Replies

1. 
   Gavionn | Apr 02, 2005 05:53pm | #1

   I'm not a painting contractor, but I think I know the answer to this one.

   As I understand it, ceiling paint is different from wall paint mainly in it's viscosity. Most ceiling paints are thicker than wall paints to help compensate for gravity (drips) and to cover more quickly.

   The only problem I could see arising from combining the two is if the sheen's are different. Most ceiling paints are Flat, whereas wall paint can be Flat, Eggshell, Satin, or even semi-gloss.

   If both paints are Flat, and it's purely a matter of tinting, I don't see a problem.

    

1. 
   zendo | Apr 02, 2005 09:38pm | #7

   Cipher good job.

   True and correct.  Ceiling paint can be super white, but the biggest difference is that it wont spatter as much as wall paint.  The binder is thicker.

   -zen

1. 
   rooferman | Apr 03, 2005 03:53am | #8

   I used to have an old duplex that tenants moved in and out of fairly regularly.  I did a number of custom combinations to use up left over material.  Biggest concern............be real sure you have enough of your mix to finish the room!!!!!!!!!!  Pretty hard to match a mix of three different colors of different brands. 

   Never had a problem.  Of course we know not to mix oil with latex...................right?

   Mike L.

1. 
   zendo | Apr 03, 2005 05:02pm | #9

   I did one of those too!

   I was close on the paint.  I would combine the names of the paint so I could remember what color it was without opening the can.

   The worst, or best name was Femadobe Skin.

   -zen 

2. 
   YesMaam27577 | Apr 02, 2005 05:59pm | #2

   Be careful with this one....

   Don't want the walls to look horizontal, or the ceiling to look vertical do you?

    

    

   Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.

1. 
   Gumshoe | Apr 02, 2005 06:23pm | #3

   Plus occasionally the mattress-tag removal inspectors will do a wall-paint/ceiling-paint check, and you don't want to get on the wrong side of those guys! They'll start going through your cd's and program discs looking for unauthorized copies, and then next comes an IRS audit, and hoo-boy, I'm getting a headache just thinking about the can of worms you could be opening!(oh yeah - and do a test sample first when mixing paints, to make sure there are no problems)

1. 
   Gavionn | Apr 06, 2005 02:37am | #12

   THAT expains it!

   Like six months ago three black Suburbans with blacked-out glass skidded to a stop in front of my modest little Cape Cod. 12 men and women in off-the-rack black suits and skinny ties forced their way into my house. First they stripped the beds, then they started going through the entire house with swatches. They'd hold one against the wall for several seconds and then switch it real quick to the ceiling. Now, thanks to you, I know they were checking for minute variations in the paint formulae.

   Everything was okay through those checks and on into my cd and dvd collection, so I was wondering why in the world they were here.........

   That's when they started in on my hard drive...........

   Talk about EMBARRASSING.

   It wouldn't have been so bad except for all the giggling.

3. 
   IMERC | Apr 02, 2005 07:40pm | #4

   similar / same paint... mix away...

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

   WOW!!!   What a Ride!

   Forget the primal scream,  just ROAR!!!

4. 
   DanH | Apr 02, 2005 08:22pm | #5

   Usually ceiling paint is a bit flatter than wall paint. But if they are the same type of paint (latex or whatever) then mixing shouldn't be a problem.

5. 
   DonCanDo | Apr 02, 2005 09:01pm | #6

   I've mixed many different types of paint and even across brands and I've never had a problem.  BUT, the only times I've mixed is for experimenting with color or when I'm going to paint just for protection or when I really don't care about the results (like a wood toolbox or a basement door).  I've also mixed primers with no ill effect.

   As a painter, I would never mix 2 paints for a customer.  And for a very simple reason: if, at a later date, they need to do any touch-up, they won't be able to.  It's unlikely that the mixed paint could be stored for any significant period of time and still be useable.

   What I would do is to mix the paint until the desired color is achieved, paint a piece of cardboard and take it to my paint store and ask them to match it.  They can get very, very close and the formula is right on the can for future reference.

   Mixing paints to save money is just one of those things that I see as false economy.

   -Don

6. 
   nikkiwood | Apr 03, 2005 06:09pm | #10

   To underscore the point made earlier, the only real problem (assuming the same mfg) would be if the two have different sheen levels.

1. 
   bobl | Apr 04, 2005 02:54pm | #11

   thanks everyone 

   bobl          Volo, non valeo

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