How To Paint A Dark Wall White
Painting over dark colours with a white paint colour is one of the most transformative ways to decorate a room. It completely alters the atmosphere from intimate and moody to bright and uplifting, providing your home with a rejuvenated feeling.
You might be looking to conceal a bold shade left by a previous owner, or simply looking to refresh your interior and amplify natural light. Follow our expert guide to learn how to paint a white wall over a dark colour.
Our step-by-step guide to painting over a dark wall
Whether it’s an intense off-black or a particularly vivid hue that you’re looking to cover, there are important steps to consider when painting over dark walls. Just a few extra preparation steps can help you to achieve an excellent finish and depth of colour in a lighter shade.
Tools Needed for Painting Over a Dark Colour
Key to a project like this is ensuring you have all the correct tools.
- Little Greene All Surface Primer
- Little Greene paint (see below for details)
- Dust sheets
- Screwdriver
- Low tack masking tape
- Brush for cutting in
- Roller sleeve (we recommend short pile)
- Mini 4-inch roller
- Paint kettle
- Roller tray
Walls: Loft White
Baseboards (from top to bottom): Urbane Grey & Lamp Black
Flooring: Shallows
Step One: Preparing the room to paint light colours over dark
1. Protect your working area by covering carpets, flooring and any furniture in plastic sheeting.
2. Carefully check all the walls for any holes or cracks and repair these with filler. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for drying times, as these can differ.
3. Unscrew all fixtures and fittings in the room, such as plug sockets and door handles. Then tape over these with low tack masking tape.
4. Once dry, rub down the filler and wall with a medium grade sandpaper (120 grit). Ensure that the wall is left with a clean, flat edge to prevent any bumps after painting.
Walls: Slaked Lime - Mid
Ceiling: Loft White
Step Two: Time to prime: using our Intelligent ASP
1. For this type of project, we recommend first using our Intelligent All Surface Primer. This is tinted to a shade slightly lighter than the final topcoat to thoroughly conceal the dark paint.
2. Pour a small amount of All Surface Primer into a paint kettle and add approximately 5% addition of clean water. Stir to combine.
3. Use the diluted paint to spot prime all the filled areas. A mini, 4-inch roller helps to achieve even coverage.
4. After these spots have dried, use the undiluted ASP to paint a coat of primer over the whole wall. We recommend switching to a standard short pile roller.
Upper wall: Gauze
Lower wall: Gauze - Dark
Side Table: Basalt
Step Three: Painting over dark coloured walls
1. Once your primer coat has dried (3-4 hours), it is time to go ahead with your chosen paint colour and finish. The options below are all highly-pigmented, water-based, child-safe and eco-friendly, making them the best paint for painting over dark colours:
- Absolute Flat Emulsion – this is the perfect choice for low-traffic areas of the home: bedrooms, snugs, home studies or living/dining spaces. With a barely-there sheen of 2%, it provides a luxurious, chalky finish.
- Intelligent Matt Emulsion – this paint offers a washable formula to suit modern family life, ideal for high-traffic areas like kitchens, hallways and children’s bedrooms. Quick drying and stain resistant, it doesn’t compromise on a beautiful matte finish.
- Intelligent Eggshell – use this low maintenance, fully washable finish for bathrooms and kitchens where condensation is a concern. It has a low sheen of 10-15%, providing elegance as well as durability.
2. Apply the first of two coats of your selected finish to the whole area. Read our extensive guide on how to paint a wall for step-by-step advice.
3. Allow to dry for 3-4 hours before carefully applying your final coat.
Top tips for painting over dark colours
If you’ve struggled with painting over a dark shade or neutralising red walls in the past, here are some of the most common pitfalls:
1. Make sure you allow enough time for the filler to fully dry.
Although many of us dislike the preparation stages, the small details really do make all the difference. Properly filling any imperfections and meticulously following the manufacturer’s guidance when drying are key to this project.
2. It is crucial to use a high-quality primer that is suitable for walls.
Even products that won’t necessarily be visible can impact the end result. Our versatile, water-based Intelligent All Surface Primer has been designed to complement the colour and quality of your chosen topcoat for an immaculate finish.
3. And most importantly, take your time!
As with any decorating project, it’s essential to follow all guidance and apply every coat with care. Allow yourself a full weekend or longer to complete everything, and enjoy the process!
Lower Panelling: French Grey - Dark
Middle Panelling: French Grey
Upper Panelling: French Grey - Mid
Wall: French Grey - Pale
Vase: Marigold
A smaller project: Choosing a white to complement your dark walls
If you’ve taken the plunge with a dark hue but are having second thoughts, consider pairing the shade with a related white.
When selecting a complementary white, it’s important to consider the undertones of each shade.
Painting Red Walls with White:
With discernible warmth, Slaked Lime is an extremely versatile off-white that can be paired with most colours in our collection. Here it sits alongside Nether Red to draw in light.
Left Wall/Ceiling: Slaked Lime
Wall: Nether Red
Painting Blue Walls with White:
If you’re looking to neutralise a shade of deep blue, opt for a cool white with blue undertones. This design utilises colour blocking to offset the sumptuous depth of Dock Blue with the timeless Gauze - Mid.
Discover our white paint collection to find the right shade of white for your project.
Top Wall: Gauze – Mid
Bottom wall, desktop and baseboards: Dock Blue
You can also explore our paints by colour or explore Intelligent ASP (All Surface Primer) to find the perfect combination for your project.
For bespoke guidance to help you plan your scheme, explore our Colour Consultancy service.