In addition to complete repaints I am regularly asked to “freshen up” tired or grimy finishes for impending rentals or sales or to “just paint over the offending marks.” I hear this so often that I feel some written advice may be helpful for those who find these requests perfectly sound and simple.
The tidy up of marked walls is never routine for the original paint is rarely available and even then can be a different product inside the tin from that on the walls or woodwork. Exposed to general wear and tear and extremes of temperature, paint changes. For this reason even a diligently kept tin of the original paint (a rare occurrence) can sometimes give disappointing results when applied over itself.
To be successful the ‘quick’ paint-over must be done to the whole wall and not merely part of it. Yes, I realize that may be obvious to many but I sometimes struggle to get the logic of the idea across. Even if the re-touch colours match, it is far better for the surface to have a complete uniform coating rather than one with isolated patches that show up in the ever-changing light.
Sometimes the only option for a decorator intent on the original colour is to request a paint match and I use this term in the general sense for really no two colours are ever the same. In spite of advances in modern technology a colour- matching computer can only do so much and the required colour will need to be fine tuned by the paint shop staff. Achieving the right colour and sheen level is really an exacting skill so please be patient with your paint person, give them the respect their efforts deserve and please don’t be in a hurry.
For these reasons your choice of supplier is crucial. I generally steer away from individual recommendations but I will suggest you choose a store that deals solely in paint. Yes, I have had successful results from my local hardware stores but really if you are matching paint get assistance from those who specialize. A question I am often asked is which paint brand I prefer. Obviously I prefer quality to quantity but really I have had good results from all of the known brands and even those under the radar. Generally though there is a reason behind the higher price and good ingredients are worth it. The point with painting is preparation and taking care with colour, finish and application. It sounds obvious but there is no point buying the most expensive paint if you use cheap rollers and brushes and rush the job.
Obtaining the correct colour is one thing; the next stage is the finish or sheen level such as matt, low sheen, satin, semi-gloss, etc. Sheen level is crucial to successful matching but this is often overlooked in the desire for colour perfection. A freshly painted low sheen finish will generally be shinier that that of an existing, earlier example of the same brand. Consider this point, as sheen level drops with age and cleaning. With exterior paint for instance, a full gloss finish will diminish rapidly with the weather and can appear dull after a matter of months. If you were intent on matching the finish in this situation, then the sheen level would be dropped to perhaps a semi-gloss to avoid the obvious higher shine ‘retouched’ look.
You need a good sample when colour matching. At a pinch a small coin-sized sliver may be enough but really you need something much larger. The computer lens requires only a tiny sample area but you need the extra size for the potential matches. Possible matches are painted directly onto your original paint samples and dried (often by a hairdryer) to gauge the match. Often three or four attempts are needed to get the desired result, hence the need for large or multiple samples. Why the drying? When wet, paint reflects more light giving the impression of a lighter colour. Paint therefore dries darker and needs to be dry for the colour to be assessed.
Getting samples of the required colour is usually a problem. I have seen feeble attempts to scrap paint flakes from walls and woodwork with pathetic results. Good samples require you to be a little daring and adventurous. If the colour were on wood, say, a skirting or architrave then I would consider removing a small length and reattaching it later. Trust me it’s common to see painters in shops with a length of timber under their arm, as sometimes it’s the only way. Walls made of plasterboard are easier to sample as a rectangle of colour can be carefully cut from either inside a cupboard or behind a door or fridge etc. You simply need to cut through the paper covering the inner plaster and peel this off. The exposed white plaster can be filled and then sanded when dry. If you are repainting then any small areas damaged by sampling should be invisible after decorating.
Then again you could simply choose an entire new colour scheme, oh... and speaking of designer whites.
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| An advertisement taken from the August 1966 edition of ‘The Practical Householder’ magazine (UK). |
