It's time you discovered the ins and outs of paint. Does paint dry darker or lighter? What paints take the longest to dry? What complications might I run into? It's all right here - take a look!
When deciding what paint to choose for the rooms in your home or your home as a whole, you deserve to know the color you chose is the one that will be seen after it dries. One of the frequently asked questions in regards to paint is “Does paint dry darker or lighter?” and, lucky for you, I have the answer right here!
Generally, paint will dry darker than the shade seen when first applied. It is normal for wet paint be a different shade than dry paint. The dried paint will should match the orginal sample color swatch you have choosen.
As succinct as that is, there are a few scenarios that don’t fit the bill. There’s always going to be an outlier, right?
Which Paints Dry Darker?
The three most common paints are acrylic, latex, and oil based paint. Each has different properties to satisfy your needs for the type of paint you’re looking for.
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint is used in more creative and decorative situations, but that doesn’t mean the way it dries is any less important than paint for your walls. Uses you might find for this type of paint are for canvases, wood, metal, ceramic, and fabric. Acrylic paint will dry darker than the color you see when you begin painting, but it will be consistent with the paint swatch.
Latex Paint
This paint is, as with acrylic, a water-based paint. Latex paints are used for bigger projects, such as repainting the walls in a room, doors, and trim. That is why you find such large cans of latex paint than you do of acrylic paint. Again, latex paint will dry darker but the final color will be that of the paint swatch.
Oil Paint
Oil based paint takes a very long time to dry, used solely on canvases for paintings and portraits. Some people even say that when Leonardo da Vinci’s dried paint peels off of his displayed paintings, the oil paints underneath it are still wet. Regardless, when the paint does dry, it is also darker than the wet paint. Since we aren’t in the 15th century and you don’t have to mix your own colors with guesses, you can rest assured that the end result will be the same color as you find on the label.
There are also flat finish paints, chalk paints, gloss paints, semi gloss paints, interior paints, and exterior paint. But, alas, they are made to dry darker than when the paint is wet. Either way, you can still buy paints with confidence that the final color will match the color swatch or label on the can, bottle, or tube. This can’t be said if you add additional colors at home.
Why Did My Paint Dry Lighter?
There are a few reasons to explain why some of your paint dried lighter than the swatch color or the color you have tried touching up.
First, if the paint is not mixed properly, the final color will not resemble the color swatch. Several different paint colors and ingredients go into creating the paint’s color, all of which will separate during the time it is not being shaken or used. Stir your paint vigorously before beginning to paint.
Second, the lighting in the room will affect the appearance of the color greatly. Light and color go hand in hand and when it comes to painting, lighting is a key factor in how the color of your paint turns out. For example, if your lightbulbs have an orange hue, it will cast a warm tone on the surfaces in that room – and vice versa. If this is a problem, avoid tinted lighting.
Third, a common possibility is if part or all of the surface you are painting is porous. This means that the material is basically a sponge, and soaks up any liquid or absorbable substance, therefore taking away from the final appearance. How to remedy this, according to The Paint Shoppes, is to apply a few coats extra with your painting. To prevent, use primer on any porous areas.
Fourth, a less common outcome, the temperature of the paint as it dries can change. This affects the way that paint dries, and can contribute to the change in color. The Paint Shoppes recommends that you only paint in temperatures above 50 degrees (10° Celsius), and to touch up any paint in conditions similar to when the first coat was applied.
How Long Does Paint Take to Dry?
The required length of time for paint to dry is affected by a few different factors. The first of which being the paint itself. We mentioned the three most common paints already, acrylic, latex, and oil, so I’ll continue to use them for the following examples. Other deciding aspects are how thick the paint is, its ingredients, and the condition of the room or item you are painting.
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint is water-based, and with a thin layer will only take around 20 to 60 minutes to dry enough for you to touch without imprinting or damaging the paint. If you have a painted surface with thicker applications of the paint, it will extend the drying process. For tips on how to speed the paint drying time up, check out this article by Kings Framing and Art Gallery!
Latex Paint
When you start painting your walls with a well-stirred can of latex paint, which shares the same base as acrylic paints, it’s good to know how long it takes to dry because you’ll more than likely be putting a few coats on before it’s a properly done paint job. Expect to be waiting 1 to 2 hours according to several online sources. However, in my experience, it doesn’t always take nearly this long.
Oil Paint
As you can guess from the name, the most important ingredient in oil based paint is the oil! This sole ingredient can explain why, even after up to eight hours, the oil paints on your canvas still haven’t dried. Yes, the estimated time for oil paints to dry is around eight hours. Still, don’t plan a schedule around it – the drying process can take longer depending on the thickness of your paint, and the conditions of the room!
Other factors
Now that we’ve covered how different paints can dry at different intervals, let’s get into the other factors that will affect how long it takes paint to dry.
- Temperature
Temperature does play a role in whether your paint dries darker or lighter but something it also affects is the speed at which it dries in the first place. Cooler temperatures cause any paint to thicken, and we already talked about how thick paint takes so much longer to dry than thinner coats. Therefore, painting in a warm space, turning on the heater, or grabbing your trusty ol’ hair dryer is a surefire way to speed things up.
- Lighting
You may have heard that the amount of light has nothing to do with drying paint, but it does. Think about it: wet cloth dries faster in the light than it does in the dark! Even if your painting is simply facing the wall, it can dry considerably slower. So, open up your blinds, pull back the curtains, and let the sun do its job! Not to mention, natural light is the best light to have when you paint. It helps keep the coats and colors even, and shows you the color exactly how you find it on your paint swatch.
- Interior vs Exterior
The difference in environment from inside to outside is also where you can see a difference in the speed of the drying process. Excluding any weather mishaps (i.e. rain, snow, poor weather), the drying of exterior paint will be affected by temperature, the angle of the sun, humidity, and any wind or breeze. In the warmer seasons, exterior paint will dry significantly faster. In the colder seasons, such as Autumn, significantly slower.
- Airflow
Which brings us down to airflow. The ventilation and circulation around wet paint is one of the simplest answers when you are looking to shorten the time it takes away from your productivity as paint dries. Having one or two fans pushing the air around in the room you painted or that has your painted project in it will help dry your paint much faster than otherwise.
- Surface Material
Lastly, but most certainly not least, the actual surface or material you are painting has a big impact on how paint will dry. If you are painting a textured wall, it’s only natural that the paint does not dry evenly. The texture will cause shadows and prevent light and air from reaching certain spots. Eventually, everything will dry but it will be at different times. To avoid this complication, aim a fan or light directly at the wall.
Porous surfaces are an excellent example of a material that will cause you a lot of issues when you are painting. Not only can it suck up the paint, making it not the same color as seen on the paint sample, but it will also dry up much faster than other areas. This is because the paint is actually soaking into the material itself, being absorbed so much that it can come off as faded paint or have a chalky appearance.
Naturally, other materials that can have these effects are unfinished wood, fabric, and clay or ceramics that have not yet been glazed. How you can keep this from happening is by giving the surface a finish before actually using the paint you like. Good luck!