# Can someone explain tint to me?



## coldinil (Jan 25, 2009)

Every time I look at paint I get confused by the tint. What is white tint, tint base, deep base and accent base? Are any of these used as is or do they all have to be mixed? If not usable, why do they put it on display? TIA, Thunderhead


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

What you're seeing is the paint base the tint goes into. Off white colors have more in the paint that is white to help hide, and require less colorant. That would be a light tint base, sometimes called base 1 (Ben M) . The more colorant that is added, the less "white " will be in the base, and also more room is in the can for it. The real deep color bases are almost clear before the tint goes in, all resin. 
That is one reason colors like pure red are very hard to get to cover. 
Hope that helps.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I will date myself but we geezers class painters used to mix our own paint color on site. Really. 

Benjamin Moore was the first on the scence with those color jets we all take for granted now.

The problem with them still as that the heaviest of pigments like a deep umber or even black or gray do not mix in well unless you find a way and patience to stir a lot. Benjamin Moore, first again came of with the idea of tint formula bases and did the basics in factory somehow to the point they seem to work for me? They then drip the different colors to make the rainbow of paint color you see availed to you.

In the art world, where I started, a tint of a pure color is a combination of the color and and absolute white. A shade of a color is its combination with absolute black. Total ying yang theory I know but it survives as the anchor for us color theory people.

The problem, of course is nobody has found a way to mix either pure white or pure black paint. Really? So you get crap starting with either to tint or shade a color. Hence the base mixes at paint stores to at least try and establish a benchmark.

The good news? I play with color every day and when I was a painter got my clients to do so too. I cannot remember one yet that called me back to do over because they really did not like the colors. Ok one but she was special and just thought the orange in her kitchen looked dull. Of course I seldom agreed with client choices personally but I made them think it out and they loved the wall and trim colors. Over three decades.


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## coldinil (Jan 25, 2009)

*Thanks for the replies....*

That is what I thought the tinting was. Does anyone ever buy the can off the shelf and tint it themselves? I imagine a contractor might, but would an individual ever bother with it?


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

thunderhead said:


> Every time I look at paint I get confused by the tint. What is white tint, tint base, deep base and accent base? Are any of these used as is or do they all have to be mixed? If not usable, why do they put it on display? TIA, Thunderhead


White, as well as Antique White, etc. are used as is. The "bases" have to be tinted. The three different bases are for different depths of color. Pastel colors, medium colors, and deep or dark colors. If you choose a color off of one of those paint chips, it will tell you what base is needed.

Some stores try to place them so customers have a hard time getting to them, but they usually put them on display cause there is no where else to go with them. It is too far to run back and forth to the back room, and it is awkward to separate and secure them on the salesfloor.


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

thunderhead said:


> That is what I thought the tinting was. Does anyone ever buy the can off the shelf and tint it themselves? I imagine a contractor might, but would an individual ever bother with it?


Unlikely, You would need the tints and measuring equipment.


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## coldinil (Jan 25, 2009)

Thank you Blonde, that is the answer I was looking for.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Blondesense said:


> Unlikely, You would need the tints and measuring equipment.


Like I said, some of us old enough use to carry tints but it meant mixing extra paint at the same time on site. It makes no sense anymore with the equipment they now have to color paint. And even if your goal is to match something, you just grab a piece and have it scanned for a color match.


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## StevenH (Sep 9, 2009)

*sdsester*
Do you mix your own wood putty?

I was taught mixing artist color and painters putty on glass. Its actually fun to do.
We always made our own oil based stain.
I have to take color 101 classes again.:laughing:


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

StevenH said:


> *sdsester*
> Do you mix your own wood putty?
> 
> I was taught mixing artist color and painters putty on glass. Its actually fun to do.
> ...


I am impressed. I never was asked to try to mix color and window glaze putty together. I honestly did not know you could. Learn something everyday.

The old timers taught me to add pigment to lindseed oil and mineral spirits to staining new wood. I am lazy now and just buy it in cans but know how. 

I had an employee once who had a complete cabinet makers woodshop in his NYC apartment. Neighbors complained if he was inspired to do something late at night with the planer but he always threatened to get a grand piano instead and bang out bad keyboard skills. 

He ended up making storage for most of his neighbors, a big deal in NYC, so was tolerated. 

Anyhow, I gave him my Dr. Marten highly concentrated liquid watercolor set and he came up with some beautiful stained pine pieces. 

I guess 101 would be a graduate level class? I would love to take it again just to see the people in it. My art and design school training was quite magical when I look back. I didn't do much but show up with projects for critique, most of which sailed through my mentors in the art department. I started in industrial design and to this this day, with a wax pencil, can visualize a toaster or car upholstery floating in mid air on a large sketch pad. I can make a copy machine out of foam core. 

Doing so just didn't seem the career path for me. So toward the end, having put myself through school painting walls and ceilings. I did so again.


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## StevenH (Sep 9, 2009)

Be sure to add some corn starch to make it dry faster and prevent it getting wet sticky. 

My mentor got pulled over once by a cop. He had corn starch in a zip lock bag near the windshield.:laughing::laughing:

The only time I make my own stain is when we need to match a cabinet stained door. It is faster and easier of buying it of the shelf and adjusting the color.


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