Paint may be a very emotional decision for consumers, but in the retail world, it’s a simple business plan: If you want to sell a lot of paint, dedicate enough space to it, assign a full-time, well-trained sales associate to the paint desk, and carry more than two lines of paint. One of those brands should cater to the pros. Find a way to keep the contractors separated from the homeowners, which is not all that difficult; professional painters don’t like to sit on sofas surrounded by tasseled pillows.

There's an old saying in the paint department: You're not selling paint, you're selling colors.

That theory is being tested by innovations that bring one-coat prowess or eco-friendly features to customers' walls, but color's importance cannot be ignored.

Los Angeles-based paint manufacturer and distributor Dunn-Edwards has studied the trends in color and produced a forecast that it calls "Simply Refocus."

Knoxville, Tenn.-based regional hardware distributor House-Hasson Hardware is expanding its paint and sundries offerings with the addition of a new sales team from an unidentified “financially ailing paint company,” according to an article in the Knoxville News.

“We are getting full-blown into paint and paint sundries," company president Don Hasson told the news outlet.