Dark red walls bad for viewing? (1 Viewer)

[Pam W]

Shane,


I have had bad experiences with cheaper quality paint - try 4 coats of burgundy from Lowes that NEVER covered. We started all over again with Benjamin Moore and voyola! Room done.

In my HT I have "exotic purple" on my ceiling and upper walls. It is a Benjamin Moore color - pricey, but 2 coats did the trick. I also used Zinsser 123 dark color primer (a deep gray). The two work like magic together! So, 3 coats total, but a fabulous result!

My final advice - go with the best quality paint - especially with dark colors!

pam

 

[Mark_Ken]

I just thought I would chime in. Benjamin Moore is my favorite paint. My wife didn't think there was a diff in paint so she made me get a can of Behr to paint our bathroom. It sucked it took 3 coats of white just to cover an already white wall. Needless to say I stick with Benjamin Moore now. It's well worth the extra money.

 

[MikeWh]

I'm surprised at the different experiences people have had-- especially the need for 3 or more coats for light-over-light applications. I've recently used a very deep blue on a previously white wall, and it was the only time I've ever needed more than 2 coats.

My guess is that technique is a much bigger factor than overall quality (or price) of the paint. For example, I've noticed when I've had "helpers" (i.e., people with little or no experience using a roller), I usually have to go behind them to fix their work. Also, I rarely have more paint left in the can than I had calculated for the job, given the coverage estimates printed on the side.... so I know that my application of the paint is in line with the manufacturer's expectations, and (conversely) I know that the manufacturer's stated coverage is usually accurate/reasonable. This is my experience for regular interior latex, at least.

Maybe sheen has something to do with it.... I use eggshell most of the time (except trim, of course).

Are any of you who've experienced "unacceptably poor" coverage using sprayers, like a Wagner Power Painter?

 

[Jon Gum]

MikeWh -

Actually, I have found that hue drives it all. If you are trying to cover a light beige with any light red-hue, it will never look like the swatch without the appropriate number of coats. I have found that to be the case whether I am brushing or painting, Home Depot or Shermin Williams - it's the hue.

Ever since my experience with my red, I always ask the paint professional if this is a low coverage hue BEFORE I decide on a final color. Low coverage = NFW on my walls!

Jon

 

[Chris Hovanic]

Up in the Northwest we have a line of paint (might be going national) called Devine and it is the only paint I will use on the walls of my house.

They will not mix colors, what they have is what you get. All the colors are matched to the climate/weather/light of the Northwest. (check their site for more info). I painted my dining room and living room a Dark Green over a light colored wall. One coat! My New Sons room a Dark Blue. One coat!

It is so worth the extra 5-10 bucks a gallon. We are looking at painting our familyroom/HT a dark purple and will be using Devine.

****Edit*****
Forgot to mention that the paint has almost zero odor.

 

[Mark_Ken]

I come from a painting background and couldn't agree more that a large part of painting is how you do it. I have seen people try and paint with no paint on there roller or brush, funny to watch. That's why my wife and I are the only people, outside of pro's, that I let paint in my home. I have friends offer all the time and I will kindly refuse because I know it will be more hassle then it's worth.

 

[Shane Morales]

Mark Ken:

Oh, exalted one, please share your roller-painting wisdom! The main reason I hate to paint is cause I suck at it. Too little paint and there's stripes on the wall. Too much paint and the roller just slides around. Either way I end up with less than satisfactory results and a headache from being so annoyed.

 

[MikeWh]

low coverage hue

Interesting, Jon. I've never heard of a "low coverage hue." Manufacturers state their expected coverage on the can for each base medium, regardless of tint. Then, they usually make a blanket statement along the lines of "more coats may be necessary to hide a dark surface".... etc etc...

Shane-- I know you asked Mark_Ken, but here's my 2 cents: Every home improvement show on interior painting shows the same basic steps. I've seen little varience in the literally dozens of shows I've seen over the years. They're always repeated in online DIY pages as well, for example: http://doityourself.com/paint/
(nice Interactive Tutorial from Lowes).

Basic steps: adequate prep (often overlooked), cut in properly, load the roller (using the pan properly), apply a Z-pattern (or w-pattern, etc...), work in a relatively small area at a time, and keep a wet edge.

The "too little/too much" problem has to do with loading the roller properly. I make sure there's enough paint in the bottom of the pan (about a 1/2"), roll the roller into the paint, and coat most of the roller (or at least half... it's hard to coat the roller at this point, because the weight of the paint on the bottom of the roller will make it hard to roll the roller back and forth in the pool of paint in the tray). Pull the roller back onto the pan's inclined surface (the washboard part), pulling up some of the paint up onto the washboard. This helps coat the top-side of the roller that you couldn't originally dip into the paint. I then pick up the roller and roll it down the washboard.... Pick up, roll down the washboard... a couple times, so the paint coats the roller evenly.

If you pick up the roller at this point, and paint can drip off of it, you need to roll it down the washboard a few times. If the roller will only slide down the washboard (instead of rolling down it), then you're loading too much paint onto the roller or there's too much paint on the washboard. Another thing I've noticed-- if you notice a BUNCH of little paint droplets all over your drop cloth and/or your shirt/face/etc... then you've either got too much paint on the roller or you're too aggressive in the roller motion, or both! If you apply the paint, and it's too thin, then you may be "squeegying out" the roller too much on the washboard or not loading enough paint on it initially.


OK. Class is dismissed. Sorry 'bout the long post!

 

[Mark_Ken]

Mike nice post. I couldn't have said it better myself. I will add a few points though.

1.) Prep is key. I can't tell you how critical this step is. Sand before your first coat and sand in between coats.

2.) Make sure you have enough paint on the roller. So many people try and strech it out.

3.) Use a roller ext. Also when you roll a way go from floor to ceiling, Big long strokes, Not short little ones.

4.) A good rule of thumb if you want to paint fast is get three people to paint. Two trimming and one rolling. We did my 1 bedroom condo in about 5 hours this way. It was perfect the roller was just keeping up with the cutters.

That's my tips for the day.

 

[MikeWh]

Mark_Ken-- I've got to say, I've never sanded between coats. Maybe a few times... one some high spots or to remove a particle in the finish... but not as a general rule. I do it all the time for woodworking, but have never really considered it essential for walls. Could you elaborate on how much sanding you do and what you're goal is (like sanding off high spots, removing particles in the finish, or a overall sanding, etc...)? What grit?? 220?

To all:
In addition to my previous suggestions, I thought I'd add: Before using a new roller, have someone hold the roller, while you remove loose nap fibers by running a long piece of masking tape over the nap (back and forth... back and forth... many times). The action is sort of like buffing a shoe, with the tape causing the roller to roll back and forth. If you've ever noticed a bunch of loose hairs (fibers) on your freshly painted wall, then this is what you should have done!!

Also, I found the CR article:

Valspar's American Tradition was their overall winner in all sheens. Looks like they loved it. I'll have to try it next painting job. Behr Premium Plus rated a "very good" overall in all sheens. Only American Tradition and one other paint garnered an "excellent" rating (Many paints rec'd a "very good"). Also, the article discusses "hiding" ability, a test they first devised in the '60s that measures how well 2 coats hide a contrasting color. They mention "no matter what labels promise, even the best hiding paints usually require two coats." In all but one of the 59 paint/sheen combinations tested, they found excellent hiding ability with 2 coats, using a medium tint base. Whites and pastels performed less satisfactorily for most paints, as may be expected. (Behr performed excellent in pastels and mediums, all sheens). Soooooo.... this leads me (and an unbiased testing group) to one conclusion-- unless you're trying to cover a dark color with white, you should expect that 2 coats of Behr will do the trick. If it doesn't, you may be doing something wrong.

 

[Shane Morales]

Thanks guys. I've already done the ceiling and it didn't turn out that good, but it's a dark charcoal and with the lights out no one will care (except me). But I have to do the walls this weekend. I will take all of your tips and hints into consideration. I can see already that I've been doing several things wrong.

One question: Sanding? I guess that'd be sanding gently with a very fine grit sandpaper?

 

[Mark_Ken]

I have just always done a quick sanding to knock down off the little particles. This leave a nice finsh. You don't want to spend a whole lot of time just go over it once. I use 120grit when I do this.

 

[Mark_Ken]

Also with a dark color I always put on one more coat then I think I should. I can't tell you how much better it looks. Remember painting takes time, but if you do it right you will have a great finshed product.

 

[Pam W]

Mark_Ken,

Amen to that! This thread needs to be in a FAQ on painting the HT room!

Pam

 

[Bill-T]

This from the president of CinemaQuest ( http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ideal_lume.htm ) in answer to my question pertaining to painting my walls dark green:

"Human color perception is most sensitive in the green region. The more you have illuminated green within the field of view of the TV screen, the more the image will be perceived as having a green tint. I would suggest that you keep the wall, within the field of view occupied by the TV, a neutral gray. People who have never tried this cannot appreciate how much more natural and vivid colors appear in a correct viewing environment..."

 

[Bill-T]

PS: Erik, you're an incredibly lucky dude! Can't wait to see your finished home theater in the new house.

 

[Shane Morales]

So if you botch an area pretty good and want to start it over do you sand it down real good and then give it another go?

I tried to paint over an area that wasn't quite dry and not really wet. It didn't turn out well at all.