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Tag: Wall

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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    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    An outdated wall color is replaced with a bold hue in this easy to replicate bedroom transformation, giving a once bland space a fresh look and feel.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

    Images of before, during, and after project in partnership with Oak Hill Millwork

    Kids Room Refresh with Oak Hill Millworks

    inspiration

    Side Image of primary bedroom with wood stained wall using Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines® interior stain Woodsy Escape.

    MAGNOLIA HOME: TURN YOUR BEDROOM INTO A SERENE ESCAPE

    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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