Matching Colors and Growing Business: How Nick Slavik Uses ColorReader for Painting and Restoration Work

Nick Slavik, proprietor of the Nick Slavik Painting & Restoration Co., is often called upon for historical color matching. And like any successful business person, Nick knows that time is money. That’s why the time he saves using the Datacolor ColorReader is so valuable to him.

“Remember the days of cutting out a piece of wall, driving it to the paint store, waiting for it to get matched, getting the paint tinted then driving back to the job site? I do,” said Nick Slavik.

“Here’s a better way: match the wall color with your ColorReader, share it from your app to the paint store. You work while the paint gets delivered. No lost time. My ColorReader paid for itself the second time I used it.”

Along with the convenience of using a pocket-sized color-matching tool with pinpoint accuracy when you’re atop a ladder on a historic home, Nick is a fan of the ability to create color palettes with his ColorReader.

“I recently walked an entire townhome complex reading colors on each building,” Slavik continued. “I saved them to my library and could share it with property management. The paint store loves it too. My orders are easy to decipher and orderly when using the ColorReader. This tool is the epitome of convenience and a great way to showcase your business’s professionalism.”

Find out how ColorReader can add more “green” to your business.

Color selection can be a barrier to project start.

Anyone who ever tackled a home improvement project knows, a fresh coat of paint can go a long way to improve the overall home appeal and provide great return on investment. However, every paint project starts with the often long and stressful process of color selection. For most, stress comes from having so many options to choose from and wanting to get the color just right.  When hiring a contractor, most of them don’t get involved in recommending colors to their clients.

Reasons are simple, color is very subjective and are often based on an individual’s experience, so one person’s interpretation of blue could be very different from another’s.  Lighting also impacts how we perceive color, a client’s color inspiration sample viewed under her kitchen lights will appear very different under the fluorescent light in the paint store, the same paint on the wall viewed under natural sunlight during the day will appear very different in the evening under manmade lights. Material is another factor, color viewed on a piece of fabric may appear different as a glossy paint on a wall. All these factors can add more time and cost to the painting process and often can be emotional and frustrating for both the client and the contractor.  What if the color selection process can help in closing jobs faster?

Fundamentals of color measurement

We are surrounded by color. Wherever we look, we perceive colors of various shades and intensities. But what, exactly, is color? And can it be measured?

Color is a subjective experience and it is impossible to generate a numerical description of color that fully captures the experience. However, the science of colorimetry offers useful tools for measuring and identifying the physical components of color.

These Include:

• A light source
• An object
• An observer

The measurement of a color is basically nothing other than standardized color vision, where the two factors, light and observer are standardized. To learn more about the science of color, sign up for a color seminar.

The solution to the color selection challenge

We have created an innovative tool that can help you remove the headaches in the color selection process for your contractors and enable them to help their clients quickly identify the color of their vision, be a piece of clothing, or furniture, or art.

The ColorReader Pro is an ultra-portable Bluetooth connected device, that can match a client’s color inspiration to a corresponding paint color in seconds. In addition, the ColorReader mobile app also provides everything a contractor need to create and save color palettes for their clients on their smart phones.

As a paint manufacture, you now have the tools to enable your contractors to engage in the color discussion with assurance and provide additional value to their customers, while shortening the color selection process and build more trust thus more success in their business.

Learn more about ColorReader.

Susan Bunting
Director of Sales & Marketing, Consumer Solutions, Datacolor

Susan has worked in the Paint and Color industry for over 10 years, holding diverse marketing roles in digital, brand, content, and product.

She is currently resolving color challenges and bringing inspiration to life, one color at a time.

Susan holds a Master’s degree in general management from Stevens Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of business administration from University of Rhode Island.