Choosing the right paint color is not always a guaranteed solution.
You have to consider how the paint is going to look once it’s on the surface. Sometimes, a paint might look much lighter in the can and then turn dark once it’s on the surface.
This is when you shout, “Help, I painted my walls too dark!”
If you painted the walls too dark, the best solution is to repaint the surface using a lighter shade. If only one wall has been painted, buy a paint that’s one or two shades lighter for the remaining walls. This will help balance the room and make it lighter.
The one thing you should not do is look to reglaze the walls.
This will make them lighter but can also cost a pretty penny. For most property owners, this is akin to throwing your money down the drain and is not worth the hassle. Just repaint the surface.
This article will explain what to do if you painted your walls too dark and want to lighten them as soon as possible.
Table of Contents
Best Wall Cleaner (EDITOR’S CHOICE)
No products found.
How To Fix Wall Paint That’s Too Dark
1. Repaint With A Lighter Shade
When learning how to tone down paint color on the wall, it’s important to consider a more all-encompassing solution.
This means simply repainting the entire surface with a lighter shade.
It’s the easiest solution that is going to provide a more consistent finish. Of course, this will depend on your budget and how much work you want to put into lightening the wall’s paint color.
However, if you simply want the best possible result then this is the way to go.
Any other adjustments will always provide an imbalanced finish that is much harder to work around. This is why paint experts always recommend repainting the walls and considering it a loss.
This will save you time and is going to ensure the work that is done moving forward will look good once you’re done.
2. Leave Painted Wall & Repaint Others Using A Lighter Shade
You will also want to consider leaving the painted wall as-is.
This is a possible option depending on how much of the room you’ve painted. For example, if it’s only one wall then this is a good tip that will work out as planned.
The idea here is to leave the painted wall as it is and paint the other walls with a lighter shade. Just go one or two shades down and it will seamlessly blend in.
This will ensure your room is lighter and the painted wall doesn’t look out of place. This can save you quite a bit of time and still look amazing.
3. Reglaze The Wall (Not Always Recommended)
If the paint is too dark and you want to lighten it, the one option you can consider is reglazing the surface.
This will immediately put a lighter tone to the surface that looks good once you’re done.
The only concern with this solution is the cost. It is going to be a pricey fix and most people end up wanting to repaint the surface rather than trying to make adjustments like this one.
It will work but you won’t want to pay the price that comes along with it.
4. Don’t Strip The Paint
This is a common mistake that’s made.
You will assume the best option is to strip the paint and start again. To the surprise of many people, you don’t have to strip the paint to repaint the surface.
Just work on top of the surface after cleaning it.
This will ensure you don’t have to spend hours stripping away the darker paint. Just work with the lighter shade and the right type of wall paint is going to settle in nicely.
It is a waste of time toning down wall paint by stripping it away. You could do a lot more by just repainting the surface with lighter paint.
Final Thoughts
“Help, I painted my walls too dark!”
If you painted the walls too dark, it’s best to simply repaint the surface using a lighter shade. You can also leave the painted wall as-is and paint the remaining walls with paint that’s 1-2 shades lighter. This will blend the darker wall into the rest of the space.
In the end, it comes down to what you want as a property owner.
Each person has their take on how they want the process to unfold. In general, the most recommended solution is to take it on the chin, invest in a lighter shade, and then repaint the walls.
You will get the look you are after and it will become lighter instantly.
Read More About Paint: