Painting a Room? What Color Primer Did You Select?

In a recent issue of the Sherwin Williams publication, "Stir," there was an interesting article regarding primers. It's a great article for anyone getting ready to paint a room; even if you're hiring a painter, make sure to discuss what color primer they will be using.

Take note of the paint swatch and the end result of each of the samples. You will notice the bottom sample produced the brightest and clearest paint color. The bottom sample used the gray primer that Sherwin Williams recommends and the results were stunning. It matched the paint swatch exactly!

Below is an excerpt from the article:

Conventional wisdom tells you to use a white primer or one tinted with the topcoat color. But sometimes there’s a better choice, and it’s the Sherwin-Williams Color Prime® System of gray-tint shades for primers. We’ve found that many of the bold, deep, vivid, and transparent hues in our palette reach their true color in fewer coats when applied over a gray-tinted base coat.

Here’s how it works – Primer tinted to the right shade of gray creates the ideal balance of light absorption and light reflection to more successfully achieve the correct topcoat color, and achieve it in fewer coats. So with the Color Prime System, you’ll get the color you’re looking for and you’ll save time and money. And that’s not all, tinting a primer to the recommended gray shade ensures better touch-up, superior hide, more uniform color, and less streaking. Which adds up to an easier job for you, and customers pleased with a job well done.

When painting a room yourself always consult with your local paint professional. Give them details on what type and color of paint are currently on the wall. Many paint stores now offer small paint samples; these samples are inexpensive, so be sure that you don't skip the important step of doing a test on your wall. The color test should be at least an 18" square. I suggest doing this test on both sides of a corner, if possible. Live with it a couple of days. Then, if you love it after two days, you are ready to paint.

Once a room is painted, even if they don't love it, most people don't decide to re-paint until years later. Since wall color can make or break a room, take time to get it right the first time.

Don't forget that Sherwin-Williams "Colorsnap" and Benjamin Moore "Ben" offer color matching apps for iPhone users!