The Story of the Vanana and the Importance of Full Size Samples

Many years ago my dad and I had a brown VW camper van.  After some major body work my dad decided (unbeknownst to me) to paint it as well.  I returned home from school and found a bright canary yellow van in the driveway, visible from miles around.  It soon became known as the Vanana.

I asked my dad what he was thinking and he assured me that he had selected a tan color.  He showed me the paint swatch and it really did look tan in isolation.  However, when place against the new paint job it was definitely yellow.

So what was the point of this story (other than indulging in van nostalgia)?  The point is that sometimes the same concrete color in small doses can appear much different than in large doses.   Thus a 3×3 ARTO color chip might be a good starting point but may not fully represent the color expression seen in 16×16 tiles or 36×36 pavers.  Light can reflect differently and the color can look much different.  Different molds, shapes, and surface textures can also vary the color from what is seen on a small chip.

For that reason, ARTO is happy to provide full size samples to give a better sense of the natural variation and beauty you will seen in your finished products.  It is also a good idea to place the samples in your installation area to get a better idea of how they will look in actual lighting conditions and next to other finishes.

There is no charge (other than shipping) for most samples and please contact ARTO or your local dealer for more information or to place your sample order.