Wall Treats, Master Painters, The painting company where going the extra mile matters

Paint tinters and their influence on colour choices

Edition 22: 16 September 2010

Why understanding paint tinters may influence your colour choice

In our article, What goes into paint, we share that it is the colourants or tinters that give untinted paint, colour. Each paint colour will have a specific formula of tinters.

Recently, we learnt why understanding the amount of tinter in a paint colour is a key factor to anticipating how much effort may be required.

We were asked to paint all the surfaces inside a Herne Bay villa in a popular shade of white. The house was undergoing an overhaul. While the walls were not being skim coated, there was enough plastering work for 50% of the walls to be sealed. The remaining walls had previously been painted a light yellow. Two topcoats of this shade of white are all we need …. So we thought!

Two generous topcoats later, the coverage on the walls was thin. This was a finish that Daniel was just not happy with! It was time to seek help from our trade representative.

Apparently, this shade of white only has a minute amount of tinter in it. This is how this colour is formulated. The miniscule amount of tinter meant three or four topcoats of paint were required to provide coverage. If the existing surface had previously been coated in this shade of white, then two topcoats would have been adequate.

A good way of finding out how many coats of paint you may need to ensure good coverage is to:

Get a test pot of the colour you intend to use; then,
Either brush or roll the paint over a piece of white cardboard.

If after two generous coats you find that the coverage is still lacking, it may be an indication that additional topcoats may be needed for your surfaces.

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Next edition

The next edition of Off the Wall will be published on 11 November 2010. Until then, ask us a painting related question. Give yourself the opportunity to WIN enough paint to recoat the walls within an average sized room.

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