# Benjamin Moore's Advance cure hardness: Stock colors vs. Custom colors.



## Packard (May 2, 2018)

It is my experience, and it is widely reported that the dark colors of Advance are slower to cure and don't cure as hard as the lighter colors.

I recently had a custom black mixed and it seems to be softer than the factory stock color (HC-190 "Black").

Is this my imagination or do the factory stock colors cure faster and harder than custom colors?


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## monarchski (Jun 21, 2019)

Packard said:


> It is my experience, and it is widely reported that the dark colors of Advance are slower to cure and don't cure as hard as the lighter colors.
> 
> I recently had a custom black mixed and it seems to be softer than the factory stock color (HC-190 "Black").
> 
> Is this my imagination or do the factory stock colors cure faster and harder than custom colors?


HC-190 is not a stock color. They do have a stock black in Advance but it's a deeper black than the HC-190. The more colorant that's added hurts most products from any supplier. The key to Advance is thin coats especially so in darks.


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## Knobbe (Mar 14, 2021)

monarchski said:


> HC-190 is not a stock color. They do have a stock black in Advance but it's a deeper black than the HC-190. The more colorant that's added hurts most products from any supplier. The key to Advance is thin coats especially so in darks.


A deep navy I sprayed took close to 6 weeks to cure. At 30 days a small lamp left a mark.


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## Packard (May 2, 2018)

I have had similar experience with an emerald green color. And even several months later is is not as hard as the whites. 

But even acknowledging that, are the mixed-at-the-factory stock colors going to cure harder and faster than the custom mixed-in-the-store colors?


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## monarchski (Jun 21, 2019)

Packard said:


> I have had similar experience with an emerald green color. And even several months later is is not as hard as the whites.
> 
> But even acknowledging that, are the mixed-at-the-factory stock colors going to cure harder and faster than the custom mixed-in-the-store colors?


Yes, the pigment is ground into the product in most cases.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Packard said:


> I have had similar experience with an emerald green color. And even several months later is is not as hard as the whites.
> 
> But even acknowledging that, are the mixed-at-the-factory stock colors going to cure harder and faster than the custom mixed-in-the-store colors?


Most waterborne alkyd and hybrid products are like this. urethane products like centurion, CC, command, renner, etc no problems in dark colors


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## Packard (May 2, 2018)

I may re-try Command. But the Advance was easier to lay out a smooth finish for me. (HVLP). I have some Command in the shop. I will take another stab at this.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Packard said:


> I may re-try Command. But the Advance was easier to lay out a smooth finish for me. (HVLP). I have some Command in the shop. I will take another stab at this.


Ceturion, renner, enviorlak are much easier to spray than command for fine finish work. I like command but I wouldn't ever use it for cabinets. I am spraying an exterior table and chairs which I think command is well suited for in a bright red.


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

HC-190 and the premix black are the same color. Formulas are the same in the computer. Back of the color chip lists both. 

For me, Hale Navy is the scuff-x color that never seems to cure and get hard. Takes a couple weeks to flip a cabinet door in humid weather.


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## PaintedbyStephen (Jan 4, 2022)

I exclusively use BM paints with my business, and I honestly rarely actually use BM colors (clients always seem to pick Shitty-Williams colors). I have noticed that for some reason, when the color I’m using (even if it’s a physical BM paint) isn’t a physical BM catalog color, there are times when the product doesn’t act right or like normal.

For instance, on one project I was using BM BEN interior (flat sheen mind you), and it was matched to a Valspar color. After the standard 2 coats, it was flashing on the cut-in/roller overlap. Flat sheen. It was turning satin on the overlap. I don’t know, but when it’s not a BM catalog color, there’s always the chance that the paint is gonna act up…


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## monarchski (Jun 21, 2019)

DeanV said:


> HC-190 and the premix black are the same color. Formulas are the same in the computer. Back of the color chip lists both.
> 
> For me, Hale Navy is the scuff-x color that never seems to cure and get hard. Takes a couple weeks to flip a cabinet door in humid weather.


If you did a drawdown of the standard black they make in certain products like Regel Select Ext and Advance side by side with the HC-190 mixed black, you'd see a difference.


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

“Many retail tint systems use glycol-based liquid colorants.”

*Too much colorant: *

Paint will be quite thick
Paint will lose gloss when dry
Paint dries soft
Paints will not dry
Paints will lose their protective qualities
Paints will be too dark


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## Packard (May 2, 2018)

Holland said:


> “Many retail tint systems use glycol-based liquid colorants.”
> 
> *Too much colorant: *
> 
> ...


I did not know that. A little research confirms that point: PaintInfo | Caution Notes | Paint Colorants and Problems with Tints

_Paints made with the color pigments added at the manufacturing stage (although often limited in range of color) offer the benefit of being less sensitive to moist conditions than a strongly tinted base. These should be considered when painting exterior surfaces, particularly those exposed to constant damp conditions, or when the application is to take place in questionable weather._


Is there a list of colors that are "factory"? I am mostly interested in Benjamin Moore's Advance colors.


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

I have noticed that the old Satin Impervo stock black was blacker than all the other stock blacks I have used before (but this was a long time ago). It was noticeable compared to say the DTM stock black colors.


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## HuskyPaintStore (10 mo ago)

Packard said:


> Is there a list of colors that are "factory"? I am mostly interested in Benjamin Moore's Advance colors.


Benjamin Moore factory Advance colors are White and Black.


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## Packard (May 2, 2018)

OK. I have used both. The white (especially the high gloss white) dries hard (really hard). The black much less hard and takes a longer time to get there. 

I've tried the white for cabinet interiors. I think it is very durable, but it has not been well-received, which strikes me as odd. I've seen plenty of site-painted cabinets where the exterior and the interior were painted with the same color. That apparently, is OK. I don't understand it myselv.


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## genie.sittig (Dec 11, 2021)

Holland said:


> “Many retail tint systems use glycol-based liquid colorants.”
> 
> *Too much colorant: *
> 
> ...


Are you including the BM Gennex colorants in this statement?


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

genie.sittig said:


> Are you including the BM Gennex colorants in this statement?


I don not have any experience using Gennex, but it appears it does not use Glycol colorants.

Low VOC paints do not always behave the same way as ‘typical’ paints, often they are “high solids”.


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