Hey Everyone!
Don’t you hate it when you have a certain color in mind for a project, but you can’t find it anywhere? Or the color s you do find are too bright and/or too light? This happens to me ALL the time.
I used to be scared of mixing my own custom paint colors because I was afraid I’d ruin a bunch of expensive paint, but I’ve finally gotten over my fear and I’m so glad I did! The key is to experiment with very small amounts to see how they come out before mixing a large amount. In other words, if you are doing large quantities of paint, you want to measure out how much you use of each paint, and when you get the desired color, use the measurements to calculate how to get the same color in a larger quantity.
Today I’m going to show you how to darken paint. Chalk paint, to be exact, but these tips apply to any kind of paint.
Please note this technique is not the same as they would do at a paint store, so you are not going to get the “exact” darker version of the paint you started with. With this technique, I am adding black paint to a color, and while it does darken it, it also makes the color less bright and more grayish. I personally like this effect because a. I don’t usually like to use bright colors in my projects, and b. it gives the paint a more aged or antique look.
Let’s look at the example below to see what I mean by this. The color in the middle was the original color, Americana Décor Chalky Finish Paint in Remembrance. I used Americana Décor Chalky Finish Paint in Carbon on the left to mix into the Remembrance in order to get the custom color on the right.
So let’s get started! 🙂
How to darken paint the easy way!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Your paint color of choice
- A black (or as close to black as you can get) in the same paint type you can get
- A container to mix it in (the container size depends on how much paint you’re mixing)
- Something to mix the paint with (popsicle stick, paint stick, etc.)
If you want to copy my custom color, here’s the paint I used:
- Americana Décor Chalky Finish Paint in Remembrance where to buy
- Americana Décor Chalky Finish Paint in Carbon where to buy
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Directions:
Add some of the color you want to darken into a container.
Next, add a LITTLE bit of the black paint and mix it in. Keep adding the black paint in SMALL amounts until you get the desired color. A little black paint will darken up the other paint fast, so less is more until achieve your desired color!
Remember, if you are doing large quantities of paint, you want to measure out how much you use of each paint, and when you get the desired color, use the measurements to calculate how to get the same color in a larger quantity. In these pictures I was mixing paint for this small project, so it wasn’t the end of the world if I messed up and had to get more paint.
As you can see below, the results are a darker, more grayed out color. Perfect! 🙂
I hope you found this tutorial useful! Please let me know what you think or if you have any questions!
Michelle
Thank you for saving my (ugly) expensive chalk paint! So grateful for the darkening tips.
You’re welcome Erin! 🙂 I’m glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the tip! I have black chalkboard paint and Rust-Oleum Ultra Matte Aged Grey Interior Chalked Paint – can I mix those together? The Aged Grey is just too light and I need to darken it.
Hi Stacee! I’ve never mixed chalkboard paint with chalk paint so I don’t know if it would work. I would try mixing a tiny bit and testing it on something you don’t mind ruining if it doesn’t work out (like a board) before using it on your project piece. I hope that helps, and if you do use it, let me know how it works out!
Duhhh what a novel idea!! I’m going to get some black paint asap! It’s so annoying as the paint I got at target is wayyyy lighterthan it shows in label and I’ve now 3 times coated my table and it’s still the same color. Thank you sooo much!!!
You’re very welcome Heather 🙂 I’m happy you found the tutorial useful!
Can water based gel stain be applied to acrylic paint to darken the colour? I’m trying to antique a board.
Hi Christine! I’ve never tried it personally so I don’t know. I’d try mixing a little dab of each together and testing it on the reverse side of the board (or another board if that’s not possible) and see how it works. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
This was just the info I needed and saved the day! Thank you so much for your easy-to-follow, logical explanation of how to darker a color.
I’m now off to give it a try! Wish me luck!! Lisa
You’re very welcome Lisa! 🙂
My cream paint is nearly white and I want a linen (slightly darker) would you still use black or possibly brown?
Hi Sara! I am so sorry I missed your question when you first posted! I agree with DJ – grey if you want a darker/cooler tone; brown or beige if you want a darker/warmer tone.
Hi Sara. With a really light color like this, you want to use grey, A little at a time, to darken. If you want a warmer end color, try a light brown to darken your cream. You can also use a touch of green, red or blue, etc. if you want a tint. Good luck.
Hi DJ! Thanks so much for helping Sara with her question! 🙂
I know logic tells you to lighten with white so naturally darken with black. But no, this is not a great idea. It will not give you a darker shade of your color. What it will give you is a completely different color that is a shade of grey and or black with slight hints of your original color. Unless you use a tiny bit of black, then you have a grey version of your original color.
I own a small home Restoration company so I do a lot of painting. And thankfully we don’t have to mix latex paint or anything like that, the store does it for you. However in my free time I do a lot of canvas art painting. I sell some of my paintings from time to time, so I guess I’m okay. I would never consider myself extremely talented by any stretch. But I can hold my own I guess. And I mix a lot of acrylic paints and oils because of this. What i suggest you do, is used colors near your original on the color spectrum. Like if you want to darken your yellow, use orange, if you want to darken your blue, use a purple etc etc. This will eliminate your color turning into a murky Brown mess or a gray blob. Unless that is your desire, I mean no disrespect to the original poster, but mixing with black although logic tells you to do so is not a good idew
Hi I have lots of chalk paint in white but I want to use it on some wood and want it grey. I have found paint dyes in the shops. Can I use them in the chalk paint please?
Hi
Please can you advise me
I have 20 litres of magnolia masonry paint and I’m wanting make it a stone colour or similar to the Johnstone’s seashell colour
Is this possible I really dont want to waste the paint
Thank you ann
Hi Ann! As I have no experience with that paint I can’t advise you how to get the color you want. I’d go back to where you bought it from and ask them as they’d probably be able to help you more than I can. Good luck!