I went in here a little clueless but with some basic directions from our contractor, and the staff were wonderful: friendly, helpful, and efficient! Highly recommend! read more

Androniki is amazing and super talented and very patient. She is a colorist and is absolutely amazing. She also really knows wallpaper. I came back to the store multiple times because of her this is such a value add. They also have really great wood paint stain. There's noone I found in the bay area that has the selection they have. They also have a really great selection of wallpaper. That's really unique and beautiful. read more

I've used Marin Color so much over the course of owning a fixer home for 23 years. Recently I'm so dissapointed with their behavior behind the counter. Busy multitasking and barely even acknowleding my presence or questions as I'm buying 9 gallons of stain. The same stain, I use every couple of years on my home. This time the company Arborcoat changed their packaging and apparrently the stain sheen. I went back in to return some caulk and mentioned showing photos of the very distinct sheen change up against my left over stain that I applied first. Louis barely gave me the time of day, no acknowledgement of dissappointment of the time and money that I'm out. He then dished out some advice that didn't even make sense, saying a second coat might help. I wasn't there to be compensated but some acknowledgement, time and conversation that made since would have been nice. I was basically dismissed. I hope I can find another place to meet my homes needs in the future. read more

As far as paint stores go, this one is the best around! The staff is so helpful and accommodating, and they really are willing to teach you and talk to you about the paint and other supplies you may need for your project. If you call ahead, they will mix the paint for you and have it ready by a certain time. Another cool thing is they have a paint consultant who can walk you through color options and show you alternatives within the scheme you are trying to have. Once we started going here, we have come back for each new project and will continue to do so. Given the location, parking can be tough. It's on a buys corner, and there are always work trucks pulling in and out. So, be careful when you park. read more

They have a really great color consultant named Ellen.....great experience with her and the store staff. Real pros ... read more

I just moved in to a new home in San Rafael. The previous owners had left a multitude of cans of interior paint, but nothing matched the walls in the family room, living room, dining room, hallways...i.e, the MAJORITY of the house! One of the cans was labeled "Marin Color Service." I emailed Tony and Kim. Tony called me and OVER THE PHONE asked a few questions and figured out the exact color and finish I needed. He mixed it up for me, I picked it up, AND IT WAS PERFECT! Tony is the the  "Michelangelo of paint." Luis was at the store to help me and he was so friendly and funny! Great customer service. I enjoyed the entire process from beginning to end. Absolutely 5 STARS! read more

Two gallons of custom-color house paint: $217.00 CAUTION ASK, don't assume their services, and prices, are inline with the competition. Shame on them; shame on me for not asking. BTW, after the fact, when I asked "why" -- the manager had a hundred reasons that they could not charge less. Won't shop there again -- hope you will consider taking the same measures. read more

Such a great resource when deciding on paint! Becka and the team of colorists are all so knowledgeable and helpful. They take the time to work through what feels like a million shades of white! The staff behind the counter is equally amazing. Wonderful customer service all around! read more

Looking for paint? Have questions about a finish? Get on down to Marin Color Service. Also, have you ever seen how paint is made? Because I had not and it is mesmerizing and you get to see it done at MCS! Pros + The staff is soooo helpful and knowledgeable. They educated me on when to invest in contractor grade, eggshell vs satin, etc. + Wide selection -- from Farrow and Ball to Benjamin Moore, they've got it all read more

Honestly 50% of the time I speak to someone super nice and helpful and the other 50% it's an impatient rude person. I have shopped here quite a bit. Just wish they could be a little nicer. read more

One manager, Matt, was mean and refused service to me. His manager was nice and helped me. I also appreciate the color consultant as he was helpful. read more

You can always spot a well run business by the attitude of its employees. At Marin Color, employees are happy, helpful and customer oriented. read more

Luis and Chris hooked me up and gave me consummate professional service. Real pros. If you know nothing about paint, they will educate you without making you feel stupid. read more

Marin Color Service - Luis understands the value of customer service. I felt appreciated. - Home Decor Near Me - San Rafael, California

Have been coming to this store for all of our painting needs since the 1970's. For one exterior house color I bought 32 samples of paint before I made a decision. This was accompanied by multiple trips to the store and dozens of unnecessary questions of Luis regarding the tints, etc. He was patient and accurate. The entire store must have high - fived each other as my car was loaded up with the paint for that job. Re Luis: I have also observed him, over the years, handle a few difficult situations in a professional and polite way. Everyone is helpful and knowledgeable at Marin Color. You can count on good products and the right advice. Benjamin Moore is a high quality paint and it shows. I use no other. Your labor is costly--use the best material you can buy. I use both Benjamin Moore Regal and Aura labels and special labels for specific jobs when needed. read more

Just went in to get a color match for a my stairs and was helped by Luis Garcia. He was incredibly helpful and went way beyond expectations to make sure that I got the correct match for my stairs. Give that man a raise! For this they deserve 7 stars! Thank you Luis! read more

Just want to give a shout out to Mr. D. Garcia who deserves 7 stars ******* for not only his excellent customer service but his charming humorous personality. He is a paint color specialist who helped us get the right color match for our laundry room. We went back three times to get the color for the walls and the final one was perfection......Thank you for being so patient with us. We love Marin Color !!!! Thanks to all of you especially the wallpaper/paint folks who have helped us with great color over the years. Marin Color ROCKS!! Lois and Nathan read more

In April after Covid started we decided to paint our entire apartment in Greenbrae. I had never been to Marin Color, but drive by there all the time. Location so convenient ! I started with the girls in the Color Department- very knowledgeable and so nice ! Even though I have a background in Art, picking out colors for walls is very specialized . Then we decided we don't generally like the paint smell - we both can get headaches from these toxic fumes....well, Marin Color has everything you need in Latex paint that is a natural brand so that we could paint during the day and not smell a thing at night!! It's wonderful and very good quality- we even painted our kitchen cabinets. All of the staff is so kind and caring and helped me carry the paint out to my car ! Matt was especially nice to me and even remembered my name each time I came in !!! Now, I am also repainting my bedroom set of wicker furniture and found everything I need in Latex and sealer that does not smell!!! They have some special small paints from England that I am using that come in wonderful colors- already mixed !!! You'll find everything you need there. Marin Color Service is wonderful fun experience during these Covid times or any times. Highly recommend !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

See all

Everyone seemed to be wearing masks and the area where coffee and the restrooms are located was roped off due to the pandemic. However, no one was available to provide service unless you were queued up to check out at the register. I had to wander through the store, as did many others by the looks of things, before I found what I needed. Perhaps shopping on a Sunday morning was my fault and there is a better time. read more

Visited on 10/16/21. As a woman to others - please go elsewhere! People working here have an attitude and are rude when you ask questions. There was a young guy with longer hair who actually started yelling at me when I asked for help figuring out which product to use to get a darker stain color yet when talking to my husband seemed to be able to compose himself just fine. Very sexist behavior that is not reflective of the 21 century. We left without purchasing. I would recommend taking your business elsewhere. Tamalpais paint shop and Home Depot have been excellent alternatives for us where the employees actually seem to want to help! read more

Ve carefully whiten you bay in this store special if you buy on line because is so hard to make return they don't give any assistance and o try to the return direct to the skin San Francisco don't give any support but yes the girls so rudo read more

While overall, I found the staff at Marin Color Service helpful, knowlegible and professional, I do not recommend purchasing Donald Kauman paint through this vendor. The paint I ordered and tested, was clearly off, and the manager associated with Kaufman products was challenging and somewhat aggressive when the problems were presented to him. When shown that a sample Kaufman pint paint of same mix looked different than the gallon I bought through MCS, his response was to insult me and whomever I had painting the samples. He must be desperate to hold on to the $80 I paid, and had no intention of standing behind his product. Honestly, can't remember when I have had such an umpleasant agressive encounter with a retailier. Recommend ordering your Donald Kaufman paint from Cox down in LA, and just resign yourself to shipping fees. Cox stands by their product! read more

Really people? We've been customers of Marin Color for years, but today's visit may have put an end to that, for an unexpected reason - at least for me. The signs on the door say "Mask Required", like most responsible businesses, so I - and all the other customers in the store at the time I was there - were dutifully wearing masks. Except for the one person that you would expect would be conforming, on behalf of the business, and its customers. And this person - behind the counter, with the MCS shirt on, repping this company - had on a MESH MASK. I can understand not wearing a mask at all, to protest, and maybe face consequences. Or wearing a mask as a responsible representative of the company. But a mesh mask seems to be sending the message "I've found a cute way to trick my boss, and I frankly don't give a damn about you as a customer". So here's to the crafty, cute guy with the MESH MASK on at Marin Color Service. We won't be back, if that's how you feel. Good Luck, ts read more

After going to another paint store in town,it is easy to see why Marin Color Service is so popular. Starting with the paint. I didn't know this but, when you buy a sample of paint from another store, its not the actual paint you are getting. Depending on the type of products used, it could be completely different from what you will get. Quality of paint has several factors to consider; amount of actual pigment, coverage, and colors. A high quality paint will have better coverage and need less coats , which means less work. Although many paint stores can match colors, I love the selection by Benjamin Moore. Marin Color has a color consultant on hand to help walk you through this six days a week from 10-4. Aura is one of the top tier paints within the Benjamin Moore line. We had a few colors in mind given to us by a friend. The color consultant helped us choose additional colors for the rest of the house. It was helpful to start an account. Although no one pushed this idea on me, I think its vital because, you can then go back and know which colors you need more of. Also, you get substantial discount. With the help of the consultant, the house looks updated. From a 1990's Buttercream Yellow to a Vapor with Silver Satin and an accent wall of Grey Owl. Its been transformed into a modern beach house. Going from a warm palette to a cooler one was not easy. I wasn't aware of this but, some colors work almost every time. The customer service here is wonderful. I was helped by , Wendy and Garth. This place carries wallpaper, painting equipment, and specialty items like,"Farrow and Ball." This is a high end London based paint that is used for special projects and looks like a matte pastel. Getting the right colors to paint with is more complex than I had anticipated. Marin Color was there to help. read more

See all

One day, I would love to walk into this store as a man and see if they treat me differently. I guarantee you there would be a major improvement. I agree with another reviewer that some of the staff here are nice and helpful, but for the most part, I have experienced rudeness, condescension, patronizing tones, and actual insults from this staff when I politely ask questions, they definitely talk to me with the tone of "you must be stupid, so I really have to spell this out and mansplain this for you". The disrespect is super blatant, and I keep wishing I could put on my man outfit to get better treatment. I am in the middle of a big paint job so am using them, but next time, forget it- I will go somewhere (anywhere!) else!! I hope the owner and the staff get a clue that even if they feel like they know it all, a little respect for others and their intelligence goes a long way. Some of us actually know what we are doing, know what LRV is, how to use paint, etc, but have some questions at times. We want people who we can work with. Acting like customers are stupid and know nothing (assumption made because...not sure why?) does not make us want to return. I have to wonder if a male customer would have the same experience. I am guessing not. Luis and Jason in particular could get a clue on being kinder, more respectful, and less condescending. I talked to one of the women at Sherwin Williams- she knows all about this problem at Marin Color Service. Advice- if you care how you are treated, don't shop here. Do NOT RECOMMEND. read more

The staff are very friendly and helpful. It was very well-managed and I didn't have to wait at all. Great paint too! Matt Farrell

This is a busy store with paint pros and amateurs like me checking out the products. I needed help with interior paint as was delighted to get a Paint 101 summary from JANE. I picked the right color, the right product and I'm happy. She was right, "Ben" worked with just one coat. The walls look great! read more

Poor service, errors and seem rushed. I switched to Tamalpais color which is the opposite.

I don't review places often, but I was so shocked by my experience that I feel that I need to share this review. I drove over all the way from Woodacre with my two daughters directly after picking them up from school. We arrived at a quarter to 4 pm. I didn't come for the "color consultation" but I came because I prefer to support smaller, local businesses vs. big box stores like Home Depot. A nice man came from the back and greeted us almost immediately. I asked where the color samples are, already doing my research and knowing what color we wanted. He led us to the portion of the store where there was a color consultant (Valerie) helping two different female customers. One customer was browsing through a color book, occasionally asking (Valerie) a question, and the other was also being directly helped (by Valerie) as they discussed the various shades of white paint that she was trying to decide between. I found my chosen color/sample/swatch and waited for Valerie to finish helping the others so that I could ask her a quick question, (whether it was possible to have the mixer tint my chosen hue only slightly). As I waited, another woman came in and Valerie, without even asking me if I had a question, turned to help the woman who just came in. When she was done, I approached Valerie to ask my question and she abruptly said that if I wanted color consultation I had to come before 4 pm and quickly turned on her heel and walked away from me. I was stunned. It was now 4:10 pm and I had been waiting patiently for at least 10 minutes to ask a relatively simple question. I had been working from home (old faded jeans and a baggy sweater) and my kids disheveled and dirty from a full day at school/preschool. The other customers were quite put together in the more "typical" affluent Marin fashion. It was pretty clear that we were dismissed and treated rudely because of the way we looked. It was a pretty classic "Pretty Woman" film moment when the sales lady felt that because we didn't look a certain way, we weren't worth being treated with respect. Never mind that I'm a home owner and was hoping to purchase the paint and supplies needed to accomplish my project at this establishment rather than a retail chain where I could undoubtedly find a better "deal". I worked in retail for many years while in college. I'm well aware of what it's like being on your feet and dealing with customers all day long. However, there is NO excuse for treating customers unequally. There's generally poor customer service and then there's shamefully clear differential treatment based on really lousy assumptions about people. If I were the owner of Marin Color, I'd be horrified to have witnessed customers being treated this way. I'm sure my experience could have otherwise been pretty good, based on the really nice man who greeted us and then asked if we found the color we wanted on our way out. I kindly shared that the colorist refused to help me, and then politely left the establishment. I will never step foot in this place again. read more

Painting a new room always is stressful--and even more so when the painter is to begin work a week earlier than expected. Suddenly, decisions had to be made about shades of color, type of finish, and paint grade. And so, when we arrived at Marin Color Service, there was some anxiety about having to make some very quick decisions. But Henry patiently answered every frantic question, calmly listening as we attempted to make the right choice. The perfect person to have helped us! read more

I love Marin Color. Everyone is super nice and extremely helpful. Big shout out to Rafael who helped me make 2 really difficult custom colors. He knocked it out of the park! As a designer, I use this place all the time and am always treated really well. read more

This place rocks! Luis is super helpful and very knowledgeable. I can't recommend MCS enough. They take their time, know their product and they won't sell you what you don't need. Of all the places to purchase interior and exterior paint in Marin, this is the best. read more

Many thanks to Tony, the store owner, for helping my husband and myself with our paint and primer to repaint our front doors! Tony prepped our supplies but also took the time to recommend brushes and rollers for our project as well as explain in detail how to paint our doors based on a photo we brought in. He was knowledgable, patient and friendly; the epitome of why we need to support local businesses! We have a few big projects coming up and will continue to buy all of our painting supplies here. Thank you! read more

The chairs are incredibly comfortable. Would absolutely recommend. The velvet cradled my body like a mother's touch.

What a wonderful place! It was my first time painting my fireplace and came in to choose color. Not only was the staff so knowledgeable but they also took time to understand my vision and assist me with color choices. They also helped me pick out all the tools I would need - went over different brush types, what kind of finish I wanted, And helped this beginner out with what kind of strokes I should do when painting this particular area. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Truly Amazing customer service!! read more

I successfully completed a home painting project. Sincere thanks to the sales staff at Marin Color Services, San Rafael, CA for their sincere and candid advice and their ever positive and jovial attitude I encountered whatever time of the day I visited. Also, sincere thanks to them for introducing me to their color consultant Andria Ashford who did a brilliant job in choosing colors with me and continually advising as necessary. Overall, Thanks for a great customer service experience. Hope to see you all soon and Stay Safe. read more

Now the paint's on the wall, we appreciate the color consultant's recommendations even more - looks awesome!

I've been to Marin Color Service a few times to select color samples, bring them home, tack them on the wall and leave them there until we have finally gotten fired up to complete the project. I went yesterday to pickup the paint for our bathroom painting project. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing when it comes to painting, other than the colors I like. So walking in and being greeted by three separate employees asking how they could help me was a huge relief! I brought my color, they set me up with primer and a special kitchen/bath finish, so now we begin! They are a bit more pricey, but have a huge selection. Parking can be tedious. The store is very well-organized so you don't feel like you're sifting through the aftermath of a landmine explosion when looking for something like some businesses. But here's what I'd love to see...There is a treasure trove of color samples in the side of the store with many people like me wandering aimlessly around not even realizing we need help picking the right colors. Having someone specifically stationed there asking if we can be helped would be a huge money maker for them and save us clueless color voyagers a huge amount of time. read more

Jane is amazing ! I will no longer go to Home Depot for my paint. The vibe of Marin Color Service is friendly as soon as you walk in. Not only did Jane make my experience feel super quick and stress free but she hooked it up with a paint hoodie. You've gained a new customer for life. Thanks !! read more

Fantastic and Ethusiatic Customer Service They are knowledgeable and friendly. They are quick to fix any concerns. I highly recommend them. read more

Best, friendly and fastest service EVE!!!! They deliver good and SO fast service. I won't go any places anymore than here.