In fact, there is no particular reason to be limited to light shades when painting walls. Like any other colors, dark colors also have their advantages when it comes to painting walls with them, and you can always find ways to neutralize the disadvantages of dark paint.
Lighting tricks
By enlisting the help of light, you won’t let dark walls trick your vision and make the room seem smaller. Shiny paint, including semi-matte or semi-gloss paint, reflects more light than matte paint. This alone will already make a room with dark walls seem brighter.
You can also install more light sources in the room for the same purpose. Increase the brightness of overhead lighting, get higher wattage bulbs for task lighting, and place table lamps and wall sconces in strategic places so that there are no dark shaded corners in the room.
Mixing paint
The pigment that colors the paint quickly settles to the bottom of the container, even if the paint has just been mixed. The uneven distribution of the pigment in dark or bright colors is more pronounced than in light colors. Take the paint home with it upside down and store it the same way at home until it is time to open the jar. When you open the jar, stir the paint for a few minutes. Dip the wand very deeply to touch the bottom, and stir until homogeneous.
Paint Tips
It is a misconception to think that it is easier to paint over light paint with dark paint than vice versa. A layer of light paint shines through dark paint just as clearly as dark paint shines through light paint. To achieve a saturated dark wall color, you usually need several layers of pigment, that is, several layers of paint.
You can reduce the number of coats by one or two if you first coat the wall with a tinting primer of the same shade as the new dark paint. Allow the previous coat of paint to dry before applying the next coat.
Repainting
When you decide to repaint dark walls to a lighter color, use a high quality primer beforehand. Acrylic and shellac primer give the best coverage compared to latex primer, preventing the dark paint from shining through the light paint. You’ll end up with a blank canvas wall and need fewer coats of paint to cover dark walls.
White is so versatile that for years it just seemed boring. Interiors were usually dominated by browns, grays or bold variations – green, purple, coral. What to do when lush colors cease to please, and we wistfully recall muted arrangements with white in the lead role? How to turn the pink kingdom of a little princess into the room of a fashion blogger without expensive repairs? We need to repaint the walls! Here, however, the problem begins. Freshly plastered and smooth surfaces are easy to cover with a light tone, but repainting walls of intense color to white is already more difficult. How to deal with it? Read on!
Primer good idea!
Proper preparation is the foundation. Even the best coatings and the most expensive paints won’t pass the test if the wall surface isn’t cleaned of stains, fungus and mold. Before painting, dirt must be removed and irregularities that can cause the new coat to crack. They can disrupt the smooth texture or contribute to streaks and gaps. It is also important to fill cavities, cracks and holes in the walls by polishing and dusting them.
Preparation will also require the use of a primer or primer, such as latex primer emulsion. The role of the product is to equalize the absorbency, homogenize the substrate, as well as to improve adhesion and reduce paint consumption. The effect is not so much to reduce the cost of repair, but to reduce the work time. In this case, the expected result can already be achieved after the first coat of a new color.
How to apply primer? It is best to start with corners and hard-to-reach places. Use a small brush or paint roller, 10 to 15 cm wide. Then, moving at right angles, we move on to larger surfaces with a roller up to 25 cm wide.
Paint Selection Criteria
Choose a dense paint, especially if you take on the task of repainting a dark wall into a whitewashed one. There are products on store shelves with varying levels of coverage, from high to low, with lower or higher costs. Price should not be a factor in this choice, because often the cheaper paint proves to be the least economical. It will require several additional coats and thus will take longer and the repairs will take longer. This also does not mean that you have to find the most expensive paint. The most important criterion is quality!
To choose the right paint, it is best to analyze the information on the label. The label contains detailed information about its purpose, type of substrate, coating. It specifies the drying time and performance, determining the size of the surface that can be painted with one liter of the product. In addition to these, it is worth paying attention to whether the paint has expired. This can greatly limit its effectiveness. It is also worth reading the manufacturer’s recommendations, for example, regarding the dilution of the paint. If they are not, do not experiment and do not look for savings, because the effect can be counterproductive.
Tools
White walls are not just a matter of proper preparation and good paint coverage. Tools rollers also make a big difference! The most versatile are those with medium bristles (suitable for painting mineral plasters and structural wallpaper). However, if you want to paint rougher concrete, brick or structural plaster surfaces, it is better to get a roller with long bristles. This will allow you to cover an uneven surface tightly without gaps.
Equally important is the material from which the roller is made. Here the choice must depend on the type of paint you use. Water-soluble paints are best distributed with microfiber rollers. Oil paints are usually applied with wool, acrylic or velour, latex and dispersion, string, and sponges. A cuvette is needed to apply the paint evenly. A film that will protect the furniture and floor from dirt and painter’s tape.
The main question is: how to paint? The first step is to prepare the roller. If it is new, it should be moistened and the excess water squeezed out. It’s also worth removing loose bristles with self-adhesive tape. They can leave unattractive marks.
Start by painting the ceiling (if the room has a window, go from the frame to the inside), then move on to the corners and walls. At the very end, the surface should be smoothed by moving the roller from top to bottom. This will avoid streaks and stains and thus ensure a perfectly painted wall.
Patience pays off
Painting – regardless of the color chosen – is a lesson in patience. Haste is not recommended because it can ruin everything. You don’t want to redo everything, do you? The key to an effective job is to follow the drying time listed on the label. This applies not only to the first coat of paint, but also to primers. Factors that can speed up this process a little are optimal conditions, i.e. a temperature between 10°C and 25°C. C and a well-ventilated room.
After years of the dominance of gray, brown and soft greens, white is back in line. Walls in this versatile color decorate a room, visually enhance the interior and fit into any style. That’s why more and more people are willing to use white in their interiors. As it turns out, repainting a darker surface into a lighter shade is not that tedious. Good tools, quality paint and a little patience are enough to achieve the result.
Wallpaper for painting is the best option for those who want to make the interior unique. Their essence is quite simple: the blank canvas sets the relief, and the paint – the color. This solution is beneficial for those who are tired of seeing motley drawings on the walls, spending time on their docking or just want to use the canvas as a canvas for painting. The article tells you what kind of canvas you can paint and what you need to do it.
If you need to replace the dark tones with light
Quality coatings for painting can be repainted many times. What to do in the event that the subsequent layer should be lighter than the previous one?
Many people who have tried to apply a coat of light paint over an existing dark one have complained that it takes more than five coats to completely change the color. It takes a lot of money, paint and effort.
If you don’t want to overglue, and changing the tone from dark to light is necessary, another layer should be applied on top of the base coat. A completely white one. It will act as a primer, helping to quickly change color. One or two coats of the new tint is enough to completely change the color of the wall.
