español where to buy recently viewed 0 my favorites HOW TO PAINT PAINT COLORS PRODUCTS BUY PAINT Home > Inspiration > How To Paint > Steps For Painting Over Dark Walls With A Light Color Steps For Painting Over Dark Walls With A Light Color DIY Blogger Diane Henkler of InMyOwnStyle.com tells Glidden® about how to transition from a dark-colored wall to a lighter one. Check out the steps below to see how to paint a light color over a dark one. Q: What is the best way to paint over dark-colored walls with a lighter paint color? A: Follow these four simple steps to make a wall paint color transformation. Over the past few months I have been painting over dark walls in my home. I loved this dark green color, but after 8 years, I wanted to see a change. I am going much lighter and brighter. I knew that because I was going to be painting over it with a much lighter paint, I would have to take an extra step in the painting process to make sure that when I rolled the new color on the wall, it would not change color due to the original, dark green base paint color. SEE ALL GLIDDEN PAINT COLORS SEE GLIDDEN PRIMER Step 1: Before painting, fill holes with filler, then sand smooth. Step 2: When painting over dark walls with light paint colors, use a white primer. Using a primer will help to ensure that your color comes out true when dry, with no dark base color muting a light one or a light base color making it impossible to get bold color coverage. Using primer also lessens the need for additional coats of paint to get complete coverage. Step 3: When rolling the paint on the wall, roll in large, wide “M” or “W” shapes. When re-loading the roller, make sure to roll in on the slanted part of the paint tray to remove some of the paint. This will help to avoid roller lines in the paint finish. Let dry. Step 4: Add a second coat to areas in which you can still see any of the previous color through the primer. Let dry. Now the walls were ready to paint them with a new, fresh paint color choice. Here is the "Before" and "After" for my project. You can see how following the steps I outlined, gave me the result I wanted. SEE MORE HELPFUL HOW-TO ARTICLES SEE GLIDDEN PRIMER Before: After: Don't let a dark-colored wall keep you from going lighter. Follow these steps to make your own color transformation! As always, safety first! Please refer to the Product Label, Technical Data Sheet (TDS) or Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for safety and detailed application instructions. FIND YOUR FAVORITE PAINT COLORS SEE GLIDDEN PRIMER Diane Henkler Diane Henkler decorated her first home using tricks from her work in the display trade. She wrote a book called Instant Decorating and now shares her decorating ideas on her blog, InMyOwnStyle.com Share this story Related Information How to Paint Walls (Rolling the "W") When painting your room, get that professional look by using the “W” technique to ensure a consistent finish. Read More FOLLOW US SIGN-UP FOR EMAIL to get painting tips and promos SUBSCRIBE INFORMATION Buy Paint Online Careers Contact Us Products About Glidden Paint FAQs Painting Tips For Every Home © 2021 PPG Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The PPG Logo is a registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. Glidden and The Glidden Logo are registered trademarks of the PPG Group of Companies. Legal Notices & Privacy Policies | PPG Terms of Use | PPG Architectural Coatings Privacy Policy | CA Transparency in Supply Chain Disclosure Keep in mind that, because of variations in monitors and printers, the Glidden paints shown on your computer may vary slightly from the actual paint color. To obtain an accurate sample, please visit a Glidden Color Center at a participating retailer near you. Legal Notices & Privacy Policies| PPG Terms of Use| PPG Architectural Coatings Privacy Policy | CA Transparency in Supply Chain Disclosure CHAT