Gray's Paint Stores
Gray's Paint Stores is an independently owned Benjamin Moore retailer with four San Francisco Peninsula locations, serving residential homeowners and professional painters with paint, stain, color consultation, and PaintCare recycling services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersRedwood City, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Gray's Paint Stores does
Gray's Paint Stores is an independently owned Benjamin Moore paint retailer founded in 1988 by Jeffrey Gray, who continues to serve as President. The company operates four physical retail locations across the San Francisco Peninsula in Burlingame, Belmont, Redwood City, and Menlo Park, California, and runs an e-commerce storefront at shop.grayspaints.com. Its customer base is split between residential homeowners undertaking interior and exterior painting projects and professional painters/contractors who source Benjamin Moore products and refer end clients to Gray's locations.
The company retails the full Benjamin Moore product line, including interior paints (Aura Waterborne, Natura, REGAL Select, ben, ADVANCE), exterior paints (Aura Exterior, Grand Entrance, REGAL Select Exterior, ben Exterior), wood stains (ARBORCOAT exterior; myoldmasters, sansin, saman, ZAR interior), primers (Fresh Start), and specialty coatings (Chalkboard, Studio Finishes, Floor & Patio). Differentiated service offerings include expert color and stain matching consultations, on-staff decorators for space conceptualization, and over 3,000 colors available in 2oz sample jars at two locations. Burlingame and Belmont also serve as PaintCare-registered paint recycling drop-off sites accepting all brands, up to 10 containers per visit. Over 80% of core product offerings are low VOC and 35% are on a Zero VOC platform, supporting a sustainability positioning.
The business model is a transactional retail operation with no disclosed pricing, no subscription or recurring revenue component, and no proprietary technology. Revenue is generated one-time at the point of sale through physical stores and the e-commerce site. The company is privately held with no external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries disclosed. Marketing is driven by in-store experience, Google Business Profile listings, contractor referrals, content marketing through painting guides, and environmental stewardship messaging.
Gray's Paint Stores firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gray's Paint Stores
- Legal name
- Gray's Paint Stores
- Website
- https://grayspaints.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Gray's Paint Stores is an independently owned Benjamin Moore retailer with four San Francisco Peninsula locations, serving residential homeowners and professional painters with paint, stain, color consultation, and PaintCare recycling services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gray's Paint Stores industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Paint & Coatings Retail
- NAICS
- Paint and Wallpaper Retailers (444120)
- SIC
- Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Paint, Stain & Finishes Retail (Coatings, Sundries) (CRAIADAF)
Keywords
Where Gray's Paint Stores is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Redwood City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Gray's Paint Stores business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Paint and Coating Sales: Sale of Benjamin Moore interior and exterior paints, stains, primers, and specialty coatings through four retail locations and an e-commerce platform.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Gray's Paint Stores product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gray's Paint Stores is an independently owned Benjamin Moore authorized retailer operating four physical showrooms on the San Francisco Peninsula (Burlingame, Belmont, Redwood City, Menlo Park) and an online web store. The company sells the full Benjamin Moore line of interior and exterior paints, stains, primers, and specialty coatings, and provides value-added services including expert color consultations, stain color matching, on-staff decorators for space conceptualization, PaintCare paint recycling drop-off, and 2oz color sample jars covering 3000+ colors.
Product overview
Gray's Paint Stores operates as an independently owned Benjamin Moore paint retailer with four locations on the San Francisco Peninsula (Burlingame, Belmont, Redwood City, and Menlo Park). The company offers a complete line of Benjamin Moore products including interior paints (Aura Waterborne, Natura, REGAL Select, ben, ADVANCE), exterior paints (Aura Exterior, Grand Entrance, REGAL Select Exterior, ben Exterior), wood stains (ARBORCOAT for exterior; myoldmasters, sansin, saman, ZAR for interior), primers (Fresh Start Interior and Exterior lines), and specialty coatings (Chalkboard, Studio Finishes, Floor & Patio). The stores provide color consultation services and operate as PaintCare recycling drop-off locations. A distinguishing feature is the availability of over 3000 colors in 2oz sample jars for practical testing. The company has an online shop at shop.grayspaints.com but does not appear to offer a public API for developer integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Aura Waterborne Interior Paint Premium interior paint with exceptional color depth and hide, sold for residential interior applications.
- Aura Bath and Spa Interior paint formulated for high-humidity environments such as bathrooms and spas.
- Natura Paint Zero-VOC interior paint offering environmentally conscious consumers a premium finish.
- REGAL Select Interior Paint Professional-grade interior paint with high scrub resistance and washability.
- ben Interior Paint Value-priced interior paint delivering solid performance for everyday residential projects.
- ADVANCE Interior Paint Waterborne alkyd interior paint combining the smooth finish of oil-based paint with latex cleanup.
- Aura Exterior Paint Premium exterior paint with advanced UV protection and weather resistance for outdoor surfaces.
- Grand Entrance Luxury exterior paint designed for doors and trim with rich, durable finish.
- REGAL Select Exterior Paint High-build exterior paint with strong adhesion and long-lasting color retention.
- ben Exterior Paint Value-priced exterior paint providing reliable protection for outdoor applications.
- ARBORCOAT Premium Exterior Stain Premium exterior wood stain offering superior protection while enhancing wood texture and grain, in Solid, Clear Coat, and Exterior Waterproofer formulations.
- Fresh Start Premium Exterior Primers Exterior wood primer and multi-purpose latex primer for surface preparation before topcoating.
- Fresh Start Premium Interior Primers Interior primers including multi-purpose oil-based and high-hiding all-purpose formulations.
- ben Chalkboard Paint Specialty paint that transforms surfaces into functional chalkboards.
- Studio Finishes Decorative finishes and specialty coatings for artistic interior applications.
- Floor & Patio Latex Enamels Durable paint designed for floor and patio surfaces with excellent wear resistance.
- Paint Extender Additive that extends open time and improves workability of paint.
- Stays Clear Clear coating additive that helps prevent paint from yellowing.
- Color Consultation Services In-store expert color consulting services delivered by trained color consultants to help customers select the right colors for their spaces.
- Interior Wood Stains Wide range of interior wood stains from industry partners including Old Masters, Sansin, Saman, and ZAR for various wood finishing applications.
- Exterior Wood Stains Exterior wood stains from premium brands (Sikkens, Superdeck, Penofin) for deck and outdoor wood surface protection and enhancement.
- Paint Recycling Service PaintCare drop-off recycling service offered at Gray's Paints' Burlingame and Belmont stores, accepting all paint brands (up to 10 containers per visit) for recycling.
- 2oz Sample Jars Over 3000 colors available in 2oz sample jars at select locations, allowing customers to apply two coats onto a 24" x 24" sample area.
Companies that use Gray's Paint Stores
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Gray's Paint Stores technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Gray's Paint Stores partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PaintCarecorePaintCare is a paint stewardship organization. Two Gray's Paint locations (Burlingame and Belmont) are registered PaintCare recycle paint drop-off locations. The company accepts paint of all brands (not just their own brands) for recycling, processing up to 10 containers per visit.
- Benjamin MoorecoreGray's Paints is an authorized Benjamin Moore paint dealer, offering a complete line of Benjamin Moore products including interior paints (Aura, Natura, REGAL Select, ben, ADVANCE), exterior paints, primers, stains (ARBORCOAT), and specialty coatings.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Gray's Paint Stores competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lowe's: Lowe's is a national big-box home improvement retailer with paint departments at scale. Comparable as a substitute channel for paint purchases on the San Francisco Peninsula, though its broader assortment and self-service orientation differ from Gray's specialist model.
- True Value: True Value is a hardware retail cooperative offering paint and related categories across independent member stores. Comparable to Gray's as an independent-channel paint seller, though paint is a smaller line within True Value's broader assortment.
- Ace Hardware: Ace Hardware is a hardware retail cooperative with neighborhood stores that carry paint and sundries alongside general hardware. Overlaps with Gray's as a community-rooted alternative paint purchase channel, though at much smaller paint scale per store.
- Sherwin-Williams: Sherwin-Williams is the largest North American paint retailer with thousands of company-owned stores offering a full paint and coatings assortment. It is a broad incumbent competitor to Gray's across multiple price tiers and customer segments, but operates at vastly greater scale and breadth.
- Home Depot: Home Depot is a national big-box home improvement retailer selling paint and coatings alongside a much broader assortment. Competes with Gray's on price and convenience but lacks the consultative color and stain expertise that Gray's emphasizes.
Direct peers
- Miller Paint: Miller Paint is a regional independent paint retailer in the Pacific Northwest with company-owned stores selling architectural paints, stains, and coatings. Comparable to Gray's in scale, regional independent dealer model, and contractor/homeowner dual customer base.
- Dunn-Edwards Paints: Dunn-Edwards operates a network of company-owned paint stores concentrated in the Western US, offering architectural paints and color services. Directly comparable to Gray's in product focus, regional store model, and professional/contractor customer base.
- Hirshfield's: Hirshfield's is a regional independent paint retailer operating stores across the Upper Midwest, offering premium paints, stains, and color services to homeowners and contractors. Closely comparable to Gray's as a multi-store independent paint dealer with consultative service positioning.
- Kelly-Moore Paints: Kelly-Moore is a long-established independent paint retailer with company-owned stores across the Western US, offering a comparable mix of premium paint brands, contractor service, and color consultation. Highly comparable business model to Gray's as a multi-location independent paint dealer serving pros and homeowners.
Emerging players
- PPG Paints (PPG Architectural Coatings): PPG Paints operates a growing network of company-owned architectural paint stores, including in California markets. Comparable as a brand-backed paint retailer competing for professional and DIY share, though newer in the company-store model than Sherwin-Williams or Dunn-Edwards.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Gray's Paint Stores financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gray's Paint Stores leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Gray's Paint Stores funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gray's Paint Stores M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gray's Paint Stores
What does Gray's Paint Stores do?
Gray's Paint Stores is an independently owned Benjamin Moore authorized retailer operating four physical showrooms on the San Francisco Peninsula (Burlingame, Belmont, Redwood City, Menlo Park) and an online web store. The company sells the full Benjamin Moore line of interior and exterior paints, stains, primers, and specialty coatings, and provides value-added services including expert color consultations, stain color matching, on-staff decorators for space conceptualization, PaintCare paint recycling drop-off, and 2oz color sample jars covering 3000+ colors.
Is Gray's Paint Stores a public or private company?
Gray's Paint Stores is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Gray's Paint Stores founded?
Gray's Paint Stores was founded in 1988. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Gray's Paint Stores based?
Gray's Paint Stores is headquartered in Redwood City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gray's Paint Stores make money?
One revenue line is on record: paint and Coating Sales.
Who are Gray's Paint Stores's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lowe's, True Value, Ace Hardware, Sherwin-Williams and Home Depot. Direct peers are Miller Paint, Dunn-Edwards Paints, Hirshfield's and Kelly-Moore Paints. PPG Paints (PPG Architectural Coatings) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Gray's Paint Stores have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gray's Paint Stores.
What industry is Gray's Paint Stores in?
Gray's Paint Stores's product category is Paint & Coatings Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAIADAF, Paint, Stain & Finishes Retail (Coatings, Sundries). Its NAICS code is 444120 and its SIC code is 5200.