How to Tint, Tone & Manually Match Paints

Use universal tints and paint base to tint, tone and match paint by hand.

Understanding the difference between a tint and a tone makes all the difference when attempting to match paints manually. A paint tint is the color, or pigment of a paint, while a paint tone is the value, or how dark or light it is. Paint tints mixed into the paint base create every color imaginable, then added white paint lightens the tone of the color, or added black paint darkens it. Some understanding of color mixing and theory is also necessary to manually match a color accurately.

Things You'll Need

• Paint base
• Small cup
• Universal paint tints
• Straw
• Bucket
• Paint stirrer
• White paint
• Black paint
• Artist paintbrush

Instructions

1. Practice mixing the desired color in a much smaller amount than needed. Pour a small amount of paint base into a cup, then add the different universal tints drop by drop, while stirring the base with a straw. Yellow and blue create green, red and blue create purple and red and yellow create orange, while blending the mixed tints together will create anything from brown to gray to subtle greens, purples, reds and oranges. Move on to the next step when satisfied with the results.

2. Pour enough paint base to complete the intended paint project into a bucket. Squeeze a small amount of each universal tint required for the desired color into the base. The color of universal tints is very strong, so begin with less rather than more to avoid wasting base and tints

3. Stir the paint base and tints with a clean paint stirrer until completely blended, then add additional tints as needed to approximate the intended color. If the color is too dark, add more paint base to weaken it, then adjust the other tints.

4. To lighten the paint tone, add white paint. To darken it, add black paint. White paint is relatively weak in comparison to the strength of color tents, so be prepared to use a large amount to mix a very light color. Black paint is very strong in comparison to all other colors and can quickly dominate a paint mixture, so add black paint conservatively.

5. Test the mixed color on a small area of wall or a sheet of white paper. Dip the paintbrush into the hand mixed color and paint a small square of three layers of paint on the chosen surface. Allow to dry, then check the color in natural light for accuracy. Latex paints dry darker than they appear when wet, and the color of some oil paint colors lightens slightly once dry. Adjust the tint and tone of the paint as needed, then test again until it is the color desired.

Tips & Warnings

• Cover the top of the mixed paint can with two layers of plastic wrap before securing the lid to extend its life.

References

• "The Complete Book of Decorative Paint Techniques"; Annie Sloan, Kate Gwynn; 1989
• Palomar College: Design Notes: Color
• San Diego State University: Introduction to Color

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish