Just painted my walls with Behr's latex semi-gloss paint, the color is like a med beige. When the guy mixed this paint at the store, he took a little from the can and put it on the color chart. The paint dried almost perfect to the color I picked out on the chart. When I got done painting my walls, it seemed that the paint dried lighter that that color chart, almost a whole shade lighter, maybe two. Why would the paint dry to the correct color when he wiped some on the color chart, and then dry a whole lot lighter when I put it on the wall? If I put a second coat on the walls, will it darken up? I had th primer these walls first, would that be my problem? Why won't it darken up to the right color?

 

Most paints dry darker. The could be several reasons for the color to look different. If you are painting over a lighter color and didn't get complete coverage the lighter color will bleed through not showing the true color of the new paint. Another possiblity is lighting. What appears to be one color in say florescent lighting will look different in incandesent lighting or natural light. Carpet, drapes and furniture can also affect how a color appears.

Do you still have the color chart? Check and see if the sample on the card is still a match, lay the card on the wall and see if it matches. What was the reason for using primer? Was it new drywall or have alot of repairs?

 

I used primer because of repairs and smoke stains on walls, I used Kilz oil base primer. Put the color chart on the wall and it still looks 1-2 shades lighter. Checked it during the day with the drapes opened and closed, checked it at night with the lights on. It doesn't want to come anywhere near as dark as it should be. Should I try to putting on a second coat and see if that will darken it up anymore?

 

I assume your primer was untinted. The brand of paint you used isn't known for great coverage. A second coat of paint should give better coverage and match the color chip.

 

I'll try a second coat and see if that works, I'll let you know.

 

A second coat will be needed, possibly a third (or more) with that particular product
It depends on your application technique
It should get close enough to your chip by then


I would like to attempt to answer your question inre:
The answer is marketing, and what make a good paint product

The place that you purchased that product deals with a lot of DIYers, that are not familier with what makes a paint a good product, and how paints reacts when and after drying

What I mean is, a pro would not expect the chip to match based on what the associate in that paint dept. did
However, an occasional painter or DIYer would be happy it performed as such, perhaps even expect it to perform that way

Making the paint perform that way does not make it a better paint
It makes the DIYer happy (it matches, and quickly), and it makes the salesperson and the retailer happy (a quick demo by a quickly trained associate makes the sale, rather than a long protracted come-back-in-a-few-hours demo or complex explanation)

The paint is made (manufactured) to effect a quick sale, not to perform well in a customer's home

 

did your 2nd coat help?
what paint?

 

airtas: Welcome to the forums.

This is a seven year old thread.

It appears the original poster has been around this year but I do not know if you will get a response.

If you have a question, please start a new thread and we can try to help.