, are attentive, seem to give good advice, and treat you like they’ll see you again. The place feels to me like I want a neighborhood store to feel. The staff is helpful, they answer my questions, inquire about my project so as to match my needs to the right products, and send me away with top-​notch materials… at a fair price for top-​notch. (You’ve heard it before: buying cheap paint is the most expensive thing you can do.)
I plan my trips there when they’re least likely to be busy. –Probably not a bad idea. This store is what taking service beyond courtesy and expertise looks like to me.

Sherry Burton Ways, the colorist at the store is exceptional. She has a great fund of knowledge about paint and an excellent eye for color. She’s a pleasure to work with because she truly listened to our preferences.

Judith was fantastic in providing assistance and ideas for choosing grass cloth-​paper. I will definitely seek her out again. Unfortunately, the other woman who sits at the designer’s desk up front is UNhelpful and acts like she doesn’t want to be there. Quite contrary to the energetic and welcoming attitude from Judith.

The owner has contacted me and stated the following:
«It appears we were able to find the transaction information regarding your experience based on the information you have provided. We have found that it dates back to September of 2012. We purchased Monarch in April of this year from the previous owner. No personnel associated with the decorating department at the time of your transaction is currently employed with Monarch, so we are unable to get additional details of what transpired and how the decorating department handled your unfortunate situation.» Also «Based on the transaction dating September of 2012, we would appreciate if you could remove your posting from Unilocal considering this transpired under previous ownership and almost 3 years ago. As a business owner I am sure you understand the impact that a negative review can have on your business, especially one that is not associated directly with your business and one that occurred almost 3 years ago and was not posted in a timely manner to reference the current state of a business.»

Had a custom Ralph Lauren Suede color made that ended up being completely wrong… It clashed with my adjoining walls, my art and my furniture. Being familiar with the color and paint from using it before I compared it to the sample chip. It was totally off, and I needed to redo the entire project. The associate at Monarch DID refund my purchase, but refused to attempt to make the color match the sample for me. I felt he was rude and condescending, and had to go to another store. I was not impressed with the customer service, but I feel it may be only the rude associate I dealt with. In the past, I found them to be much more courteous and professional.

I stopped in Monarch today, after seeing on their site that they carry C2 paints:
«The C2 colors are all available in easy to use 18″ x 24″ Ultimate Paint Chip samples — no mess or cleanup of these samples — selecting your color has never been easier!»
I love the ultimate paint chip and having seen it at Potomac Paints in Arlington, I wanted to see some more (close to work). They don’t actually carry the chips (small or large), you can only order the paint through them. Definitely false advertising.
I also wanted to check out some Benjamin Moore Afffinity for Aura paints. After seeing the chips and sample pots in Arlington yesterday, I wanted to pick up a small pot to try out. Not only were the pots mostly gone (they had maybe 1 of 5 colors available), even the paint chip card I wanted was empty.
I wouldn’t go back to this store for the purpose of paint color research.

I’m no painting expert but I love me some West Elm! Enter Benjamin Moore. The west elm catalog has the Benjamin Moore paint colors used in each photo shoot listed on each page. Most of my bedding is from west elm, so I was looking for a steel gray wall color to complement the look of the room. Shadow gray was available in my local store and for about 38 bucks a gallon, I bought 2.
The paint is a lot heavier than what you get from Home Depot (*cough* Behr sucks *cough*), which made it easier to apply, and the colors look so much richer and less streaky. It dried fairly quickly as well, but I’m sure the 100+ degree weather we’ve been «enjoying» in DC lent a hand in that.
The workers there are very friendly and helpful and their paint supplies are moderately priced compared to ACE Hardware which is just up the street. I will certainly come back for future paint! If you’d like to see the coverage job, I posted a Before/​After pic of the room I painted. The gray on the left is the «After».

Benjamin Moore is really the only paint you should ever use for interiors. Awesome finish, great coverage, drys fast. It’s expensive but worth it. Every other brand is Crayola in comparison.
YAY! Friendly staff
Boo… Closed at 5pm

Have been to a few of thier stores. The service and selection of products is great. The service would be hard to beat. Though there are other paint stores in the district I certainly would check here first. Benjamin Moore is the primary paint brand that they carry.

Great paint store.
They have a decorating/​wallpaper section in the front of the store, and a paint section in the back.
I’ve never used their decorating ladies in the front of the store, but have gotten great advice from the paint guys (and even a customer) in the back of the store.
They have a knowledgeable staff and good products. They not only carry Benjamin Moore paints, but also Fine Paints of Europe and assorted other useful products and tools from various manufacturers.
A+

Great store. Great people. Great location. Just south of the Chevy Chase circle on Connecticut Ave. NW, they are convenient to Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and NW DC. I thought I knew what I was doing when I started repainting the inside of my home in Bethesda. I was wrong. The colors I chose were, in my imagination, both bold and earthy at the same time. They ended up clashing horribly.
There are three decorators at this location and all three are very knowledgeable about the types of houses in the area and how lighting can affect color combinations. I opted to forgo the in home consultation and took the advice I was given on placement of the colors I’d chosen. With only one exception, I was able to use the colors I’d originally picked. Rather than covering whole walls with the palette, I was advised to use some of the colors as accents. The result is amazing. I come home now and marvel at the insight the decorator was able to bring to my project while not having stepped foot into my home. I think, though, that I will take her up on her offer of an in home consultation when I tackle a different part of the house. The lighting in that area is strange and I want her to see the space. I feel sure that the cost will be more than worth it.