Paint Colors – Mix to Match

Twenty-five years ago, I saw the most interesting thing. I was at Kathy's (my wife to be) house picking her up for a date. A professional painter was there working. He was in the process of custom blending an interior paint color for my future mother-in-law's dining and living room.

This painter had numerous plastic ketchup and mustard bottles filled with different pigments. He would squeeze pigments into the white base paint until he got close to the desired color. Kathy's mother stood there and watched while he mixed. Occasionally he would apply some to the wall to see if it was right. Once Kathy's mother was satisfied he proceeded to mix the rest of the paint according to the quantities of pigment that were added. It was amazing how easy it was to do!

It is Still Possible

You can still do the same thing that Andy the painter did for my mother-in-law. It is possible to purchase the concentrated pigments from certain paint stores. Of course you have to be willing to experiment. The beauty of this process is that you can create an infinite amount of colors.

Andy did the exact same thing for some outdoor patio furniture. He had a green paint that was a little too green. So he simply started adding some black until the green paint became a much deeper shade. As long as you go slowly, you will get positive results. The key is not to add too much pigment at once.

The Old Days

75 years ago, the paint industry was very different. First of all there weren't any paint stores. You went to a hardware store. There you could buy basic paint in white. Often you could purchase the paint ingredients: linseed oil, mineral spirits, titanium dioxide, and pigments. You would take these ingredients and blend your own paint!

Exterior house painters would actually mix up 10 - 15 gallons at a time to paint the exterior parts of a home. The ingredients would be placed in a large garbage type can. A popular color at the time was robin's egg blue. The painter would get an approval from the house wife or husband and make sure that he had enough paint mixed up to coat an entire side or two. It was tough to get an exact match using crude paint mixing methods.

The industry started to change about 50 to 60 years ago with the introduction of premixed colors from the paint factories. There would be rows and rows of gallon cans in paint stores of different colors. There were no site mixed color machines in the hardware stores.

During the 1950's and '60's, the paint companies began to introduce site mixed color machines into paint stores. This greatly reduced the amount of inventory since the paint companies just had to supply the different bases to which the store employee would add pigment.

As time passed, the quality control of the pigments increased and the calibration of the pigment measuring devices. These improvements allow you to go to a paint store two weeks after buying a premixed color and walk out with an exact match.

Unknown Formulas

If you know the formula you can get a match. But often the paint can is discarded. Knowing the color name can help but it is not a guarantee. Color names can change and are unique to each manufacturer.

A paint store employee with a good eye for color and three or four days can often get you very close to a color. This will happen only if you bring in a clean, large (greater than 1 square inch) sample of the paint. Flakes of plaster are just not big enough.

Time is a critical factor. If you expect a perfect match on a color matching attempt the first time AND within 10 minutes you are dreaming! An exact match by a store employee can take 10 or more attempts. The store manager will not let an employee work on samples in the back while other customers walk in. So, you need to give them time.

Blending a Color

If the walls or ceiling you are trying to match are clean and uniform in color, you will have a good chance at matching the color. Dirt blotches, smudges, heating duct dirt tails on the walls can make matching virtually impossible. If you have these conditions and apply fresh paint nearby, the new paint will stand out even if it is an exact match.

To blend a color into a wall once you have gotten a match, you need to feather the paint. This means apply it thinly at the edges of the painted area. This creates a thin edge of paint instead of a hump. Practice the technique in a closet. The paint, even when applied thinly will still look somewhat heavy. Once dry it will look like it was applied with a feather!

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Paint Colors – Tips & Tricks

Paint Tinting Tricks

OK, so you have decided to mix paint colors to match the color or tint you desire. All that is required is a large amount of patience, some accurate measuring, an eye for color, and a clean wall. Let's get started.

Find an Experienced Paint Store

Try to locate a paint store in your area that has been in business for many years. Visit it on a weekday if at all possible. Why? Because the experienced employees often have the most seniority and get the weekends off. You want to work with a pro to get your color choice close.

Identify the Closest Color Chip Sample

The trick to matching paints is to use the technology of the paint store to its fullest. Remember, they only have a finite (fixed) amount of colors in the store, color books, and their system. There are infinite possibilities!

Get close to your wall or ceiling color with the chips. If you are working with a light color, notice how the chips have progressively darker colors on the same page or slip of cardboard. The darker color really shows you what you are dealing with. Imagine your wall or ceiling darker.....what might it be like? You MUST identify the proper color family or you will not stand a chance. If you get into the right family, it just becomes a matter of diluting the paint with white to get the exact color.

Stay Darker - That is the Key!

Purchase a quart of the paint color you think is correct. Try to stay slightly darker than the color you are matching. If you apply a little of the paint to the wall and let it dry (15 - 20 minutes) you might not think it will work. The color may appear too rich.

Immediately take a teaspoon of white paint (same brand - same type as colored paint) and a teaspoon of the colored paint and mix in a paper cup. Once blended apply to the wall adjacent to the full strength color. Note how different it looks. Note how cutting the full strength paint in half makes a difference!

If you are lucky, you will see that you are getting very close to the original color. It is possible that the first attempt makes the paint too light. If so, modify your mixed amounts.

Tricky Color Chips

If you are selecting a paint from a chip, be aware that once the color is on the wall it will almost always appear deeper in color. Why? The impact of an 8 foot high wall by 12 foot wide or so of solid color can play a trick on your eyes. If the store can't reduce the color any more, you can do it by mixing one gallon of white with your colored gallon. Just try it once!

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Color Wheel

The above illustration is a reduced copy of an actual Grumbacher Color Wheel. This device allows you to create new colors by dialing up a color on the outer ring. The inner white ring has windows that let you see the new color you created. You can see what happens when you add red, white, black, blue, or yellow to any of the 12 primary, secondary, or intermediate colors on the outer ring. This is a useful tool if you plan to work with deeper colors.

Artists use this tool to help them see what will happen when they blend different paints together on a canvas. You can use it to help see what will happen with certain colors as you squirt different types of pigments into the can. The back of the color wheel also has a helpful complimentary harmony guide. It shows what colors go well with other colors in an overall color scheme.

You can get this color wheel for less than $10. It is usually sold in any art supply store where artists buy brushes, paints, and canvases. You can also contact M. Grumbacher Inc.

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Concrete Stain Tips

Every fall my large concrete driveway apron gets stained. The large silver maple tree by my garage does it for free. The autumn leaves that drop from the tree contain strong natural dyes that deeply stain the concrete a brown color. Rain, soap even my oxygen bleach Stain Solver product will not touch these stains! However, each spring the stains magically disappear. The ultraviolet light from the sun does the job for free as well.

I never cease to be amazed at how well the concrete accepts these simple water based stains. I'm quite sure Native Americans used these leaves and similar vegetable products to dye their garments. Modern technology has advanced permitting you to use powerful long lasting dyes and stains to colorize already installed concrete.

This is an ideal way to change that dull, gray patio, driveway or sidewalk into an attractive asset, not a drab liability. If you have a red or brown brick home with a concrete sidewalk, imagine how the sidewalk might look as a light shade of brown or red? Do you live in Florida? How would you like a pastel green or light blue sun porch slab? I think I know the answer......

How Some Stains Work

The stains with the boldest coloration actually work chemically with the concrete. Some grab onto the carbon ions in the concrete. Concrete actually reacts with carbon dioxide in the air to become harder. The process is called carbonation - just like soda pop. What actually happens is that more calcium carbonate crystals form near the surface. Calcium carbonate is simply the chemical name for limestone. You know how hard and dense this material is if you live in Cincinnati!

Other coloration methods simply deliver pigment particles into the open pores of the concrete. This is a very effective method of colorizing concrete. Of course the texture of the concrete affects how well this process works. For example a slick, steel troweled slab will be tough to stain. The surface of the slab has been sealed tightly by bringing the ultra-fine cement particles to the surface. Wood-floated or broom-finished concrete will produce rich coloration as the pigments can easily soak into the concrete matrix.

Film Formers

Watch out for imitators. There are some products out there that say they are stains when in fact they are films that lay on top of the concrete. In other words, they are like a paint. A true stain is a liquid material that has color particles floating in suspension. The color particles are so small that they soak into the material and colorize it without hiding the natural grain, appearance or texture. Paints and film formers are not stain - plain and simple.

Haven't Poured Yet? Great!

Are you thinking of pouring a slab and want to color it? You should really look into dry-shake color/hardeners. These are powdered pigments that are mixed with fine silica. The material is cast on top of concrete that has just been poured. The color is then worked into the surface with the bull floats and trowels. This method can colorize the concrete to a depth of 1/8 inch or more. You have an unlimited palette of colors from which to choose.

In addition, the added silica helps to make a denser, less porous surface that will help to retain the color for long periods of time. A friend of mine colorized his patio this way and it has maintained its medium green color for nearly seven years. It looks magnificent.

If you have seen the stamped or Patterned Concrete® slabs, you have seen dry-shake colors. I urge you to explore this method if you are getting ready to pour new concrete.

DIY Job? Maybe Not.....

Are you thinking of doing this job yourself? If it is a small area, you may be able to handle it. If it is a large driveway, I would recommend you hire someone with experience.

Remember, you only get one chance with concrete stains. If you mess up and do something wrong, your driveway, patio, etc. will look like a bad tattoo.

To find professionals who know how to work with concrete stains, I suggest that you contact the manufacturers of the stain products. They almost always will tell you of local distributors and/or installers who work regularly with the product. Don't just start blindly calling people from your Yellow Pages.

The local distributors of the stain products will absolutely be able to give you names of contractors in your area. Be sure to VISIT places where they have stained concrete. You really want to see results before hiring an individual.

It will be some work to get through these hoops, but the end result will be the talk of your neighborhood, trust me!

Related Articles: Concrete Stain, Concrete Stains, Concrete Stain Manufacturers

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Concrete Stain Manufacturers / Information

Concrete Stain Manufacturers and Information

There are several companies that make specialized stains for concrete that is already in place. This does not mean you are limited to these choices however! You can experiment on your own and stain or color concrete using different colored wood stains. However, the following manufacturers have spent the time and money to develop ultraviolet (UV) resistant pigments and other processes that permit the stains to penetrate deeply into the concrete and maintain their color for extended periods of time.

Outdoor slabs are the hardest to maintain. Sun and rain take their toll as with any colored object. UV rays from the sun are like miniature blaster beams. They simply break apart the pigment molecules and a color change is the result. Indoor sun room slabs are ideal candidates for staining as are basement slabs in playrooms.

Not all stains are the same. Some use acid components while others are simple water-based products. The Bomanite Company and the Increte Company make some incredible stains that can make concrete slabs resemble fine leather. The base color of the slab before you start controls the final color in most instances. I urge you to check out all of the companies listed below. Try to find local distributors who can tell/show you locations where you can actually see a stained slab. You will be amazed at how nice it can look! Following is a list of companies which manufacture concrete stains:

  • Artcrete
  • The Bomanite Company
  • Chargar Corporation
  • Davis Colors
  • Decorative Concrete Supply
  • Fabcrete LLC
  • Kemiko Concrete Products
  • Increte Company
  • L.M. Scofield Company
  • Rainguard Products
  • Okon, Inc.
  • Versatile Building Products

Are you one of the manufacturers listed above? Do you want your company name to be a link to your website? Click here.


The Portland Cement Association publishes a great book called Finishing Concrete with Color and Texture by Steven H. Kosmatka and Terry C. Collins, 2004. "Learn how to create decorative surfaces on cast-in-place concrete slabs. Over 210 photographs illustrate the rich variations in color and texture that are possible. Divided into seven sections, with step-by-step instructions..." Go to their Bookstore and enter item code number PA124.

Sunset Books has a book called Complete Masonry Book, which contains a chapter on different concrete decorating techniques such as acid staining, resurfacing, stamping and tinting.

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Concrete Stain

Concrete Stain Types

Choose Your Weapon

There are three primary concrete stain materials you can choose from. As you would expect,all have their pros and cons. Always make sure you buy a penetrating product, NOT a film former! Some products that are advertised as stains are actually glorified paints. Avoid these at all costs!

The acid and aniline dyes are fantastic at producing rich color. The effect is often marbleized or like that of grained leather. These are probably the most costly and require caution during the application. You are working with acids or a base type material.

Solvent based stains are similar to traditional wood stains. They use a hydrocarbon solvent to transport the stain color deep into the concrete. You can actually stain concrete with woodstains - I have done it, but not intentionally! - and they can have a long lasting effect! If you don't believe me, just try it on a little patch of concrete behind an air conditioning compressor. Some solvent stains can change color over time. Be sure to ask about this if you choose to go this route.

Water based and acrylic stains are some of the newest technology. These are very environmentally friendly and allow for some deep earth tones and pastels. Choose a company with a solid track record and experience and you will have a very homeowner friendly product to work with.

Related Articles: Concrete Stains, Concrete Stain Tips, Concrete Stain Manufacturers

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Understanding Paint – Painting Tips

Just today, I received an email from an individual who had an exterior paint job fail after just six months! That is miserable performance. The email contained lots of voodoo excuses and solutions from the painter and a carpenter buddy. Neither, in my opinion, had nailed the cause of the problems. Based upon the description in the email, it appears that excessive indoor humidity is to blame. I never cease to be amazed at the amount of bad information that is out there.

My newspaper this morning had a feature article in it about cleaning and sealing decks. All of the information given in the article was suspect. Seriously! The reporter had called some local deck cleaners and took their word as gospel. All I am trying to say is watch where you get your information.

Paint is a Film Former

Paint, by its inherent nature, is designed to peel. It is a film forming coating. Paint will stick very, very well to substrates that do not move too much. Examples of this are just about any metal. Think. When was the last time you saw paint peel from a refrigerator or stove? Do you think it is because they use special high tech paints? Not really. Metal of just about any type is an excellent substrate. It doesn't move too much. Aluminum siding is a good example. Paint can last for years on aluminum. Aluminum expands and contracts, but the paint holds on!

Wood is the WORST!

Wood is just about the absolute worst thing to paint. It expands and contracts wildly in response to changes in moisture content. This movement can easily defeat the strongest paint film.


Is your interior or exterior ready for a paint job? Find the professional painters by using my Interior Painting & Staining Checklist or my Exterior Painting & Staining Checklist. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.


Some wood products such as hardboard or Masonite® must be painted multiple times on all edges and sides to protect both the material and the finish paint film. Hardboard can swell enormously if it gets wet. The paint is the only line of defense. If cut edges and seams are not painted during installation, you can have severe rot develop within a matter of just a few years. When was the last time you saw a carpenter have a can of paint open near a miter box or circular saw? To the best of my knowledge, I was one of just a handful of carpenters in Cincinnati that carried paint/primers alongside my saws!

Shrink Wrap Your Wood

Wood will behave and paint will stick quite well if you can paint the entire piece of wood before it is installed. The old-timers called this backpriming. It can be done assembly line fashion in the field. You can also buy many wood sidings and trim that come factory primed. This is a must if you want a long lasting paint finish on your new home or room addition.

Sealing the wood completely means painting cut edges as well. This will be a hard thing to get your carpenters to do. However, it is absolutely necessary. The cut ends are often where end grain is exposed. End grain is where water has the easiest time entering wood. Water that is sucked up by end grain will liberate itself five or six inches away from the end of the board. This is why you often see the butt edges of wood siding peel or the bottom portion of trim boards flake.

Flexible Paints

Knowing that wood moves, it would help to have primers and paints that have built-in flexibility. Acrylic resins (resin = paint glue) are the ones with the greatest amount of flexibility. The paint can resist years of movement. It appears that these paints will not get brittle like the older oil based paints.

Exterior house paints can contain other resins or glues. They do not perform as well as acrylic resins. Keep in mind that once the paint dries you are left with only two of the three primary ingredients in paint: the resin and any color pigments. It pays to purchase the absolute best resin or glue that you can afford! Acrylic is the best - plain and simple.

Related Articles:  Exterior Home Painting & Weather, Exterior Painting

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Exterior Home Painting & Weather

When to Paint?  Watch the Weather!

Did you know that weather conditions can affect how well your paint holds up? It can make a huge difference! The worst conditions are extremes of hot and cold.

Paint needs to mechanically and chemically bond to the surface it is covering. It can only do this well if the solvent (water or mineral spirits) in the paint evaporates at a slow or medium pace.

If you paint with water based paints in brilliant sunshine on a hot, windy day, the water can evaporate too quickly from the paint. I have actually seen blisters form on a freshly painted surface. The paint skinned over before the water below could get out! It was a mess.

Plan your painting for cooler weather. Paint areas AFTER the sun has hit it. Western exposures need to be painted on overcast days.


Is the exterior of your house looking drab? Find the professional painters by using my Exterior Painting & Staining Checklist. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.


Related Articles:  Understaind Paint & Painting Tips, Exterior Painting

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Painting Floors – Tips & Techniques

Painting Floors - Tips and Techniques

The minute you apply the first brush stroke of paint to your floor you are going to cringe. There is something very unnatural about painting a floor. I still am not comfortable when I do it. I feel this compulsion to immediately clean the paint from the floor! After all, spilling or dripping paint on most floors is a bad thing.

What Can be Painted?

Just about any flooring material you can think of can be successfully painted. Ceramic tile, sheet vinyl, old linoleum, hardwood, vinyl tile, etc. are all perfect candidates. If you have ever tried to clean up old paint drips or splatter from a floor you know what I am saying is true. High quality paint that is applied to a clean floor and then allowed to cure is virtually impossible to remove from most flooring materials. Cover the paint with two or three coats of urethane and you will have a devil of a time getting it up!

The preparation process for all flooring materials is the same. You need to get the floors squeaky clean and remove all traces of wax. Dirt, wax and glossy surfaces prohibit good adhesion between the paint and the floor. Remember, paint is simply colored glue. It is nothing more than that. Glue doesn't stick well to dirt, dust, wax or other high gloss surfaces.

Glazed ceramic tiles can be painted with great results if you lightly sand the tile after it is clean and dry. The sanding dulls the glazing and actually creates micro-grooves that allow paint to grab better.

Primers

It is usually necessary to apply a primer to the floor before you paint. Primers do a great job if the surface to be painted has uneven texture or porosity. This is what bare wood or freshly finished drywall has. Primers even out all of the imperfections and allow the finish paint to soak into the surface at an even rate. A ceramic tile floor or sheet vinyl floor already has fairly even porosity. The only areas that might need primer in these examples would be the grout. Grout has a completely different texture than the tile itself. Even after applying a primer, there is a good chance you will see a gloss difference when you finish the job.

Get Crazy!

Would you like to raise some eyebrows? Create a geometric pattern and transfer it to the floor you intend to paint. Have you seen those cool stenciled walls in designer and decorator houses? Why not stencil your kitchen or family room floor? The possibilities are endless.

Basement playrooms are the best. If you want to see what I mean, you should go to Asheville, North Carolina to the famous Biltmore Estate. One Halloween the Vanderbilt children and their friends were allowed to paint a basement space to their hearts' delight. The wall paints and designs are still there today.

Floors make great places for maps, lakes, roadways, or any other thing you find in nature. Take my son for example. He plays make believe all the time in our current living room. The floor is the surface of the earth. If he is playing with boats, then the floor is ocean blue to him at that point in time. I am getting ready to paint a basement room floor area so that he actually has his ocean, his roadway, army battlefield, etc. You can do the same. Remember, once they outgrow it, simply paint it again with a new concept, color, border, stencil or whatever.

Applying Paint

You will paint the floor exactly as you have painted walls and woodwork for years. Use a combination of the best rollers and brushes you can buy. Cheap rollers and brushes yield inferior results. Spending five or seven more dollars for a good brush is worth it. Don't get cheap on me here.

To get the smoothest floor, you need to clean it and then inspect it at night. Defects, bumps, etc show up best if you use an automotive trouble light that is held down at floor level so the light beams strike the floor nearly parallel. The smallest bump will seem like a mountain under these light conditions. Scrape bumps off and vacuum them. Fill tiny holes and cracks with standard wood filler. Sand it once it is dry. Filled areas will have to be primed before you paint or you will see a texture/gloss difference.

Sheet Vinyl Embossing

Should you fill in the embossed patterns on a sheet vinyl floor? It is up to you and it is a lot of work. It also creates a problem if the filler doesn't bond well.

I suggest that you paint a small test patch - say 2 feet by 2 feet first. See if you like the look under daylight conditions and nighttime lighting. You might be amazed at how the embossed pattern actually enhances the look of the floor - much like a Berber carpet pattern. Good luck with your painted floor!

Related Column: Painting Floors Really Works Well

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Floor Paint – Oil Based

Oil Based Paints for Floors

Do you need to use a special paint for your floors? Not really. Special porch and deck paints have been around for years. These have a tougher finish coat and resist scuffing to a degree, but they often come in very limited colors - battleship gray being one! To get unlimited color choices, all you need to do is buy a high gloss regular indoor oil based paint and cover it with a top grade clear urethane. The urethane protects the paint finish.

Be careful when you go to the paint stores. Often the sales clerk will ask you what you are doing with the paint. When you tell them you will be using it on the floor, most will freak out. They will tell you, "No! You can't use this paint for that purpose." Ignore this advice. Why? Because painting floors is such an uncommon event that most sales clerks do not have the experience to deal with it. If you run into this situation, you can have some fun. Ask the sales clerk if they have attended or have watched a basketball game on TV. Mention to them the painted lines and logos on the hardwood floors. Ask them how in the world those things work. The sales clerk will probably ponder this and make an excuse or say it is some sort of special paint. The truth of the matter is that it is not a special paint. I know because I have talked with the paint companies and the painters who paint the basketball courts!

Remember to let the paints dry according to the instructions on the can. If you don't the paint might not harden sufficiently. Adding urethane over paint that is not completely dry stops the paint drying process. The urethane basically shrink wraps the paint and doesn't allow the volatile chemicals to off gas. It will be a big mess. Try to let the paint dry for at least 48 hours if possible before you re-coat it with the first layer of urethane.

  • Devoe
    Primer: Velour Enamel Undercoat
    Top Coat: Mirrorlac 7001

  • Dutch Boy
    Primer: Oil Primer
    Top Coat: Oil Base High Gloss
  • Fuller O'Brien
    Primer: Sand & Coat
    Top Coat: Versaflex or FOB 630

  • Glidden
    Primer: Gripper Product
    Top Coat: Spread Luster 4600

  • Kurfees
    Primer: Cover Stain
    Top Coat: #417
  • MAB Paints
    Primer: Rich Lux 037172
    Top Coat: Rich Lux 027-127
  • Maxum Primer: Oil Primer
    Top Coat: Oil Based High Gloss
  • Pratt Lambert
    Primer: Primer #8
    Top Coat: Oil Satin Plus

  • Olympic
    Primer: Primer 6 - 6
    Top Coat: 6 - 282

  • Sherwin Williams
    Primer: Anchor bond
    Top Coat: # 200 Gloss Oil

*Product names were current on the date this Bulletin was written. Manufacturers may have changed product names since then.

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