Mixing paints?

zippychick

Hi all!:beer:

Debated putting this in the DIY section, but wasn't entirely sure...... Pen/Pink please move if you feel it is appropriate

Anyway. I want to paint my bathroom. I have some cream coloured emulsion and can't afford to buy a massive tub of coloured paint.

I was thinking of buying a small sample size of colour and adding it to the cream paint to make my own colour. Would this work as long as they were both the same kind of paint (like matt etc)

I imagine it could curdle and don't want to ruin the whole big tub. I can't paint my bathroom cream as I have white tiles and think it would look odd

All help appreciated . cheers

Nomoneymummy_2

I've mixed paints in all rooms of the house Zippy with no problems,

I couldn't find colours I wanted at a good price so made my own, Its fine as long as you stick to matt+matt or gloss+gloss (though I've matted all mine but glossed windowsills etc!)

Wilkinsons to great colours and good size matchpots at much better prices than b&q,
Better to mix up more than you need though as its really hard to get spot on the same colour twice (or it is for me!)
I made sure I had half a pot over per room for touch ups etc over time (I have kids so will deff need touch ups!)

zippychick

Ah that's brilliant! Did you just mix it with a stick? Sounds too easy.....

Well it's a pretty big tub I have so will make a large quantity! Cheers for the advice

Now to get the energy and time to paint.

I do have sample colours in mainly pastels but i'm not sure if that's enough colour to add a hint.... I misjudge colours of paint all the time

I picked what I thought was a hint of pink for my bathroom, and it's been Pink Panther pink for over 3 years now, and I kind of hate it:p:o

luxor4t

I've always just slopped the colour into the white a bit at a time & mixed it up with a stick. I don't know if there is a special way of doing it as this has always worked for me. I mix in a bucket as there's plenty of room & make a temporary lid with clingfilm.
Keeping the extra in a jar is vital, as in my experience it is impossible to get the same colour twice.

greenbee

zippychick wrote: »

I picked what I thought was a hint of pink for my bathroom, and it's been Pink Panther pink for over 3 years now, and I kind of hate it:p:o

I did that too in my last house... it was like being inside a strawberry ice cream and not nice in the mornings...

zippychick

Thanks Luxor, The more answers I get the less worried I feel! I don't know why I imagined it would be more difficult than it is. I must look and see what quantities of paint i have etc

He he he Greenbee - everyone who goes into my bathroom comments on how "girly" it is (especially in comparison to the rest of my house! )

is yours still pink or is it gone? I honestly nearly had a heart attack the first time I seen it.

Nomoneymummy_2

Yup Zippy, just drop it in a bit at a time to get the colour and mix with a stick....
So easy I managed it a few times, Plus you get to look great when people say "ohh I love the colour" and you can say "ohh its one of my own ya know! :D

I used a hint of green for my bathroom, it turned out nice next to the white tub etc!

Kids room is uber pink and they love it!

Have stuck myself now, as DD thinks mummys brill with paint, and now Daddy's built her a desk she wants me to paint up an old chair thats at nannys, pink with orange flowers!! hmmmmm!!!:D

zippychick

Sounds spectacular! I think I might do it after christmas ! Just need a paintbrush and some white gloss now (we'll not mention the time I tried to paint my bath panels while drunk, in navy contrasting against white.....)

Did you use a strong green colour to mix with the paler colour? Dunno if the pastels I have would work?

tandraig

Ive mixed my own colours too! lots of times! I usually use matt emulsion then buy a trial pot of a dark colour then mix in a bucket with a stick (top tip - make sure its CLEAN) adding colour as i mix until its a shade i like. did a lovely eu-de-nil couple of years back and cant remember the name of the colour in trial pot - shame as everyone commented on what a lovely colour it was! always mix more than you think you need - you will never ever mix that exact shade again! oh I usually buy white emulsion when i see a bargain so nearly always have a tin or two available.

greenbee

zippychick wrote: »

He he he Greenbee - everyone who goes into my bathroom comments on how "girly" it is (especially in comparison to the rest of my house! )

is yours still pink or is it gone? I honestly nearly had a heart attack the first time I seen it.

It was still there when we sold it... I assume that the new owners painted it something more tasteful... it was in a lovely georgian terraced house in Islington that we bought in the early 90s as a shared student house (and so they paid a lot more for it when we sold it!)

Lily-Lu

I've mixed paints before. So long as it's the same type, you should be fine.

Years ago (pre lots of fancy shades), you could buy paint dyes. Red, navy, black, green etc, I haven't seen them for years, but they were great. You just bought white paint and mixed as much dye in to it as you needed until you were happy with the shade. Does anyone know if you can still get these anywhere? I loathe having no choice but to buy a 2.5ltr can of a perticular shade, when all I want to do is paint one wall :mad: