Feeling a little bit more adventurous when it comes to your DIY painting journey? Why not try mixing your own shade of paint? There are a few reasons why people opt to mix their own shade at home. First of all, perhaps amongst the hundreds of paint shades available, nothing quite feels right. Or, maybe that dreamy pastel shade you really wanted isn’t available in store. Whatever reason you might have, we’ve got you covered. (As we always do!) Mixing colors for architectural paint isn’t as simple as it looks. I’m not trying to scare you, just setting you up for success. So, let’s dive into the world of mixing your own shade, Boysen paints edition.
The Importance of Ratios and Compatibility
As tempting as it is to do it mad scientist style and experiment with the different colorants available, it’s not a good idea. Sadly, we’re not just working with sugar, spice, and everything nice here.
For the paints alone, Boysen has several different types of paint bases that can be used on concrete, wood, drywall, and metal! That means, there are also have several different types of colorants to go along with each one! So, if you’re using, let’s say, Boysen Permacoat, there’s a specific type of colorant for that.
Furthermore, you can’t just go willy-nilly in adding colorants to a base paint. That would cause some serious paint failure! Now we don’t want that, do we? So, for this article, let’s learn all about the basics of mixing your own shade using the most commonly used type of paint for concrete—water-based, latex paint.
Painting It Easy Episode 05: Mix Your Own Shade
As fun as it sounds to mix your own paint for your room, it does have its limitations. From what can be seen in the video, you can only get pastel shades out of this method. Need something darker? Unfortunately, darker shades should only be factory-mixed. Either get them off-the-shelf or have them mixed in the Boysen Mix & Match station nearest you. Please do not attempt to create darker shades by going beyond the recommended ratio of colorant to base paint! It might look pretty in the pot, but it won’t look pretty on your walls.
Other Colorant Options
Aside from Boysen Latex Colors for water-based latex paints such as Boysen Permacoat Latex, we have other kinds that are meant for various other surfaces.
- If your base paint is an alkyd-type paint like Quick Drying Enamel, go for Oil Tinting Colors.
- For lacquer-based paints such as Automotive Lacquer, choose the Automotive Lacquer Tinting Colors.
- Want to use the Acrytex line of paint in particular? Use the Acrytex Tinting Colors as colorants.
Some Final Notes
Perhaps, the most important takeaway that I’d love readers to get from this article is that colorants are not meant to be applied directly onto the substrate (a.k.a. surface). You’d be surprised how many people have attempted to do this. Colorants are just pigments meant to give color to a white base paint prior to painting. Do not apply pure colorants on your walls!
Here are some additional articles that you might want to look into:
? This Boysen App Feature is Your Boysen Colorants Cheat Sheet
? Tips on Using Boysen Colorants
? The Color Wheel Using Boysen Colorants
If you have any other questions on colors, paints, and colorants, send us an email at ask@myboysen.com. We’re always happy to help. Happy painting!
