Gray’s Paint Stores

I am not a tradesperson and have always received excellent service at Gray’s even though I am only buying samples or small quarts of things. Rich (I think is the manager) is so courteous and helpful and offers great advice on colors. But my favorite guy is Joel who is a color guru! I can show him pictures and he will offer great suggestions and he is great at matching wood stains. They really know their paint!

I had a challenging situation with graffiti on the exterior of my fence. (It is on a major thoroughfare with a bus stop beside our fence.)
Someone tagged the outside of my fence, so I had to figure out a cost effective fix for the problem. (I also did not want to work into my *retirement years painting over the graffiti!) Ha!
I needed some professional feedback regarding the graffiti, surfaces, paint options, and techniques, etc. I checked into Gray’s Paint Store in Menlo Park and had an experience that changed the flavor of my whole day.
I rushed into the store feeling exasperated and walked out feeling WAY better.
So no, I was not feeling great about the Graffiti problem, but I was over the top about Gray’s customer service. (Joel was the primary one who helped me though everyone there was helpful and friendly.)
I described the graffiti issue and the employees were attentive and sympathetic. (Five stars for their attitude alone, seriously!)
However, set aside the warmth and friendly customer service. What you should also know is how knowledgeable they are.
Joel was the primary one helping me, and he was creative in proposing ways to address the graffiti. He did not stick to «one» way of fixing the problem but reviewed several possibilities for treating it effectively.
I did not have a paint sample of the damaged fence. Joel patiently discussed available techniques and the pros/​cons. He detailed what to expect with each choice including removal.
I had very limited time for this errand, so I was especially impressed that Joel was able to perform such a rapid summary of the options. He even helped me figure out the most likely color match based on my description.
I walked into the store feeling infuriated about the Graffiti and frustrated about how to tackle it. By the time I walked out, I was no longer as irate and had a plan that seemed manageable.
I was particularly irritated about the cost (for damage that I had not incurred.) Joel worked out a solution that was cost effective, and I walked out of there feeling so much appreciation.
These guys treated me like royalty! (Given that I came in feeling very crabby, that says even more about them.)
In sum they were:
*Knowledgeable
*Cost effective
*Friendly
*Available

If you’re looking for any kind of service, avoid this shop at all costs. It seems that the only two reviews they received are from people working in the trade, so if you’re a DYI person, you’re better off staying away from them. My wife arrived at the store 30 mins before they closed and simply said to the salesman that she needed help. She didn’t even have a chance to tell him what she wanted, and he simply told her that if she needed advice, she should not arrive there 30 mins before they closed!!! I’m amazed that with this kind of attitude these guys are still in business. I’m all for supporting local businesses, but they need to be professional and courteous. We’ll never go back to this store.

Walked in, Gaston instantly greeted me and helped me find what I needed. Don’t waste your time at Home Depot, these guys know their products and are extremely knowledgable. A++ on customer service!

I’ve been in Gray’s paint a couple of times and each time the salespeople went out of their way to help me. The people who work there are experts at color. They helped me understand color tones and how to find complementary colors. It’s not easy! They remembered me the second and third time I came in and are always friendly. I understand that Benjamin Moore paint can be a little more expensive than others. But I have heard it holds up well, and I think it is worth a little extra to get the assistance needed to find the right color.

I was extremely impressed with how helpful the employees were during my visit. T=I will definitely be doing all of my business when it comes to selecting paint with Gray’s paint. I was pleased that they carry the Benjamin Moore Natura line.

I own a small painting company and frequent this place up to 3 times a week. Their eyematching skills are superb from any of the employees specially the little dude DJ. This place is lively and loud, don’t let their «party atmosphere» fool you, each and eveyone of their employees are very familiar with the products. It is a little more on the pricier side specially for material suchs as tapes. Also the manager Rich is pretty cool and will give you some good tips.

I went last weekend for some advice and had fantastic expert service along with humor throughout. Will definitely return when I need paint again.

Excellent service, and I love to support local business. Unfortunately, they’ve recently stopped selling C2 paint, which is far superior to the supposedly «full spectrum» Benjamin Moore paints which have replaced it. Don’t get me wrong, Benjamin Moore is good quality paint, but for interior design it’s nowhere near as rich and sophisticated as C2’s palette. When I recommend paint colors to clients, I still make a point of using C2, either through a store in San Francisco, or through the mail. It’s kind of a pain to get it that way, but C2 is so much better that it’s worth it. It’s a shame because I really like Gray’s Paint. I’ll still get basic supplies there, just not paint.

Good service, helpful staff. Little expensive compared to big stores.

WONDERFUL paint store! Staff in this store and Redwood City are eager to help you, knowledgeable, and problem-​solvers. Kind and friendly. Low-​key environment, which I like. You can tell that the professional painters come here for their supplies, too. A friend used this paint store to paint every room in her house a unique color, and she also heaped praise on the store.
It’s clearly an independent store compared to the large chains.
I began my paint odyssey this time with a large chain store, who, incidentally, ran out of WHITE PAINT when I needed samples — boo! The Redwood City store is like an emporium of paint samples, all in small jars, perfect for testing colors, and all ready-​to-​go. No waiting, no mixing. I was able to get all 5 white tints in samples within 5 minutes, thanks to their help. Each time I walked in to one of the stores, employees came up to me and said, «How can I help you?» Fantastic customer service.
I’m glad I found Gray’s Paints before I purchased all my paint through a major chain store. I even phoned in my paint order ahead of time, they helped me calculate quantities and types of paint, then I gave them my name, and picked it up within 30 minutes. They didn’t ask for a phone number or payment information. So kind. So convenient. All product was ready, and they loaded it in my car.
You will not waste any time as a customer of Gray’s.
Love this store, its staff, its products, and the service.

This review is for the Redwood City location. Overall, I had a great experience there. Sara, the color expert, was really fantastic. She spent time with us going over color options, explaining what to expect when one color hits up against another or the effect of the shadows in the corners on a color. She really knows her stuff. We were able to select a color easily with her help, and she had the paint ready for us in just a few minutes to take home. When we said we needed a color that another paint store had for touch ups, she was honest and said we should just get it there rather than have them try to match it, because the gloss levels vary and for touch ups, it might be noticeable. I really appreciated her honesty, because I know that Grey’s does do color matching but I hadn’t thought about the sheen. What would make it a five star experience is to have someone greet us or be more available for help as we walked in. The way the store is laid out is the you have to walk to the back to fin the counter — and the people. If the staff were more readily available, it would be a smoother experience. But Sara was super friendly and extremely helpful. I highly recommend her.

Very good paint store. Got help choosing correct primer and paint for an old house’s bathroom that might have been painted last with oil-​based paint. People at big-​box stores totally wasted our time with terrible advice, but 15 minutes at this store made it all work out. Maybe a bit more expensive than Home Depot/​Lowes/​Walmart but you can be confident when you leave that it is going to work and it’s hard to put a price on that.

Incredible paint store… very knowledgeable and friendly. they were hugely helpful to us on our paint selection process from start (painting out samples) to finish (choosing different finishes for the paint), etc. I highly recommend it.

I am a local handyman/​contractor in Menlo Park. I try and buy local and from other small business’s. The Menlo Park Grey’s paint is as good as it gets. The staff is very friendly and know their stuff. I have been a contractor since 77 and I have never run into a retailor that I like more. Little guy in there called DJ that is unmatched in color matching. I do not want to single out one staff member, the entire staff is great. Can not say enough about this establishment, I highly recommend them, and they sell great paint, Benjamin Moore is as good as it gets.

Great paint store. Superb staff who know their stuff and are totally helpful without being all over you. They’ve let me take a couple hundred paint chips over the past week without saying a word. Better yet, they lent me the full Benjamin Moore color wheel to take home for almost a week; they weren’t even going to take my name or information, just let me walk with it! They were also willing to custom-​mix stain for me, though I didn’t take advantage of it. And they have free paint — they’ll give away the quarts or gallons that didn’t get mixed right, and some of them are decent colors. So if you only need to paint a small room, check the free paint first!
The only thing that could be better is if they carried more of the little Benjamin Moore sample pots like the Redwood City store. I had to go up there for additional colors, and they’re nowhere near as nice!

home improvement type places have always been intimidating to me, there’re all these people in there, who seem to know what they’re doing or looking for and sales people start explanations with «as you know.». for someone who knows very little about paint, this was the first place where i felt OK. the staff is VERY friendly and helpful, they went out of their way to help me, excellent selection as well.