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                                                                    EXHIBIT 31.1

                  CERTIFICATIONS AS REQUIRED BY SECTION 302(A)
                       OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Norman E. Wells Jr., certify that:

     1. I have reviewed this report on Form 10-Q of Sovereign Specialty
        Chemicals Inc.;

     2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement
        of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
        the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such
        statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered
        by this report;

     3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
        information included in this report, fairly present in all material
        respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
        of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

     4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for
        establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
        defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the
        registrant and have:

        a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures or caused such
           disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
           supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
           registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to
           us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in
           which this quarterly report is being prepared;

        b) Paragraph omitted in accordance with interim procedures promulgated
           by the Securities and Exchange Commission in Release No. 33-8238;

        c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls
           and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
           effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the
           end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation;
           and

        d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal
           control over financial reporting that occurred during the
           registrant's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected,
           or is reasonably likely to materially affect the registrant's
           internal control over financial reporting

     5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on
        our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,
        to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's
        board of directors:

        a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
           operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
           reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to
           record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

        b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
           employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal
           control over financial reporting.

Date: July 31, 2003

/s/ NORMAN E. WELLS, JR.
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Norman E. Wells, Jr.
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
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                                                                    EXHIBIT 31.2

I, Terry D. Smith, certify that:

     1. I have reviewed this report on Form 10-Q of Sovereign Specialty
        Chemicals Inc.;

     2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement
        of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
        the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such
        statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered
        by this report;

     3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
        information included in this report, fairly present in all material
        respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
        of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

     4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for
        establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
        defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the
        registrant and have:

        a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures or caused such
           disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
           supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
           registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to
           us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in
           which this quarterly report is being prepared;

        b) Paragraph omitted in accordance with interim procedures promulgated
           by the Securities and Exchange Commission in Release No. 33-8238;

        c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls
           and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
           effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the
           end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation;
           and

        d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal
           control over financial reporting that occurred during the
           registrant's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected,
           or is reasonably likely to materially affect the registrant's
           internal control over financial reporting

     5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on
        our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,
        to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's
        board of directors:

        a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
           operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
           reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to
           record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

        b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
           employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal
           control over financial reporting.

Date: July 31, 2003

/s/ TERRY D. SMITH
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Terry D. Smith
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer