What Is the Process for Painting Over Dark Colored Paint?

Oil or Latex Test

• It’s imperative that you know whether the last paint job was oil-based or latex paint. If you’re not sure, test the walls before purchasing your supplies. Rub a spot on your wall with a white rag dampened with denatured alcohol. If any color comes off, it is latex paint. If not, it’s oil paint.

Choosing Primer

• If you are painting over walls that have last been painted with oil paint, use a shellac primer. You then will be able to re-paint the wall with oil-based paint again, or switch to latex paint if you choose.

  If your walls were last painted with latex paint, use an acrylic-latex based or a shellac primer. You can re-paint your wall with latex-based paint over either acrylic-latex or shellac. However, if you’re switching to an oil-based paint, use the shellac primer.

Tinting Your Primer

• Your final top coat will benefit from a tinted primer if you are changing a dark color to a light color, like pastel pink, lemon yellow or tan. Have the paint store tint the primer in the new wall color you desire for best results. If you are painting your wall a shade of white, tinting is not necessary.

Brushes

• Apply your primer with an inexpensive synthetic brush for corners and edges, and a paint roller for big expanses of wall. Don’t ruin good brushes. Latex and shellac primers dry quickly and are difficult to remove. Use cheap brushes and dispose of them when finished. Work quickly, as latex or shellac primers dry quickly. Keep your brushes and rollers from drying out between coats. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and they’ll keep wet until you’re ready to use them again.

Coats

• Check the walls after the first coat of primer is dry. If some of the old color is still bleeding through, apply a second coat, if necessary. A third coat is unlikely if using acrylic-latex or shellac primers. However, if you used a water-based latex primer or all-purpose primer you may need a third or fourth coat until the original dark color is concealed completely. You can then finish the walls with one or two coats of paint in your new color.