is paint always tinted using "extra white base"?

tcjdac · 10-27-2011, 12:02 PM

I had a primer tinted to my color and it appears so much darker than the paint I put over the primer which is supposed to be the same color. The colored paint was tinted using an extra white base (Sherwin Williams Cashmere) and the color appears so much lighter than I expected and also quite a bit lighter than the primer I put on the wall. I actually like the "latte" color better on my previous bright green wall(because it appears darker)than the wall I primed with tinted primer. Don't know how I should go forward. Could the "extra white base" be the cause of this?

Windows · 10-27-2011, 12:18 PM

Finish paint comes in different bases so a wide range of colors can be tinted. Primer does not have the same range of bases which is why you cannot always get your primer in the same color as your top coats. I am not sure I understand the rest of your question. The finish color is the finish color. Whether you paint it over the primed wall or original color it will be the same. If it is not, it has nothing to do with the base, it's just that it is not completed and you need additional coats.

tcjdac · 10-27-2011, 12:27 PM

Thank you--so my next question is....If my paint was mixed using a different white and not "extra white" would the end result perhaps be a darker color? (Maybe Sherwin Williams always uses "extra white" as a base) I'm just surprised at the brightness of my paint....and freaking out since I bought a few gallons.

Windows · 10-27-2011, 12:54 PM

The color should be the same as the sample swatch you picked from. If it is different, then the paint was mixed wrong. If it is the same and you still don't like it, then it sounds like you need to pick a different color. If you only want it to be a little different, it is possible they could adjust the tins you already have, but again it has nothing to do with the base.

sdsester · 10-27-2011, 01:14 PM

As mentioned, paint is tinted into different bases. This minimizes the amount of colorants needed at the store and the factory can better and more thoroughly mix bases for especially the lightest and darkest colors you might choose than the paint store could without the pre-mixed bases.

I never added more than 40-50 percent of my color formula to primer and never expected it and the two finish coats on top to match. Sort of the way I was trained with the logic you don't want a lot of extra stuff in your primer I guess.

It is possible, if your finish coat color is way off from the chip you picked, the person at SW grabbed a can of the wrong tint base---unfortunately the outside of the cans look the same. If it is way off have them do it over. Not so often, but such things happen, especially if the store is busy filling orders.

If it is semi-gloss, remember it will take 30 days for latex/acrylic products to cure to the finish color and hardened finish.

tcjdac · 10-27-2011, 01:42 PM

thanks for the replies...Room is full of sunshine right now and maybe...hopefully....that is making the paint appear too "bright"

sdsester · 10-27-2011, 02:31 PM

Well... Compared to other building materials in terms of cost and labor, paint is rather cheap when you think about it. If you do not like the color or tint of it. Get what you can live with.

m1951mm · 10-28-2011, 03:35 AM

You have some good answers here. I agree that a primer will take on the colorants darker than a finish paint will if the primer is tinted at 100% of the finish paint formula. Normally a sales clerk at Sherwin Williams knows this and will tint the primer at 50% to 75% of the formula of the finish paint color. A tinted primer will also have a different sheen level than the finish paint. Your "brightness" maybe due to sheen level, i.e. satin will reflect more light than a flat or eggshell will. Primers tend to be more matte, closer to an eggshell sheen. What is the sheen level of your top coat?? Did you prefer the color and or sheen of the primer over your top coat?? You might be able to get your remaining gallons of paint retinted closer to the color of the primer if that is what you are going for(?????). If you liked the sheen level of the primer you might need to change the sheen of your finish paint. ---I am going to start another thread titled Batching different sheen levels--- I have in the past added flat paint to satin or semi gloss (same color, same brand) to change the sheen of the final top coat without any problems, but in watching this forum and the great pros that contribute here I would like to get their opinions if this is good or bad. I personally do not like satin on a wall, to shiny for me, I much prefer eggshell sheen, so mixing flat and satin I get closer to to that eggshell finish that I like.

I actually like the "latte" color better on my previous bright green wall(because it appears darker)than the wall I primed with tinted primer. Don't know how I should go forward. Could the "extra white base" be the cause of this? -- I pasted this from the original thread. It confuses me a bit. What exactly did you like?? The primer, the finish paint, the different sheen or what????