If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you might remember that we painted our entire downstairs a latte color and then decided that we really needed to add some color. We’ve since added some pops of color throughout the house and I really feel like our style is coming through.
Despite a lot of paint being slapped on the walls, our upstairs hallway remained dark and dull. We hadn’t touched it since we moved in and it just needed some brightening. The color was a shade darker than the latte downstairs and it always felt closed in and small. The upstairs is kids’ quarters and I wanted to add a fun touch to the hallway.
When Dutch Boy gave me the chance to review their Refresh paint, I jumped at it. I haven’t been entirely picky about the paint I’ve used in the past but with five kids in the house, using a paint with zero VOCs and odor-eliminating technology sounded great to me. The less I can expose my kids to, the better.
Based only on a paint swatch, I chose a color called Yield … perhaps the brightest shade of yellow I’ve ever seen. I’ll admit I second-guessed myself a few times after the paint arrived but Phil just kept saying “color is good”. Love that guy.
This paint job was a huge learning experience for me in terms of coverage. I’ve painted a hundred walls and I’m a two-coats kind of girl. I’ve never had a problem but painting with bright yellow was a whole new game. I learned some great things in the process and I’ll share them with you.
But first, let me tell you about the painful path that led to the learning {smile}. I painted the hallway with three coats and then realized I could apply four more coats and I was still not going to get the coverage I needed. I applied a coat of white primer {see below why that was a mistake} and then still needed three more coats to get adequate coverage. Yikes, huh?
But it was so worth it! I love my bright yellow hallway! When you walk in my house, you now see latte walls with a glimpse of orange downstairs and a pop of yellow upstairs.
It adds so much to the kids’ area. It’s bright and fun and it just puts you in a good mood when you walk down the hall. {Now to switch out those hideous lights!}
Now that I’m on the other side, let me share the things I learned in the process.
- A radical color change {like dark beige-ish-brown to bright yellow} can lead to poor coverage. Never underestimate the power of primer. And priming in white exacerbates the radical color change … I should have used a tinted primer to get better coverage.
- Very saturated bright colors have nearly all the white pigment removed from them in order to avoid having a pastel tone. {Yellow, blue, red, and orange tend to have the least amount of pigment.} Dutch Boy gave me a great analogy. If you add Kool-Aid to milk, you’ll always end up with a pastel tone no matter how much powder you add but if you add even a small amount of Kool-Aid to water, you’ll get a bright color. Makes sense, huh? Unfortunately, it’s the white component in paint that’s responsible for the coverage. Paints in this category usually require 2-3 coats to get adequate coverage {and Dutch Boy paint color chips indicate when a color may require multiple coats}.
- With bright colors, it’s important not to spread the paint too thinly. Spread a loaded roller over no more than a 2′ x 2′ area. {This tip made a big difference for me!}
I love the pop the yellow gives. It is a bright and cheerful color. Great tip or reminder to prime first. I want to paint my house in the New Year. we have lived here 3 years and it needs a fresh coat of paint in every room.
Merry Christmas!
Love the yellow! so happy and fun 🙂
I love it, Randi! I have been so tempted to try some color. Everything in our house is so boring!. I might try it now that you’ve given me some tips. Also, don’t you love the inspiration on the Dutch boy site? I pinned a few rooms where I love the colors. I think I’ll make some plans for the new year. 🙂
It’s not you! It’s not the color! It’s the paint! I know this blog post is a little old, but I came across it tonight while I was googling reviews on Dutchboy paint. I’m having similar coverage problems. I’m painting a room a deep, dark sapphire blue using Dutchboy’s Duraclean Satin paint. It will not cover for anything. I’ve painted every room in this house, most of it dark colors over eggshell white walls, including my master bedroom that is a dark chocolate brown. I have never, ever had the coverage issues that I’m having with this paint. I just put coat three on and realize that I’m going to have to go at least four. Unacceptable. I’ve never had to go past two even with high contrast colors. It’s not you. It’s the paint. I had this paint color matched and am uncertain if I can get it in another brand but I’m certainly going to try. I look at it this way, I’ve already got to buy two more gallons, I might as well buy a different brand and get an outcome that I like rather than trying to nurse this Dutchboy along some more.
So interesting you’re having the same issue! I wondered if it might be the brand because I’ve never had this issue either and I’ve done a TON of painting. But I also wondered if it was just this color. Sorry you’re having so much trouble too!