How to Paint Over Tone-on-Tone Paint

Wash the painted surface with a mild detergent to remove any dirt or oil. Use a sponge for light grime, switching to a scrub brush should the sponge fail to clean the surface. Rinse off the cleaner with water and then pat the surface dry with clean rags.

Sand the painted surface lightly with a fine-grit sandpaper to remove any gloss from the paint finish and create a slightly textured surface. After sanding, wipe the surface with a rag to remove any residue.

Mask off the painting surface from adjoining surfaces with a strip of masking tape placed on the edges of the adjoining surfaces. Place a drop cloth along the base of the painting surface as well to prevent falling paint from staining the floor.

Apply a layer of primer that’s dark enough to conceal the darker of the two tones of paint used. Brush the primer around the edges of the surface, creating a 3- or 4-inch wide line of primer to cut-in the primer coverage. Roll the primer over the rest of the surface with a paint roller. Work the primer onto the surface, beginning the strokes from the painted edge and then working inwards. Always begin each new stroke with the roller in an area already covered by the primer to keep from creating obvious starting points in the coverage. After covering the entire surface, backroll the primer into the surface by running the roller over the paint a second time horizontally.

Allow the primer to dry completely, following the manufacturer’s recommended drying time. Examine the surface to determine if the two-tone paint is still visible beneath the primer. If so, apply a second primer layer and allow that layer to dry as well.

Cover the primer with a coat of paint in your chosen surface color. Follow the same application process with the paint as you did with the primer, first cutting in the side and then covering the center using the roller. Use two layers of paint if needed to cover the primer color completely, allowing each to dry before placing the next.