Can You Mix Satin & Flat Acrylic Paints?

Preparations

• Buy a plastic measuring cup that you can wash out. You will also want stir sticks, a drill-driven mixing paddle and new paint cans. You will need a permanent marker and a notepad and pencil to track your results. If you do create a mix you like, you will want to replicate that mixture in large enough amounts to paint several walls in a room, which means you need to take notes. You will also need washable rollers and paintbrushes along with tape and plastic sheeting to protect your floors.

Base

• Paint base is critical to how well your end paint will turn out. You can never mix oil and water. These elements separate when mixed together. You cannot mix different base paints together. You can use a paint other than oil or water base. Each type should be handled individually or only within its own paint group. Mix paint within the same manufacturer and product line, which reduces the risk that the paint won't mix at all.

Colors

• Each paint you purchase from the paint store has some type of pigmentation mixture. If you have had the store mix the paint, you have probably seen the mixture code printed out on the card or can. When you are mixing a satin and a flat paint, you are also mixing paint colors. If you have the mixture of the paint on the can, add the mixture code to your notes so that if you create a good color with a mixed satin/flat finish, you can replicate your mixture.

Mixing

• Measure out an amount of your satin paint using your measuring cup. Jot down the amount. Drain the cup as empty as possible, and measure out a small amount of the flat paint. Try for a 4:1 ratio on your first mixture. Because you are trying to mix these finishes, you don't have to totally clean out your measuring cup each time. Stir with a paint stick, and use a motorized paint paddle to thoroughly mix the paint. Stir for three to five minutes. Give your mixture a batch number that you write in your book and on the can. Tape off a test area on the wall. Paint the area, and jot down the batch number. Repeat the process, going to 3:1 and 2:1 paint mixtures. Allow the paint to dry before evaluations.