Easy House Painting Tips - Newsletter February, 2009

Interior painting with deep tinted paints such as midnight blue, pumpkin orange and passion red can be a very challenging experience for any homeowner. The one thing virtually all deep tinted paints have in common is they are mixed in a neutral base. The neutral base that these colors are mixed in offer little help in coverage. Before the colorant is added you can look straight through to the bottom of the can. So what steps can a homeowner take to improve coverage and save time.

Below are 6 important things you must do to assure coverage while using deep tinted paints for your interior painting projects.

1. The first and most important thing you should do is apply a primer that has been tinted to match the top coat you plan to use. These tinted primers have a lot more pigment and will cover better, making the transition to your dark color neutral based color easier. This will reduce cost and time.
2. Pay attention to your spread rate. Avoid over overspreading deep tinted color paints. Dry rolling will only reduce the hiding power. Apply paint at the manufactures recommended spread rate.
3. Use a good quality roller cover. The ideal nap thickness for deep tinted paint is a 3/8 inch nap. A shorter nap than this causes over spreading of paint and reduces hiding power. A nap longer than this creates an unattractive stipple effect in the deep tinted paints.
4. The method you use to apply the paint is important. Make sure you roll into the brushed areas while the paint is still wet. This prevents what is called framing. Deep tinted paints seem to look better when applied in a straight up and down motion from ceiling to floor. Also, avoid build up of paint at the leading edge of the roller. Try to feather any leading edge of paint left by the roller by using a straight up and down motion.
5. Give proper drying time before re coating. The high levels of colorant in the paint slow down the drying process of deeply tinted paints. Applying paint too soon will create unsightly textures.
6. Don't touch up deep tinted paints. If you find you don't have complete coverage in a few areas of a wall then re-roll that wall. It is very difficult to touch up these walls without looking touched up.

Keep in mind, deeply tinted paints have different properties than white tinted base paints. White tinted based paints cover very well in 1 or two coats and are used in most of your light to medium colors. They spread differently and dry down differently. Avoid the mistake of getting in too big of a hurry while using deep tinted paint. They are known for their capricious nature.