Get Quotes Contact Us Sign In
Website
Call
During these uncertain times, City Paint remains open and committed to providing you with anything you may need. City Paint is taking steps for our customers and employees with reduced hours to do extra cleaning and set social distancing. Please check with our store locations for their adjustments to store hours and services. Thank you for your understanding. We have 4 stores in Metro-Boston with 2 stores in Cambridge, one in Somerville and one in Arlington ready to serve your paint and decorating needs!
Services
City Paint has 4 locations to better serve our commercial contractors. With locations in Cambridge, Somerville, and Arlington, Massachusetts - you will always have a convenient City Paint location that is ready to serve you. At City Paint we carry a huge assortment of Benjamin Moore and Coronado Paint for all of your painting needs.
Aura is quite simply the finest paint we've ever made, offering the most advanced way to bring colour to life. Using our exclusive Color Lock technology, Aura paint brings you discernibly richer, truer colour. Aura paint covers like no other-even the deepest shades never require more than two coats.
For 50 Years Coronado Paint has been the choice of painting professionals, providing paints with lasting performance and consistent quality. Whether you're a homeowner repainting a room, or an architect specifying coatings for a new stadium or convention center, we have the paints, primers and industrial coatings to deliver the performance your project needs.
For over 70 years Insl-x Products has been providing the finest in Specialty Problem Solving Paints, Varnishes and Industrial Coatings. Insl-x is a leading manufacturer of Architectural Specialty Primers, Masonry Coatings, Garage Floor Paints, Cabinet Finishes, Pool Paints, Industrial Epoxies, Industrial Enamels and Urethanes, Moisture Cured Systems, Lead Encapsulating Paints, Freezer Coatings and More. At City Paint you can choose from a large collection of special stain killing & bonding primers.
Reviews (16)
Write a Review
Kayla Urquidi
May 25, 2022
I have had real mixed experiences here. The first time I went to get some samples made, and the youngest kid who works there couldn't find half the colors in the system. When I went back the next day, another worker was easily able to make those missing color samples, and Orlando, blamed it on me, saying that I did not say them correctly. I sent my painter there anyways to buy a large order for our house.

There was a miscommunication and the paint store made one of the colors 50% lighter instead of making a half gallon of the color. We did not catch this until he painted the room. When I went back to explain the problem, the store was closed despite hours posted. So I went first thing Monday morning, and Orlando again blamed me and said that was what I said (when I did not even order the paint). Luckily, another worker tried to fix the color, ultimately just making me another quart and giving me a clean roller.

My painter said that at a SW paint store in Quincy, when they gave him the wrong color, they paid for the gallons and his time and labor to fix it. I think I would rather go to that store in the future.
Jamie Hovis
Mar 08, 2021
I'll never go to another paint store again. Navigating the store was quick and easy. Orlando found all of the weird stuff I needed quickly. He's been working there 26 years, after all. Rang me up and got to work on my paint immediately. But then the truly amazing service came. They asked me if I had a car. I said no, that I didn't live far and was going to walk. Orlando was skeptical and worried for me carrying my three gallons of paint, so, since the store was closing, he offered me and my paint a ride home.

We talked about the neighborhood, how things have changed around here (gotten more expensive). I got a real human experience for less than the price I would have paid online and the same as a soulless big box store. This store is a gem. Go there to buy paint.
Jessica Chappella
Dec 08, 2018
Needed some help figuring out how to hang shelves in my apartment for a weird situation. The guys here we're friendly, helpful and very informative informative. If I need more help with hardware in the future, I will definitely be coming back
Tony Moreira
Oct 24, 2018
Great place to in value to buy your painting needs and supplies
Phil Sego
Mar 06, 2018
Knowledgeable staff, but focused more on professional painters and the trade. If you know what you're doing and need quality paints and supplies, this is the place for you.
Francesca Gordini
Jan 12, 2016
I usually value local, small business over big chains - for once I was proven wrong! I was strongly suggested to come to this place when I decided to tackle some crafty project at my new apartment - even my landlord suggested I should come here. I was given an outdated product (that had probably been sitting on that shelf for who know how many centuries) - paid for it TOP price: something around almost 35 dollars (retail price at any home depot is 19,99$).

The product was a coat that I could add color to - the color I wanted apparently did not match with what the employees thought I should've bought - so the final color was NOT what I wanted. Had to pay for the whole thing and. keep it. I was then forced to go to Home Depot - I got a BRAND NEW, not weathered and yellowed coating paint that I was able to color the way I wanted to! Got to finish my project, not thanks to City Paint! Very, very sadly disappointed.
Sly L.
Nov 08, 2015
I have been to every City Paint in the area over the years and this one is by far the best. First the staff is very helpful. They give very good recommendations for paint choice as well as anything you need. Best customer service in the business. It is couple of miles further from my house than the one in Cambridge but I will make the drive just for the help and advises.
Heather B.
Oct 29, 2015
Inconsistent and untrained help. Seems to be a turnover. Make sure your paint color is mixed correctly though now it is thankfully, computerized.
C. G.
Aug 12, 2015
I am a professional decorative painter. Two years ago, I went into City Paint to purchase Venetian plaster. A few months later, I was texted inappropriately by a City Paint employee. When I did not respond in the manner they expected, the text messages became increasingly vulgar and offensive. Because I live in another state, I didn't need to purchase products from this vendor, therefore I decided I wouldn't return and blocked the employee's number. However, I recently acquired a job in Boston and needed to purchase additional materials.

City Paint was the only vendor with the product I needed. Regrettably, I ended up having to deal with the same salesperson. Although I called hours in advance to have the plaster ready when I arrived, my order wasn't even started when I was told to pick it up. On top of it all, it cost me additional expenses for the wasted time I had to pay the contractor that was working for me.

Since the owner was in the store when I arrived, I had the opportunity to speak with him privately about what had occurred concerning the text messages. I was disappointed that the issue with the text messages was brushed off as unfortunate and he did not put much value on the time it took for me to wait for the Venetian plaster to be mixed. As a woman in a male dominated field, I feel disrespected by the manner in which I was treated by the owner and employee of City paints. I sincerely hope the employee has been dealt with and this situation never happens to any woman that does business with this company in the future.
Annie K.
May 08, 2015
I had such great customer service at the Arlington location. I got to work with the owner of the company on my first visit and he was very knowledgable when answering my questions. The second time I came in I was fortunate to work with another staff member and he was just as helpful. The color specialist is very insightful and I really Valued her opinion for my project. I highly recommend coming here for paint and decorating projects.
Nate W.
Feb 07, 2015
We met a friend there today who was helping us pick out paint for a house we we're building. We were excited to go there because we had heard good things and because we like to support local businesses whenever possible. We dealt with an incredibly rude salesperson there named Camilla who berated us for no apparent reason, refused to give us her business card, and demanded the paint book back after ten minutes. I have literally never been treated in such an awful fashion in my entire life by a salesperson. I will definitely not be back.
Bill L.
Apr 11, 2014
I have never seen a store take such a nose dive as this place. It almost seems as if it is deliberate, as if the owner was determined to undermine his own store. It USED to be that the staff was courteous and knowledgeable. You could get good and valuable advise and assistance from real adults. But now the staff is extraordinarily immature, lackadaisical, either almost despondent or bush league pushy.
Steve M.
Sep 15, 2013
I've been a City Paint customer since they only had one shop in East Cambridge, and I've never been disappointed by their quality or service. The new decorator store in Arlington Heights is the best yet, with helpful, knowledgeable staff, and the best chip and sampling services that I have found in the NW Boston area. 5 stars, minus a star for limited weekend hours = 4 stars
L. E.
Aug 23, 2012
We'd gone to this City Paint store in the past, and they were fine, but we recently had one of the worst customer experiences of any store (paint or otherwise) that we've ever visited. We had specific colors that we needed to get matching quarts for. They made up the quarts and we started to paint - soon realizing that it was not the right color.

We looked at the color codes on the new quarts and compared them to the codes on the old gallons: Same color in name, WRONG CODES. City paint was closed so we needed to go to another store (not Benjamin Moore) to get a quart of a matching color to paint over the section we just did. They matched the color sample PERFECTLY even though it was a different brand of paint.

My wife went back to City Paint the next Monday and explained what happened. Guy at the counter was EXTREMELY rude - bordering on abusive. They accepted no responsibility (even though she showed him the old gallons and the fact that the paint they mixed had completely different color codes). No refund for the quart we had to buy elsewhere. He re-mixed the other quarts.

When he gave them to my wife she cross-checked the codes against the old gallons THAT SHE'D GIVEN HIM TO DO THE MATCH. Each new quart was DIFFERENT (if red should have been.275, it was.27 instead). She pointed it out to him and he said "It shouldn't make a big difference, you can always see patches anyway." He wouldn't re-mix them to get the proper matches.

Absolutely bizarre. We went to a place down the street that carried Benjamin Moore, and they mixed each quart, matching the codes on the old paint exactly, and dabbed a color sample with the new paint to check the match - PERFECT! We told them about our experience at this City Paint and they were flabbergasted. In fact - several of the patrons of that store overheard the story and chimed in independently that they won't go there anymore because the've had similar experiences. STAY FAR, FAR AWAY!
David M.
Jan 23, 2012
Don't patronize this place. There are plenty of other BM stores, where you will recieve service without insult and attitude. The owner is a snobby arrogant impatient guy, and the head assistant, a thin guy with short black hair and a Greek accent, is hostile and angry, all the time. The rest of the staff are kids who don't know anything about paint, and tend to smile behind your back and make smart-aleck comments. This has been going on for years. I had a complaint and the greek guy offered to go outside and fight about it. CLOSE IT DOWN.
Mvar O.
Aug 20, 2011
I have had repeatedly poor experience with service at City Paints. They seem completely uninterested in helping customers and will walk away from the counter when people are waiting or argue with customers who are unhappy with their products. On my most recent experience I was at Home Depot (Waltham) before going to City Paints. Home Depot had much better service, the paint desk person answered questions, took me to the items I asked for and made suggestions for the overall project.

This is the level of service I expect from the local stores, that same day I had to insist on getting a color sample pamphlet from City Paints and the person helping me was clearly not interested in helping me or anyone else in there that day. I like the quality of Benjamin Moore paints and there are other places nearby to buy the product City Paints is selling. City Paints needs to change management or ownership.