Pursel Quality Paints

Great service and good prices.
Matching colors and paints not only needs technology but an artist. Don’t go to Home Depot or Lowe’s come here. The young man who helped me (didn’t get his name, but tattoo sleeves on his arms) was able to match the perfect color for my wall. I brought in a sample.
They have Ralph Lauren paint here and the guy was able to find it and match it for me. Friendly and fast service. Only cost me $ 15.90 for a qt. And I saw contractors in here. If this is where people in the business come to get their paint then I’m coming here from now on.

This is THE place to buy paint and stain. Great color selection, they can match anything, every finish you can imagine, and fantastic people there to help. Larry is the greatest. He has matched wood stains for us. He really knows his stuff. They offer excellent diy advice and really know they’re paint. The pricing is amazing, too. They have no VOC paint at a superb price.
I once brought a tiny chip of paint from my ceiling that I needed to match. It was about the size of a pea. Tiny. They actually were able to match it! He did it partly by eye. I was amazed!
If you’re looking to paint your house, go here. Get advice, buy your paint, buy your stain, they’ve got it all and then some.

Just had an amazing experience there. Here’s the story: brought in a gallon of paint I bought from there 4 years ago and asked for fresh quart. They gave me one but it was the wrong color. Turns out the label on the old can was wrong. I showed up again the next day and explained the problem. They took the time to match the paint properly. They took the old can to dispose of it for me. At the end of the transaction they asked if I needed anything else. I said I wanted to buy a small professional grade paintbrush. The boss said, «take it. For your troubles.» That, my friends, is superior service.

Don’t know anything about the history; don’t live in Berkeley. All I know is it took me several months looking for Ralph Lauren faux paints. Their own website is useless; N. Bay and SF stores I could find were always closed.
Finally I talk to a human at Lauren; she mispells this store’s name. I call, he says they have no web site. I persist and finally got here.
Store looks fine (it’s a paint store, not a fancy restaurant!); bloke offers help, I tell him what I need (remember, it’s been months: I researched), he gets it. I ask for opinion, he gives a good one. I ask for extras, I get them.
As I leave I tell him the store doesn’t look so good on Unilocal so promise to write them up; «What’s your name»? «Greg»; I’m one of the owners.
He assures me they’ll be stocking Lauren faux paints and glazes (I did that denim thing for my ex; what a pain but still looks cool) for a long time.
Decent little store for hard to find gear.

When Pursel was located at the top of University, I always used them for my paints. Several people worked there specifically to advise on color selection and paint quality. Recently I went to their new location. It is antithetical to the old. A very, very grouchy man with a seriously sour attitude sold me paint. He was completely unwilling to give us any personal service. And, when we got home the paint he sold us was thin and useless. Perhaps, as one reviewer said, this place is for professionals. It certainly no longer is for me.

Very helpful employees willing to go the extra mile. A lot of places are nervous about offering opinions about colors but they were willing to give me their advice. Just really nice, laid back, and professional. Would definitely go back, clearly a business preferred by professionals.

Also a big fan of the Berkeley Pursel paint store. And I am living proof that they’ll give you a special discount account if you are in there all the time. It definitely feels like the place where the pros go. I got my $ 40 dust ventilator mask there, a worth while investment for anyone who actually wants to not breathe crap while getting dirty. Also a good addition for your DIY storm trooper Halloween costume.

The place looks like hell from the outside.
You would get the wrong impression if you just looked at the exterior. But then it’s not so nice on the inside either. So what point am I trying to make here?
Pursel is one of my top 2 places for paint and supplies in the east bay. BUT, they top the competition with their wood stains and treatments.
Overall, they have really honed their stock to the good stuff. The supplies and accessories are excellent and there’s hardly any of the dumbass gimmicky crap from TV. Just enough of that crap to help a UC student patch their apt. and get the security deposit back.
They have good people working here. I’ve received a lot of good advice over the years. Sometimes it’s a challenge getting their attention though. This is a problem in some stores. You can stand at the counter hopping up and down until you’re chafed. I like carry an old lightbulb and drop it. An exploding lightbulb usually wakes up the most comatose store clerk.
Extra Super Bonus– Every so often they’ll pick a random customer and give them a lifetime contractor discount. That’s cool!
(*Don’t do that lightbulb thing. That’s a joke you sicko.)