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When it comes to painting your home, it can be difficult to get an even coat across the surface, and touch-ups can be even more of a challenge once a layer of paint has been applied.
However, those who are new to painting and decorating their home or are simply curious might be wondering: does paint color change as curing?
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In this article, I cover some key information on paint, including whether paint gets lighter or darker when it dries, so next time you’re decorating your home, you’re well informed.
Keep reading to find out more.
Does Paint Get Lighter or Darker When It Dries?
Whether paint gets lighter or darker when it dries depends on the type of paint that you’re using and the light that is in the room. This is because the paint finish often influences the perception of paint color, and the way the light hits the paint can alter the appearance of the color, also.
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For instance, flat paint is a type of matte finish paint that has a chalky finish when it dries and is entirely non-reflective, so the paint will soak up any light directed at it. Generally speaking, matte paints remain very close to the swatch color for this reason and can make the color of the paint appear slightly lighter when it dries. However, it is important to note that all matte finishes are not the same.
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On the other hand, semi-gloss and gloss finishes tend to typically make a color appear darker once it has dried because the sheen tends to reflect the light, although this is more true of gloss finishes in comparison to semi-gloss. Generally speaking, high gloss paint is far less forgiving and is nearly impossible to touch up without you having to repaint the entire surface.
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It is also worth mentioning that the natural light in the room changes and can affect how the paint in your house looks at different times during the day as the seasons change. For instance, even though every wall in a room might be painted the same color, that color can appear differently on different surfaces, caused by the angle of the surface or where the light is shining on the surface.
If you are unsure of which finish of paint to use for a certain surface, I recommend that you do your research in accordance with the specific room that you intend to paint. For instance, a lot of people like flat finish paint on ceilings as it can hide imperfections with ease, as ceilings can be harder to reach in order to clean. On the other hand, a gloss finish can be an excellent choice for rooms such as the kitchen, as it is an easy finish to wipe clean when it comes to food spills or splatters, as this will just come off with a cloth.
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That being said, you should take the type of paint and the light into consideration, especially when it comes to touching up a surface that you have already painted. The most important thing to remember is that if you are touching paint up, you need to make sure that you match the original color and type of paint you used on the surface with the paint that you’re using to touch up, as I go into more depth below.
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Why Does the Paint Look Darker When I Do Touch-Ups?
When it comes to touching up spots around the house with the same color, depending on the paint that you’re using to touch up, paint touch-ups can look darker than the original color on the wall.
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So, why does this occur? This can occur for a few reasons:
- Stored paint can lose water and moisture over time. Paint touch-ups usually look darker because there is less moisture (and thus more pigment) in the touch-up paint in comparison to the original paint coat.
- If the painting conditions, such as temperature and humidity, differ from the conditions when the original coat of paint was applied, then color differences can occur as evaporation and wicking can occur at different rates.
As there it is impossible to ensure that the evaporation and wicking of the touch-up paint occur at the same speed as the original coat with all of those factors, it is hard to ensure an exact color match that seamlessly blends into the surface.
That being said, it’s important to manage your expectations, as touching paint up can be difficult depending on the type of paint that you’re using. For example, touching up flat paint (with a matching color of flat paint) will be much easier to blend than high gloss paint. Bearing this in mind, you must match the paint that you’re using to touch up with the original paint used for the best-blended results that seamlessly match the original paint color to avoid having to repaint the entire surface again.
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For the most accurate paint touch-ups, how you store your paint is crucial.
Quick Recap
- Firstly, you’ll want to wipe the paint off of the groove in the paint can and from the rim of the lid so that you can get a proper seal when placing the lid back on the paint can and so it won’t dry out.
- Next, you’ll need to use a rubber mallet and some wood in order to seal your paint can properly. Make sure that the lid is on tight before storing it away somewhere safe.
- Make sure to store your dark paint somewhere inside, and be careful to keep your paint at room temperature.
- You mustn’t store your paint in direct sunlight, as UV rays can fade pigment. On the other end of the spectrum, do not store the paint in a garage or anywhere that the paint will freeze, for that matter, as both extremes can ruin your paint and will make touch-ups with that paint in the future impossible.
