The Department of Housing and Urban Development is offering $10.1 million in grants to help eliminate dangerous lead-based paint from lower-income homes and protect young children from lead poisoning.
HUD will award grants ranging from $50,000 to $875,000 in three programs to approximately 28 to 51 applicants. The applications are due in mid November. They can be downloaded at HUD’s Funds Available Web site. –Jean Dimeo
When most people think of Behr paint, they see homeowners heading to Home Depot to purchase a few gallons in order to spruce up their living spaces. But, Behr hopes to change that image, at least in the minds of builders, with its new Direct to Pro program.
The manufacturer met with Hanley Wood editors last week to publicize its new initiative. Not only does the program give professionals discounts for buying in bulk, but also allows builders in certain markets to have paint delivered for free directly to the jobsite or sent at no extra charge to their local Home Depot. Contractors can check here to see which services are available in their area.
In addition, large orders are guaranteed to be fulfilled within three days, and paints are factory tinted to ensure consistent color matching, the manufacturer told us.
Finally, Behr launched a new site specifically for pros. Check it out at behrpro.com. –Victoria Markovitz
In addition to Benjamin Moore’s iPhone application, a color matching technology I blogged about last week, Sherwin-Williams has announced a similar application, ColorSnap. iPhone users take a picture (or upload from their existing library) and then use the touchscreen to scroll to the color to be matched; the app will then provide the closest match to Sherwin-Williams’ 1,500-color palette. Favorites can be saved for future reference.
ColorSnap can be downloaded from www.swcolorsnap.com. –Katy Tomasulo
Paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore has joined the iPhone revolution, unveiling “ben Color Capture,” an iPhone application that provides instant color matching from anywhere in the world. Users take a picture of any color inspiration—whether from a sofa in their living room, a leaf in the forest, or a centuries-old floor in Tuscany—and the app will instantly match the hue to one of Benjamin Moore’s more then 3,500 color options. A favorites tool allows for easy color coordination and comparison.
The app will be available for free download starting June 1 from the AppStore Web site. –Katy Tomasulo
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