b'pictures: Simon DevitttintingPaint is ready colour in a pot. Pop it open,slap it onend of story, right? Not necessarily.Because not all colours are created equal.We all know how it works. You agonise over the colourYou can also add depth of colour by using tinted undercoats charts and then settle on the ideal shade. You watch as thebeneath the topcoat, but the same criteria apply.paint specialist measures the perfect combination of colourPaint quality also has a bearing on the tinting issue. High into the can and locks it into that frenetic mixing machine,quality paints use more concentrated tinters, so the paint where it shudders itself into the blend you were after.keeps its colour and integrity for longer. Good quality But did you know that tinting is an art that has takentintersprovidegoodcoveragetoo,sothatyouonly years to evolve? And that it is still fraught with issues thatusually need to apply two topcoats to get the shade you should at least be asked about when you buy your paint? want, whereas it may take more coats of a lower grade Paint consists of a tone colour, which is then tintedpaint to give you a true colour. Finally, high quality paints with measured units of colourants, depending on thetend to have more complex colourways and will change final required shade, says Dianne Connell from Resene.subtly in changing lights.There are limits to how much tinter you can add to eachCertain individual colours also tend to be less durable tone. If you fall under that limit, you can affect the opacitythanothers,duetothemake-upoftheircolourants. of the paint and make it more difficult to get a good,Resenerecentlychangeditstinterstomorelasting even finish. If you go over the limit, you can interfere withformulations, says Dianne, but bright oranges, yellows its film-forming properties and therefore its longevity. Youand reds still tend to fade faster than other shades. The have to know the criteria and stick with them. best colours for longevity are the earthier tones, which The rule of thumb is that tinters affect paint durability, soare made from oxide tinters. the less tinter you use, the longer the colour will last. And,The only way to be sure is to go to a reputable paint basically, colours are formulated to be tinted from certaincompany, and let the person whos helping you know where tones. If you try to tint a colour from a tone its not designedand how the paint is going to be used, says Dianne. for, while you might be able to get the correct shade,If you do get offered a significantly cheaper price for the chances are you will have over-tinted it and it will fail faster.same colour in another brand, it definitely pays to check So, says Dianne, dont try tinting a pastel tone to off-whiteout the differencethe cheaper option will almost certainlyit may save you money today, but it will turn out a falsenot last as long and therefore not represent the best value economy when you have to repaint earlier than usual. in the long-term. The most expensive part of a paint job, To complicate the matter further, each paint companyin terms of money and time, is the painting, not the paint uses different tinters to make up their colours. To captureitself. It makes sense, therefore, to invest in a high quality the true essence of the colour you like, you really need toproduct at the start, get it tinted properly, and minimise buy it tinted into the brand of paint it was developed for.maintenance and repainting further down the track. | 83'