touch up paint on wall
 

I did some touch ups with both flat and semi-gloss on interior walls that
was painted 18 months ago. The paint were from the same cans that were used
on the existing walls so you can't get a better match. The flat touch up
didn't look too bad but the semi-gloss looks like a bad touch up job. The
touch up the semi-gloss is glossier than the rest of the wall when viewed at
different angles. I ended up painting the whole room due to a couple of bad
touch up spots. Any tricks in matching with the existing paint?

I've heard that color matching with oil based paints is nearly
impossible
because the fade rapidly.

Ed

"Fred" wrote in message
...
I did some touch ups with both flat and semi-gloss on interior walls
that
was painted 18 months ago. The paint were from the same cans that
were used
on the existing walls so you can't get a better match. The flat
touch up
didn't look too bad but the semi-gloss looks like a bad touch up
job. The
touch up the semi-gloss is glossier than the rest of the wall when
viewed at
different angles. I ended up painting the whole room due to a couple
of bad
touch up spots. Any tricks in matching with the existing paint?

That is normal for touch ups to have a higher sheen, in a month it would
have been less noticable but still different.

Fred wrote:
I did some touch ups with both flat and semi-gloss on interior walls
that
was painted 18 months ago. The paint were from the same cans that
were used
on the existing walls so you can't get a better match. The flat touch
up
didn't look too bad but the semi-gloss looks like a bad touch up job.
The
touch up the semi-gloss is glossier than the rest of the wall when
viewed at
different angles. I ended up painting the whole room due to a couple
of bad
touch up spots. Any tricks in matching with the existing paint?

Nothing foolproof, but I learned a trick from an oldtime painter years
ago. You want to feather out the repair with an almost dry roller.
Paint just the patch with the first coat, then on the next two coats
expand the coverage area with a thinner (less paint on the roller)
application - each coat covering a larger area. Essentially you're
softening or spreading out the transition from new to old. It makes
the patch less noticeable.

R

Thin the touch up paint about 10% with water assuming latex.

Good Luck.

"Fred" wrote in message
...
I did some touch ups with both flat and semi-gloss on interior walls that
was painted 18 months ago. The paint were from the same cans that were
used
on the existing walls so you can't get a better match. The flat touch up
didn't look too bad but the semi-gloss looks like a bad touch up job. The
touch up the semi-gloss is glossier than the rest of the wall when viewed
at
different angles. I ended up painting the whole room due to a couple of
bad
touch up spots. Any tricks in matching with the existing paint?

I agree with RicodJour, except the part about 3 coats. You can try to
fade the touch-up into the existing paintjob by using a "dry" roller. A
trained eye could find it but most people won't notice.

Typically, any paint with a sheen is impossible to perfectly touch-up.
As you said, at an angle you'll always be able to tell. Even flat
paints can be hard to touch up if the paint has been up for some time.
Usually lighter colors are easier -- there's not as much colorant to
fade.

Hopkins wrote:
I agree with RicodJour, except the part about 3 coats. You can try to
fade the touch-up into the existing paintjob by using a "dry" roller.
A
trained eye could find it but most people won't notice.

Typically, any paint with a sheen is impossible to perfectly
touch-up.
As you said, at an angle you'll always be able to tell. Even flat
paints can be hard to touch up if the paint has been up for some
time.
Usually lighter colors are easier -- there's not as much colorant to
fade.

What?! Someone doesn't agree with me? Where's the newsgroup
moderator....? ;)

The only reason I go with the extra coat is due to the thinner feather
coat. Belt and suspenders, maybe, but it works for me.

I learned that trick from a 65 year old union painter. He was driven
absolutely nuts by a punchlist and an overzealous architect. The
architect set new standards in nitpicking and would attempt to get 20'
walls painted due to a couple of pencil point nicks. Half the time
someone would whip out a set of drawings and show that the blemish was
behind a file cabinet or office cubicle. Guess he was trying to make
points with someone...

R

I learned that trick from a 65 year old union painter. He was driven
absolutely nuts by a punchlist and an overzealous architect. The
architect set new standards in nitpicking and would attempt to get
20'
walls painted due to a couple of pencil point nicks.

I've been there. I don't think there's anything worse than a painter's
punchlist.... nothing like following the other trades and fixing what
they made a mess of.

Maybe part of the reason I disagreed with 3 coats is because I wasn't a
union painter. :)
As a contractor, or a sub-, you have to look for ways to do the same
thing quicker [especially on new construction]. I would touch up the
spot itself -- usually that covered, so I went straight to feathering
with a dry roller.

Sometimes it would take more than that, especially on dark colors and
especially on colors made with an ultra deep base.