How to choose and apply color for water-based paint. Paint tinting: what is it and how to get the desired shade Tinting water-based paint colors

Paint and varnish products are presented on our market in a huge number colors However, sometimes it is not possible to find the right shade. But today this is not a problem, since modern colors allow you to achieve any color you need. But such means must be used as carefully as possible, since it is easy to overdo it.

  • The ability to create colors that simply aren't available in the stores you visit. In fact, the range of many of them is very limited and is represented by paints of the most popular colors. If you want to go beyond the standard, then tinting is often the only option;
  • The paint has bulged and needs to be replaced, or there simply wasn’t enough to complete the finish. You need additional paint, but the city stores don’t have it, and there’s no time for a more detailed search. The situation is very common, and here precise selection of colors allows you to solve the problem;
  • Tinting is used if you need to choose shades that are in harmony with each other as part of the decoration of the room.

What paint is suitable for tinting

As a rule, white paint is selected for this process, to which a certain amount of color is added. However, not every paint is suitable for this. The reason is the proportion of pigment and binder. If there is a lot of pigment in the paint, then adding additional pigment in the form of color can lead to the fact that there simply is not enough binder.

Advantages and disadvantages of computer tinting

Now there are special machines that allow tinting work to be carried out automatically. The use of these devices has the following advantages:

  • Getting rid of the human factor. If by manually selecting the tone you can make a mistake and go too far, which happens quite often, then the robot does not allow such mistakes;
  • Selected color parameters can be reused - the final product will be exactly the same;
  • A large number of flowers;
  • The disadvantage is that it is tied to a specific location and the inability to carry out work directly on site. Moreover, not everyone lives in big cities, where such devices are present.

Advantages and disadvantages of manual tinting at home

  • Tinting machines can create a variety of colors, but complex and individual shades are difficult to achieve. Man will always be limited by standards;
  • Possibility to carry out paint creation work on site. During a designer renovation this can be very important;
  • Saving time and money. The color itself is very inexpensive, and white paint also does not belong to the category of expensive materials.
  • The disadvantage is the high probability of making mistakes in the absence of experience. Additionally, getting the color back can also be a challenge. Sometimes, having re-applied the resulting color next to a previously painted surface, we immediately notice a difference, and a very significant one.

Manual tinting - counting ingredients

In order not to mess up the color, you will need a pen and a piece of paper, as well as all the reserve of attentiveness that you have. You also need to provide yourself with variability, so prepare several pieces of dishes, the same in volume and always clean. The ideal solution is yogurt jars.

It is necessary to record how much paint you pour into the jars and how much color you use to change the color. It is necessary to understand that the color itself is an extremely saturated pigment concentrate, so it must be added carefully. It is best to start with two drops, after which, if you are dissatisfied with the result, add drop by drop. It is necessary to mix everything very well so that the pigment dissolves thoroughly.

When applying paint to a wall or other surface in test mode, you need to understand that after drying the color will appear more strongly. So before painting, you can create a paler shade than the one you want to get. Having assessed the result after drying and thus obtained a recipe, you can use it to tint the rest of the paint.

But here you need to understand that with a large amount of paint, the volume must be reduced by 20 percent, since a large painted surface always looks brighter than a small one. Therefore, if in your recipe it turns out that you need to add 100 drops of color per liter, it is better to get by with 80 drops.

Two types of colors

All colors are divided into two types, which we will describe below:

  • Organic. Typically, the shades obtained using these pigments are brighter and richer. However, these tinting systems have disadvantages. So, they are not suitable for all types of surface. In addition, the paint modified with their help fades over time in the sun.
  • Inorganic. Much more resistant to solar radiation and atmospheric influences, but at the same time much less varied in the choice of colors.

Forms of color release

  • Today there are several forms of tinting systems on the market, which have their own advantages and disadvantages:
  • Color paints. In my own way chemical composition they are completely identical to the paints to which they are added. Gradually adding colorant to white paint, you can get almost any shade. If you want to get the brightest color possible, then you can use the colorant itself as a coating material. True, this will not be very economical, so it is better to paint limited surface areas in this way;
  • Color pastes. They are a pigment diluted in a dispersing resin, or without a binder component. The advantages of this paste include its ease of use, but the disadvantage is the lack of uniform intensity. Available for all types of paints, and in a more highly specialized form;
  • Dry colors. They are inexpensive, but are not recommended for use with ready-made paints, and also have a rather small color palette.

Tinting and various types of paint

When tinting, it is necessary to take into account the types of paint with which the color will be mixed. Of course, there are now on the market universal options, however, when working with this or that paint, you still need to follow some rules:

  • Acrylic paint. Here you need to remember the limitation maximum quantity pigments, which should not exceed 7-8 percent of the total volume of paint;
  • Water-based paint. In its case, the maximum volume of color should not exceed a fifth of the total amount of paintwork materials. Moreover, those colors that are intended for paints on water based, suitable for water-dispersion, latex and adhesive paints;
  • Important! If you are planning to tint facade paint, then the ideal solution would be to choose a color that is resistant to ultraviolet radiation and various natural influences. As mentioned above, inorganic colors are suitable for this, but organic colors will quickly lose their color.

To facilitate the process of obtaining desired color, it is best to use special tables. They show the shade and contain information about how much color is needed to obtain them. The table itself must be made by the manufacturer who made the paint. It is highly desirable that the color also be made by the same manufacturer.

It is best to use colorant that is poured into a bottle with a narrow neck. This way you can dose the ingredient as accurately as possible and are less likely to spill more than necessary.

It is necessary to mix as efficiently as possible until the shade becomes uniform. If possible, you can use a drill with various types nozzles The work itself must be carried out outdoors or in places with natural light.

The dishes in which tinting is carried out must be the same. The reason is that the resulting color may vary between different types of material. This difference may not be so noticeable to the eye, but upon application the difference will be obvious. If we talk about artificial lighting, the most important thing here is the need to use in the process of obtaining color the lighting source that will be used in the room in the future. You should not change lighting parameters, types of lamps and chandeliers while obtaining color. This can happen during renovations, when several works are being done simultaneously in a room.

Be sure to consider the amount of pigments in the base, especially if you want to get dark colors. In different types of paints and varnishes this amount may be different.

You can find a wide range of facade paints on the market. Foreign and domestic producers represent facade paint for various types of surfaces, different colors and textures.

Some compositions are created specifically for the color scheme. Tinting is required to achieve the desired shade of the coloring composition with certain characteristics. To get a unique color that cannot be found ready-made, you need to mix several shades of color and paint at once.

Definition of color and its application

The color can be used as one color or combine several pigments at once to obtain a more complex and unique shade. It contains various pigments and additional elements that give greater color saturation and durability; it also contains water and resins. Color is added to the paint to achieve something special, different from just a simple color.

The concentration of this color in the tinting agent is higher than that of the desired shade, so when mixed with paint, the main shade becomes more diluted and becomes better suited for painting.

The composition may include inorganic and organic matter, affecting the quality indicator coloring material, on its brightness and the time of preservation of the resulting color after staining.

Color selection methods

The coloring pigment is needed for mixing with white enamels, plaster, and decorative putty. Used for adding to water-dispersion compositions and alkyd coloring elements.

To achieve the desired color, two tables are used at once:

  1. RAL - it is designed for 210 tones;
  2. NCS - designed for 1950 shades.

These scale tables help you choose desired shade easy and fast.

Manufacturers may use their own methods for grading colors, but you must know in advance what color you need. The selection of shade is carried out by comparing the shade with the general color of the walls. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that it is unrealistic to achieve the same effect when mixing the tonal composition independently.

This is due to the impossibility of determining the amount of paint in a container down to a whole gram. Due to the strong saturation of the tinting mixture, the color of the resulting tone can be greatly changed even with a slight deviation from the resulting color.

With the manual mixing method it is best to calculate the volume coloring matter so that one mixing is completely enough to cover the entire surface of the part to be painted. In this case, it is imperative to increase the amount of coloring pigment consumption by twenty percent so that there is definitely enough for painting.

During work, you can use dispensers to add the desired tone to the paint, and to obtain a better finish, you can use drills to thoroughly mix the coloring matter.

The consistency of colors of paints and varnishes can be divided into the following types:

Coloring paste is divided into two types - façade and universal. The characteristics of each dye will be determined in accordance with the presence of organic and inorganic pigments in the composition.

What colors are suitable?

Tinting of the coloring composition for the facade can be carried out for almost all putties, enamels, paints, while Some features need to be taken into account:

Acrylic paints are more popular and are most often used for tinting. Materials that include acrylic resins are also suitable for painting facades.

There are also water-based acrylic mixtures that are created directly for painting the facade. The base for tinting is white (can reach snow-white).

Mixing Methods

The tinting process is divided into two ways: manual process mixing and computer coloring. The second method helps to obtain the desired tone, which can be used later when saved in a special program. When carrying out manual tinting, a new shade will be obtained each time.

Manual mixing

Tinting paints requires the user to have a base tone and a special coloring component. Coloring pigment should be added before starting work. It is best to follow the rules and proportions that are noted in the instructions for the paint.

The independent tinting process has several advantages:

Before you start tinting the paint, you need to remember that when mixing by hand, it is simply impossible to get the same shade again.

Computer operation

There is color selection using a special computer program. In this case, you can use tinting machines (varnishes and enamels are most often used) or a special catalog from the manufacturer of the pigment liquid.

Computer color tinting has become widespread due to a number of advantages:

  • obtaining the desired color in the shortest possible period of time;
  • the desired shades can be re-created if you save the desired tone in the computer;
  • There is a huge palette of colors and shades.

The main disadvantage of carrying out such work is the impossibility of creating the desired color at the work site.

What to consider

Painting a wall using a color scheme passes with the use special device, which can be bought at a special hardware store. Tinting with acrylic paint must comply with certain requirements:

It is quite difficult to obtain a black color, since even one drop of it can completely change the color, and it will be much more difficult to lighten it. Very often the result is a dull gray color. That is why you should stock up on small jars and do everything carefully and consistently, using the product drop by drop. It is also important to remember that on a wall using water-based paints, the resulting color will look much brighter than in a container.

For getting good result For mixing, you should choose white paint of the desired base and without any yellowish admixture. Color for acrylic paint will give the desired color only when using a snow-white base. If you plan to paint the walls, then the colors should be chosen specifically for them, and not for the ceiling, which plays an important role. These types of compositions for acrylic paints have some differences in terms of wear resistance, elasticity and soiling.

If you need to re-tint water-based paint, it is very important to purchase the compositions from the same manufacturer, since the same tone different brands may vary greatly.

When purchasing latex paint, you need to remember that it has a rather thick consistency, so it requires high-quality and long-term mixing. The solvent in this case will be water, which is carefully poured in until the right mixture. After adding water, the main dyes are carefully added dropwise to the composition.

You don’t need any special skills to tint paint yourself. There is no need to be afraid to start, even if you have never had the opportunity to work with paint before. Any beginner can easily handle tinting. The main rule that everyone must adhere to is if mixing occurs independently, then you need to prepare as much material as is needed to paint the entire house, since, unfortunately, it will not be possible to achieve the same shade when mixing again.

The technology for obtaining this shade is quite simple. First you need to prepare a container into which a certain amount of white paint is poured. It is best to purchase paint from one manufacturer, since each brand has its own different composition, and the shade of white may differ noticeably. Need to measure required amount color according to the instructions to get the desired result.

It is best to mix the paint before starting work., if your plans are to get a bright shade, since over time the colorant settles and the shade becomes less bright. Regular stirring of the prepared mixture will help to cope with this. For tinting, it is customary to use snow-white paint to achieve the desired result. Using plain white paint can be frustrating as it has a yellowish tint which can greatly affect the results of your work.

For mixing, use a drill with a mixer specially designed for paint. It will be quite easy to distinguish it from the others - all its elements have a rounded shape. The colorant is introduced slowly; to begin with, only a few drops are added and the resulting effect is assessed. If you need a brighter shade, then add one drop of color. The mixture is continuously stirred at low speed. We continue mixing until the resulting shade completely satisfies the user.

helps to obtain the desired color from a white base paint. Compared to manual mixing methods, computer matching will help you accurately select the right shade for you in a few minutes. For this purpose, specially compiled tables are used, which show all the resulting color shades. With their help it is very easy to create the desired color scheme. In addition, mixing on a professional device makes it possible to create the required volume of paint without fear of getting a completely different shade.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to create paint of the desired color using a machine at the site where the painting work will take place. Also, computer tinting is much inferior to manual mixing in terms of the number of shades. On the other hand, machine preparation helps reduce mixing time to a minimum - this process takes about five minutes.

The tone of the painting material offered by the manufacturer does not always satisfy the consumer.

To give the desired shade to the composition, water-based paint color is added to its base.

What are colors

A color is a concentrated pigment based on a binder or a paste-like consistency saturated with one of the colors. The main purpose is to give existing paints the desired shades.

Coloring pastes are used for all surfaces. Before painting them, each owner is puzzled by choosing the right color so that the latter simultaneously matches the interior. Retail tones do not always meet consumer needs, and choosing the right one can be difficult.


Why do you need a paint color? White color is usually taken as a basis, and in order for it to acquire the intended shade, concentrated pigment is added to it. Mixing the color with the coloring base is carried out in the following quantities:

  • no more than 20% for water-based paints;
  • no more than 1.5% for oil-based paints;
  • no more than 7% for other types of paints.

Such decisions were made due to the high saturation of color schemes. With a high concentration of color, the performance of the paint is reduced.

Types of colors, how to choose, how to dilute and how to choose a color

Color is added to the paint to give it a color that matches the style of the room.

Types of pastes are divided into:

  • inorganic;
  • organic.

The second ones on the list have bright tones. At the same time, the choice of color palette is quite large. But, despite this advantage, there is one drawback - they quickly fade when exposed to sunlight.

Inorganic pigments are produced in limited quantities; their colors are dull, but they retain their color properties for a long time.

How to choose a color for painting walls? To do this you need to do the following:

  1. Explore the proposed catalog.
  2. If there is no code color range It is not necessary to experiment with obtaining a tone in a store, since the color obtained in this way will differ from the one created in everyday conditions.
  3. The color must be mixed with a small portion of the color base.
  4. When lighting a room artificially, it is recommended to use organic pigments, and when natural color predominates, inorganic ones.
  5. The products of a foreign manufacturer are not necessarily better than domestic ones. Russian manufacturers produce tinting pastes of no less quality than the products of their foreign colleagues.
  6. You should pay attention to the neck of the bottle, it should be narrow, this will make dosing easier.
  7. A palette of water-based paints will not be superfluous when purchasing diluted pigment, it will be easier to navigate in order to get the expected shade.

What are the different paint colors from modern manufacturers? Well-known brands of tinting pastes include:

  1. Tikkririla. The products of this company are designed to obtain the expected result after initial dilution with the base. In total there are more than 2000 tones from this manufacturer. The manufacturer offers a choice of a number of shades for painting facades.

  2. Natural Color System (NCS) - the color is made according to the standards of Swedish and Norwegian manufacturers. There are only 6 primary colors in the range: yellow, black, red, green, blue and white. Other tones are derivatives of them. Based on the letters and numbers printed on the containers, it is easy to decide on the choice of color.
  3. Tex is a company that produces pastes based on pigments produced outside the Russian Federation. They are versatile and are used to add color to water-based paints, putties and added to whitewash. Used for interior work and painting facades.
  4. Rogneda is a network of Moscow organizations that produces products for artistic purposes and adding tone to paint, plaster or putty. The color of this company is resistant to exposure to the sun and negative temperatures, and also has high adhesion properties.
  5. Elakr is a color for façade paint. It is resistant to negative factors environment and resistance to light. Ideally stored at negative temperatures. Most façade paints are produced on a white base and require diluting to give them color.

Is the color white or not? Basically, the manufacturer produces colored pastes in light and rich colors, but in some cases there is also a white color. It is typically used to provide weather resistance and abrasion protection for advertising lettering and graphics.

Sequence of tinting

How to tint paint at home so that the color matches what you expect? First you need to calculate the amount of material needed to perform painting work in a given room.

If there is not enough paint to complete the work, it is unlikely that the same proportion will be maintained again. How to dilute color in water-based paint?

Stages of obtaining color:

  1. Don't pour a large number of white paint into a small container.
  2. Then in white base add color little by little, and it is important to record how much coloring matter was added. In this way, the expected shade is achieved. The main thing is to remember how much color was used.
  3. It is recommended to add the coloring mixture in drops using a syringe with the needle removed. This will make it easier to follow the dosage.
  4. After obtaining the desired tone, the surface is painted. This is necessary to ensure that the color meets the requirements. Moreover, it is enough to paint an area of ​​no more than 0.5 m2.
  5. If everything is fine, then you can thin the paint and safely paint the walls. If an unsatisfactory result is obtained, experiment any number of times.

To get a rich color, the color should be added to the paint before painting operations, but no later than 2 hours before starting work. If the time period is increased, the pigments will settle to the bottom and the painted surface will not be as bright as expected.

Features of the use of colors

Kohler means tone or color (this is a translation from Latin). Depending on the dosage of the added material, the desired shade can be achieved. It is used for painting interior and exterior substrates.

Designed for painting:

  • wood surfaces;
  • concrete;
  • bricks;
  • plasters;
  • drywall;
  • metal

Suitable for paints based on water-based compositions, oil-based and alkyd, epoxy compositions, nitrocellulose and polyurethane foam.

Tinting tablespecially designed to make it easier to choose colors. It indicatespaint and color proportions.

For example, 1:5 means that the color consumption for five parts of the main color is one part. There is no need to add a large amount of material at the same time, since the paint base can be ruined.


To properly perform dilution, you must adhere to the requirements set out in the instructions developed by the manufacturer. The measurements must be the same volume. It is important to know that it is better to purchase paint and color from the same manufacturer.

Is it possible to paint with color? This is a question some people ask. The color is specially designed to impart tonality to the main color; it is rich in pigment. Therefore, its basis is a binder. The adhesion between the surface and the base will be the same as when painting with regular paint. So the color itself can be used for painting work, but it will be quite expensive.

Useful video: mixing color with paint

To paint surfaces, it is not necessary to choose paint by color; it is enough to purchase a paint base and the desired color tint.

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There are only 3 basic shades - red, blue and yellow. Also the main colors include white and black. The rest of the wide range of colors can be obtained by mixing the listed tones in different proportions. The easiest way to paint is water-dispersion paint, that is, compositions made on the basis of a water dispersion of polymers, for example, acrylic or vinyl acetate. It is also quite easy to tint acrylic paints, that is, products based on polyacrylates, in the desired color. Most often, such products are supplied to stores in white, and for tinting, manufacturers produce a large assortment pigment concentrates (powder or liquid) specifically designed for water-soluble paints.


You can immediately buy such shades of colors as apricot, amethyst, purple, café au lait, spring green, Ivory and many others. Then add them to the main composition and place them carefully. The proportions are usually indicated on the instructions for the pigment. But what to do if you need to use oil paints, because powder colors are not provided for such products? This option involves mixing paints of ready-made shades.

Important! It is allowed to mix colors only of the same type of paintwork materials, that is, only products of the same type should be added to oil paints that can be diluted with drying oil or white spirit, the same applies to nitro paints diluted with a special solvent.

For the base, you can use the coloring options presented in the table:


Base color

Resulting shade

White Black Red Blue Yellow
Green + +
Olive green + +
Gray-green + + +
Mint + + +
Orange + +
Peach + + +
Pink + +
Blue + +
Light plum + + +
Violet + +
Brown + + +

However, it is important to understand that getting the desired shade is not so easy. That is, it is not enough just to know what colors should be mixed, you also need to have an idea of ​​proportions. For example, to create the tone of coffee with milk, you need to use white, red, blue and yellow colors. However, first you have to mix green color, by combining yellow and blue, then add red to the resulting paint, so the tone becomes brown, and only then add white until the desired result is obtained. That is why there is an important rule: before mixing the whole mass, it is recommended to do a test batch in a small container. This will help avoid failures and save money in the event of a failed experiment.

Producing colored paint yourself has certain disadvantages. In particular, it can be noted that repeating the exact color option is quite problematic, and mixing “in reserve” is not profitable from a financial point of view. Therefore, you should accurately calculate the material consumption and mix paint colors with a margin of 5-10%.

Paint mixing procedure

So, let’s look in detail at the question of how to properly mix paint at home. A wide variety of coating options are suitable for this purpose, be it acrylic paints, oil paints or any other options. Almost any product can be given the desired color. The main tool you need for the job is a construction mixer, that is, a special attachment that can be attached to a drill. It is also worth stocking up on various containers in which the kneading will be done and a small panel that allows you to check the resulting shade. For these purposes, it is optimal to take the same material that you plan to paint.


Attention! Under natural and artificial light, the resulting color will look different. Therefore, before you start painting the entire surface, it is worth considering the sample under different conditions.

Stages of tinting

  1. Receiving a sample. This step involves mixing different shades in small quantities. To do this, select primary colors, for example, you want to get the color plum. The main colors will be red, blue, white and black. Pour 50 ml of red paint into a small jar and dilute it with 10 ml of white. Then mix blue and black in equal parts and combine the resulting mixtures. You can also mix red, blue and black to get coffee color and so on, there are quite a lot of options. However, it is not at all necessary that by combining shades you will be able to find the desired color the first time. You will have to experiment quite a lot, adding one dye or another.
  2. Experimental staining. The next step is to stain the sample. It is worth saying that the first and second steps can constantly alternate, since the color you don’t always like in the jar will also look beautiful when dry. For example, a milky shade may look off-white or even yellowish, while what looked like olive green in a jar will turn gray-green on the wall. As a result, the selection will have to be done again. Therefore, it is so important not to rush into the main surface painting.
  3. Introducing the main solution. Once the color on the experimental board has been approved, paint can be applied in large quantities. How to get color in large quantities? You should take a large container and increase the selected proportions by 5 or 10 times. Then mix the ingredients thoroughly using a mixer. Important! You should not paint the entire surface at once; first, it is recommended to make sure that the water-soluble paint or oil has acquired the required tone.

To make your interior design truly luxurious and unique, you should use tinted paint colors. It’s so nice to come home where the color of the kitchen is a delicious shade of coffee with milk, and the ceiling in the bathroom is painted a relaxing mint color. And to create such coziness and comfort in your home, you just need to know how to mix paints correctly to get the desired option.

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Features when working with acrylic paints

Acrylic paints are an inexpensive material that is easy to work with and dries relatively quickly. But the disadvantage is the narrow palette of colors, so you need to create the desired shade manually. You can get burgundy, lilac, turquoise, sand, wenge, lilac, and others by mixing colors.


There are some rules when working with acrylic:

  1. The surface to be painted must be smooth, clean, free of oil and grease stains. It must first be cleaned of the previous finish. It is not recommended to apply a new coat of paint over an old one;
  2. Before painting, the walls need to be leveled with putty, and then several layers of primer must be applied. The primer is used for better adhesion of paint and for less paint consumption;
  3. Before use, acrylic must be diluted with water or special solvents, but it is better to do this in a separate container with a portion of paint. This is necessary in order not to spoil the entire volume at once, but to use only as much as needed.
  4. After use, used rollers and brushes must be rinsed thoroughly with water, otherwise they will become unsuitable for further work. You also need to wash other tools that were used. The top of the paint bucket needs to be wiped down so that the lid can be opened in the future.
  5. Most often, painting occurs in 2-3 stages, and for effective result, this must be done in one direction. To simplify and speed up the work, you can take a spray bottle.

Important! Also, do not forget about precautions; before work, it is better to cover or seal all places and objects that will not be painted. You can work with the material at temperatures not lower than 5 degrees and not higher than 27 degrees.

Another main rule of application is to use paint first on a small area or a completely separate surface. When creating the desired shade, it is better to try it on a draft. You also need to wait until it dries completely, as after that the color becomes a little darker or lighter, depending on the type of paint. And if the color matches the expected desired result, then you can start painting the surface or decorating objects.

What colors should you buy?

Tinting is the name of the science that studies mixing styles and obtaining the desired shade. It is this science that helps to obtain purple colour, as well as fuchsia, ivory, sea ​​wave or the sea when mixing paints. In theory, to create many colors, it is enough to have yellow, red and blue. But in this case, you can get a narrow spectrum.

To create a wide palette, it is enough to buy the following colors:

  • Red;
  • Yellow;
  • Brown;
  • Pink;
  • Blue;
  • Black;
  • White.

These colors are quite sufficient for applying the basic scales. Gold, silver, mother-of-pearl and other additional colors are also used for artistic decoration of drawings.

Mixing Features

You can find out how to mix correctly and get the desired shade by consulting with a specialist in the store when purchasing.

Tip: The main rule of mixing is that you cannot combine dry and liquid colors. They don't match.

There are 4 main colors - white, red, blue and green. With their help, many others can be achieved. For example, khaki can be obtained by mixing brown and green. And get Brown color when mixed, you can use red and green. Beige – take brown and white.

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What colors of dyes should you purchase?

Back in school, during art classes, they taught tinting lessons when they said that when you mix red and yellow you get orange, and when you mix blue and yellow you get green. It is on mixing a variety of colors that a special artistic table for obtaining additional colors is based. According to this table, to create the necessary palette it is enough to purchase acrylic dyes in 7 colors:

  • red;
  • pink;
  • yellow;
  • brown (burnt umber);
  • blue;
  • black;
  • white (titanium white).

These paints are quite enough to obtain the desired color by mixing. It is enough to use an art table and, by mixing paints, get the desired shade of color.

How to work with a table

Working with the table does not present any great difficulties; it is enough to find the desired color in it, and next to it it will be indicated which paints need to be mixed to obtain the desired color. For example, you need paint olive color. If you look at the table, to obtain this color you need to mix yellow and green.

Everything seems to be simple. But the table does not indicate the ratios of dyes, only the names of the colors needed for mixing are given. Then what should we do? Like everyone who works with different colors of paints, you will have to develop your own color sense, which helps you choose the color in the required proportions.


Acrylic paint mixing chart

For beginners, we can advise the following:

  1. To create the required tone, add the tint color to the base in small portions and check the result on an unnecessary surface.
  2. Even if the color shade as a result of tinting seemed correct, you should not immediately take on the main drawing when remixing the paint that ended during the process. It is better to wait for the control smear to dry. When drying, the color may change slightly, and then it will be necessary to carry out additional tinting of the color mixture.

When drawing, you can use a universal table suitable for working with dyes on any basis, or you can use a diagram developed by craftsmen who prefer to work with acrylic paints. But no matter what method is used, only mixing experience will help develop the necessary color sense that helps in choosing color relationships.

Features of working with acrylic dyes

Masters who prefer to work with acrylic dyes to create artistic masterpieces have developed a special mixing scheme. This scheme can be divided into parts according to the creation of the desired tones:

  • light;
  • dark.

By mixing different tones, it is possible to obtain the following color shades:

  • green;
  • lilac and violet;
  • orange;
  • earthen.

Enough for drawing? Well, it’s now worth considering the rules for mixing different colors to create each tone.

Light

Titanium white is used as a basis, and color is added to it in small portions. The less tinting paint is added, the lighter the shade will be. This way you can get everything light shades palettes.

Dark

Dark tones are created a little differently: black is added in small quantities to the main palette. In this way you can get any dark tone. You just have to be careful when adding black, otherwise you can create a dirty brown color instead of the desired dark brown color. However, even if the first result is unsuccessful, the second and subsequent ones will be much better, because experience comes with practice.

Having created the necessary tones, you can create the necessary color scheme by mixing different shades.

Green range

There is no green color in the palette of paints required for purchase; it will first have to be made by mixing blue and yellow, and the shade and further tinting result will depend on the initial ratio of the dye. What proportions to take can only be determined experimentally by mixing colors. It’s difficult to even describe all the options for color combinations, there are too many of them. You can find them in the artistic color chart, which should become the best friend of every artist and decorator.

Lilac and violet

These cool tones can be made from blue dye by mixing it with light pink paint (purple) or with a red tint ( purple). You can add black or white tone to obtain many shades.

Orange

If you mix red and yellow in different proportions, you can get an orange color, and its saturation will depend only on the original color ratio. If you add white to the result, you can create shades such as melon, peach or coral.

Earthen

Burnt umber, mixed with all components of the color palette, allows you to get a wide range from beige (a mixture of white and brown) to dark wood (brown and black).

How to work with a palette correctly

How to create the required range? There is nothing complicated about this. To work you will need:

  • basic color range;
  • brushes;
  • container with water;
  • an artistic palette for mixing colors (you can take the one that schoolchildren use in drawing lessons).

  1. Place white in the middle of the palette, because it is most often used for lightening and creating various undertones.
  2. Place the necessary dyes in the remaining recesses.
  3. It is necessary to mix carefully, adding color in small portions and checking the result using a smear.
  4. After each stirring, the brush must be rinsed in a container of water.

Mixing acrylic dyes is easy, and with a little practice you can achieve a wide range of color shades with only seven primary colors on hand.

Paint and varnish products are presented on our market in a huge number of colors. However, sometimes it is not possible to find the right shade. But today this is not a problem, since modern colors allow you to achieve any color you need. But such means must be used as carefully as possible, since it is easy to overdo it.

  • The ability to create colors that simply aren't available in the stores you visit. In fact, the range of many of them is very limited and is represented by paints of the most popular colors. If you want to go beyond the standard, then tinting is often the only option;
  • The paint has bulged and needs to be replaced, or there simply wasn’t enough to complete the finish. You need additional paint, but the city stores don’t have it, and there’s no time for a more detailed search. The situation is very common, and here precise selection of colors allows you to solve the problem;
  • Tinting is used if you need to choose shades that are in harmony with each other as part of the decoration of the room.

What paint is suitable for tinting

As a rule, white paint is selected for this process, to which a certain amount of color is added. However, not every paint is suitable for this. The reason is the proportion of pigment and binder. If there is a lot of pigment in the paint, then adding additional pigment in the form of color can lead to the fact that there simply is not enough binder.

Advantages and disadvantages of computer tinting

Now there are special machines that allow tinting work to be carried out automatically. The use of these devices has the following advantages:

  • Getting rid of the human factor. If by manually selecting the tone you can make a mistake and go too far, which happens quite often, then the robot does not allow such mistakes;
  • Selected color parameters can be reused - the final product will be exactly the same;
  • A large number of flowers;
  • The disadvantage is that it is tied to a specific location and the inability to carry out work directly on site. Moreover, not everyone lives in big cities where such devices are available.

Advantages and disadvantages of manual tinting at home

  • Tinting machines can create a variety of colors, but complex and individual shades are difficult to achieve. Man will always be limited by standards;
  • Possibility to carry out paint creation work on site. During a designer renovation this can be very important;
  • Saving time and money. The color itself is very inexpensive, and white paint also does not belong to the category of expensive materials.
  • The disadvantage is the high probability of making mistakes in the absence of experience. Additionally, getting the color back can also be a challenge. Sometimes, having re-applied the resulting color next to a previously painted surface, we immediately notice a difference, and a very significant one.

Manual tinting - counting ingredients

In order not to mess up the color, you will need a pen and a piece of paper, as well as all the reserve of attentiveness that you have. You also need to provide yourself with variability, so prepare several pieces of dishes, the same in volume and always clean. The ideal solution is yogurt jars.

It is necessary to record how much paint you pour into the jars and how much color you use to change the color. It is necessary to understand that the color itself is an extremely saturated pigment concentrate, so it must be added carefully. It is best to start with two drops, after which, if you are dissatisfied with the result, add drop by drop. It is necessary to mix everything very well so that the pigment dissolves thoroughly.

When applying paint to a wall or other surface in test mode, you need to understand that after drying the color will appear more strongly. So before painting, you can create a paler shade than the one you want to get. Having assessed the result after drying and thus obtained a recipe, you can use it to tint the rest of the paint.

But here you need to understand that with a large amount of paint, the volume must be reduced by 20 percent, since a large painted surface always looks brighter than a small one. Therefore, if in your recipe it turns out that you need to add 100 drops of color per liter, it is better to get by with 80 drops.

Two types of colors

All colors are divided into two types, which we will describe below:

  • Organic. Typically, the shades obtained using these pigments are brighter and richer. However, these tinting systems have disadvantages. So, they are not suitable for all types of surface. In addition, the paint modified with their help fades over time in the sun.
  • Inorganic. Much more resistant to solar radiation and atmospheric influences, but at the same time much less varied in the choice of colors.

Forms of color release

  • Today there are several forms of tinting systems on the market, which have their own advantages and disadvantages:
  • Color paints. In terms of their chemical composition, they are completely identical to the paints to which they are added. By gradually adding colorant to white paint, you can get almost any shade. If you want to get the brightest color possible, then you can use the colorant itself as a coating material. True, this will not be very economical, so it is better to paint limited surface areas in this way;
  • Color pastes. They are a pigment diluted in a dispersing resin, or without a binder component. The advantages of this paste include its ease of use, but the disadvantage is the lack of uniform intensity. Available for all types of paints, and in a more highly specialized form;
  • Dry colors. They are inexpensive, but are not recommended for use with ready-made paints, and also have a rather small color palette.

Tinting and various types of paint

When tinting, it is necessary to take into account the types of paint with which the color will be mixed. Of course, there are now universal options on the market, but when working with this or that paint, you still need to follow some rules:

  • Acrylic paint. Here it is necessary to remember about the limitation of the maximum amount of pigments, which should not exceed 7-8 percent of the total volume of paint;
  • Water-based paint. In its case, the maximum volume of color should not exceed a fifth of the total amount of paintwork materials. At the same time, those colors that are intended for water-based paints are suitable for water-dispersion, latex and adhesive paints;
  • Important! If you are planning to tint facade paint, then the ideal solution would be to choose a color that is resistant to ultraviolet radiation and various natural influences. As mentioned above, inorganic colors are suitable for this, but organic colors will quickly lose their color.

To facilitate the process of obtaining the desired color, it is best to use special tables. They show the shade and contain information about how much color is needed to obtain them. The table itself must be made by the manufacturer who made the paint. It is highly desirable that the color also be made by the same manufacturer.

It is best to use colorant that is poured into a bottle with a narrow neck. This way you can dose the ingredient as accurately as possible and are less likely to spill more than necessary.

It is necessary to mix as efficiently as possible until the shade becomes uniform. If possible, you can use a drill with different types of attachments. The work itself must be carried out outdoors or in places with natural light.

The dishes in which tinting is carried out must be the same. The reason is that the resulting color may vary between different types of material. This difference may not be so noticeable to the eye, but upon application the difference will be obvious. If we talk about artificial lighting, the most important thing here is the need to use in the process of obtaining color the lighting source that will be used in the room in the future. You should not change lighting parameters, types of lamps and chandeliers while obtaining color. This can happen during renovations, when several works are being done simultaneously in a room.

Be sure to consider the amount of pigments in the base, especially if you want to get dark tones. In different types of paints and varnishes this amount may be different.

Water-based dyes are very easy to use, dry quickly and are available in a wide color palette, allowing the master to choose the desired color. But sometimes it happens that the desired color shade is not on sale or some unusual complex color is required. To obtain the required color range, you must use a water-based paint color.


When choosing a suitable color concentrate, you need to consider what composition of the water-emulsion suspension will be tinted. The composition of dyes can be:

  • adhesive;
  • latex based;
  • water-dispersed.

You can choose a tinting tone for them, taking into account the constituent base, or choose a universal one, suitable for all types of water-based acrylic paints.

In addition to the main component, when purchasing you need to consider:

  1. How much tinting concentrate is needed for 1 kg of dye, and purchase it immediately in the required quantity. It may happen that then the desired color is not available for sale and you will have to either postpone the repair for an indefinite period of time, or do tinting, selecting the tone by mixing different color combinations, as suggested by the artistic mixing table.
  2. That the color for water-based paint produced by different manufacturers may vary in shade. You need to purchase the same brand of tinting product.
  3. Before purchasing, it is advisable to study the catalog from the manufacturer, which clearly indicates the color that matches the shade of the concentrate being purchased. In addition, the catalog must indicate the required amount of color per 1 kg of material to obtain the desired tone.
  4. In cases where there is a need to create a complex color tone, it is recommended to use a table from the manufacturers of tinting mixtures of this brand. It is with the help of such tables that you can determine the required color combination per 1 kg of material.
  5. It is better to purchase bottles with a narrow neck from containers - this shape of the container allows you to conveniently dispense the coloring composition.


The coloring base should have a pure white color without yellowish impurities inherent in most white dyes. Yellowish pigments during tinting will prevent you from obtaining the desired shade. For example, if there is a small amount of yellow pigment in the source material, adding red can produce a reddish-orange hue rather than the desired red.

Now everything required for tinting with your own hands has been selected and purchased. Before you start working on creating a suitable tint, it is worth considering several recommendations that will contribute to successful tinting:

  1. The resulting coloring composition looks different in the light of different lamps. Tinting should be done in the room where the walls will be painted to get the desired result.
  2. Due to the play of light, a large painted area visually appears a little darker than a small painted sample. This nuance must be taken into account when it is necessary to additionally dilute the painting product.
  3. The tinting concentrate must be added drop by drop, thoroughly mixing the resulting mixture until a uniform color combination is obtained. If you pour too much of a concentrated dye solution at once, you can spoil the source material with too much color saturation.
  4. If additional tinting is carried out with a concentrate from another company (for example, there was not enough tinting mixture, and the required brand was not available in the store), then the consumption of materials to obtain the required color combination may differ from the previously made calculations based on the consumption per 1 kg of base. In this case, it is better to do a test mixture in a small container, carefully comparing the result with what was done earlier. It is recommended to use the previous sample as a reference, because the paint looks a little different on the wall.


The final result after painting depends not only on how successfully you managed to make the necessary color with your own hands, but also on how homogeneous the mixture will be after tinting.

You need to start mixing with low speeds, gradually increasing them and making sure that the solution does not splash.

It is recommended to check the resulting homogeneous mixture again with a sample before applying it to the surface to be decorated. This must be done due to the fact that with a successful result of dilution in a small container and when calculating the amount of color per 1 kg of the main dye, there could be inaccuracies. By following these simple tips, you can get excellent results when tinting.

How to work with tinting concentrate

Perhaps someone has been working with such mixtures for a long time and has their own secrets on how to get excellent results. But for beginners who are just learning how to do coloring with their own hands, it is recommended that they follow the following steps in their work:

  1. Prepare small containers (plastic jars for sour cream or other products will do), a measuring container and brushes.
  2. Wash all materials thoroughly and dry.
  3. Pour a little white water-based emulsion into a measuring container (the volume must be recorded - this data will be useful for calculations when a large volume of dye is prepared). The paint is poured from a measuring cup into a plastic jar.
  4. Now tinting concentrate is added drop by drop to the white color. After each drop, the composition is thoroughly stirred until a homogeneous mass is obtained. It is very important to count the number of drops, because this figure will be useful for further calculations.
  5. When the achieved result is satisfactory, it is applied to the probe and left for a day. You can paint a 50x50 cm square on the wall that is to be painted. This method of tinting with your own hands is convenient because it allows you to evaluate the result obtained in daylight and electric lighting. Perhaps on the wall the resulting color combination will look completely different and slightly different from what was in the jar.
  6. The next day you can evaluate what was achieved during mixing. If the tone is suitable, then you can make the necessary calculations, mix large volumes of material and begin decorating.


How to calculate the required consumption

The formula for repeating the tone you like is very simple. . To calculate the required ratio, proceed as follows:

  1. Take the mixing results, it’s not in vain that the amount of water emulsion was measured and the drops added to it were counted.
  2. Enlarge data according to large volume proportions. For example, 100 ml required 5 drops, respectively, 1 liter will require 50 drops.
  3. Now subtract 20% from the resulting number of droplets. This is necessary because larger areas, as mentioned above, look brighter. This means that 45 drops are required per liter.

Complex color shades can also be prepared in a similar way.

By approaching the process creatively and following the above recommendations, you can get great color combinations for the design of the room.

It’s not always possible to find the right shade of paint on the shelves of hardware stores. As a rule, there are standard colors on the market, and to obtain an original shade you will need to tint the paint. Let's look at the types of colors, the features of manual and computer mixing methods, and also provide step-by-step instructions for coloring paint.

The need for tinting

Tinting is the process of mixing or diluting paints and pigments to achieve the desired shades. To get the optimal tone, you can order tinting from a specialized company or mix the colorant and finished paint yourself.


Tinting is indispensable in the following situations:

  • selection of shades for the interior of the room;
  • a small area of ​​the painted surface is swollen, and there is no desire to remove all the paint;
  • incorrect calculation of paint during repairs - there was not enough paint, but stores no longer have this shade;
  • choice of harmonizing shades.


Tinting allows you to replace complex painting work with minor cosmetic repairs

What are tinting systems and their types

You can get the perfect even paint tone quickly and accurately using tinting systems. To do this, use the main base paint and coloring compounds - colors. The colors have a contrasting or rich color. The coloring pigments of colorants can be of organic or inorganic origin. Organic-based pigments are more often used to obtain brighter tones, but they have some disadvantages:

  • not suitable for all types of surfaces;
  • Over time, the paint fades under the sun.

Inorganic pigments come in a limited range of shades, but they are resistant to weathering and fading.

Colorants are produced in the form of pastes, paints and dry compositions.

Color pastes contain dispersing resins or are produced without a binder. There are universal pastes suitable for various types of paint, and highly specialized ones for individual categories LMB.


The main advantages of color pastes include:

  • ease of use;
  • the ability to adjust the shade of paint during the mixing process.

The disadvantage of a viscous color is the lack standard specifications color and saturation of the paste. The end result may be a “surprise” due to the uneven intensity of the color paste.

Color paints have the same components as the paints and varnishes for which they are intended - water-based, acrylic, oil-based, etc. The combination of white paint and such pigments allows you to get any shade. To obtain a very bright effect, you can use the colorant undiluted.


Dry pigments have a relatively low cost. The disadvantages of bulk mixtures include:

  • narrow color palette;
  • the difficulty of adjusting the shade during the tinting process (adding dry pigments to the finished paint is not advisable).

Review of colors from domestic and foreign manufacturers

There are a number of European, American and European tinting systems on the construction market. Russian production. Among foreign companies, the popular colors are “Tikkurila”, “NCS”, “Huls”, etc. Stability and good quality are demonstrated by inexpensive domestic colorants Palitra (Izhevsk enterprise “New House”), Olki-Unikoler (St. Petersburg), Oreol and Dali.

For tinting Tikkurila paint, the Tikkurila Symphony mixing system is used, based on paint and varnish chemistry. The manufacturer guarantees an accurate result and “colour match”. The system is designed for tinting general construction and household interior paints. The Tikkurila Symphony color system includes a large number of colors - 2256 (of which 10 shades of white).


A separate line of colors for facade work has been developed - “Tikkurila Facade”. The system includes 232 colors for painting wood and stone surfaces.

To perform tinting, antiseptics and varnishes must be used separate group Tikkurila colors

The Natural Color System (NCS) is a Swedish and Norwegian standard for designating color shades. This is the generally accepted and most widespread tinting system in the world. The NCS system is based on six basic colors: black - S, white - W, yellow - Y, red - R, green - G and blue - B. The remaining colors are endowed with visual similarity to elementary tones and have their own encodings. Letter designations indicate the presence of one or another base color, and digital designations indicate its quantity as a percentage.


The Tex company produces colors based on imported pigments using high-quality German equipment. Colors are available in the form of paints and pastes.

Tex color pastes are universal, suitable for tinting putties, water-soluble paints, alkyd materials and whitewash compounds. Color paste is frost-resistant.

Important! The permissible content of Tex paste is no more than 10% of the total volume of paint. When working with the material, you must take into account that the result may vary depending on the quality and type of paint used


Color paint "Tex" is intended for water-dispersion paints and is resistant to external factors. Suitable for interior and exterior work.

The Aqua-Color company (St. Petersburg) produces universal colors in the form of pastes and paints. Pigments are used for tinting alkyd, oil-based, water-based paints, grout, as well as cement and lime mortars. Colors do not change the properties of the paint. Aqua-Color products are affordable and have a wide range of applications: renovation of apartments, office premises, treatment of building facades, etc.

The Olki company produces universal frost-resistant tinting pastes - “Unikoler”, intended for tinting:

  • alkyd (pentaphthalic and glyphthalic) paints, enamels, varnishes;
  • water-based primers and paints;
  • adhesive and whitewash compositions;
  • oil white paints;
  • epoxy, organosilicate and melamine alkyd paints.

Important! Unicolor paste cannot be used as paint, since it does not contain film-forming substances

The Rogneda group of companies (Moscow) produces Dali tinting paints. The main purpose of the color:

  • use as an independent coating for various surfaces - painting, decor, decoration;
  • tinting of decorative and water-dispersion building materials (plaster, paint, enamel).


Dali tinting paints have a number of advantages:

  • weather resistance (withstand temperature fluctuations in the range from -40°C to +40°C);
  • light fastness (do not fade when exposed to sunlight);
  • high adhesion to different types of substrates;
  • obtaining a wide range of colors of varying saturation.

Characteristics of computer and manual mixing methods

You can mix the paint manually or using special equipment. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.

For manual tinting You need to purchase a base paint and a colorant kit. Immediately before painting, the pigment is added to the paint in proportions according to the instructions and mixed. This method has the following advantages:

  • efficiency;
  • the ability to carry out tinting at the repair site;
  • You can create exclusive tones, including several colors from the paint tinting catalog.


The main disadvantage of manual coloring is that the resulting shade is difficult to reproduce again

Automated mixing LMB controlled computer program. It is enough to select the desired color, and the machine itself will determine the proportions to obtain the desired shade and display ready mixture. The advantages of the computer method are obvious:

  • accurate and fast coloring;
  • the ability to repeatedly reproduce the desired color;
  • Paint tinting colors are available in a wide range.

Paint tinting by machine cannot be carried out in relation to an object. In addition, this method cannot create a complex tone or shade.

Features of tinting different types of paint

When choosing a color, two main criteria must be taken into account:

  • place of repair work - indoors or outdoors;
  • LKM type.

Some pigments are universal - suitable for tinting different paints and used to create the desired shade in the interior of a room or the facade of a building.

When mixing colors with different paints and varnishes, adhere to the following rules:

Do-it-yourself paint tinting: step-by-step instructions

The entire paint tinting process can be divided into the following stages:


  1. Prepare several plastic containers.
  2. Measure out 100 ml of base and pour into one container.
  3. Add a few drops of dye to the base. If you need a more complex color, you can combine several colors at the same time.
  4. Write down the amount of base used (100 ml), the number of drops of color and describe the result of mixing.
  5. Mix the color with the base until a uniform tone is obtained.
  6. If the color seems pale, then you need to add brightness by dripping one drop at a time.
  7. Once the desired color is achieved, it is necessary to paint a small surface and, after drying, evaluate the result in daylight and artificial light. It is important to consider that the paint color looks brighter on the base than in the container.
  8. If the test mixing is successful, you can tint the main volume of paint:
    • calculate the required amount of color based on the volume of the base;
    • subtract 20% from the result obtained - this is necessary so that the final shade matches the test shade (on a large area the color looks brighter than on a small one).

Example. To obtain the optimal shade per 100 ml, 5 drops of color were needed; it is logical that to color 1000 ml of paint, 50 drops would have to be used. However, it is not. You can achieve the desired result if you add 40 drops of dye per 1000 ml.

It is quite possible to do the paint tinting yourself. The main condition is to act slowly, add pigment gradually and mix the paint evenly.

No matter how wide the selection of paint colors in the store is, sometimes it is not enough. In this case, tinting will come to the rescue - mixing a light base paint and a colored pigment. This allows you to get a wide variety of colors and shades.

Types of tinting

Now it is possible to perform computer tinting of paint. You just need to select the desired shade, and the paint tinting equipment will accurately calculate all the proportions for the mixture.

The big advantage of this method is the ability to repeat the result if necessary. When mixing paint by hand, it is unlikely that you will be able to get the same color. But independent tinting makes it possible to evaluate how the paint will look directly in the room and, if necessary, make adjustments.

Shade selection

When choosing the desired paint shade, there is a whole group of factors to consider. Paint can look very different during the first test strokes and when the entire surface of the walls is already painted.

Lighting also has a significant impact on color perception. Light that is too bright can visually fade bright colors. At dusk or in low light they will appear duller and gloomier. Warm or cool lamp light can make the paint yellow or blue, respectively.

When selecting the desired color using a paint tinting spreadsheet, it is important to remember that even monitors with good resolution and color display will not be able to 100% accurately convey the real shade of paint.

When choosing wall colors for a living space, it is better to give preference to softer and calmer shades. The kitchen and hallway can be painted in brighter and richer colors.

DIY tinting

If tinting paint is done manually, then it is better to do it in the room in which it will be used. This will help you achieve the perfect color for the lighting conditions of a given room.

When tinting paint with your own hands, you should remember that no matter how hard you try to remember the proportions, you will not be able to perfectly repeat the same color a second time; the differences will be noticeable to the naked eye. Therefore, the paint must be diluted in a large container so that there is enough for the entire room at once. It is better to add 5-10% in reserve to the paint consumption per 1 square meter indicated on the packaging.

Advice! You can make the process of selecting the right shade easier by downloading a paint tinting program.

It is advisable that the white paint and color be produced by the same company. Manufacturers may have significant differences in paint production technology and its composition, so it is better not to take risks, otherwise you may end up with a coating not only of a strange color, but also with poor performance characteristics.

Important! You should only use paint specifically designed for the surface. Products for ceilings, walls and floors have completely different indicators of soiling, wear resistance, etc.

As a rule, a paint tinting table is included with the color scheme, demonstrating the possible proportions of mixing colors.


Large manufacturers, for example, Tikkurila, offer customers entire catalogs of paint tinting, available in paper and electronic form.

To stir the paint, you must use a mixing attachment on a drill or hammer drill, since long and thorough mixing of the mixture by hand will still not give a uniform result. The paint is mixed until a mass of uniform color and density is obtained.

The color of the paint in the container may differ slightly from what you get when applying it to the surface. To see how this shade will look on the wall, you should prepare a test mixture (trying to remember the exact ratio of the components), and then paint a small area and wait until it dries at least a little. Although even if the proportions are observed the second time, it will not be possible to get absolutely identical colors, a test coloring will still help to get a rough idea of ​​the result. It should be remembered that as the wall dries, the color will become somewhat less bright and saturated.

If you don’t like the resulting color, you can change it by adding either a little more color or, conversely, white paint. If water-based dyes were used, the mixture can be diluted with water.

Advice! If the color is in an inconvenient package, from which it is difficult to add it to the paint in small quantities, then it will be convenient to use a regular syringe.

Types of colors

The composition of dyes can be organic or inorganic. The first type allows you to get brighter and more saturated shades, but over time this coating noticeably fades. Inorganic colors are presented in a much narrower range of colors, but are resistant to weathering and ultraviolet radiation.

Colors are available in the form:

  • Pastes;
  • Dry mixture;
  • Liquids.


Dry dyes have the most favorable price of all three types. Among their main disadvantages is a small selection of colors and the difficulty of accurately adjusting the shade. Before adding to the white base, the powder must be diluted in a liquid suitable for its type - water, drying oil, etc. and mix thoroughly.


Liquid dyes are most convenient to use. They allow you to change the shade of color very effectively. You should choose colors in accordance with the type of paint in the room (water-based, acrylic, oil, etc.). If some area of ​​the surface needs to be selected color accent, then the color can be used even undiluted.

Although color pastes are convenient to use, they themselves may have an uneven color. As a result, when mixed, you may end up with an unexpectedly light or dark shade. When using them, it is important to observe the proportions - the amount of paste for a certain volume of base paint should not exceed that specified in the instructions.

  • Both Russian and foreign manufacturers have a large selection of types and shades of colors. Domestic paints not only have more favorable price, but they are not particularly inferior in quality, so there is no point in chasing expensive foreign products.
  • It is recommended to use snow-white rather than just white paint as a basis for tinting. The latter often has a yellowish tint, which can greatly affect the tinting result.
  • Don’t get carried away and pour half a bottle of dye into the base at once. Even a few drops of color can already noticeably change the color of the paint.
  • Colorants can be used not only to obtain the desired shade of paint, but also added, for example, to plaster.

Note! Many people mistakenly call tinting any mixing of paints of different colors.

However, there are two concepts for this action:

  • glaze - if two different colors are mixed to create a third (for example, yellow and blue to create green);
  • tinting - adding a coloring agent to white paint.

Surface preparation

Before painting, it is important to clean the wall from dirt, traces of the previous coating, mold, etc. If the surface is uneven, it is better to plaster and sand it. It is also important that the wall covering to be painted is also white, because the dark background will be noticeable even through several layers of paint. For better adhesion (adhesion) of the dye to the surface, it is recommended to use a primer suitable for this type of paint.

This will allow you to avoid unpleasant surprises in the process of tinting wall paint and painting and get the desired shade without much difficulty. And the video instructions will explain in detail how to tint the paint without mistakes.

Many people want to learn how to tint paint in order to get an unlimited choice of colors to create. original interiors and painting of building facades. With the help of tinting, you can get paint of any color in a short time, and you can also reproduce the color with high accuracy. To get the paint of the color you need, you can purchase ready-made paint and, by adding colorant or glazing, get the desired color, or you can order tinting from special companies that use special tinting machines. Of course, it is much easier to purchase ready-made paint, and it is also much cheaper than custom-mixed paint. But the range of shades is quite limited, so it’s not always possible to choose the right shade. As you know from school days, if you add blue paint to red paint, you get a purple tint. This method of tinting is called glazing. However, this method does not allow you to obtain a guaranteed color; in addition, it is quite difficult to obtain such a shade a second time. In addition, there is a risk of delamination of the resulting paint. It is much more reliable to obtain paint using special dyes - colorants.

Characteristics of the computer-based paint tinting method

With the advent of modern technologies, such a thing as computer tinting of paint arose. A person only needs to select the desired color, and the machine will calculate the proportions to obtain the desired color and produce the finished mixture. The advantage of this method is obvious, even if you don’t have enough paint of a given shade, you can always repeat the mixing process, which is quite difficult to do when manual mixing paints However, it is necessary to take into account some points that may result in a significant drawback of the method. First of all, you should pay attention to the lighting in the room where you choose the shade. Under different lighting conditions, the same marker will produce different shades. Artificial lighting has many yellow rays, and against its background daylight appears blue.

Electric lighting can change the yellow-blue palette to yellow or greenish; in orange-violet paint, the violet color may disappear altogether, and the red will begin to look purple. Very bright light visually discolors the shades, the same happens at dusk - blue tones become lighter, and red tones, on the contrary, darken. In addition, in a small area, the shade always looks different than in a large area, especially in the vertical plane.

Colorants or coloring pigments

Colorants (paints or pastes) use a variety of colored pigments of organic or inorganic origin. Organic pigments are primarily used to produce vibrant colors, but when such paint is applied to certain types of surfaces, a reaction can occur that destroys the color pigment. In addition, they fade in the sun. Inorganic pigments are more resistant to fading and other atmospheric phenomena, but they have a rather limited range of shades.

Color paints contain the same components as the paints for which they are intended - oil-based, water-based and others. Mixing such a colorant and white paint can give any desired shade, and if you want to get a rich color, you can take a chance and paint the surface with undiluted colorant. The composition of color pastes has a special dispersing resin, or they are produced without the addition of a binder. Such colorants can be designed for any one paint, or they can be universal. Remember that in this case it is very important to choose the right proportions, otherwise excessive addition of colorant can lead to a deterioration in the type of paint. As a rule, 5-20% colorant is added to water-based paints, and even less to oil paints. Color pastes color white paints very poorly, so special paints with a reduced content of white pigment are commercially available.

To tint paint, you should purchase a base paint and colorant from the same manufacturer, both specially designed for mixing. If you choose the wrong colorant and base paint, then unsightly stains may appear on the surface or the paint will lie unevenly. Therefore, it is necessary to follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

When mixing paint and colorant yourself, it is very difficult to maintain the correct proportions, so in this case a special tinting machine is used. With the help of such a device, it is possible to ensure uniform distribution of pigment in the paint and its uniform consistency, since the machine itself adds the required amount of coloring pigment.

All tinting systems can be distinguished by certain characteristics. Depending on the material used, there are tinting paints and tinting pastes. Based on their purpose, they are divided into façade and general use. Systems for general use, as a rule, have no restrictions for any interior work, but they are not suitable for processing facades. The fact is that certain tinting pastes of this system are not lightfast enough. Colorants are also distinguished according to the tinting method. Tinting pastes are more versatile because they do not use a specific binder. However, such systems do not allow the use of white paint as a base and, as a rule, require the use of special tinting machines. But tinting paints are easier to use. You just need to purchase white paint and a tinting compound and mix them according to the recipe.

Stages of paint tinting

As already mentioned, the disadvantage of manually tinting paints is that it is almost impossible to repeat the desired shade a second time. Therefore, before work, you should carefully make a calculation in order to find out the exact volume of paint. Each paint has its own consumption, and manufacturers must indicate this data on the packaging. We will have to find out the area to be painted and multiply the resulting figure by the average paint consumption. It is recommended to add another 10% to the obtained value in case we exceed the average consumption. Tinting should be done in one container. Even if you accurately calculate the amount of color, there is a chance that you will get a different shade in two different containers. Therefore, it is better not to take risks; if you do not have the necessary utensils for such a large volume, contact specialists.

For the coloring process, you need to stock up (with a nozzle), a small sample container (100-200 ml) and a container for a large volume, a white base and a color shade.

First of all, it is advisable to experiment with a small amount of material - make a sample. Otherwise, there is a possibility of ruining the entire volume. You need to pour 100 ml of paint into a small container and add a few drops of pigment. In this case, it is very convenient to use jars with a narrow neck, and if the color is packaged in uncomfortable containers, you can use a regular syringe. You need to carefully pick up the pigment into it and squeeze it out to make drops. To begin with, add 2-3 drops, then mix thoroughly and bring to the desired shade, dripping one drop into the base. Once you have obtained the desired shade, it is advisable to record the number of drops on paper.

It should be remembered that on the wall the color may be slightly brighter or lighter than in the container. Therefore, it is recommended to select a small section of the wall for experiments and paint it with the resulting paint. You need to wait until the surface is completely dry and examine it under different lighting, focusing on the one that prevails in the room.

If you want to create a space with colors that perfectly match the decor, you need to buy colors. This is a concentrated pigment, a source of color. It can be added to paint, plaster or putty. The result will exceed expectations, the color will be as rich and deep, multidimensional as possible.

Main types of colors

All colors can be divided into two large groups: with organic pigments and inorganic. Which color is better to choose? Of course, you always want to use environmentally friendly clean materials when creating a design indoors, therefore colors with organic pigments immediately evoke great sympathy.

However, there is a catch - colors created with their help fade faster and fade under the influence of sunlight. We need to pay attention to this.


If unnatural substances are used as a pigment, this does not mean that they are dangerous. Is it possible to get poisoned by eating a piece of wall painted with paint based on unnatural substances? Perhaps the chances are greater than when the wall is painted with paint containing a color made from natural ingredients. Sometimes it's important, sometimes it's not.

A photo of paint colors and a palette will help you make the final decision. If the base is natural, richer and brighter colors can be created by adding it in smaller quantities.

Kohler is a small jar, there is relatively little of it in it. The color palette for synthetic-based paints is a little more modest. Tinting may turn out to be too expensive at first glance. Is it really? Repairs will not need to be done after three years, for example, if you choose them. Of course that's a plus. The design will surprise, delight, delight, and give pleasant emotions for the prescribed five years, no matter what.


Different consistency

How to dilute paint colors? It all depends on its consistency. There are colors in powder, paste and liquid form. They can be designed for acrylic paints exclusively, for oil-based paints, water-based paints or suitable for different types simultaneously. You also need to pay attention to this, study the label, figure out which variety you like.

Colors in the form of a paste can be dissolved in paint faster than powdered ones. Liquids should be handled carefully as it is easy to add more or less than you should.


Powdered ones need to be mixed well - more thoroughly than others. All colors are diluted first in a small amount of paint, then added to the main volume. The paint is mixed and a preliminary test is made. It is advisable to test the color on a material similar to that which is being dyed so that its absorption capacity is taken into account.

Sometimes it is suggested to mix color and paint using a computer, special program, right at the point of sale. This is convenient because you can accurately select the shade - the computer determines how much color is needed. But you need to know in advance how much paint will be needed to complete the entire amount of work, so as not to confuse anything later.

Paint base and color features

Color for acrylic paint is added to acrylic paint and only to it. This is important to remember. If the manufacturer indicates that the dye is universal, then it can be added to another type of paint. It is advisable to use paint and colors from the same company - they completely match each other. This simplifies the color creation process.

The color for façade paint is characterized by greater pigment resistance to environmental factors. It should be added to the façade paint accordingly. Can it be used for interior finishing work?

If it contains harmful substances, even when added to non-toxic facade paint, it will have Negative influence on health, and therefore the degree of toxicity must be indicated on its packaging.

Color for water-based paint is ideally soluble in water. It cannot be added to oil. This is useless, the result is unpredictable - stripes, spots may remain, the aesthetics will be lost, it will not simply blend with it.

A universal color scheme, even if not all of it is used up, will come in handy around the house, probably in the country house or for decorating another room. Therefore, sometimes they try to acquire it. On the other hand, it may turn out to be superfluous, you will want to choose a different color, you will like spending money, the result will make a good impression, it will become clear: these expenses are rational.

Photo of paint colors