Help! My walls look blue

[Ajmod]

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?

[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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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