Switching from a Dark to Light Wall Color - Painting Tips for San Diego

Undershirts are white for a reason.

We promise this ties into painting, so just bear with us.

Their simple, neutral color allows other colors to be easily worn over them without conflict. If you tried to wear a red t-shirt under a white dress shirt, you’d quickly discover a whole different scenario. You’d need three or four white shirts to successfully hide the red one, and that would just look odd.

Interior painting is very similar. Primers are typically light, allowing your colorful topcoat to smoothly lie over them. So, this leads us to a very important question: what do you do if you are switching from a dark wall color to a light one? How can you do it without the color underneath showing through?

One of our craftsmen, Victor, recently tackled a project that dealt with this exact scenario. Let’s take a closer look.

Switching from Deep Blue to White Walls

This was about as drastic a color leap as you could possibly make. The walls in this San Diego condo were a deep blue, and the desired finish color was white.

Because the walls and ceiling were going to be painted the same color for this property, Victor decided to carefully mask the room then spray the white over the blue. To completely cover the original color, he ended up needing to apply 4 coats, including both spraying and finishing with a roller.

In case you have an eye for the details, he used Velvin Flat from Frazee.

Beyond Multiple Coats, How Do You Apply Light Paint Over Dark?

The key is to use a primer that will bring your wall back to as close to a neutral state as possible. Victor’s paint choice above was a good one because it has self-priming properties, and also offers great coverage over existing colors.

You also could choose a tinted primer, available with either a bit of pigment from your chosen topcoat, or just a dash of grey added. Either way, a slight tint will allow for quicker, more thorough coverage over a stubborn wall color.

Bonus Tip:

As tempting as it may be to rush through a paint job, be sure to let each coat fully dry before moving onto the next. Quality painting is based on attention to detail.