Worried I have made a mistake with paint colour - is it too late to change it?

gingin_2

I feel like a numpty but we are having all our exterior doors and window frames painted from a dark to lighter colour. I'm not really happy with the shade I've chosen and just want to change the shade ever so slightly. Our decorator has gone away for the week but has done all the sanding down and the 1st coat of paint with just the second coat to do. If I wanted to change the colour could he apply it on top of what he has already done without having to start again. It really would be just a couple of colour shades different.

Thanks for any advice

ic

Are you sure the first coat isn't just a primer?

gingin_2

I don't know now. It's definitely the shade I've chosen but he did say he was going to put primer down. The decorator said before he left that he had done the first coat and he just had the second one to do.

murphydog999

I would wait if I were you, the second coat will make a big difference.

amcluesent

A slight shade change should be OK on the top coat, esp. if it's darker.

misgrace

gingin wrote: »

I don't know now. It's definitely the shade I've chosen but he did say he was going to put primer down. The decorator said before he left that he had done the first coat and he just had the second one to do.

Is it internal frames etc, and when you say darker to a lighter colour, to you mean a stain, or were the doors, frames etc painted with a dark colour, and how dark was the existing colour, if very dark he would need more than one light undercoat.

You would normally use a primer on bare wood, or a primer/undercoat on bare wood, but if they were previously painted he would be undercoating them first.
if you were going for a light top coat, for example the colour magnolia, but then decided to have your top coat cream, then he would still be using the white undercoat as a base anyway, so it wouldnt matter what colour your top is as long as its light.

gingin_2

misgrace wrote: »

Is it internal frames etc, and when you say darker to a lighter colour, to you mean a stain, or were the doors, frames etc painted with a dark colour, and how dark was the existing colour, if very dark he would need more than one light undercoat.

You would normally use a primer on bare wood, or a primer/undercoat on bare wood, but if they were previously painted he would be undercoating them first.
if you were going for a light top coat, for example the colour magnolia, but then decided to have your top coat cream, then he would still be using the white undercoat as a base anyway, so it wouldnt matter what colour your top is as long as its light.

We are going from dark green painted to a kind of light green heritage paint, the first paint is too blue, the second I have now found ( Farrow and Ball Lichen) seems perfect. The first coat of the original paint has been put on I think it is an undercoat in the original colour I wanted, if that makes sense, it's whether I can then put the Farrow and Ball one on top. It's not really darker or lighter, more a shade across

misgrace

From what I gather he has used the matching undercoat for the original top colour?, and you just want to have a shade lighter?

You should be okay with that, but usually I would use a light or medium grey undercoat if the top coat was going green or even blue depending on the shades of green and blue, so it wouldnt really matter if the topcoat was blue or green, unless there is a reason for using the same colour undercoat, but anyway, you could try a little area somewhere and see if it covers okay.
I think what your getting at is, if the new top colour (shade lighter) covers over the undercoat, so if you have the top coat handy, try a bit and see.

BTW, I had a nose at the colour Lichen, very nice

gingin_2

misgrace wrote: »

From what I gather he has used the matching undercoat for the original top colour?, and you just want to have a shade lighter?

You should be okay with that, but usually I would use a light or medium grey undercoat if the top coat was going green or even blue depending on the shades of green and blue, so it wouldnt really matter if the topcoat was blue or green, unless there is a reason for using the same colour undercoat, but anyway, you could try a little area somewhere and see if it covers okay.
I think what your getting at is, if the new top colour (shade lighter) covers over the undercoat, so if you have the top coat handy, try a bit and see.

BTW, I had a nose at the colour Lichen, very nice

Yes, thanks. That is what I mean. And thanks for the vote of confidence!