Johnathan C. Brewer II is a licensed general contractor specializing in kitchen, bath remodels, and general construction with two decades of professional experience.
Touching Up
Even the best paint jobs need a touch-up now and then. High-traffic areas such as hallways and bathrooms, as well as walls around light switches, are subject to heavy wear so they will need to be freshened with a touch-up once in a while. Plus, there may be areas that were missed in the original paint job or have been damaged. This is the opportunity to make it right.
While a touch-up sounds quick and easy, it can be quite a challenge. Matching the original paint job is the most difficult part and is subject to obstacles such as if the same paint used on the project is available and the age of the paint on the wall, which may have discolored with time.
But, if done correctly, a touch-up should blend acceptably with the surrounding paint area. Just know that most touch-ups usually aren’t exact but, chances are, only you will know the differences — and we won’t tell!
- Clean the surface area — Make sure the surface area is clean and free from any dirt, dust, grease or oils. The surface must be dry and free from all loose or peeling paint.
- Use the same batch of paint — Hopefully, any unused paint was kept. This is your best chance of getting the color to match. If the original paint isn’t available, make sure the touch-up paint has been tinted properly (correct base, correct color formula and product.) You will want to apply the touch-up in the same manner in which the original paint was applied. If the original coat was sprayed, it may not be possible or practical to perform the touch-up using the same application procedure.
- Thin the paint — When performing a touch-up on a smooth wall with a water-based, non-flat paint, the paint should be thinned (about 5% to 10% with clean water) in order to help minimize the sheen difference from the original application.
- Use a roller, if possible — A roller will give you better quality and blending than a brush. The preferred roller is a “weenie” roller with a good, quality synthetic cover. Choose a nap thickness of ¼ – to ½ inch.
- Use less paint — When loading the roller, use the least amount of paint necessary. This will help limit excessive film build in the touched-up area.
- Avoid feathering — When performing a touch-up on a smooth wall with a brush, avoid feathering into the originally painted areas. Feathering with a brush will produce a flat “halo” (outline) around the touch-up. Feathering with a synthetic roller cover will aid in blending slight differences in color and sheen without producing a noticeable halo.
If the surface you are working on requires an excessive number of touch-up applications, it may be best to repaint the entire wall from corner to corner. Repainting the full wall will also give you the best look for your touch-up efforts.
Featured Articles
- First Impressions Start at the Front Door
- Boosting Curb Appeal with Color
- The Right Tape for the Job
- Color-matching a Breeze with InstaColor iD
- Equipping Your Work Vehicle
- Home InstaColor
- Order color samples
- Download color swatches
Preparation
Choosing shades to create the ombre effect can be tricky, especially if you hope to fade from one color into another. If you’re not sure which colors will work, try consulting a color wheel. Analogous colors, or colors that share a single base color and sit beside one another on the color wheel, will blend well. Choose two adjacent shades on the color wheel for a subtle effect. If you’re looking for a more dramatic result, skip one shade, and choose a color on either side.
If you’re planning to stick to variations of a single color, you’ll need to choose a light shade and a dark shade of that color. Keep in mind that the more significant the difference in colors, the more dramatic the result. For example, for a soft, soothing effect, you can pair a pale pastel with a medium hue of another color, or choose a single shade of paint and blend it with white. If you prefer a bold look, go a little deeper into the spectrum, starting with a pale-to-medium shade and finishing with something a little richer. You may need to do some experimenting to find the perfect hue. Make sure you have plenty of paint—and then some—with the help of The Spruce’s paint calculator.
Safety
Inhaling paint fumes can be dangerous. Always ventilate the area well and wear a mask. Even if you use paint with no or low volatile organic compounds (VOCs), when you add color pigment to VOC-free paint, it can increase the amount of VOCs by as much as 10 grams per liter. VOC-free paint may also contain other chemicals; however, even at levels of 10 grams per liter, VOC-free paint is a far safer alternative to VOC-containing paints.
What Are VOCs?
VOCs or volatile organic compounds are chemicals that evaporate at high rates when indoors. Paints, varnishes, and waxes all have volatile organic compounds, which are volatile or potentially harmful.
What You’ll Need
Equipment / Tools
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Yardstick
- Stepladder or step stool
- Bucket or recycled plastic container
- Measuring cup
- 3 Paint trays
- 3 Medium-size paint rollers
- Small paintbrush (for cutting in)
- 2 Large paintbrushes
- 1 Face mask
Materials
- Primer
- Masking tape
- Two colors of paint
- Paint stir stick
