By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
Westborough??””We provide anything and everything to do with painting your house, inside and outside, and the tools that go with those jobs,” said Chad Bristol, paint sales manager for Koopman Paint, the paint division of Koopman Lumber Co.
Koopman Paint of Westborough was formerly Westboro Paint and Decorating. The family-owned company, based in Whitinsville, now operates six stores in central Massachusetts, three of which, in Westborough, Sharon and Milford, are stand-alone paint stores. The others are full-line hardware and lumber retailers.
“We were attracted to this location because of its strong customer base and the demonstrated support for local businesses from the community,” Bristol said. The location, just off the downtown rotary, has been a paint store since 1998.
Koopman Paint offers the complete line of Benjamin Moore paint products. “We like their products. Benjamin Moore has a reputation in the New England market as a superior performing brand,” he said. “Plus many of the products are made in Milford, employing Massachusetts workers.” The store no longer carries wallpaper, window treatments or decorative fabrics.
Koopman sells all of the tools and products needed for both interior and exterior painting and rents such equipment as power washers, sprayers, carpet cleaners and floor sanders, primarily to professional contractors, but to homeowners as well. It also repairs professional painting equipment.
Customers can rent equipment such as generators, power tools or lawn and garden equipment carried in the hardware stores at the Westborough store and pick it up at that location.
Koopman Paint will refer customers to painting contractors, and urges customers to recommend painters to expand that referral base.
John Lister, Susan Ressler and interior designer Rose Wheeler continue on the staff under the new ownership, offering assistance with products and color choices in the store. Wheeler's specialty is in-home consultations to coordinate all aspects of an interior remodel, and she bills by the hour through the store for these consultations.
“Rose can coordinate everything, suggesting tile, carpeting, flooring and upholstery as well as paint,” Bristol said. “Whatever you need to get the certain look you want.”
The trends in paint colors now are toward more vibrant colors, Bristol said.
“For a long time, the earth tones and neutrals dominated, and neutrals will always be popular. But the trend is to brighter, cleaner colors, more yellow than gold, more sky blue instead of gray-blue. You might see these colors as accents, for example on a mantle or fireplace wall, or as a blue ceiling with neutral walls.”
To help customers “get over the color hurdle” given the enormous range of shades available, the store can make up pint containers of every color it sells, so customers can try several shades on a wall. Larger color swatches, 18 by 18 inches, are also available to tape up.
“We can match any color you bring in,” he added, “whether it's from a rug, upholstery or a competitor's paint.”
Koopman is sensitive to consumers” concerns about environmentally friendly products.
“Benjamin Moore is on the leading edge in developing its own tints and resins for environmentally friendly paints,” Bristol said. “The great thing is that, in Benjamin Moore's case, they actually created a superior product when they went “green.””
The store carries the firm's Gennex line of zero-VOC paints, which contain no volatile organic compounds, a formulation often preferred by homeowners for infants” and children's rooms and necessary for buildings to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification as a green building.
“These paints also cover well and look nice,” he said.
Koopman Paint is located at 15 East Main St. in Westborough, and is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday. For additional information, call 508-366-9898 or visit the website www.KoopmanPaint.com.
