Paint Percentages
getting your paint color right
If you’ve been around here for a while, you have probably heard us refer to a paint color as a percentage (ex. Revere Pewter at 150%). Even though color percentage is a simple idea, we wanted to explain how it works for anyone who didn't know it was a possibility.
What is color percentage & why would you change it?
Paint formulas start out as a base (white) and drops of color tint are added to create a specific color. For example, a paint color base may start at 10 drops of yellow and 10 drops of black.
If you love a color tone but want it to be more or less saturated, you can tell the paint store to adjust the color tint (they’ll use less or more drops of the color tint to change the paint saturation).
Example: I really like the tone of this color, I just wish it wasn't as dark. In this case, you could ask for 75% or 50% of that color and it will end up lighter.
Always check with the paint store to see if they're able to do what you want (home depot will only go to 148%).
Here’s how the percentages work…
Thank you for explaining this. I’ve gone lighter on a ceiling color but didn’t realize you could go above 100%.
Do you ever do this to create contrast between walls and trim? E.g. make the trim either lighter or darker than the wall color by saturation (as opposed to a different color)? And while we’re at it... when do you like to go darker on trim? 😊