Roberts Decorator Supply

If you’re counting on them to provide you with the best paint for your project, you might go to another supplier.
They are probably okay for professional painters that know what to ask for & have no need for professional opinions.
I went there because of buying paint for exterior & interior walls. Only problem with that experience was one question pertaining to ceiling paint. I asked them for their best ceiling paint & bought the only one they mentioned. Turned out it had a very pronounced gray tone & we had wanted a very bright flat white. For this I consider ½ my fault for not saying I wanted a white ceiling & not one with a gray appearance. Anyway it cost twice as much as it should have because all the ceilings had to be repainted.
The reason I’m writing this review is for two reasons.
First I asked them for an acrylic primer that would be the best one to use on new wood trim for doors & windows. I specifically mentioned that I wanted a sandable primer. They gave me PPG SEAL GRIP Interior/​Exterior Acrylic Universal Primer/​Sealer (17 – 921). After spraying the trim & letting it dry for five days, I tried to sand all the trim to make it smoother. After seven hours of trying to sand the trim to make it smoother I gave up. It was not ‘sandable’ to get a smooth surface. I had to scrape a few areas down to wood & then apply a lot of pressure to remove the primer over a large area to even approach a reasonable smoothness.
Second reason
When I went in to complain the manager was defensive & arrogant. He also belittled me because of the time I had spent on the internet researching the problem. «So you think you are an expert now because of looking at the internet» «Just because you read comments by professional painters doesn’t mean they are right» etc…
He said all primers are sandable. I told him if they don’t create a powder & they quickly gum up the sanding blocks. They should not be sold as a sandable primer (especially if it has detail like trim) I think because I was getting pretty upset he chose three gallons of a different primer & gave them to me. As he put the primer in the back of the car he just had to give me another «zinger» about my knowledge derived from the internet.
Just for your information, my research indicates that the oil/​solvent based primers are typically more sandable than the acrylic ones. Also if you want to use a really good sandable acrylic primer & don’t mind paying a little more. Eurolux, C2, & XIM seem to be the one’s favored for giving the best results.
Finally today I called technical support for Pittsburg Paint. The person I talked to said the ‘Universal’ acrylic was not a good choice for trim & would result in the sanding media to be gummed up quickly. I suggested that they try to find a way to educate their retailers about which products are better suited for specific projects. Trim, walls, exterior, etc…
Total cost to us, about ¹⁄₃ of the trim will have to be thrown away or used in low traffic areas. Three gallons of primer (I won’t use what they gave us). About 20 hours of time more than what should have been required.