How to fix a botched paint job?

October 29, 2006 1:44 AM

I've recently painted my bedroom a deep, rich purple. I absolutely adore it, but about 80% of the way through, I ran out of paint. I went back to Home Hardware to pick up another gallon, it is mixed to the exact specs the first can was mixed as, however, after finishing up the room, and doing patch work, it is apparent that there is a slight difference in the color. There's a little

As said, the color difference is very slight. I haven't seen it in daylight yet, and I fear it will be much more visible. Where do I go from here? Any painting tips to even it out? Should I call the store and ask for two replacement gallons? I've spent a significant amount of time and money on this project.

posted by irishkitten to Home & Garden (19 answers total)

First of all - have you let it dry yet?

My roommate did the exact same thing - painted her room a dark purple - and when she touched up some areas, they looked much different, until it dried. Give it 24 hours (or at least 12), and then see how it looks.

If it still looks goofy, then yes, I'd talk to the store. They should reimburse you if the colors themselves are different.
posted by rossination at 1:47 AM on October 29, 2006

It's been about 8 hours since we finished, and some areas have dried longer than that. There's definitely a more blue tone to the new can. I plan to call the store as soon as it opens, but after spending a good 15 hours combined Friday/Saturday night, the prospect of redoing the whole room makes me cringe(not to mention the couch is certainly not doing wonders for my back!)
posted by irishkitten at 1:56 AM on October 29, 2006

Is the slightly different coloured bit a coherent part of wall or is it sort of dotted around? If it's coherent, you could try painting that something contrasting, which could look cool (and save you having to re-do the whole room).
posted by handee at 2:28 AM on October 29, 2006

Are you into painted embellishments? Painting on strands of vine, or just gold curlicues, could hide the joins. I am guessing the patch work is narrow pieces along the edge of the ceiling, around the door frame and light switch etc. You could buy a wallpaper border to go round the top edge of the walls, but it might get a bit much round everything.
posted by Idcoytco at 3:50 AM on October 29, 2006

I had the same problem with a choc. brown and ended up putting on 4 coats total (2 full gallons for a 10x10 room). Sometimes the machines are "off" - they have less color then what needs to be added or there is still some paint from the last mix in the tubes.

Take in a sample of the first gallon, have them match it by computer, not by what it says the machine should added to the mix when you bought it. Take in your second gallon with you - sometimes they can add right to it (have them test it to dry while you wait - don't leave if it doesn't match), or they will mix a new gallon for you (for free or at least a hefty discount).

Putting a second or third coat on will go much faster. The last coat took me about 45 minutes total - you've done the hard work taping off, moving furniture, etc. so just roll on a quick layer. If you don't fix it now, it will annoy you forever.
posted by blackkar at 4:24 AM on October 29, 2006

Embellishments, or contrasting won't work, as much as I love the ideas. Because we were only using brushes, we had to do a lot of spot checks, all over the room. There's 2 coats, plus the spot checks. What it really looks like is grease spots. It's so close to the original color, just looks like it's smeared in some places. I was thinking some sort of color washing technique might work, but I'm certainly not the most paint-savvy, and am concerned I'll only make it worse.

I am actually putting the furniture back in the room today, will be contacting the store once they open, and I'll gradually fix it one wall at a time with a roller. Weekends are the only time I have enough time to do these projects. Agreed with Blackkar, though, it will irk me every time I walk into the room.
posted by irishkitten at 5:39 AM on October 29, 2006

If it looks greasy - check that they didn't give you a semi-gloss when your first gallon was satin (or flat). It sounds like it might not be a color issue but a finish issue. Instead of using brushes, go out and get a cheap roller set (using disposable, you could get away with spending less than $10 - roller, handle, and paint tray). That will give you a cleaner, finished look instead of spotty.
posted by blackkar at 5:48 AM on October 29, 2006

IF you're interested, I could reassure you that a faux treatment to this coat won't look bad. I sponged over a dark red paint w/ a reddish-brownish paint plus the brand's faux add-in. I had had variations in the red (just due to not putting on enough coats) and that only helped to get the look I wanted in the end (subtle velvety feel/depth). However, since either solution would require buying more paint, the only benefit this would offer is that it'd require less paint, but ultimately more labor.
posted by artifarce at 5:49 AM on October 29, 2006

Also, going off blakkar's comment, if you're using a higher gloss paint, touchups WILL look "off" especially if using a brush, because you don't have the wet edges to blend them. For patching, roller or brush, it helps to feather it in.
I have noticed this with a satin paint, but not eggshell or lower gloss.

Generally a brush can give inconsistent results, but keep in mind switching to a roller for anything other than the whole room will also look different because the pressure of the roller will spread the molecules that provide the gloss more thinly. That may or may not be enough to tell, however.
posted by artifarce at 5:56 AM on October 29, 2006

You could try sponge painting over it.


How to Sponge Paint a Room
posted by jefeweiss at 6:01 AM on October 29, 2006

check that one of the cans isn't eggshell. eggshell finish paints need to dry at the same time which means that you need to finish a whole room when yu start it. you can't let it dry and apply the rest of the coat (not talking about a second coat), but the rest of the wall because it won't match.

if it's eggshell, then you either live with it, repaint the whole room or repaint only the section that doesn't match a contrasting color. having one wall a different color actually looks great!

also i would check both cans to make sure the paint codes match.
posted by eatcake at 6:04 AM on October 29, 2006

We had the same exact problem with our daughter's room - and it's purple, too. When I went back to the paint store to complain, the tech that mixed the paints for me wasn't surprised. He said that most paint formulations use very small amounts of pigment, so even a small amount of difference in the components would result in an off color. In other words, it's not really human error, it's machine-precision error, and there's no way around it.

What we did at his suggestion was to get enough paint for another coat, and mix ALL the paint cans we were using together into one large pail. The last coat went on fast - we didn't feel the need to cut in at the ceiling because the colors were so close - and the result looked even.
posted by Flakypastry at 6:21 AM on October 29, 2006

I would sponge or rag it. If the color is very similar to the background, it will give you a lovely bit of texture, just enough to make the walls look rich and velvety. This would totally hide any variations in the undercoat, in fact they'll add to the effect. If you have any paint at all left in the first can, mix the two cans together to make a new color that will color both.

NB: it won't look good while you're doing this, you have to trust and commit to the technique, but when you touch up the trim and ceiling it'll look really sharp.

The other thing to remember is, when you have pictures and stuff up on the walls, variations tend to disappear. Besides, you won't even notice the color anymore in a week or two. The only time you see it after that is when you're showing it off to your friends.
posted by bink at 6:23 AM on October 29, 2006

If you want a uniform appearance, you'll need another coat of paint. To be safe, I'd buy another can.

As Flakypastry mentioned, you've got to mix all the paint cans together if you want the colors to match. There are always going to be subtle differences, no matter how well they measure the color at the store. Mixing the different cans is an important failsafe. I wouldn't blame the store, though they probably should have told you that.

If for some reason you can't mix all the cans, then at least use the edges of walls (corners) as cutoff points for each can. That is, don't use two different cans on the same wall. The sharp break will help mask the subtle differences in color.
posted by Jeff Howard at 8:33 AM on October 29, 2006

If the gloss level is the same and the formula is the same, it's just machine error. Paint does take some time to cure, so with any luck, the problem's already straightened itself out. If not, what I'd try (in hopes of the easy solution) is to take some of the leftover Purple 2.0 and water it down to about the consistency of whole milk. Roll it gently over the top (in a lot of different directions) and let it fully dry... sometimes you can hide problems this way, and it'll be easy and cheap.

If this doesn't work, it would be easier to rag-roll over top instead of sponging.

For anyone interested, if one mixes the gallons together by pouring them back and forth, it's called "boxing" the paint, at least in theatrical scenic painting.
posted by lauranesson at 9:12 AM on October 29, 2006

Great tips from all, thank you so much. I think I'm going to try the sponging next weekend when I tackle it again. I called Home Hardware, they apologized, and are offering to provide an additional gallon of paint at no extra charge.


(For those who asked if the paints matched, HH provides a little sticker to take back in should you need more of a color. It has the finish, the pigments used, and all other details to ensure you get the same type/pigment. This paint IS a satin finish paint, and the second can was made identical to the first, as far as specs go.)
posted by irishkitten at 9:49 AM on October 29, 2006

I have noticed when touching up a low gloss paint that the gloss on the touch up is stronger than the original. It is almost as if the gloss is culmulative and builds up. I have not figured out a reason for this.
posted by pointilist at 5:44 PM on October 29, 2006

Get a refund on the second gallon.

However, instead of sponging it, how about re-painting the affected wall from corner-to-corner? Chances are your eye won't notice the slight change in hue if you paint an entire wall the same color.
posted by donguanella at 9:08 PM on October 29, 2006

It's almost impossible to match paint colors, even with the electronic paint mixers. That's why they recommend that you box the paint before using (mix all the cans together to get a uniform color). I think your only choice is to put one more coat on and make sure that the paint is uniform before doing so.
posted by electroboy at 7:41 AM on October 30, 2006