Can I Use Base Paint Without Tint? – All You Need to Know

One of the common questions we’ve seen beginner painters to pop up with is – Can I use base paint without tint?”

Well, your furniture will surely age with time. And that aging might cost you money if you want the best for your furniture.

However, hiring a professional all the time can be quite expensive. Why hire one for painting when you can take care of it yourself and make it look more creative and beautiful?

So, if you want a contractor quality painting and looking for someone to help you, we got your back.

Today we’re going to answer the questions that you have and we’re also going to help you through the process of doing it.

So, let’s have a quick look at the things that will benefit you today –

Paint Bases Explained

Before we even start with the tinting part, first you’ll need to know about the paint bases for you. It’s not that complex to understand, to be honest.

You see, paint base determines how resistant a paint is to dirt and stains. It also determines the durability of the paint under intense scrubbing.

You might even also wonder what’s tint base paint means. Well, the base numbers are the main concern in that case for you.

You should always keep in mind that the higher the base number, the darker the color of tinting paint will be.

However, there are various kinds of bases that you’ll find in the market. The light base, the medium base, the deep base paint, clear base paint, white base paint, and pastel based paint.

So, let’s see about the light, medium, and deep bases first. You see, a light base creates a lighter color than a medium base.

The same happens in the case of the medium and deep bases. The medium base also creates a lighter color than a deep base.

Then comes the clear bases. They are often used to create darker colors whereas the white bases make the lightest colors.

Now, the pastel base paint has a lot of white pigments and very little room in the can for adding colorant. Most of the time these are used on the surfaces that you want to protect from the water.

However, there’s another type of base named accent base. It offers you an enriched formulation that gives you exceptional hiding and maximum color richness.

Also, the accent base gives you deep, dark shades that other paints can’t compare to. Moreover, if you guarantee two coat coverage of it, it gives you ultra-hiding power for all colors.

Can I Use Base Paint Without Tint?

The answer is yes.

Yes, you can use a base paint without tint. It doesn’t really matter what type of base paint it is. It can be untinted light base paint or the untinted deep base paint whatever base you want.

You see, most of the paint bases don’t have additional pigments to create the various tints and tones.

However, they do have the basic neutral pigments and you can use it as a regular paint anytime you want.

The tinting totally depends on your need. If you feel like that the color doesn’t seem right and it needs changing, then you can tint it to your own choice. But if your choices match the bases, you can use it as regular paint.

How to Tint Paint

In case you’re looking for a way to color tint your paint, don’t worry because as always, we still got your back.

So, here are the steps that you need to follow if you want to tint your paint your way-

Step 1: Match Your Choice of Color

First, you need to get different color swatches from the local DIY or hardware store. You need to make sure that you find the closest match to the color you’re looking for.

You can choose a shade that is slightly darker than the one you want. Because the dark colors have higher pigment and those can be lightened more easily.

Step 2: Match the colors

Then, you’ll need to use your swatches to find the change in the shade that your base color will need to undergo.

So, if you want a lighter color, you’ll need to tint your base selection with white paint. You just need to carefully examine the shades and match them, that’s it.

Step 3: Grab Enough of the Base Paint

After you’ve made the matching, you’ll need to purchase enough of your chosen base color to cover the surface.

So, you’ll need to get approximately one-fifth of the volume of the base color that you want to tint. For some shades, you might need to use two or three different tints.

Step 4: Process the Base Paint

Now, you’ll need to remove the lids from the cans and stir thoroughly. Then, take an empty can and pour a small amount of base color in it.

Next, you need to take the tint and add a few drops to the poured base color and stir them together. Also, check to see if it’s starting to give you the correct shade of color.

Step 5: Let’s End This

Now you need to add the tint color to the base color in a small amount as soon as you’re ready to start your work. However, keep in mind it’s better to put in too little tint color than too much.

Keep them stirring till you put them on the surface. If you’re planning to spray them on a wooden surface, make sure that you get the quality sprayers in the markets only.

Moreover, if you’re looking for a way to make it smoother for you, you can use HVLP paint sprayers for your application process too.

Conclusion

There you have the answer to “can I use base paint without tint?”. You’ve also found all the information that you needed relating to the painting.

However, the professional painter might do it more perfect for you. So, remember that they are just one call away from you.

So, let’s start painting and spread some magic.