Should I add white paint to a color to lighten the shade?
Question:I painted a guestroom a grass color green which came out great. I'm now considering doing something with the white ceiling. I know it's backwards and I should have done the ceiling first. I'd like to lighten the color used on the walls for the ceiling. Should I just add white paint??
Answers:
I used to work at a paint store and am now a commercial paint contractor...
You could add white paint.. It would lighten it up a bit.. The problem is that while it is easy to add a little bit of paint to darken colors.. It usually takes quite a bit to lighten colors back. It would probably take a quart of white to a gallon to really lighten it up. Otherwise, It may just look like the wall color.
It may be more cost effective to just buy a gallon of the ceiling paint and get it tinted at the store to your desired color. (you dont have to buy the most expensive paint for ceilings, as they take the least wear and tear) An average size room can be painted with a gallon of paint.. Figure 250 to 300 sq feet per gallon. If you are rolling it on.. you will need to put on two coats.
Hope this helps.
You can lighten the paint, BUT you'll want to add the darker color to the white (don't add white to the dark, it will take a LOT of paint to lighten it, vs. just a little of the darker paint to tint the white).
More Related Questions & Answers...