Painting

Consumer confidence increased by 2.2 points in February to 91.2, up from an upwardly revised 89.0 in January, according to The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index. The Present Situation Index, based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions, decreased to 120.0 in February, down 1.8 points from January. The Expectations Index, based …

Paint industry leaders and elected officials gathered at the Illinois State Capital to discuss the early progress of the new architectural paint recycling program, operated by PaintCare. PaintCare estimates the new program will manage nearly one million gallons of leftover paint in its first year. The program has already signed with 345 partners, including primarily paint …

Looking at how fellow independent home improvement operations are performing throughout the year gives retailers in the channel a benchmark to make improvements to their own operations. Since 2022, the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) has partnered with The Farnsworth Group to produce the Independent Retailer Index, which tracks key performance metrics quarterly. …

Exterior stain brand, Cabot, recently announced Acorn as its 2026 color of the year.  “Acorn reflects wood in its most natural state,” says Sue Kim, Cabot’s director of color marketing. “Its earthy brown tone offers a rich look in both sunlit and shaded outdoor settings. Designed to be both durable and refined, Acorn highlights wood’s …

ECI Software Solutions, Inc., announced it has acquired Drypowder, a financial technology company focused on modernizing accounts receivable, billing and digital payments for the building materials and construction industries. “Across the industries we serve, accounts receivable is often manual and disconnected from the systems teams rely on every day,” says Andres Ricaurte, president, payments at …

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released retail sales data for October 2025, noting a 2.2% increase in overall retail sales from October 2024. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia had positive and significant year-over-year changes in October, with New York seeing the most significant increase in retail sales at 6.1% and Vermont seeing the …

Whether you want it or not, your store has a digital “twin” living online and providing a first impression to existing and potential customers online. Not only is your digital twin interacting with customers, it’s what artificial intelligence (AI) is using to determine whether or not your online presence is trustworthy and worth sharing in …

Providing the space to source smarter and scale faster, NHS Concept to Commerce is the retail industry’s premier event connecting retailers, product development teams, wholesalers and distributors with inventors, private label partners and global factories, streamlining product discovery, supplier sourcing and speed to market.​ The National Hardware Show (NHS) has evolved into NHS Concept to …

According to the 2026 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, 84% of homeowners upgrade their cabinets when completing kitchen renovations, and 58% add or update an existing island. Out of these, many are opting for wood tones over other shades.. Wood tones have taken the top spot choice for cabinet shades, with 29% of renovating homeowners …

Florida Paints recently launched Altura Interior Paint & Primer, a new high-performance paint and primer formula created for smooth application and lasting durability. “Altura represents the next evolution of interior paint for Florida Paints,” says Don Strube, Florida Paints co-founder and co-CEO. “We designed this product to perform beautifully under real-world conditions—from bold color changes …

The home improvement products market is predicted to grow in the next few years, despite continued financial strain and cautious consumer confidence. According to the Home Improvement Research Institute’s U.S. Size of the Home Improvement Products Market study, the home improvement market was projected to increase around 2.5% in 2025, with an average annual growth …

The average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage recently fell to around 6%, the lowest rate in close to three years, making homeownership possible for more people, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). NAHB Priced-Out Estimates noted at the averaged 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 6.25%, around 31.5 million households could …

AkzoNobel recently published its 2025 digital report, detailing the company’s financial results and business developments for the year.  “2025 was a banner year of operational execution—and a strategic turning point—as our drive to build a stronger AkzoNobel culminated in a proposed merger which will take us back to the forefront of the coatings industry,” says …

An essential step for cleaning, polishing and prepping surfaces for a project, sanding should not be overlooked when painting or staining a wall, ceiling or piece of furniture. Paint & Decorating Retailer recommends adding these four sanders to your shelves to help equip customers for their next project. The 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 5-inch Random Orbit Sander …

The bright white kitchen that has remained the popular choice for many years is being refreshed this year, with homeowners gravitating towards warmer, creamy neutral paint shades, bringing a softness to a kitchen without losing brightness, according to Floor & Decor’s 2026 Design Trends Report. Paint & Decorating Retailer recommends these four toasted neutral white …

Heavy Duty Basecoat The Heavy Duty 3‑in‑1 drywall additive is a high-build reinforced basecoat modifier engineered for tougher substrates and demanding surface repairs. It blends into joint compound to increase body, hide heavy imperfections and create a durable base layer that resists cracking and stands up to rigorous finishing. Muddskip | muddskip.com The post Hot …

Canadian Industries Limited (CIL) announced the company’s new logo and renewed mission, revealing a new chapter for the company. “Today we unveil more than a new CIL logo and mission,” says Tim Fisher, CIL co-president of retail. “We are declaring to our customers that we are positioned for the next chapter of growth, and we’re doubling …

Combining AI chat, task management and operations analytics—tied directly to a retailers POS inventory—FastQuery is an AI copilot built for independent home improvement retailers. FastQuery helps store associates quickly find product information like aisle numbers, price and comparable items using voice commands and manages and routes tasks automatically, reducing the time employees spend searching for information, enabling them to …

Retail sales saw a moderate monthly increase and strong year-over-year gains in January, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. “Consumers demonstrated continued resilience in January, showing moderate spending growth on the heels of record-high spending during the holiday season,” says NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said. “This was the fourth consecutive month that sales …

Inflation dropped in January to the lowest level in eight months, according to an analysis from the National Association of Home Builders’ Eye on Housing. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) components have resolved distortions from the government shutdown last October, but the shelter index will remain affected through April due to the imputation method used …

The U.S. economy added 130,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.3%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate and the number of unemployed people saw little change in January, but measured higher than a year ago when the unemployment rate was 4.0%. The labor force participation …

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for December 2025 were reported at $735.0 billion, virtually unchanged from November 2025 and up 2.4% from December 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s recent report. Total sales for 2025 were up 3.7% from 2024, and total sales for the October 2025 through December 2025 …

Overall consumer credit continued to expand in the fourth quarter of 2025, with growth in both nonrevolving and revolving credit. Nonrevolving credit, which includes student and auto loans, accounts for 74% of total outstanding consumer credit, while revolving credit, which includes credit card balances, makes up the remaining 26%. Student loan and credit card balances …

The current level of open jobs is down measurably from two years ago, due to declines in housing construction activity, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The number of open jobs for the overall economy declined at the end of 2025, falling from 6.982 million in November to …