Help! My walls look blue

I have painted a couple of rooms in my house using Dulux Wash and Wear – Lexicon (full strength). Once the 2 coats dried, my rooms have come up looking blue in certain lights and especially against the white ceilings.

I wanted a white that had a tinge of grey in it, which is what the sample card looked like. Not blue. Was thinking of using Lexicon quarter instead but I’m still worried that blue will come through.

Does anyone else have experience of their walls looking blue? Or using the Lexicon colour?

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Comments

MartyH

It's probably a cool white as opposed to a warm white.

Rather than repainting, you could try using a different lightglobe. Try ones with a warm light rather than a cool white. And how much natural light do you get? How does it look in natural light?

KingStreetReno

My walls are Dulux Natural White and they have a grey tone to them.

Haven't had the issue of blue walls, but I would try a different light globe to see if it helps!

Another idea is to speak to a Dulux Colour Consultant. You can book them through Bunnings @Ajmod.

ProjectPete

Lexicon Quarter is a great white. I've done my whole house (inside) in it. No blue. No grey.

I have had similar issues before with greys looking like they have a purple tinge amongst other things. But Lexicon Quarter is spot on.

The type of light definitely has a big impact.

RenoQueen

What kind of house do you have?

Cooler whites tend to suit more modern or contemporary spaces which have plenty of natural light, whereas the creams or yellowish whites often lend themselves more traditional properties that might have smaller windows and less natural light.

Dulux Lexicon Quarter is one of the whitest whites around if that's what you're after.

Ajmod

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/780#Comment_780

Thanks everyone! Our house is a 70s home that we're in the process of renovating. The main living spaces are large and get lots of natural light, but bedrooms and bathrooms are on the small side. The walls are currently painted a dark cream colour.

So far, we have painted an ensuite, bathroom and small bedroom. The bedroom has a large window but the ensuite and bathrooms don’t get much natural light.

It doesn’t look as blue when in daylight (more light grey, instead of a white).

Thanks for the globe suggestion! We’ll have LED downlights throughout the house so I’ll make sure to buy warm light globes. This might save us repainting those rooms.

The rest of the house gets quite a bit of natural light but we’re still worried to keep painting with Lexicon.

I only have a photo of the paint going on (Lexicon full strength). The blue is more noticeable once it dried and had 2 coats applied.

. paint problem (1).jpg

aly

My sister had a similiar issue when she installed white pressed metal sheets as a splashback in her renovated kitchen. The pressed metal is a great look but the white does throw a light tone of blue up and seems to be a bit more noticeable against the cream cupboards they've used below. Still looks good and they're happy with the result!

RufioXC

Hi There,

For new people looking for information on this. My walls turned almost baby blue when we first painted our rooms. My partner almost had a heart attack! (I kinda lowkey liked it though). Quickly i realized the older grey/blue carpet was reflecting and throwing off the wall color. Once we ripped up the carpet and polished the floor boards it looked closer to what we Expected.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/10449#Comment_10449

Many thanks for joining in the discussion and sharing your experience @RufioXC. We are looking forward to reading more about your projects and plans. Please don't hesitate to post whenever you have something to share with other members.

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're really pleased to have you join us and trust that you'll get plenty of helpful information, advice and inspiration in return.

Thanks again,

Jason

Jenw

I have just painted all the interiors in Lexicon full strength but some wall look like a baby blue colour. The sample pot which I tried out did not show any blue. Don’t really like it so may have to paint over the wall again with vivid white but it’s another cost.
bit disappointing.

Adam_W

Having just spent waaaaayyyy too much time looking at & applying paint @Ajmod I can relate to your frustration!
We used Lexicon 1/4 on a lot of our spaces, mainly for ceilings & soffits etc.
Most of our walls have been done in Natural White. When you see them used in the same space the difference is quite noticeable.
Lexicon is in the cool white range and it will reflect light back in a cool (blue) hue. This is noticeable on Lex 1/4 so I imagine it would be more pronounced again using Lex 100%.
This cool or blue look will be exaggerated if you have light globes that are in the daylight or cool range. Also early morning light will reflect more blue. This is a well recognised phenomena in photography - shoot in the early morning & you'll have to warm your images up...
Natural White on the other hand is in the warm white range.
Going over it with Lex 1/4 would lighten it up a little but I'm not sure how much.

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/16038#Comment_16038

Hello @Jenw

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your query about the Lexicon colour giving off a blue hue.

I'm sorry to hear that some parts of your paintwork are giving off a blue hue. It's great that you've received fantastic advice from @Adam_W. I agree with his assessment that if you have light sources that are in the cool range, they tend to give off a blue tinge. This is picked up by the paint and enhances that blue hue you are seeing. I suggest changing the lightbulb to a warm white as a test to see if it changes the paint colours hue.

If you get another colour sample pot, I suggest painting a square not smaller than 500mm x 500mm. This will give you a better view of what the colour will look like during the day. Please make sure to put at least 2 coats so that you will get a true representation of the paint colour.

If you need more advice or information, please let us know.

Eric

Jenw

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/70606#Comment_70606

Hi @Adam_W and @EricL,

Thanks for your reply but I had done lots of samples around all the wall and had not noticed any blue. No point changing light bulbs because it’s during the day the blue shows more. Whole of inside is painted so looks like will have to repaint.

I asked this morning if there a possibility of more tint going into the paint container accidentally but was was advised the ‘tint tubs’ should be cleaned weekly to avoid any residue.

Anyway thanks again,

Jenny

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/98439#Comment_98439

Hi @Jenw,

Is there are plain white in the room, like your ceiling? When Lexicon is by itself, it can look reasonably white, but it looks pretty blue when put next to a plain white. This is the same case with Antique White U.S.A, but with ochre instead of blue. By itself, it looks almost pure white, but after painting my ceiling with plain white, the walls look really ochre-coloured. That's not the look I was going for, and if I'd realised the effect, I'd have chosen quarter strength instead of full.

If you think there might have been a mistake with the tinting, please feel free to take both your sample pot and the tinted can to your local store's Paint Desk, and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to check any discrepancies.

Mitchell

Adam_W

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/98439#Comment_98439

Hi @Jenw I know, having used literally bucket loads of Lex 1/4, that even at 1/4 strength Lex can appear cool. I've never used it at 100% but I would imagine that it would be distinctly blue or cool at that mix.
One thing to double check is that it was mixed on the right colour base - the tin should have a mix label with tint information & then the base should be stated on the tin.
I've had that issue with exterior paints so I'm assuming is the same with interior.

AnchorsAway

I’ve just done my new house in lexicon quarter hoping to freshen up an older townhouse. We’ve done one coat upstairs and 2 out of the 3 bedrooms look blue, one is really blue.
We’ve done two coats downstairs, it does look a little blue but definitely okay to keep. I’m assuming due to the different lighting.

I’m thinking of covering the 3 bedrooms upstairs with a different white. One that is crisp and fresh with no blue undertones, but not sure what will go with lexicon quarter which would remain in the hallway/downstairs/common areas.

Thinking maybe a vivid white?

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!!

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/30280#Comment_30280

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @AnchorsAway. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about paint colours.

That's a shame; Lexicon 1/4 typically doesn't overly show its blue undertones. What colour light globes do you have in the rooms? I suspect they are cool white, so you could try changing them to warm white.

I generally go with Vivid white, which has no tint and is as crisp white as you can get. I've had a similar issue with 1/4-strength Antique White U.S.A. On the colour card, it looks perfectly white with some warm undertones, but once that's painted on a wall under a ceiling painted in pure white, it almost looks like a cream colour. Are your ceilings painted in pure white ceiling paint?

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

DIYJC

I’ve just painted my room in lexicon quarter and can confirm my walls also give off a blue tinge now. Completely unimpressed, looks like vivid white should’ve been the one recommended to me. Waste of time, effort and money.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/43791#Comment_43791

Hi @DIYJC,

I’m sorry to hear you're unhappy with the result. If Lexicon Quarter was a colour you were encouraged to choose over another option, I recommend returning to the store where you purchased the paint and discussing the issue with one of our paint experts. They’ll be able to assist you further and help find a solution.

Mitchell

BazPraz

I wish I had seen this before we painted our house with Lexicon half. The walls have a distinctly blue tinge no matter the lighting and the ceilings look cream even though they are vivid white. It looks nothing like the colour swatch or the website visualizer. The mix has been consistent even though we have tried three different tins. We were expecting a "perfect clean white" as per the advertisement. I'm very disappointed after all the effort and expense I have put into painting the house.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/52611#Comment_52611

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @BazPraz.

I'm sorry to hear the colour hasn't worked out for you, especially after going to the effort of painting the whole house. The blue portion of the tints will certainly stand out if placed next to a vivid white ceiling. I ran into a similar issue when I chose Antique White USA for my walls. It looks super white by itself, but when put on walls that have a vivid white ceiling, it almost looks like a cream colour. IN your case, the blue sub-tones are brought out, and in mine, the ochre warm tones are amplified.

You'll find that painting the ceiling and cornice in Lexicon half will reduce the impact to a certain extent. I've added a colour cube, which I use to explain how colours react with those around them. The brown square on the top is the same colour as the "orange" one on the front; it's just that the colours and shading around it make it look orange.

You might like to try painting the ceiling in one room in Lex half, to see if that could be a move forward.

I do apologise for the inconvenience. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

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