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Tag: Dark

Living room with light blue walls and grey furniture

Primer Tips

Pro Tips for Painting Over a Dark or Light Wall

December 6, 2019

A fresh coat of paint can go a long way in changing the look and feel of your space, and the last thing you want after meticulously selecting your perfect shade of white is for the old, unattractive color to seep through! One of our favorite neutrals is KILZ® Tribute® paint in Alaskan Mist and it was the perfect color to lighten up this living room.

Taking the heavy olive-green walls to a bright white could have posed a challenge, including a need for excess coats of paint which we definitely wanted to avoid. It was time to prime! We chose KILZ 3™ Premium primer for its thicker, high hiding formula. This water-based primer hides surface imperfections and reduces the need for multiple coats of paint to allow a truer, richer color from the topcoat. A coat of KILZ 3™ Premium primer on the unpleasant green walls followed by paint in Alaskan Mist, and the color change was complete!

Stylish Living Room with Olive Wall Paint
Priming over a dark color and repainting a white color.

If dark paint colors are what you’re after, we have professional primer tips for a light to dark color change as well. It might seem like a dark color like KILZ Complete Coat® paint in Night Magic can easily cover a lighter one in this bedroom refresh, so why prime? However, if you want that deep gray with dark blue undertones to look just right, we would suggest priming first with KILZ 2® All-Purpose primer. This water-based primer offers enhanced hiding, making it ideal for changing colors and helping to lessen the number of coats of paint required.

Bedroom with olive green accent wall
Paint and primer being applied on wall

When painting to hide a previous color, KILZ® Primer reduces the need for multiple coats of paint to allow truer, richer color from your topcoat.

    Tags:Tags: Alaskan Mist, Bedroom, Dark, Gray, Green, KILZ 2 All-Purpose Primer, KILZ 3 Premium Primer, KILZ Complete Coat, KILZ Tribute, Light, Living Room, Makeover, Paint, Primer, Primer Tips, Wall

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    Alaskan Mist KILZ Tribute Paint

    Inspiration

    Light and Bright Living Room Makeover

    September 24, 2019

    A lackluster living room gets a fresh facelift in this light and bright living room makeover. It’s no secret that white is a classic paint hue and when done right, new white walls can really open up a space. Alaskan Mist, a bright white with soft green undertones, was the perfect neutral shade to breathe new life into this dark and drab room.

    Taking the walls from a heavy olive green to a soft and subtle white might seem like a painting project that would require extra coats to cover the old color. But think again! We know something the professional painters know – that starting with a coat of primer before painting that new hue on your walls will ensure the truest color from your topcoat, with less coats required. When painting over a dark color with a lighter shade, KILZ 3™ Premium primer is the product pros often choose. The fast drying, water-based primer has a thicker, high hiding formula that hides surfaces imperfections and leaves you with a clean slate for your chosen paint color.

    Living room with green walls and grey furniture Living room with light blue walls and grey furniture

    In this living room makeover one coat of KILZ 3™ Premium primer did the trick, covering up the previous dark green paint color and leaving the walls ready for paint. Once the primer was dry, we applied KILZ® Tribute® paint in Alaskan Mist, and the results were stunning! The living room instantly appears larger and more inviting with the soft white walls. Next, we added two floating shelves above the sofa and few new décor items, bringing in natural tones like greens and greiges with accessories and plants, and adding a pop of rose gold metallic with a chic table lamp. A plush off-white rug brought a bit of extra warmth to the space, leaving us with a totally transformed living room – no new furniture required!

    This living room makeover just goes to show that a fresh coat of paint and primer can go a long way in refreshing the overall look and feel of a space. If you’re ready to tackle a color change paint project, continue on below for step by step instructions.

    White wall with white shelves and decorative plants on top of them Close up of a coffee table with a pink lamp and a grey couch next to it

    WALL COLOR CHANGE DARK TO LIGHT:

    *Make sure to read and follow all application instructions on your chosen primer and paint products, including ensuring adequate ventilation in your project area and adherence to all noted safety precautions.

    Step 1:

    Wipe down the walls with a damp cloth to ensure they are clean and free of dust. Allow the surface to dry.

    Step 2:

    Tape around the baseboards, trim and moldings.

    Person taping the baseboard of a green wall

    Step 3:

    To ensure full coverage of the existing dark color, apply 1 coat of KILZ 3™ Premium primer – stirring thoroughly before and occasionally during use. Apply primer using a brush first to “cut in” around the edges, then use a roller to fill in. Allow 1-hour dry time.

    Person painting white over a green colored wall

    Step 4:

    Next, apply KILZ® Tribute® paint in Alaskan Mist. Use a brush first to cut in around the edges 4 to 6 feet at a time, then use a roller to fill in those sections before moving along.

    Swatch of the color Alaskan Mist

    Alaskan Mist

    Step 5:

    Remove tape prior to paint drying.

      Tags:Tags: Color, Dark, Light, Living Room, White

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    primer tips

    Image of a variety KILZ products stacked in a pyramid.

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    Bedroom with gold bed frame and brown bedding. Dark and masculine decor accents. Dark Green/Gray wall paint.

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      Dark Accent Wall Featured

      Inspiration

      How-To Paint a Dark Accent Wall

      August 30, 2019

      An outdated wall color is replaced with a bold hue in this easy to replicate bedroom transformation, giving a once bland space a fresh look and feel. It’s typical of many painting projects to be applying new paint over a previous color, and when you’re going from a lighter shade to a darker paint color do you need to prime? The Pro’s answer is yes! Priming before painting allows a truer and richer color from your top coat, so even if you think your new color is dark enough to cover the old paint, you might not get the exact result you were expecting if you don’t prime first.

      For this bedroom makeover we chose KILZ 2® All-Purpose primer, a multi-surface sealer and stain blocker that is great at hiding a previous light or mid-toned color. KILZ 2® was perfect for the job as we were taking the wall behind the bed from light to dark, but also changing the wall with the window from the old grey-green to a crisp white – this really made our final accent wall pop!

      Bedroom with green accent wall and cream colored bed with a cream colored dresser Bedroom with a navy accent wall and bed with white sheets and a cream colored dresser

      At first glance the before-to-after transformation of this space might look like it took a lot of work, but the biggest change was the new paint color. The beauty of a dark accent wall is that it can dramatically elevate your space, without the need for many other changes. We chose KILZ Complete Coat® in Night Magic for the accent wall and White for the remaining walls. A deep gray with a dark blue undertone, Night Magic appears as almost black on the wall which resulted in the bold look we desired while still having a level of softness ideal for a bedroom.

      After the priming and painting were done, we added new bedding and a few fresh accessories and the stunning bedroom makeover was complete. If you’re feeling inspired to paint your own dark accent wall, step-by-step instructions are below.

      Bucket of Kilz 2 All-Purpose Interior and Exterior Primer and a paintbrush

      Step 1:

      Wipe down the walls with a damp cloth to ensure they are clean and free of dust. Allow the surface to dry.

      Step 2:

      Tape around the baseboards, trim and moldings.

      Person wiping down a wall and a person taping the baseboard of a wall

      Step 3:

      To ensure a perfect paint finish, start by applying 1 coat of KILZ 2® All-Purpose – stirring thoroughly before and occasionally during use. Allow 1-hour of dry time.

      Person painting a wall white Pro-tip: Apply primer using a brush first to “cut in” around the edges, then use a roller to fill in.

      Step 4:

      Next, apply KILZ Complete Coat® in White on all walls except the chosen accent wall. Use a brush first to cut in around the edges 4 to 6 feet at a time, then use a roller to fill in those sections before moving along.

      Person painting a wall the color cream

      Step 5:

      Next on the chosen accent wall, apply KILZ Complete Coat® in Night Magic. Use a brush first to cut in around the edges 4 to 6 feet at a time, then use a roller to fill in those sections before moving along.

      Person painting a wall dark grey

      Step 6:

      Remove tape prior to paint drying.

      Bedroom with a Navy accent wall and a bed with white sheets and white headboard

        Tags:Tags: Accent, Dark, DIY'ers, Inspiration, Paint, Primer, Pro Tip, Wall

      join the conversation:

      SHARE this post:

      RELATED ARTICLES

      primer tips

      Image of a variety KILZ products stacked in a pyramid.

      Choose the Right KILZ® Primer for Your Substrate

      inspiration

      Bedroom with gold bed frame and brown bedding. Dark and masculine decor accents. Dark Green/Gray wall paint.

      THE CASTLE COLLECTION: THE BEDROOMS

      TRENDS

      Creative Ways to Carve Our Functional Spaces

      Creative Ways to Carve Out Functional Spaces

      get inspired:

        See more on Pinterest

        FOLLOw us:

        @kilzbrand

        SHOP

        Kilz logo

        PRODUCTS

        • Kilz 2 All Purpose Primer

          KILZ COMPLETE COAT®

        • Kilz 3 Premium Primer

          KILZ 2® ALL-PURPOSE INTERIOR | EXTERIOR PRIMER

        Kilz logo

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