Painting Dilemma

[Ron]

I'm changing the color of a room that is mint green to light beige (just a little darker than antique white).

I test painted a small area and the color looks kinda of a pinkish or corral instead of beige even after 2 coats. After 3 coats of beige it appears to be the right color.

So today i bought a spray can of "Killz" and sprayed a small area and let it dry and then painted on the beige and it is exactly the color it's supposed to be.

I haven't done much painting as far as changing the color, I always painted the room the same color or something very close.

My question is, when changing colors this drastically, are you supposed to prime first then paint? Or, do you have to apply 3 or more coats of paint to get the desired color?

By buying the spray can(s) of "Killz" I was just trying to to make less work for myself but even after my small test area I see that I can't use an aerosol because of the overspray.

BTW, I know "Killz" is for stains, spots, etc., but it is also a primer and the only one that came in a spray can, thats the only reason I bought it.

Also, if I need to use primer, should I use an oil base, or water base?

[Harvey Van Sickle]

On 16 Apr 2004, Ron wrote

It depends on the colour -- obviously, going from a light colour to a deeper one will work better than vice-versa.

White's obviously got poor covering qualities for other colours (although, FWIW, I've always found that the yellow is about the lousiest for covering), so if I was doing your change -- green to beige

-- I'd prime first (cheaper than using extra coats of your main paint).

Depends on the top-coat paint, I'd figure: oil for oil, water for water.

[The Chairman]

[e-mail] (Ron) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Here are my tips as far as painting goes. I am no pro, but I have done many coats of paint since buying my fixer house, so take them for what they are worth:

- Always prime. Primer is a different chemical make up than regular paint, and the new paint sticks and covers much better with primer underneath. - It seems that the pros prefer an oil based primer, however I have used latex almost exclusively and been quite happy with it. However, I also used latex paint exclusively. If you are using oil-based paint, I would definetly go with an oil primer. - Get your primer tinted with the color that you are intending to paint the room. This would definetly help cut down on the number of coats you are doing. Or, if you are painting dark over light, a medium to dark grey primer is also effective. - Take the time to sand with a very fine grit sandpaper between coats. I painted 2 rooms the same color, over the same color, and the sanding in the second room saved me 2 extra coats that I had to do in the first, where I didn't use the sandpaper.

Those are my tips. Have fun.

Ryan

[m Ransley]

Primng is not necessary Your problem is not using top quality paint. Get good paint or double or tripple coat , its your choise.

[Art]

I disagree. Priming always give you a better job. Most companies may 2 different grades of primer. One is for a glossy finishing coat and the other for matte finishing coat. The former primer is more expensive. I called up Behr company once and they told me the glossy finishing coat primer is the far better product and could be used for matte finishing coats too and they recommended it. The matte finishing coat primers are just on the market to have a cheap product. Both were latex based.

[davefr]

Are you using low end paint like Behr??

Use quality paint like Pratt and Lambert Accolade and you can change from most colors with only one coat.

If you're making a major color change using a primer sure won't hurt. To get a head start have the paint store tint the primer to half the color formula of the topcoat.

[m Ransley]

Well art Ive done more pro painting than most people and priming is rarely the best option, because it means switching and recleaning equipment which is a waist of time. Pros don't have time to waist as I can paint a small room in the time it takes to fully clean a set up. Also colors are richer on a double coat of paint. Priming is something needed only on large wall repairs or going over a stained, or high gloss, or a bleed through problem, or any other problem necessitating primer

[Gregory]

My experience says to definitely prime. Good quality paint is more expensive than primer. The primer will prevent the need for more coats of the expensive paint.

I'm painting some light green walls myself. My tests of the paint and primer show good coverage. The primer also helps if you have spackled or repaired parts of the wall. You risk uneven paint regions if you simply paint and ignore the primer.

Ox

[jeffc]

No, if you buy a high quality (expensive) paint, you'll only need 1/3 as much of it and 1/3 the work. Sherwin Williams SuperPaint or similar should do it.

[jeffc]

Technically maybe so, but usually not necessary or even noticeable.

[M Mac]

Also, remember how your vision works - looking at a green wall for even a short length of time will make things appear reddish when looking to a whiter color. Avoid looking at the green for too long before judging the new color.

jm