Emulsion paint 'issue'

[Fastpedaller]

Our Daughter has just bought her first house - It needs a lot of work! One of the big issues I've found is the previous owner liked his Dark Blues (other dark colours, but mainly blues. Many skirting boards, door frame etc in dark blue Daughter wants lighter colours . Of course I expected this to require many coats of paint.
Specific problem/question.......... A wall in the shower room was dark blue. I washed it with sugar soap and abraded it to provide a key (and of course vacuumed it and washed it again. All well and good, the next day I started painting the 'chalky white ie a very light grey' and again and again. It has now had 7 coats of paint (all put on by roller). I an slightly colour blind (colour vision deficient is more correct) and I now see it in daylight as grey, however with the LED light on at night it does look a bit blue. I've been told by Wife and Daughter 'it's still a little bit blue' (but they haven't examined it in daylight. The adjoining wall is the only other wall painted the same colour (other 2 are tiled) and to me it looks the same in daylight, but to add to the confusion that wall had a window in it so with the daylight coming through it the eyes aren't experiencing the same conditions when trying to compare.
Is it usual to take more than 7 coats to block a colour? It's a Dulux paint BTW and couldn't be any thicker or it would be difficult to put on, so I can't suggest it's thin paint

 

[Lookrider]

I'm not a painter so please take pinch of salt
New paints are all water based now
If it's an old place and painted with oil based paint then you need to do preparation to existing coverings
This usually relates to wood gloss etc ...but not sure about emulsions ...then again if the dark paint is NOT emulsion but some sort of oil based paint you may have adhesion issues
Just a bit advice I'm sure you will look into this more accurately
Good luck

 

[Buck]

You need something like Zinsser BIN Aqua - effectively a stain blocker


edit: link https://paintwell.co.uk/zinsser-b-i-n-aqua-stain-blocker-primer-sealer-white

 

[fossyant]

Nightmare dark colurs. Daughter wanted her bedroom purle, I complained, over-ruled. Move on a few years, she wanted it white. Took a good five coats. Wouldn't expect 7, but I'd look at changing the LED - is it a warm white LED or a 'bluer' one - go for warmer spectrum coloured LED.

 

[Joffey]

It took us 4 coats to get rid of bright red in our last house. Might it be worth papering it over? Or just keep going with coats of paint :-(

 

[Fastpedaller]

I'll keep going with more paint if I have to. It may depend on whether Wife and Daughter agree it looks ok in daylight - Then (as Daughter has bought a 'smart' light we (or probably she) can change it to warm white, which may resolve it (weird that the blue still comes through though!). I stopped at 7 coats as I wanted to fit the water-heated towel rail and (the colour sight-deficient ) was the only person there at the time.
I won't be papering it over as it's in the shower room (which interestingly was previously a wetroom with the shower next to the window! Don't know why the professionals who fitted it put it in such a daft place rather than the other side of the room where we now have the shower enclosure.

 

[PeteXXX]

Are you using a decent Primer before you start with the Dulux White?

 

[alicat]

I think I'd let her take over the painting if it bothers her.

 

[CXRAndy]

We've just painted our daughters place in Matt white emulsion. She wants some very dark colours in certain rooms. I refused to do it knowing not long in the future it will need over painting and will take many coats of paint. Someone else can paint it, if she wants it doing

 

[BrumJim]

I'm not a painter so please take pinch of salt
New paints are all water based now
If it's an old place and painted with oil based paint then you need to do preparation to existing coverings
This usually relates to wood gloss etc ...but not sure about emulsions ...then again if the dark paint is NOT emulsion but some sort of oil based paint you may have adhesion issues
Just a bit advice I'm sure you will look into this more accurately
Good luck

Emulsion has always been water-based.

Careful with adding too many layers. It makes the room smaller.

 

[Fastpedaller]

I think I'd let her take over the painting if it bothers her.

Only problem with that is when it's done badly ...... who has to do even more to fix it?

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Dulux for DIYers is not great.

Track down a local retailer who specialises in trade paints.

They will stock hi-block products.

This was a tip from the guy (painter & decorator) who recently did our house interior.

 

[MontyVeda]

Dulux for DIYers is not great.

Track down a local retailer who specialises in trade paints.

...

This. ^

'trade' paint in places like Wilko (RIP) is not the same as trade paint from a proper paint supplier.

My anecdote...

repainting the ceiling of a very nicotine stained room took seven coats of Dulux trade paint from Wilko.
repainting the walls, which were just as bad, if not worse, took two coats of Crown trade paint from a proper paint supplier.

It costs a lot more but it's cheaper in the long run.

 

[alicat]

Only problem with that is when it's done badly ...... who has to do even more to fix it?

She does. She's a grown up now.

 

[BrumJim]

She does. She's a grown up now.

+1 for this.

You can't go much wrong with emulsion.