diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFFontFormatting.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFFontFormatting.java
index 68ae84d14..07f5fd472 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFFontFormatting.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFFontFormatting.java
@@ -77,11 +77,7 @@ public final class HSSFFontFormatting implements org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.Fon
     }
 
     public void setFontColor(Color color) {
-        if (color != null && !(color instanceof HSSFColor)) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Only HSSFColor objects are supported");
-        }
-
-        HSSFColor hcolor = (HSSFColor)color;
+        HSSFColor hcolor = HSSFColor.toHSSFColor(color);
         if (hcolor == null) {
             fontFormatting.setFontColorIndex((short)0);
         } else {
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFPatternFormatting.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFPatternFormatting.java
index 7be7945d1..1f521c509 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFPatternFormatting.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFPatternFormatting.java
@@ -74,10 +74,7 @@ public class HSSFPatternFormatting implements org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.Patter
     }
 
     public void setFillBackgroundColor(Color bg) {
-        if (bg != null && !(bg instanceof HSSFColor)) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Only HSSFColor objects are supported");
-        }
-        HSSFColor hcolor = (HSSFColor)bg;
+        HSSFColor hcolor = HSSFColor.toHSSFColor(bg);
         if (hcolor == null) {
             setFillBackgroundColor((short)0);
         } else {
@@ -86,10 +83,7 @@ public class HSSFPatternFormatting implements org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.Patter
     }
 
     public void setFillForegroundColor(Color fg) {
-        if (fg != null && !(fg instanceof HSSFColor)) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Only HSSFColor objects are supported");
-        }
-        HSSFColor hcolor = (HSSFColor)fg;
+        HSSFColor hcolor = HSSFColor.toHSSFColor(fg);
         if (hcolor == null) {
             setFillForegroundColor((short)0);
         } else {
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/util/HSSFColor.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/util/HSSFColor.java
index f438e1b00..d7a1cb587 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/util/HSSFColor.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/util/HSSFColor.java
@@ -204,6 +204,13 @@ public class HSSFColor implements Color {
     {
         return BLACK.hexString;
     }
+    
+    public static HSSFColor toHSSFColor(Color color) {
+        if (color != null && !(color instanceof HSSFColor)) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Only HSSFColor objects are supported");
+        }
+        return (HSSFColor)color;
+    }
 
     /**
      * Class BLACK
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/ss/usermodel/BorderFormatting.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/ss/usermodel/BorderFormatting.java
index c15dc269c..5e1154d9b 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/ss/usermodel/BorderFormatting.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/ss/usermodel/BorderFormatting.java
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@
 package org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel;
 
 /**
- * @author Dmitriy Kumshayev
- * @author Yegor Kozlov
+ * High level representation for Border Formatting component
+ * of Conditional Formatting settings
  */
 public interface BorderFormatting {
     /** No border */
diff --git a/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFColor.java b/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFColor.java
index 3082e5387..d2dc28dda 100644
--- a/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFColor.java
+++ b/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFColor.java
@@ -316,6 +316,13 @@ public class XSSFColor implements Color {
         return ctColor;
     }
 
+    public static XSSFColor toXSSFColor(Color color) {
+        if (color != null && !(color instanceof XSSFColor)) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Only XSSFColor objects are supported");
+        }
+        return (XSSFColor)color;
+    }
+    
     public int hashCode(){
         return ctColor.toString().hashCode();
     }
diff --git a/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFFontFormatting.java b/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFFontFormatting.java
index 40ce715f4..e788cf893 100644
--- a/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFFontFormatting.java
+++ b/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFFontFormatting.java
@@ -97,11 +97,7 @@ public class XSSFFontFormatting implements FontFormatting {
     }
 
     public void setFontColor(Color color) {
-        if (color != null && !(color instanceof XSSFColor)) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Only XSSFColor objects are supported");
-        }
-         
-        XSSFColor xcolor = (XSSFColor)color;
+        XSSFColor xcolor = XSSFColor.toXSSFColor(color);
         if (xcolor == null) {
             _font.getColorList().clear();
         } else {
diff --git a/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFPatternFormatting.java b/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFPatternFormatting.java
index 898fa9b7a..75989f3e7 100644
--- a/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFPatternFormatting.java
+++ b/src/ooxml/java/org/apache/poi/xssf/usermodel/XSSFPatternFormatting.java
@@ -63,10 +63,7 @@ public class XSSFPatternFormatting implements PatternFormatting {
     }
 
     public void setFillBackgroundColor(Color bg) {
-        if (bg != null && !(bg instanceof XSSFColor)) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Only XSSFColor objects are supported");
-        }
-        XSSFColor xcolor = (XSSFColor)bg;
+        XSSFColor xcolor = XSSFColor.toXSSFColor(bg);
         setFillBackgroundColor(xcolor.getCTColor());
     }
     public void setFillBackgroundColor(short bg) {
@@ -80,10 +77,7 @@ public class XSSFPatternFormatting implements PatternFormatting {
     }
     
     public void setFillForegroundColor(Color fg) {
-        if (fg != null && !(fg instanceof XSSFColor)) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Only XSSFColor objects are supported");
-        }
-        XSSFColor xcolor = (XSSFColor)fg;
+        XSSFColor xcolor = XSSFColor.toXSSFColor(fg);
         setFillForegroundColor(xcolor.getCTColor());
     }
     public void setFillForegroundColor(short fg) {