It can be something of a hassle to try to cover up a dark paint color with a lighter color; however, it is possible. You’ll need to take a few extra steps to make sure that it works the way you want. Ideally, the new lighter color will cover the old color completely. There will be no shadows and no remnants of the old color at all. You should not be able to see the old color at all; also, the darker color should not make the lighter color look darker. For example, covering black paint with white paint could make the white paint look gray. Here is what you should do to avoid that.
Pick Out a Color and a Primer
The most reliable way to cover dark paint is with a good primer. If the paint is particularly dark, you might even need two coats of primer. Primer is generally made with the same active ingredient as carpenter’s glue, which makes it particularly thick and covering. If you are going from dark to light, it might be useful to tint some of the primer gray. Tinting the first layer of primer gray will help you cover up the old paint. Then, you should add a layer of white primer. Those two coats should effectively cover up just about any paint, even a very dark color.
If you’re particularly worried about your light paint covering your dark paint, you can then use a paint with primer in it even though you’ve already primed the wall.
Clean the Walls
It’s also very useful to clean the walls before you apply the paint. Cleaning off any dust, dirt, or oil will help the paint adhere better. Since paint adheres better to clean walls, it will cover dark paint much better. While this seems obvious for exterior paint jobs, it’s just as important to interior painting.
Pick Good Brushes or Rollers
You need to pick good paint brushes or roller covers as well. Good rollers or brushes will apply the paint in thicker and more uniform coats. A good roller cover can be determined by squeezing it. A good cover will be soft but it will bounce back after you squeeze it. Good brushes should have bristles that are at least half as long as the brush is wide. The bristles should not pull out easily, and they should have split ends for even coverage.
You should also make sure to pick good paint. Good paint with good painting tools will roll on thick and uniform. That will cover up most dark paint. These steps can make all the difference.