How do I paint over a dark colour?
Covering dark walls with light paint without applying five coats, using a tinted primer to do the work.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 4 hr
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Use a grey or tinted primer rather than more coats of the finish colour. One coat of primer plus two of the new colour covers better than four coats of emulsion, and costs less.
Emulsion is semi-translucent, so dark colours keep showing through. Primer is formulated to block, which is a different job. Two coats of primer-plus-topcoat outperform four coats of topcoat alone, in both cost and finish.
What you'll need
- Primer or undercoat
- Finish paint
- Roller and brush
- Grey tinted primer (optional)
Step by step
- Wash the walls and let them dry.Grease and dust prevent adhesion, and dark walls in a living room usually have both.
- Fill and sand any damage first.Filled patches need spot-priming or they absorb differently and show through the finish.
- Apply a coat of primer, tinted grey if going to a light colour.Grey primer blocks dark colours better than white, counter-intuitive as that sounds. Many merchants tint primer free.
- Let the primer dry fully.Check the tin — usually four hours. Recoating too early lifts the primer and undoes the coverage.
- Apply the first finish coat and expect it to look patchy.This is normal over primer and not a sign it will not cover. Do not add extra paint to compensate.
- Apply a second finish coat.Two over primer is the realistic total. It should now be even.
- Check in daylight before deciding you are finished.Artificial light hides patchiness. Look at it in daylight from an angle before packing up.
- For very strong colours, expect an extra coat.Deep reds, oranges and some blues bleed through more than dark neutrals and may need three finish coats even over primer.
Tips
- Some paints are sold specifically for covering dark colours in fewer coats. They cost more per tin and are usually cheaper overall for this job.
- Do not use a darker finish colour as its own primer. Primer and emulsion do different jobs and are not interchangeable.
- Painting a dark colour over a light one is much easier and usually needs only two coats.
Common mistakes
- Applying more coats of finish paint instead of priming — Emulsion is not formulated to block. Four coats often still shows through where one primer coat would not.
- Using white primer for a light finish over a dark wall — Grey-tinted primer blocks dark colours more effectively, despite appearances.
- Judging coverage in artificial light — It hides patchiness that is obvious in daylight, and you find out the next morning.
Questions people ask
How many coats to cover a dark wall?
One coat of tinted primer plus two finish coats. That covers better than four coats of finish paint alone and uses less paint overall.
Do I need to sand before painting over dark paint?
Not usually for matt emulsion — washing is enough. Sand lightly if the existing surface is silk, gloss, or has any sheen, so the new paint can key to it.