Lighten Paint

Judy asked 10 years ago

The mauve rose paint I have is darker than I’d like. Can I make it lighter by adding white or cream colored paint?

2 Answers
Crowder Painting answered.

Yes this is possible.
1) Use a small measuring cup and add a little light paint at a time.
2) Mix thoroughly and test before adding more. You can use a hair dryer to speed up drying the sample.
3) Use a lighter paint from the same manufacture and sheen as the dark paint. This way the sheen will be the same after lightening the paint.
4) Make sure to have enough of this new lighter paint on hand to finish the project. It will be difficult at best to match your custom color.

Anonymous answered.

I had a pink for our new nursery that came out sort of bubble gum colored. First I added what was left of a quart of stark white. I tested again and not much difference. I read about the whole adding 2 more gallons of white to lighten, but was trying to avoid the cost and hassle. So I had the idea to add the rest of the 2 samples of the same color in a lighter shade that I had left over when I decided to try the darker version. The result was a shade that was just in the middle of the two and exactly the hue I had envisioned. So happy I tried it. It most likely depends on how much lighter you are wanting to go. However, it is a whole lot cheaper to purchase a couple of samples than 2 gallons! Hope this helps someone.