Interior painting using deep tinted paints is certainly a contributing factor to pattern baldness. After the 4th or 5th coat, you want to pull your hair out. Deep tinted paints such as midnight blue, pumpkin orange and passion red are mixed in a neutral base which means they will not cover worth a toot. I have been asked many times what can be done to improve the coverage of deep tints and save time and money on interior painting projects.

Below are 6 important things you must do to assure coverage while using deep tinted paints for your interior painting projects.

1. The first and most important thing you shoud do is apply a primer that has been tinted to match the top coat you plan to use. These tinted primers have a lot more pigment and will cover better, making the transition to your dark color neutral based color easier. This will reduce cost and time.

2. Pay attention to your spread rate. Avoid over overspreading deep tinted color paints. Dry rolling will only reduce the hiding power. Apply paint at the manufactures recommended spread rate.

3. Use a good quality roller cover. The ideal nap thickness for deep tinted paint is a 3/8 inch nap. A shorter nap than this causes over spreading of paint and reduces hiding power. A nap longer than this creates an unattractive stipple effect in the deep tinted paints.

4. The method you use to apply the paint is important. Make sure you roll into the brushed areas while the paint is still wet. This prevents what is called framing. Feather out any buildup of paint from the leading edge of the roller nap using an up and down motion. Also, avoid build up of paint at the leading edge of the roller. Try to feather any leading edge of paint left by the roller by using a straight up and down motion.

5. Give proper drying time before re coating. The high levels of colorant in the paint slow down the drying process of deeply tinted paints. Applying paint too soon will create unsightly textures.

6. Don't touch up deep tinted paints. If you find you don't have complete coverage in a few areas of a wall then re-roll that wall. It is very difficult to touch up these walls without looking touched up.

Keep in mind, deeply tinted paints have different properties than white tinted base paints. Most light and medium tone colors are mixed in a white tinting base, giving them a much greater ability to hide. They spread differently and dry down differently. The mistake most homeowners make with deep tinted paints is they get into a hurry while using a paint that is known to be behaviorally challenged.