The modern interior design is full of original shades. The assortment of finished products does not always contain the desired semitone. A color mixing chart will help you get the desired result at home. The information will be useful not only when carrying out apartment renovations. The knowledge of color mixing is useful for a wide range of people: novice painters, auto repair workers, decorators and other creative people.
Mixing Experiments: Things to Know Beforehand
The world around us is filled with a wide color palette, but all the colorful splendor is based on three basic colors: blue, red and yellow. It is due to their mixing that the desired semitone is achieved.
To get a new shade, base colors are used in different proportions. The simplest example of how to get green. The answer is extremely simple: mixing yellow with blue. A visual table of primary, secondary and transition colors obtained by mixing is presented below:
This table will help you understand that the question of how to get yellow is in itself incorrect. It cannot be achieved by combining other components, since yellow belongs to three basic tones. Therefore, if there is a need for yellow, they purchase a ready-made dye or extract a pigment from natural products, which is not entirely advisable.
The same initial colors, taken in different proportions, when mixed, give a new result. The more volume of one dye, the final result after mixing will be closer to the original shade.
Experiments must be carried out in accordance with well-known rules. If you combine chromatic colors that are close to each other in the color wheel, after mixing, a paint with a pronounced chromatic shade is obtained, although it does not have a pure tone. The combination of dyes located on opposite sides leads to the formation of an achromatic tone, in which a gray tint prevails. The chromatic circle will help you navigate the optimal combination of colors:
Attention! Mixing dyes does not always lead to a permanent result. Some paints, when combined, provoke a chemical reaction, due to which the decorative coating further cracks. There are cases when the desired background turns gray or darkens over time.
For example, if you take red cinnabar and white lead, the resulting bright pink color will darken after some time. It is advisable to take the most limited amount of initial paints to obtain the desired tone. When mixing, their compatibility must be taken into account. For example, oil-based dyes are sensitive to solvents. It is better to exclude materials that darken or quickly fade away. A table of combinations not worth using will prevent mistakes in the creative process:
Variety of shades of red
Red consists of the three original colors that make up the base. Therefore, even a minimal set of paints cannot do without it. However, the question of how to get red when mixing paints sometimes still arises. This is due to the fact that magent is involved in printing, so creative searches for how to get red is natural. Everything is solved very simply: to obtain natural red, yellow is mixed with magenta in volumes of 1: 1.
The color scheme of red is diverse, therefore there are many combination options:
Comment! A beautiful magenta cannot be obtained by combining violet with red. The only way to achieve a bright shade is to find a red paint without yellow impurities and mix with blue.
The next circle demonstrates the variety of shades of red. It is worth noting that the addition of white paints to any mixture leads to a lighter tone, and black - to darkening.
The table below will help you figure out the names of the shades of red:
Blue variations
An equally rich palette of shades is provided by mixing with a blue dye, which is part of the basic triad. Therefore, his presence in any set is required. However, even a set of 12 colors sometimes does not meet the needs for a true blue tone. The reason is color variations. The classic tone is called royal, and on sale it is often replaced with ultramarine, which is characterized by a bright dark shade with a slight presence of purple. Therefore, the question of how to get the blue color no longer seems absurd. The way out of the situation is to add white to the base color in a ratio of 3: 1. In the same way, blue is obtained, only white is used when combining more.
An interesting color of blue with a moderately rich result is obtained by combining a darkish ultramarine with turquoise.
- Equal amounts of blue and yellow will produce a dark blue-green tone. The introduction of white contributes to some brightening, but the brightness is reduced. The reason lies in the combination of three components, and the more there are, the more dull the color turns out.
- To get a turquoise color, mix cyan blue and add slightly less green. This shade is also called aquamarine.
- The color obtained from equal volumes of blue and light green is called Prussian blue. With the introduction of white, the saturation decreases, but the purity of the hue does not go away.
- Blue with red tints in a 2: 1 ratio give blue with a shade of purple. The resulting color is lightened by introducing white.
- Mixing equal parts blue and magenta pink will give a royal blue that is unusually bright.
- Darken blue is obtained by mixing it with black in a 3: 1 ratio.
A table with the names of shades of blue will become an assistant in mixing experiments:
Variety of green
The original green is usually present in all kits; in the absence of the desired dye, there are no problems with obtaining. Mixing yellow with blue gives the desired green background. But any direction of creativity, be it painting, room design or another option for decorating objects, requires a wide palette of green. The basic principle of all experiments is to change the proportions of the base colors; white or black dye is used to lighten or darken the background.
- The combination of blue and yellow with a slight addition of brown represents khaki. Green with a small amount of yellow forms olive.
- Traditional light green is the result of mixing green and white. The addition of yellow or blue will help regulate the warmth.
Attention! The quality of the original components affects the saturation of the green color. The more intense the base tones, the brighter the blending result will be.
- A yellow-green effect is obtained by combining yellow and blue in a 2: 1 ratio. The inverse proportion will result in a blue-green tone.
- Dark green is achieved by adding half the amount of black.
- A warm light green background is formed from a mixture of white, blue and yellow paint in a ratio of 2: 1: 1.
The variety of colors in the green tint is demonstrated by the circle. The base colorant is located in the center, then there is an additional component, after that the result of mixing. The last circle is an experiment of the resulting tone with the addition of white and black dyes.
The next table will become an assistant in conducting experiments.
Other shade combinations
The color kaleidoscope is not limited to combining base dyes. For example, gray is often required. Various proportions of white and black pigment will give a wide achromatic palette.
How do I get the ivory color? The base will be white; ocher and dark brown are gradually added to it in small portions. Ocher promotes the appearance of warm tones, an increase in brown leads to a cold background.
Another table shows many mixing options:
How to get black? By combining cyan, yellow and magenta. They are not always available, so three basic dyes will become an assistant. Combining green with red will also give some semblance of black, but it will not be pure.
Conclusion
Even if you did not find a description for which question, tables will help, which not only provide recommendations for mixing, but also clearly demonstrate the result of experiments. The results of our own mixing experiments may differ slightly from those stated above, it all depends on the composition of the dye and the surface on which it is applied.
Despite the huge selection of different shades of paint that manufacturers currently offer, the picky consumer does not always manage to find what is needed. In this case, you can create the desired shade for yourself on your own and enjoy the selected color.
Let's first understand the concept of tinting and color scheme. The concept of "color" in different areas has several meanings. The so-called "popular" meaning of this term means a certain color or shade, and experts call a composition that is ready for use with a color scheme.
Tinting is a process where paint is mixed or thinned, the purpose of this process is to achieve the desired shade of color.
You can do the tinting with your own hands, or, if you doubt your own abilities, you can order a ready-made tinting from a company that specializes in this.
In what cases is it necessary to perform tinting? It is performed if:
- It is necessary to select a shade in accordance with the design of the apartment.
- A small piece of the painted surface has become unusable, and there is no point in repainting the entire surface.
- During the repair, you made a mistake with the calculations of the required amount of paint, and now you cannot find the shade you need on sale.
- Choose shades that will blend in.
Thanks to tinting, small cosmetic repairs will be a successful replacement for the front of intricate painting work.
Currently, there are several types of tinting.
Computer tinting of paint
Let's start with computer tinting. This is a variant of our present day. What is it? You choose the shade that you need, and using a specially created program, you can easily calculate the amount of paint and dye that you need. With the computer method, you are not limited in the amount of paint. This method is unique.
It has the following advantages:
- the tinting produced will be accurate and fast;
- you can tint any kind of paint.
Manual tinting
There is also traditional hand tinting. Of course, this method will not give you as clear results as a computer one. For manual tinting, you purchase white paint and tinting paste. The more you add tinting paste, the more intense the resulting shade will be.
The manual method has its advantages:
- tinting can be done independently;
- it is convenient and profitable economically.
But with manual tinting, you will not achieve dark saturated colors. And also, if you need additional paint of a similar shade, then you are unlikely to be able to exactly repeat your result.
Pay attention to the lighting in your apartment - it will certainly have an impact on the shade you choose. So, if the lighting is artificial, then any shade that you choose will have a yellowish tint. Daylight will give a more realistic picture. All items of your interior will be reflected in a tinted color.
Cool colors in artificial light will appear one shade darker. It's green, blue. And orange and yellow, on the contrary, will seem lighter to you. If your interior contains some bright objects (furniture, textiles), then the selected monotonous colors will fade against their background and will be lost.
Also keep in mind that paint applied over a small section and over a large area will seem different in shade to you. Especially if you start applying it vertically. Based on all this, before you settle on any shade, consider all the features of your room.
There is in the "painting" world such a thing as tinting systems. This is the use of base paint and color scheme. Color schemes are deep or opposite colors. The pigments that make up them are organic or inorganic. Organic pigments are generally used for richer hues.
But these pigments have the following disadvantages:
- not every surface can be coated with this composition;
- paint with such pigments is short-lived; under the sun's rays it will fade over time.
Colors with inorganic pigments have a limited range of colors, but they are not afraid of the influence of atmospheric phenomena.
Colorants are produced in different versions:
- pastes,
- paints,
- dry mixes.
The composition of the paste includes dispersing resins, it is also possible this type of paste, where the substance used for bonding is absent.
There are different types of pastes - there are generalists that are suitable for any paint, and there are specialized pastes designed for specific paint materials. Pastes are convenient to use, when mixing you can easily adjust the desired shade. But they have disadvantages: pastes have no uniform properties of color and saturation. The final shade may surprise you.
The composition of the color paint does not differ from the paints and varnishes for which they are used:
- water emulsion,
- acrylic,
- oil
- others.
By combining white paint and pigments, you get the color you need. If you need a very bright and rich color, then the existing colorant does not need to be diluted.
The advantage of dry formulations is their low price. But the color range of such pigments is very narrow, and the correction of the desired shade is very difficult, since such pigments should not be added to a dye mixture already ready for use.
What you need for this process is a container of the mixture, a drill with a nozzle, a small reservoir for placing a sample portion, white base paint, color scheme.
Tinting steps:
- Preparing a test portion. Before making a large volume of the mixture, take a small sample per sample. Otherwise, you just might mess up all your stuff. Pour a little paint (100 ml) and a few drops of the dye mixture into our small reservoir. When you get the shade you want, remember how many drops you added.
- Carrying out experimental tests on the working surface. As we mentioned, the color on the surface may be different from the color of your mixture. Therefore, we take our trial dose and try it on a small area of the working surface. We are waiting for drying and see what happened. Keep in mind that different lighting will give different shades.
- Making the bulk of the material. If what came out in the trial version and on the working surface completely satisfied you, then you can proceed to the main volume. How to calculate the required amount of color scheme? Subtract 20% from the received doses of the trial version. That is, if you added 7 drops of one color and 2 of the second to the sample, then for a liter of paint you will need not 70 and 20 drops, but 56 and 16 drops. When the mixture is evenly mixed, retest on the surface. Don't forget about different lighting.
The main thing is not to rush when tinting. Take your time to achieve the desired result. Otherwise, you risk ruining all your existing materials, or achieving a color that does not suit you. Please note that it is better to prepare more paint volume than necessary.
If the paint is not enough for you, choosing exactly such a shade is a very difficult task. And, most likely, the shades in different containers will be different. The remaining amount will come in handy in the long run when it comes time for corrective repairs. Pour the excess into a jar and close the lid tightly.
You need to tint large paint in one container, otherwise, if you need to repeat the shade, you will have difficulty calculating the required volume. When you are faced with a choice of colors, it is better to choose one contained in bottles with a narrow neck - it is more convenient to calculate the number of drops this way. If you chose another, you can use a syringe for these purposes.
In order to choose the desired color and the amount of the required color scheme, you can use a special table for mixing colors.
To ensure that the resulting material is evenly mixed, attachments of various sizes can be attached to the drill.
It is better to choose the paint and color of the same company, this guarantees the achievement of the maximum result when mixing. As a rule, information about the required amount of base paint is attached to the color scheme.
When painting an apartment, study the range of colors in advance. It is known that some colors have a calming effect on a person, while others, on the contrary, cause irritation and aggression.
Table. Mixing colors.
| Color name | To get we mix |
|---|---|
| Pink | 90% white + 10% red |
| Royal red | 5-10% blue is added to red |
| Tomato red | Add 5% brown and yellow to red |
| Crimson | Blue base + in equal proportions a little white, brown and red |
| Chestnut | Add 5% brown and 3% black to red. |
| Red | Red, if desired, add white to lighten |
| Orange | Add up to 30% red to yellow |
| Yellow | Yellow - lighten with white, darken with red and brown |
| Olive | Green base + 10-20% yellow |
| Turquoise green | Add up to 25% blue to green |
| Bottle green | Yellow + 20-40% blue |
| Turquoise blue | In blue 10-15% green |
| Royal blue | In blue 10-15% black and 2% green |
| Navy blue | Blue + 5% black and 2% green |
| Gray | In white up to 5% black |
| Medium brown | In yellow, red and blue in equal portions, if desired, add white to lighten, darken with black. |
| Golden brown | Add 10% of blue, white and red to yellow, the more yellow, the higher the contrast. |
| Mustard | In yellow, 5% black and red + 1-2% green |
| Beige | Add white to brown with stirring until the desired tone is obtained, add yellow for brightness |
| Pink gray | In white up to 5% black or red |
| Blue-gray | Into white up to 5% light gray + 1% blue |
| Green gray | Into white 5% light gray + 1% green |
| Charcoal gray | Black is added to white to the desired tone (with constant stirring) |
| Lemon yellow | In yellow 5% white and 1-2% green |
| Fern green | Add black, green and white paint in equal parts to white |
| Forest green color | Green diluted with black (up to 5%) |
| Emerald green | Dilute yellow with white (less) and green (more) paint |
| Light green | Yellow diluted with white (5%) and green (10%) paints |
| Aquamarine | Add up to 35% green and 5% black to the pet paint |
| Avocado | In yellow, equal parts black and brown paint (up to 10%) |
| Royal purple | Red is diluted with yellow and blue paint |
| Dark purple | We dilute the red tone with black and blue paint |
| Mandarin orange | In yellow paint up to 10% red and up to 5% brown |
| Reddish chestnut | Red is diluted with black and brown |
| Orange | We dilute the white with red and brown |
| Burgundy red color | Red paint in equal proportions of 5-10% yellow, brown and black paint |
| Plum | In red, 10% black and blue and 5% white |
| Chestnut | In yellow, white, red and black paint in equal proportions |
| Dark brown | Yellow paint 10-20% red, white and black |
| Black | Black is lightened to different shades of gray with white |
materials on the topic
Drawing is a very exciting and at the same time useful activity for children of different ages, it allows them to develop fine motor skills of their pens, figurative thinking, children's imagination and imagination. The paint and varnish industry produces paints, with their help children can engage in creativity, which over time can develop into a profession.
If, when carrying out repairs in the house, there is a desire to paint the walls with water-based paint, then the desired color can be achieved only by using tinting. But getting the right tone at home for many is a very difficult task. Ready-made solutions do not always meet the needs of the owners of the apartment in which the renovation is being carried out, and in order to get the best color solution, you often have to tint with your own hands.
Why do we need colors for water-based paint
When it is planned to paint a room in two or more colors in harmony with each other, then, of course, it is necessary to select the colors of the water emulsion. Sometimes the selection of water-based colors is necessary to harmoniously combine the color of the walls and interior elements of the room.
From all of the above, one simple rule can be deduced: to obtain complex colors, it is better to mix the colors of the water emulsion with your own hands in the room that is supposed to be painted. In addition, by choosing paint in this way, you can get the desired shade, which cannot be achieved when buying store counterparts.
Color difference happens for one simple reason: the tinting machine simply prepares the required shade of color, but it is able to change the shade to a tone lighter or darker, depending on the illumination of the room, its area. Therefore, when purchasing finished products in a store, the consumer runs the risk of getting a darker or lighter room than originally planned.
In the photo you can clearly see what colors of paint colors are.
How to mix colors for water-based paint
To find the desired shade of color, you need follow these simple rules:
What materials should be purchased for tinting water emulsion
The quality of the finished coating will not be significantly affected manufacturer and color composition... The price of domestic paints and colors is much lower than imported counterparts. The whole difference between the colors lies in the shades of the base color from different manufacturers.
For those who do not have sufficient experience in the use of such material, it is better to choose a tube with a narrow neck as a training option. The color scheme must have the required color, and the base must be selected taking into account the type of surface to be painted.
Today, materials are produced specifically for each surface, so there is no need to buy a ceiling base for the walls. As a basis, it is better to purchase imported paint, because it should have a snow-white appearance. The presence of pigments can adversely affect the desired shade of color. And the yellowish tint available in some raw materials cannot be removed with anything.
By purchasing a substandard products with a yellowish tinge, there is a serious risk of getting an orange tint instead of the desired red, green can turn light green, and mixing such a paint with a purple color scheme can turn it into a dirty gray tone. In order not to spoil your mood at the very beginning of painting the apartment, it is better not to skimp on purchasing a high-quality snow-white base. In the photo you can see a universal color scheme for water emulsion.
The composition that determines the type of water-based paint
Each type of paints and varnishes is based on a certain type of polymer, which serves as the basis for each type of paint. For a beginner in this business, it is better to study in advance all the characteristics of the types of paint and their area of application in order to find the right option for repair.
All paint of this type can be divided into four types:
What you need to consider during the coloration process
The process of coloring paint to obtain the desired color does not look complicated if adhere to a certain sequence ongoing work. In practice, it looks like this:
- Small jars of plastic or glass are taken. All containers, as well as working hands and arms, must be clean.
- The base of paint is poured into one container and its volume is fixed on paper. Then add a few drops of color, also reflecting the data on paper.
- The mixture is thoroughly mixed until the paint acquires a uniform color. To begin with, add no more than three drops, then add another one at a time until the desired tone is obtained.
- After obtaining the desired shade, it must be applied to the surface to be painted and it is better to paint a 40 by 40 centimeters square as a sample. A day later, after the paint has completely dried, the result should be assessed under electric and natural lighting. The color in the jar tends to be duller than on the surface.
- If the resulting tone suits you, then you can start preparing the entire material. From the calculated amount of color, 20% should be subtracted when calculating the proportions. This is due to the fact that the paint looks duller on a small square than on a large area, where it will look brighter.
How to paint surfaces with water-based paint
All preparatory work can be in vain if the material is incorrectly applied to the surface. Water-based paint can be applied for painting concrete, bricks, plaster, drywall and other similar materials. If you follow all the simple rules, then the paint will hold for a long time.
Before painting, remove all furniture from the room or cover it with foil. This is due to the fairly liquid consistency of the paint. Before painting the surface, it is necessary to carry out thorough preparation: remove peeling coatings, plaster if necessary, wash off the old whitewash.
Smooth walls with old water-based paint should be carefully wipe off dust and dry... So that old cracks do not stand out after painting, they should be repaired with putty. All drips and stains on the old surface must be painted over with oil paint that matches the color scheme.
All metal parts that may be found on the painted surface must also be coated with oil paint. It is better to take oil paint one tone lighter than the main color for painting the surface.
Before painting, the surface after treatment should be primed. This is necessary for better adhesion of the paint to the painted surface, as well as to protect against moisture, which will extend the service life. After priming, it lays down in a more even layer, which helps to reduce material consumption.
Acrylic primer matches perfectly with this type of paint. The finished paint can be applied to the surface either with a paint roller or brush, or with a spray gun. When using a spray gun, you should not forget about purchasing a respirator.
When applying with a roller, you should purchase a special tray that will help remove any excess. Apply it in vertical movements. Start painting the room from the farthest corner from the entrance... This material will have to be applied to the surface in several layers. Re-staining should not be carried out earlier than four hours after applying the first layer. Roller paint application to the wall surface can be seen in the photo.
Paints and varnishes are presented on our market in a huge number of colors. However, sometimes it is not possible to find the desired shade. But today this is not a problem, since modern colors allow you to achieve any color you need. But it is necessary to use such funds as carefully as possible, since it is easy to overdo it here.
- The ability to create colors that are simply not available in the stores you visit. In fact, the assortment of many of them is very limited and is represented by paints of the most popular colors. If you want to go beyond the standard framework, then tinting is often the only option;
- The paint has swollen up and needs to be replaced, or it simply wasn’t enough to complete the finish. You need additional paint, but the shops of the city do not have it, as well as there is no time for more detailed searches. The situation is very common, and here the exact selection of the color scheme allows you to solve the problem;
- Tinting is used if you need to choose harmonious shades as part of the decoration of the room.
What paint is suitable for tinting
As a rule, white paint is selected for this process, to which a certain amount of color is added. However, not every paint is suitable for this. The reason lies in the proportion of pigment and binder. If there is a lot of pigment in the paint, then the addition of an additional one in the form of a color scheme can lead to the fact that there is simply not enough binder.
Advantages and disadvantages of computer tinting
Now there are special machines that allow tinting work in automatic mode. The use of these devices has the following advantages:
- Getting rid of the human factor. If choosing the tone manually, you can make a mistake and overdo it, which happens quite often, then the robot does not make such mistakes;
- The selected color parameters can be reused - the final product will be exactly the same;
- A large number of colors;
- The disadvantage is the binding to a specific place and the inability to carry out work directly on the spot. Moreover, not everyone lives in big cities where such devices are present.
Advantages and disadvantages of manual tinting at home
- Tinting machines can create many colors, but complex and individual shades are difficult to achieve with them. Man will always be limited by standards;
- Ability to carry out paint creation work on site. During a design renovation, this can be very important;
- Saves time and money. The color scheme itself is very inexpensive, and white paint also does not belong to the category of expensive materials.
- The disadvantage is the high probability of making mistakes in the absence of experience. Plus, getting the color back can also be challenging. Sometimes, applying a re-obtained color next to a previously painted surface, we immediately notice a difference, and a very significant one.
Manual tinting - counting the ingredients
In order not to mess with the color, you will need a pen and a piece of paper, as well as all the care you have. You also need to provide yourself with variability, so prepare several items of dishes, the same volume and always clean. Yogurt jars are ideal.
It is necessary to record how much paint you pour into the jars and how much color you use to change the color. It must be understood that the color itself is an extremely saturated pigment concentrate, so it must be added carefully. It is best to start with two drops and then add drop by drop in case of dissatisfaction with the result. It is necessary to mix everything very well so that the pigment dissolves thoroughly.
When applying paint to a wall or other surface in a test mode, you need to understand that after drying, the color will appear stronger. So, before painting, it is allowed to create a paler shade than the one you want. After evaluating the result after drying and thus obtaining a recipe, you can use it to tint the rest of the paint.
But here you need to understand that with a large amount of paint, the volume must be reduced by 20 percent, since a large painted surface always looks brighter than a small one. Therefore, if in your recipe it turned out that 100 drops of color must be added per liter, it is better to do 80.
Two types of colors
All colors are divided into two types, which we will describe below:
- Organic. Usually, the shades obtained with these pigments are brighter and more juicy. However, these tinting systems have disadvantages. So, they are not suitable for all types of surfaces. In addition, the paint changed with their help will fade in the sun over time.
- Inorganic. They are much more resistant to solar radiation and atmospheric influences, but at the same time they are much less varied in the choice of colors.
Forms of production of colors
- Today, there are several forms of tinting systems on the market that have their own advantages and disadvantages:
- Color paints. In terms of their chemical composition, they are completely identical to the paints to which they are added. By gradually adding colorant to white paint, you can get almost any shade. If you want to get the most vivid color, then the colorant itself can be used as paintwork material. True, this will not be very economical, so it is better to paint limited surface areas in this way;
- Color pastes. They are a pigment, diluted in a dispersing resin, or without a binder. The advantages of such a paste include its ease of use, and the disadvantage is the lack of uniform intensity. Produced both for all types of paints, and in a more highly specialized form;
- Dry colors. They differ in their cheapness, however, they are not recommended for use with ready-made paints, and, moreover, they have a rather small color palette.
Tinting and various types of paint
When tinting, it is necessary to take into account the types of paint with which the color will be mixed. Of course, now there are universal options on the market, however, when working with a particular paint, you still need to follow some rules:
- Acrylic paint. Here it is necessary to remember about limiting the maximum amount of pigments, which should not exceed 7-8 percent of the total paint volume;
- Water-based paint. In the case of her, the maximum volume of the color scheme should not exceed a fifth of the total amount of paintwork materials. At the same time, those colors that are intended for water-based paints are suitable for water-based, latex and adhesive paints;
- Important! If you are going to tint facade paint, then the ideal solution would be to choose a color scheme that is resistant to ultraviolet radiation and various natural influences. As mentioned above, an inorganic color scheme is suitable for this, and an organic one will quickly lose its color.
To facilitate the process of obtaining the desired color, it is best to use special tables. They show the shade and there is information about how much color is needed to get them. The table itself must be made by the manufacturer who made the paint. It is highly desirable that the color scheme is also made by the same manufacturer.
It is best to use a colorant that is poured into a narrow-necked bottle. This will allow you to dose the ingredient as accurately as possible and be less likely to spill more than necessary.
It is necessary to mix as efficiently as possible until the shade becomes uniform. If possible, you can use a drill with different types of attachments. The work itself must be carried out outdoors, or in places with natural light.
The dishes in which the tinting is carried out must be the same. This is because the resulting color may differ from material to material. The difference may not be as noticeable to the eye, but the difference will be obvious upon application. If we talk about artificial lighting, then the most important thing here is the need to use the light source that will be used in the room in the future in the process of obtaining color. You should not change the lighting parameters, types of lamps and chandeliers during color acquisition. This can happen during repairs, when several works are being done in parallel in the room.
Be sure to consider the amount of pigments in the base, especially if you want to get dark tones. In different types of paintwork materials, this amount may be different.
Water-based dyes are very convenient to work with, dry quickly and are presented in a wide color palette that allows the master to choose the desired color. But sometimes it happens that the desired color shade is not available for sale or some unusual complex color is required. To obtain the desired color scheme, it is necessary to use a color for water-based paint.
When choosing a suitable color concentrate, you need to take into account what composition of the water-based suspension will be tinted. In terms of composition, dyes can be:
- glue;
- latex-based;
- water-dispersive.
You can choose a tinting tone for them, taking into account the constituent of the base, or choose a universal one, suitable for all types of water-based acrylic paints.
In addition to the main component, when buying, you must consider:
- How much tinting concentrate is required for 1 kg of dye, and purchase it immediately in the required amount. It may happen that then the desired color will not be on sale and you will have to either postpone the repair for an indefinite time, or do tinting, choosing the tone by mixing different color combinations, as the artistic mixing table suggests.
- That the color for water-based paint released by different manufacturers may differ in shade. You need to purchase a tinting agent of the same brand.
- Before buying, it is advisable to study the catalog from the manufacturer, where the color is clearly indicated, which coincides with the shade of the purchased concentrate. In addition, the catalog should indicate the required amount of color for 1 kg of material to obtain the desired tone.
- In the case when there is a need to create a complex color tone, it is recommended to use the table from the manufacturers of tinting mixtures of this brand. It is with the help of such tables that you can determine the required color combination per 1 kg of material.
- It is better to purchase bottles with a narrow neck from containers - this shape of the container allows you to conveniently dispense the coloring composition.
The base color should have a pure white color without the yellowish impurities inherent in most white dyes. Yellowish pigments when tinting will interfere with obtaining the desired shade. For example, if there is a small amount of yellow pigment in the starting material, adding red can result in not the desired red, but a reddish-orange tint.
Now everything required for tinting with your own hands has been selected and purchased. Before you start working on creating a suitable tint, it is worth considering a few recommendations that will contribute to a successful tinting:
- The resulting dye composition looks different in the light of different lamps. It should be tinted in the room where the walls will be painted in order to get the desired result.
- A large painted area, due to the play of light, visually appears slightly darker than a small painted probe. This nuance must be taken into account when it is necessary to additionally dilute the paint agent.
- The tinting concentrate must be added drop by drop, thoroughly mixing the resulting mixture until a uniform color combination is obtained. If you pour too much concentrated dye solution at once, you can spoil the source material with too much color saturation.
- If additional tinting is carried out with a concentrate of another company (for example, there was not enough tinting mixture, but the desired brand was not in the store), then the consumption of materials for obtaining the required color combination may differ from the previously calculated calculations based on the consumption per 1 kg of base. In this case, it is better to make a test mixture in a small container, carefully comparing the result with that made earlier. For the reference, it is recommended to use the previous probe, because on the wall the paint looks a little different.
The final result after painting depends not only on how successfully you managed to make the necessary coloring with your own hands, but also on how homogeneous the mixture will be after tinting.
It is necessary to start mixing with low revolutions, gradually increasing them and making sure that the solution is not splashed.
The resulting homogeneous mixture is recommended to be checked again with a probe before being applied to the surface to be decorated. This must be done due to the fact that with a successful dilution in a small bowl and in calculating the amount of color for 1 kg of the main dye, there could be inaccuracies. Following these simple tips, you can get an excellent result when tinting.
How to work with a tinting concentrate
Perhaps someone has been working with such mixtures for a long time and has their own secrets of how to get excellent results. But for beginners who are just mastering how to do tinting with their own hands, it is recommended to follow the steps listed below in their work:
- Prepare small containers (plastic jars of sour cream or other products are suitable), a measuring container and brushes.
- Wash and dry all materials thoroughly.
- Pour a little white water emulsion into a measuring container (the volume must be recorded - this data will be useful for calculating when a large volume of dye will be prepared). From a measuring glass, the paint is poured into a plastic jar.
- Now add tinting concentrate to the white color drop by drop. After each drop, the composition is thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained. It is very important to count the number of drops, because this figure will be useful for further calculations.
- When the achieved result is satisfactory, it is applied to the probe and left for a day. You can paint a 50x50 cm square on the wall to be painted. This method, when tinting with your own hands, is convenient in that it allows you to evaluate the result obtained in daylight and electric lighting. Perhaps, on the wall, the resulting color combination will look completely different and slightly different from what was in the jar.
- The next day, you can evaluate what was achieved during mixing. If the tone is right, then you can make the necessary calculations, dilute large volumes of material and start decorating.
How to calculate the required flow
The formula that allows you to repeat the tone you like is very simple . To calculate the required ratio, you should proceed as follows:
- Take the results of mixing, after all, it was not for nothing that the amount of water emulsion was measured, and the drops added to it were counted.
- Enlarge the data according to the proportions for a large volume. For example, 100 ml required 5 drops, respectively, 1 liter will need 50 drops.
- Now subtract 20% from the resulting number of droplets. This is necessary because large areas, as discussed above, appear brighter. This means that 45 drops are required per liter.
Complex color shades can be prepared in a similar way.
By approaching the process creatively and following the above recommendations, you can get great color combinations for the design of the room.
It is far from always possible to find the right shade of paint on the shelves of hardware stores. As a rule, there are standard colors on the market, and to obtain the original shade, paint tinting will be required. Consider the varieties of colors, features of manual and computer mixing methods, and also give step-by-step instructions for coloring paint.
The need for tinting
Tinting is the process of mixing or diluting paints and pigments to achieve the desired shades. To obtain the optimal tone, you can order a tinting from a specialized company or mix the colorant and the finished paint yourself.
Tinting is indispensable in the following situations:
- selection of a shade for the interior of the room;
- a small section of the painted surface is swollen, and you are reluctant to remove all the paint;
- incorrect paint calculation during the repair - there was not enough paint, but in stores this shade is no longer there;
- selection of harmonizing shades.
Tinting allows you to replace complex painting work with small cosmetic repairs
What are tinting systems and their varieties
Tinting systems can be used to achieve the perfect, even paint tone quickly and accurately. To do this, use the main base paint and coloring compositions - colors. Colors have a contrasting or saturated color. Colorant color pigments can be of organic or inorganic origin. Organic pigments are more often used to obtain brighter tones, but they have some disadvantages:
- not suitable for all types of surfaces;
- over time, the paint will fade under the sun.
Inorganic pigments are available in a limited range of shades, but they are resistant to weathering and fading.
Colorants are produced in the form of pastes, paints and dry formulations.
Color pastes contain dispersing resins or are produced without a binder. There are universal pastes suitable for various types of paint, and highly specialized ones - for certain categories of paintwork materials.
The main advantages of color pastes include:
- ease of use;
- the ability to adjust the shade of the paint during the mixing process.
The disadvantage of a viscous color is the lack of standard characteristics of the color and saturation of the paste. The end result can be a "surprise" due to the uneven intensity of the color paste.
Color paints have the same components as paintwork materials for which they are intended - water-based, acrylic, oil, etc. The combination of white paint and such pigments allows you to get any shade. For a very striking effect, you can use the colorant undiluted.
Dry pigments have a relatively low cost. The disadvantages of free-flowing mixtures include:
- narrow color palette;
- the difficulty of adjusting the shade during the tinting process (adding dry pigments to the finished paint is not desirable).
Overview of colors of domestic and foreign manufacturers
There are a number of tinting systems of European, American and Russian production on the construction market. Among foreign companies, the colors Tikkurila, NCS, Huls and others are popular. Stability and good quality are demonstrated by inexpensive domestic colorants Palitra (Izhevsk enterprise "Novy Dom"), Olki-Unicoler (St. Petersburg), Oreol and Dali.
For tinting Tikkurila paint, the mixing system "Tikkurila Symphony" is used, made up on the basis of paint and varnish chemistry. The manufacturer guarantees an accurate result and “match the color”. The system is designed for tinting general construction and household interior paints. The "Tikkurila Symphony" color system includes a large number of colors - 2256 (of which 10 shades of white).
A separate line of colors for facade works - "Tikkurila Facade" has been developed. The system includes 232 colors for painting wood and stone surfaces.
To tint antiseptics and varnishes, a separate group of Tikkuril colors must be used.
The Natural Color System (NCS) is the Swedish and Norwegian standard for the designation of color shades. It is the generally accepted and most widely used tinting system in the world. The NCS system is based on six basic colors: black - S, white - W, yellow - Y, red - R, green - G and blue - B. The rest of the colors are endowed with visual similarity to elementary tones and have their own coding. Letter designations indicate the presence of a particular base color, and digital designations indicate its amount as a percentage.
The Tex company produces color schemes based on imported pigments using high-quality German equipment. Kohlers are available in the form of paints and pastes.
Color pastes "Tex" are universal, applicable for tinting putties, water-soluble paints, alkyd materials and whitewash compounds. Color-paste - frost-resistant.
Important! Allowable content of "Tex" paste is no more than 10% of the total paint volume. When working with the material, it must be borne in mind that the result may vary depending on the quality and type of paint used.
Color paint "Tex" is intended for water-dispersion paints, resistant to external factors. It is used for indoor and outdoor use.
The company "Aqua-Color" (St. Petersburg) produces universal colors in the form of pastes and paints. Pigments are used for tinting alkyd, oil, water-based paints, grouting for joints, as well as cement and lime mortars. Colors do not change the properties of the paint. Aqua-Color products are affordable and have a wide range of applications: apartment renovation, office space, building facades, etc.
Firm "Olki" produces universal frost-resistant tinting pastes - "Unicoller", intended for toning:
- alkyd (pentaphthalic and glyphthalic) paints, enamels, varnishes;
- water-borne primers and paints;
- adhesive and whitewash compositions;
- oil white paints;
- epoxy, organosilicate and melamine alkyd paints.
Important! Unicoler paste cannot be used as paint, as it contains no film-forming substances
The Rogneda Group of Companies (Moscow) produces Dali tinting paints. The main purpose of the color scheme:
- use as an independent coating of various surfaces - painting, decor, decoration;
- tinting of decorative and water-dispersive building materials (plaster, paint, enamel).
Dali tinting paints have a number of advantages:
- weather resistance (withstand temperature fluctuations in the range from -40 ° С to + 40 ° С);
- lightfastness (do not fade when exposed to sunlight);
- high adhesion to different types of substrates;
- obtaining a wide range of colors of different saturation.
Characteristics of computer and manual mixing method
You can mix the paint manually or using special equipment. Each of the methods has its own advantages and disadvantages.
For manual tinting it is necessary to purchase a base paint and a coloranate kit. Immediately before coloring, the pigment is added to the paint in proportions according to the instructions and mixed. This method has the following advantages:
- profitability;
- the ability to carry out tinting at the place of repair;
- you can create exclusive tones, including several colors from the paint tinting catalog.
The main disadvantage of manual coloring is that the resulting shade is difficult to reproduce again
Automated mixing LMC is controlled by a computer program. It is enough to choose the desired color scheme, and the machine itself will determine the proportions to obtain the desired shade and will give out the finished mixture. The advantages of the computer method are obvious:
- accurate and fast coloring;
- the ability to reproduce the desired color;
- colors of paint tinting are presented by a wide range.
Machine tinting paint cannot be carried out with reference to an object. In addition, in this way it will not work to create a complex tone or shade.
Features of tinting of different types of paint
When choosing a color scheme, two main criteria must be taken into account:
- the place of repair work - indoors or outdoors;
- type of paintwork materials.
Some pigments are universal - they are suitable for tinting different colors and are used to create the desired shade in the interior of a room or the facade of a building.
When mixing colors with different paintwork materials, the following rules are followed:
Diy paint tinting: step by step instructions
The whole process of tinting paint can be broken down into the following stages:
- Prepare several plastic containers.
- Measure out 100 ml of base and pour into one container.
- Add a few drops of dye to the base. If you need a more complex color, you can combine several colors at the same time.
- Record the amount of base used (100 ml), the number of drops of color and describe the mixing result.
- Mix the color with the base until a uniform tone is obtained.
- If the color seems pale, then you need to add brightness, dripping one drop at a time.
- Once the desired color is achieved, it is necessary to paint a small surface and, after drying, evaluate the result in daylight and artificial light. It is important to take into account that the paint color looks brighter on the base than in the container.
- If the test mixing is successful, the main volume of paint can be tinted:
- calculate the required amount of color based on the volume of the base;
- subtract 20% from the result obtained - this is necessary so that the final shade coincides with the test one (the color looks brighter on a large area than on a small one).
Example. To obtain the optimal shade per 100 ml, it took 5 drops of color, it is logical that 50 drops would have to be used to stain 1000 ml of paint. However, it is not. To achieve the desired result, if you add 40 drops of dye to 1000 ml
It is quite possible to tint paint yourself. The main condition is to take your time, add the pigment gradually and mix the paint evenly.
No matter how wide the choice of colors of paints in the store, sometimes it is not enough. In this case, tinting will come to the rescue - mixing a light base paint and a colored pigment. This allows you to get a wide variety of colors and shades.
Types of tinting
Now it is possible to carry out computerized tinting of paint. You just need to choose the desired shade, and the equipment for tinting paint will accurately calculate all the proportions for the mixture.
The big advantage of this method is the ability to repeat the result if necessary. Mixing paint by hand is unlikely to achieve the same color. But self-tinting makes it possible to assess how the paint will look directly in the room and, if necessary, make adjustments.
Shade selection
When choosing the desired shade of paint, a whole group of factors should be taken into account. The paint can look very different from the first test strokes and when the entire surface of the walls is already painted.
Also, the perception of color is significantly influenced by lighting. Too bright light can visually discolor bright colors. At dusk or low light, they will appear dimmer and darker. Warm or cold light from the lamps can make the paint yellow or bluish, respectively.
When choosing the desired color from the ink tinting spreadsheet, it is important to remember that monitors, even with good resolution and color display, will not be able to 100% accurately reproduce the actual ink shade.
When choosing a wall color for a living space, it is better to give preference to softer and more calm shades. The kitchen and hallway can be painted in brighter and more saturated colors.
DIY tinting
If the tinting of paint is done by hand, then it is better to do it in the room in which it will be used. This will help you to achieve the perfect color exactly in the lighting conditions of the given room.
When tinting paint with your own hands, you should remember that no matter how hard you try to memorize the proportions, you will not be able to perfectly repeat the same color a second time, the differences will be noticeable to the naked eye. Therefore, the paint must be diluted in a large container so that it is enough for the whole room at once. It is better to add 5-10% in reserve to the paint consumption per 1 square meter indicated on the package.
Advice! You can simplify the process of selecting the desired shade by downloading a program for tinting paints.
It is desirable that the white paint and color scheme are from the same company. Manufacturers may have significant differences in the paint production technology and its composition, so it is better not to risk it, otherwise you may get a coating not only of a strange color, but also with poor performance.
Important! Only paint specially designed for the surface should be used. Products for the ceiling, walls and floor have completely different indicators of soiling, wear resistance, etc.
As a rule, a paint tinting table is included with the color scheme, showing the possible proportions of color mixing.
Large manufacturers, for example, Tikkurila, offer customers whole catalogs of paint tinting, available in paper and electronic form.
To stir the paint, it is necessary to use a mixing attachment on a drill or perforator, because long and thorough manual mixing of the mixture will still not give a uniform result. The paint is mixed until a mass uniform in color and density is obtained.
The color of the paint in the container may differ slightly from what will be obtained when it is applied to the surface. To see how this shade will look on the wall, it is worth preparing a test mixture (trying to remember the exact ratio of the components), and then painting a small area and wait until it dries at least a little. Although even if the proportions are observed, it will not be possible to get absolutely identical colors a second time, a test staining will still help to get a rough idea of the result. It should be remembered that as it dries, the color of the walls will become somewhat less bright and saturated.
If the resulting color is something you do not like, then you can change it by adding either a little more color, or, conversely, white paint. If water-based dyes have been used, the mixture can be diluted with water.
Advice! If the color is in an inconvenient package, from which it is difficult to add it to the paint in a small amount, then it will be convenient to use a regular syringe.
Types of colors
In terms of composition, dyes can be organic or inorganic. The first type allows you to get brighter and more saturated shades, but over time, such a coating fading noticeably. Inorganic colors are presented in a much narrower spectrum of colors, but they are resistant to weathering and ultraviolet light.
Colors are available in the following form:
- Pastes;
- Dry mix;
- Liquids.
Dry dyes have the most favorable price of all three types. Among their main drawbacks are the small selection of colors and the difficulty of accurately adjusting the hue. Before adding to the white base, the powder must be diluted in a liquid suitable for its type - water, drying oil, etc. and mix thoroughly.
Liquid dyes are the most convenient to use. They make it possible to change the hue of a color very efficiently. Choose colors in accordance with the type of paint in the room (water-based, acrylic, oil, etc.). If a certain area of the surface needs to be highlighted with a color accent, then the color can be used even undiluted.
Although color pastes are convenient to use, they themselves can have an uneven color. This can result in an unexpectedly light or dark shade when mixed. When using them, it is important to observe the proportions - the amount of paste for a certain volume of base paint should not exceed that specified in the instructions.
- Both Russian and foreign manufacturers have a large selection of types and shades of colors. Domestic paints not only have a more favorable price, but also are not particularly inferior in quality, so it makes no sense to chase expensive foreign products.
- It is recommended to use snow-white paint as a basis for tinting, and not just white paint. The latter often has a yellowish tint, which can greatly affect the tinting result.
- Do not get carried away, and immediately pour half a bottle of dye into the base. Even a few drops of color can already noticeably change the color of the paint.
- Colors can be used not only to obtain the desired shade of paint, but also be added, for example, to plaster.
Note! Many people mistakenly call any mixing of paints of different colors as tinting.
However, there are two concepts for this action:
- glaze - if two different colors are mixed to obtain a third (for example, yellow and blue to create green);
- tinting - adding a colorant to a white paint.
Surface preparation
Before painting, it is important to clean the wall of dirt, traces of previous coating, mold, etc. If the surface is uneven, it is better to plaster and sand it. It is also important that the wall covering for painting is also white, because the dark background will be visible even after several layers of paint. For better adhesion (adhesion) of the dye to the surface, it is recommended to use a primer suitable for this type of paint.
This will allow you to avoid unpleasant surprises in the process of tinting wall paint and painting and get the desired shade without much difficulty. A video instruction will explain in detail how to make paint tinting without errors.
Many people want to learn how to tint paint in order to get an unlimited choice of colors for creating original interiors and painting facades of buildings. With the help of tinting, you can get paint of any color and in a short time, moreover, you can reproduce the color with high accuracy. To get the paint of the color you need, you can buy ready-made paint and, by adding a colorant or glaze, get the desired color, or you can order tinting from special companies that use special tinting machines. Of course, it is much easier to get ready-made paint, and it is much cheaper than mixed paint to order. But the range of shades is rather limited, so it is not always possible to find the right shade. As you know from school days, if you add blue to the red paint, you get a purple tint. This tinting method is called glaze. However, this method does not allow obtaining a guaranteed color; moreover, it is rather difficult to obtain such a shade a second time. In addition, there is a risk of delamination of the resulting paint. It is much safer to obtain paint with the help of special dyes - colorants.
Characteristics of the computer method of tinting paint
With the advent of modern technologies, such a concept as computer tinting of paint arose. A person only needs to choose the desired color scheme, and the machine will calculate the proportions to obtain the desired color and give the finished mixture. The advantage of this method is obvious, even if you do not have enough paint of this shade, you can always repeat the mixing process, which is quite difficult to do when manually mixing paints. However, it is necessary to take into account some points that can turn out to be a significant disadvantage of the method. First of all, you should pay attention to the lighting in the room where you choose the shade. Under different lighting conditions, the same marker will produce different shades. Artificial lighting has a lot of yellow rays, and against its background, daylight appears blue.
Electric lighting can change the yellow-blue palette to yellow or greenish, in the orange-violet paint, the violet color may disappear altogether, and the red will begin to give off purple. Very bright light visually discolors the shades, the same happens at dusk - blue tones become lighter, and reds, on the contrary, darken. In addition, on a small area, the shade always looks different than on a large area, especially in the vertical plane.
Colorants or coloring pigments
Colorants (paints or pastes) use a wide variety of colored pigments, whether organic or inorganic. Organic pigments are mainly used to produce vibrant colors, but when such paint is applied to certain types of surfaces, a reaction can occur that destroys the color pigment. In addition, they fade in the sun. Inorganic pigments are more resistant to fading and other atmospheric phenomena, but they have a rather limited range of shades.
The composition of color paints contains the same components as in the paints for which they are intended - oil, water-based and others. Mixing such a colorant and white paint can give any desired shade, and if you want a rich color, you can take a chance and paint the surface with undiluted colorant. The composition of color pastes has a special dispersing resin, or they are produced without the addition of a binder. Such colorants can be designed for any one color, or they can be universal. Remember that in this case it is very important to choose the correct proportions, otherwise the excessive addition of colorant can lead to a deterioration in the type of paint. As a rule, 5-20% colorant is added to water-based paints, and even less to oil paints. Color pastes color white paints very poorly, so special paints with a reduced white pigment content are available on the market.
For tinting paints, you should purchase a base paint and a colorant from one manufacturer, moreover, specially designed for mixing. If you choose the wrong colorant and base paint, then ugly stains may appear on the surface or the paint will lie unevenly. Therefore, the manufacturer's recommendations must be followed.
When mixing paint and colorant on your own, it is very difficult to maintain the correct proportions, therefore, in this case, a special tinting machine is used. With the help of such a device, it is possible to ensure an even distribution of the pigment in the paint and its uniform consistency, since the machine itself adds the required amount of coloring pigment.
All tinting systems can be distinguished by some characteristics. According to the material used, there are tinting paints and tinting pastes. By purpose, there are facade and for general use. Systems for general use, as a rule, have no restrictions for any interior work, but they are not suitable for processing facades. The fact is that certain tinting pastes of this system are not lightfast enough. Colorants are also distinguished by the method of tinting. Tinting pastes are more versatile as they do not use a specific binder. However, such systems do not allow the use of white paint as a base and, as a rule, require the use of special tinting machines. But tinting paints are easier to use. You just need to purchase white paint and tinting composition, and mix them according to the recipe.
Stages of tinting paint
As already mentioned, the disadvantage of manual tinting of paints is that it is almost impossible to repeat the desired shade a second time. Therefore, before work, you should carefully calculate in order to find out the exact amount of paint. Each paint has its own consumption, and manufacturers must indicate these data on the packaging. We will have to figure out the area to be painted and multiply the resulting figure by the average paint consumption. It is recommended to add another 10% to the obtained value in case we exceed the average consumption. Tinting should be done in one container. Even if you have accurately calculated the amount of color, there is a chance that in two different containers you will get a different shade. Therefore, it is better not to risk it if you do not have the necessary utensils for such a large volume, contact the specialists.
For the coloration process, you need to stock up (with a nozzle), a small sample container (100-200 ml) and a container for a large volume, white base and color scheme.
First of all, it is advisable to experiment with a small amount of material - to make a probe. Otherwise, there is a possibility of spoiling the entire volume. It is necessary to pour 100 ml of paint into a small container and add a few drops of pigment. In this case, it is very convenient to use jars with a narrow neck, and if the color is packaged in inconvenient containers, you can use a regular syringe. You need to carefully collect the pigment into it and squeeze it out to get drops. First, add 2-3 drops, then mix thoroughly and bring to the desired shade, dripping one drop into the base. Once you have obtained the desired shade, it is advisable to record the number of drops on paper.
It should be remembered that the color on the wall may be slightly brighter or lighter than in the container. Therefore, it is recommended to select a small section of the wall for experiments and paint it with the resulting paint. You need to wait until the surface is completely dry and consider it under different lighting conditions, focusing on the one that prevails in the room.
Despite the ever-expanding range of roll and modular materials for interior decoration, paint is not only not inferior, but also confidently expanding its positions. Of course, the price of this material is of considerable importance, but it also provides opportunities for design no less - if not more.
To work with paint coatings, the main thing is to learn how to select and combine shades. But you will learn how to tint paint correctly by reading this article.
Tinting principle
Interior and facade paints and plasters, enamels for metal and varnishes for wood - all this can be tinted, since most of these materials are sold in white.
Stores selling paints and varnishes offer, of course, tinting services:
- They perform it according to the catalog of a particular manufacturer - but this is not always convenient for the customer, especially if it is supposed to produce, as in the photo below, multicolor dyeing, or to choose a tone for textiles. And besides, this service is usually paid. Therefore, everyone who prefers to do work with their own hands is looking for the necessary information on the Internet.
There is one more important nuance, because of which it is better to tint paint not in the store, but in the room to be finished. Under different lighting conditions, the color is perceived in completely different ways, and it may turn out that everything will suit you in the store, but you will absolutely not like it at home.
We will tell you how to tint paint with your own hands at home.
What nuances need to be considered
Before you tint the paint, you need to correctly determine the shade that you need. Keep in mind that in natural light, bright electric light, or dim lighting, the same color will look different. Therefore, you should first make a probe, apply it to a piece of drywall, and evaluate it under different lighting intensities.
So:
- It is advisable to use lamps that will be permanently located in the room, since not only the power of the lamps is important here, but even the color of the shades. And you also need to remember that the larger the area to be painted, the richer the tone will appear.
- Considering that light is unevenly distributed in the room, it is clear that in shaded areas the painted surface will appear darker. Therefore, if you want to make a bright accent in the interior, try to choose the wall on which the light falls more favorably.
- Color is the same paint, only highly saturated, and to create such accents as in the picture above, it can be used in its pure form. Although, there are tinting pastes that are used exclusively to obtain the desired shade of paints and plasters.
- In order for the mixing to be homogeneous, the color must correspond in composition to the base paint. In general, with regard to plasters, paintwork materials and primers, it is always better to combine materials from one manufacturer. Practice shows that in this case their adhesion is provided most fully.
But as for the color scheme, if you did not find the color you want, you can take a variant of another brand - the main thing is that it is intended for tinting the type of paint that you are going to use.
Differences in the composition of colors
Tinting paints and pastes differ primarily in consistency. The paints are thinner and produce soft pastel shades. The pastes are quite thick, and make it possible to create a composition that is much richer in color.
When choosing them, you must also take into account the operating conditions of the coating, and the type of paint that needs to be tinted.
- To ensure the hiding power of the coating, color is given not only to paints, but also to primers and impregnations - separate types of colors are used for them. For water-based paints, completely different types of pigments are intended, for alkyd and oil paints - too.
- Before you tint acrylic paint, which is most often used for interior work, you need to make sure that the color is designed specifically for it. By the way of mixing, the colors may also differ. It is a little easier with tinting paints: they selected the tone, found its recipe and mixed it.
- Although pastes are versatile in use, they require a more accurate dosage, so it is much more difficult to work with them on your own. Again, for each type of paint, there are standards for the content of color, and they cannot be exceeded. For water-based paints, this is 20% - the highest percentage. For other types of paint, 7% is the maximum.
- Water-soluble colourants mixed with a white base will not be able to provide a rich color. In general, they are made on the basis of pigments of organic or inorganic origin. The first option is distinguished by high saturation, and in those cases when it is necessary to provide a bright color, they are chosen.
The colors based on organic pigments have one drawback - they are not very stable, and the coatings fade under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. The saturation of inorganic pigments is much lower, but they never change their color.
Mixing paint
So, you need to make a probe first. To do this, you need to have a small container on hand. These can be baby food jars, yogurt packaging, or plastic measuring cups - as long as they are clean.
So:
- You can use medical pipettes as a dispenser, but syringes are better, since they have divisions. By the way, tinting pastes are often sold already in syringes. It is also convenient to use the color scheme, packaged in soft tubes with a narrow nose. Prepare a piece of paper and a pen as well to write down the ratios of paint and color.
- For work, you will also need several brushes of different sizes, rollers, a bath for paint and primer, masking tape, clean napkins. When using water-based paints, brushes can be rinsed under running water. In other cases, you need to take care of the solvent.
If there are no graduated marks on your container, apply them yourself, accurately determining the volume of the liquid to the line. Then, pour paint into a jar, and add color there, starting with a few drops. Stir, see - if the shade is too pale, add one drop at a time, remembering to count and write down their number.
In order not to be mistaken
Once you get a tone that visually suits you, it should be judged on a test board. It is better if it is not a wall or ceiling, use drywall if the base surface is plastered, or plywood if wood sheathing is to be painted. Cut the sheets into 40 cm squares, and test the resulting shades first with strokes.
- If you understand that there is little color, add no more than one drop at a time. When, in your opinion, the required tone intensity has been achieved, color the entire test sheet. Even if it seems to you that now you have got what you need, do not rush to tint the entire amount of paint and start the main work.
- Since it is impossible to appreciate a wet coating, leave the sample for several hours until the paint is completely dry, and see what you get first with daylight and then with electric light. Perhaps you will realize that the color is brighter than it initially seemed, and you will come to a decision to reduce its saturation.
- When you tint the full amount of paint, reduce the estimated amount of color by twenty percent. Only when the first layer of coating is applied to the walls, it will become clear how correctly you have approached the desired shade. If necessary, a small amount of color can be added to the paint before applying the second coat.
It is worth recalling that the base surface must be properly prepared for painting: leveled, putty (see), sanded and impregnated with a primer. Even the most chic shade is not able to hide surface defects, and a careless attitude to the preparation technology can generally lead to a sad outcome.