We
built our core business from the ground up by specializing in the stain
& paint samples for the furniture manufacturers. While servicing
the
furniture industry, we continued to add to our capabilities and now
make samples for anyone that needs to sample their color
offerings.
We will make your color samples: accurate, affordable and on-time.
Are you a manufacturer of Paints & Coatings, Residential & Commercial Siding, Roofing, Kitchen
Cabinets, Flooring, Doors, Moulding & Millwork, Windows, Wood Components, OEM Supplier or a Retailer?
Are you still waiting for someone to make your samples?
Do you NEED samples of your colors, using YOUR coatings?
If you answered yes to any of these, please contact Colwell TFS. We can help. |
 |
|
About Colwell
Technical Finishing Services was founded in 1988. We are a division of a 130+ year old, family-owned company, Colwell Industries.
Colwell Colour was one of the world's largest color card paint sampling companies. In 2025 they sold that part of their sampling business to concentrate on their other sampling business. We can bring in Colwell's Indiana division on any project that requires their expertise and produce any type of sampling program you need including Point of Sales Displays, Brochures, sales kits, etc. When you think of samples - Colwell Sampling is the expert you need to hire.
The startup idea for TFS was prompted by an inquiry from one of Colwell's
customer stating the hassle of making wood stain samples in their own
manufacturing operations. A few calls to others within the office
furniture industry concurred this was an issue at their manufacturing facilities as well. It became
apparent that our division would became the, "if you build it, we will
come" story. A 16,000 square foot building, located in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota was secured to
become our sampling home. Our insistence on making quality samples, fair pricing, great employees (and owner), great
customers, on-time
delivery and our
ability to produce sampling programs have generated our steady
growth.
|
|
In the Beginning
When TFS started out,
our first biggest challenge facing us was proving
to the furniture makers that we could
reproduce their wood finishes accurately.
And of course, doing that as
a cost effective
alternative versus them producing their samples in-house. We
geared the finishing department to achieve maximum
efficiency and color control throughout the process of
finishing the samples. Our main objective has always been to produce
a quality looking sample that is consistent in the color match and finish
appearance. We also pay close attention to the clear coating process to
insure it has a consistent sheen and fill level of the wood
pores. Every single stain and paint
sample we make is
individually
inspected before we ship out.
We built custom milling equipment to process the wood products into finished sample pieces. For instance - the edges
of
the veneered product are typically rounded over with a bullnose shape to
soften
and then are painted black to hide the core and match the black paint we typically apply to the back.
Color brochures and digital presentations will only achieve a "first
look" in representing your product. The REAL samples we will make for you will bring
your product to life. There is no comparison to the human factor -
holding a REAL sample in your hand showing your
unique color selections and quality level. This gives your customers
the look, touch, feel and yes, even smell of a real world product. This will create demand at the specification and owner
level that will drive your sales growth. It's been studied to death, but the results always show that real samples "seal-the-deal".
|
|
Our Finishers
Our
company's foundation is built around a core of very talented and
experienced
finishers. Each one of our artist has 25+ years' experience working at
TFS. They grew up color matching stain and paint finishes (and is still
our specialty), but they have become WELL
VERSED in other types of finishing such as:
- gloss / sheen samples
- specialty wall paint
- architectual coating (except coil coatings)
- floor coating
- faux stone, crackle, spatter, hammertone, pearl and metallic
- automotive paint
- marine and air
- residential and commercial siding (fiber cement, aluminum, steel, wood) samples
- powder coat samples
- cabinetry, milllwork, doors and window stain & paint samples
|
 |
|
Sampling
We
know that a sample produced by TFS, will be your
customer's
first impression of you and your company's quality. We pride ourselves on our
workmanship and that quality shows with our attention
to
detail in every sample
produced
by TFS.
If you have a unique sampling requirement, we will work directly
with your own manufacturing and/or
your
suppliers to
make your sampling, so your
end customer can make the color selections they need to order your product.
One last plug on samples:
We
can also help you with your High
Pressure Laminate (HPL), Thermally Fused
Laminate (TFL) and Thermofoil sampling.
|
|
Processing samples
We
take care of
everything. They say the "beauty is in the details". We live by this.
Our sampling we make for you typically includes items such as painting
edges and backs black, printing / applying labels and inserting your
samples
into poly sleeves to protect the faces and the label on the backs. We can also insert
your samples into catalog binder
pages and collate / build fan
decks, sales kits, selector kits, etc. We package your samples as
neatly and tidy as possible so they are field ready when they arrive.
We also offer just-in-time distribution services to keep your supply
chain stocked and ready. |
Final
Thoughts
Large or small runs,
TFS will create the sampling tools you need, with
the quality your customers should expect and on-time delivery. Since 1988, we have
made over 20 million individual samples alone for just the furniture
mfgs. Cost is always important and TFS usually produces for the
same or less versus producing them
in-house. When you add in the labor cost when you're NOT making your
product (but making samples) it's usually a no-brainer to outsource
your sampling. We'll leave you with one last thought - every
sample made and sourced by TFS has a 100% guarantee. |
Want
to take a more in-depth look at TFS making stain
samples? Take a plant
tour.
Want to see a few examples of
store displays that we made the samples
for? Click here.
Contact Phil by email
or call me at the plant between 8:30 - 5:00 (Central Time)
|
