Aubrey is a life-long painter and decorator. He has taught his skills in further education colleges for over 30 years, and recently created his own YouTube channel, Aubrey’s Absolute Decorating, to help others in their pursuit of mastering the skill. With years of experience under his belt, Aubrey used Datacolor’s latest colour matching device, the ColorReader EZ, in his latest decorating project…
I recently got to try out the ColorReader EZ from Datacolor and to really put it to the test, I tried it on an upcoming paint project at home. With one click, the tool matches colours to all major paint brands and even gives you the RAL and NCS codes so you can easily mix a colour in case your paint store doesn’t stock it.
What I really liked is that it is simple to set up and use, you just download the ColorReader app from the App Store or Google Play and it’s all connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth.
You can save and label all the colours you scan and there is a function that will give you colour palettes in complementary, triad, analogous and monochromatic colours. This takes out all the guesswork when you choose fabrics and decorations in the same colour scheme. It can be shared with friends, clients or even your paint shop.
I was surprised how small and light the device is, which means I can easily carry it with me wherever I go. I scanned a handful of items at home to get to grips with how the device worked and I was amazed at how accurate it was. I tested anything from brightly coloured tea boxes to duvet covers, and pictures. I even took it with me to a local shop where I scanned the colour of a handbag and other items.
How the tool works in practice
I used the ColorReader EZ on some cushions I have with a great pattern I wanted to recreate on my walls. I matched the grey and yellow colours on the cushion and took the readings to my local paint stop.
Without the ColorReader EZ I would normally try matching the colours using manufacturer’s paper fan decks and colour cards, which would be time consuming. I would also be relying on how accurate my eyes are and be limited to the fan decks I had.
At the shop they suggested using the NCS colour codes to mix up a vinyl matt emulsion in the two colours. When I got back I opened the tins to compare the colours to the cushions. It was great to see just how closely the device had managed to match the colours of the fabric.
Accurate Results
The result of my project is brilliant, and the pattern I created on my living room wall is matching the cushions perfectly. I’ve since used the device to match existing paint colours for other projects and have had similar results.
I was very impressed with the ColorReader EZ. It’s so small and portable so it can be carried around at all times. It’s quick and easy to use and has a database of thousands of colours to match to paint, and it includes a range of features like help with creating colour palettes.
It’s a digital fan deck that takes painters and decorators into the 21st century, cutting out the hassle of matching colours by eye from heavy, unhandy fan decks. It’s already excellent value for money, but by using the discount code, craad2, you get up to £20 off the purchase price.
