Hey. I just started painting my home theater room, which we decided on a sorta deep red (some sort of merlot color). I was told by the guy at Home depot, i needed to tint my primer reddish, which i did. After 1 coat of primer, and 1 coat of paint, it looks like garbage. Will this go away after i recoat, or will it take several recoats. Basically, has anyone painted red, and what are some tips for doing it?
Thanks
For red paint I usually use a gray primer, works the best for me.
Several coats. Red is very difficult. I'm surprised the tinted primer didn't help you a bit more.
Whenever I painted the back wall of our TV room a Merlot red I thought it would be an easy and quick deal, after the first couple of coats it looked pretty nasty so I kept on going. I'm thinking I used the whole gallon over 3 days on that one wall but the end result turned out really well.
I didn't use a primer and don't know if it really matters too terribly much or not.
What is the base color that your painting over?
I am painting this on brand new drywall, with the tinted primer. When i say garbage, i mean, i can tell which places got more paint than others...you can see through waaaay more than painting any other color. I will give an update tomorrow, as the second coat is going on today, but maybe an extra coat or two will make it alright?...i really want this to work, it looks like it will be a sweet color...hopefully not too many coats...it takes almost 3 quarts per coat...its 3 walls
This is either after the first or second day and as you can see it looks exactly as you are describing....BTW I did not paint around the pics and panel, I threw 'em up there to get an idea of how it was all going to come together.
The only reason I didn't use a primer was because of the job being only one wall, my thought was that I could use a coat or two of the paint itself as a primer instead of buying a whole gallon of primer for the small amount of area. Also as you can see, the red was applied over a pre-existing painted wall.
Ya, dark paint takes many, many coats unless you use a dark primer first. I think I’ve got four coats on my walls and I can still see areas where a fifth coat is needed. (I did not use primer either)
good...it seems that it should be fine, but i might have to do more work, which is never good, but it isnt that bad...money isnt a big deal, i just want it to look really nice, and red was the best color for the room. Ill post pics when i get it done (wont be getting carpet for another 3 weeks though, so it wont be for a while. (btw, i cannot see pictures, so if you posted one (which it seems like) i cannot see it
I had a previously light green room painted red. It took the painter a couple of coats (no primer) to get the darkness. I noticed that after the first coat that the color took well though.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9872286@N03/762255801/in/set-72157600733294126/http://www.flickr.com/photos/9872286@N03/763111918/in/set-72157600733130627/
Most deep colours require a lot of coats... paints tinted into "pastel" or "deep" bases require quite a few coats, especially the deep bases, it's almost like a glaze at that point instead of paint.
They steered you right on the colour-tinted primer, though. A flat grey primer will change the final colour... our main area colour was supposed to be kind of a stone colour, but with picking from a chip, it came out more like dirty straw. I had them custom mix a primer with the complimentary colour (yay for my knowledge of paint and colour) and it brought it to almost exactly the colour we wanted originally.
We've chickened out of our original plans for a deep red entryway here... but all my garage cabinetry is painted Holly Berry red (the closest Behr comes to tool box red)... and it was... painful. Three coats over tinted primer was "good enough for the garage" - for something I cared about, probably would have been 4 or 5.
Bren R.
I poked around at your house pics....
I love it.
Thanks Peter.
We love the house and the colors. As with most Eichlers and colorful rooms, people either really like it or really hate it. Not too much middle ground.
However, it was a pain to reconfigure my HT w/o any crawlspace or attic.
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I am painting this on brand new drywall, with the tinted primer. When i say garbage, i mean, i can tell which places got more paint than others...you can see through waaaay more than painting any other color. I will give an update tomorrow, as the second coat is going on today, but maybe an extra coat or two will make it alright?...i really want this to work, it looks like it will be a sweet color...hopefully not too many coats...it takes almost 3 quarts per coat...its 3 walls
I painted my studio downstairs a redish/burnt orange colour...let me tell you, I know EXACTLY what you are going through. It took me about 5-6 coats to get full coverage. Keep going, its the only way you'll get a full coverage.
Just know that you are not alone when painting with a red base and having to do 5-6 coats.
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I poked around at your house pics.... I love it.
I did as well. What an awesome house oldskool...you should be extremely proud! 
Cesar, your house is stunning. The bold color choices go together extremely well! I don't think I'd ever be able to put together a color scheme like that. Really gives your beautiful home a touch of character. Nicely done.
Thank you all for your replies. I painted the second coat yesterday night, and the difference was night and day. It is about 90% there, it looks like hte first coat of a normal color...Hopefully all it takes is 3, but if i have to do a 4th, it will not be a big deal. Also, thanks for posting the pictures, but i forgot to check them at home last night, work blocks all of the image posting sites, i will definately check them out today.
Thanks a ton,
Sorry I am late to the party. When I did my HT room:
I did some research and decided on Benjamin Moore paint. I was also fortunate to talk to a professional painter at the Benny Moore store. The net is that red is exceptionally difficult to work with. He gave me dark gray primer and told me to put on two coats. Then he told me to do one roller width of the paint at a time rather than a square or a "W" pattern. All went well and I only needed two coats of paint.
I made the mistake of painting red over white primer. Four coats later, I can still see white bleeding through.
Quick OT question. What size TV is that Ray?
Same as his waist size, 58"
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Same as his waist size, 58"
I'll never understand you old people... 
Why do I see them in my mind's eye as Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon?
Bren R.
Stymie - Jack is correct about the TV (NOT the waist
). It's a Panasonic th-58PX600U. They didn't have the professional (no speakers, no tuner) 58" available last year.
Yeah, but which is which?
Your mind's eye remembers...
I did a much better job putting Ray in than Jack. But his expression was a more natural fit. Funny that I grabbed his image from a picture taken on his daughter's wedding day. He must have just seen the bill.
Thanks Sean. I'll probably create a thread so I can post pix of the new stereo and HT set ups. Just waiting for my couch to arrive so my QS8s can be properly placed.
This is our first Mid-Century Modern (MCM). It's kept me busy looking for vintage designer gear from Eames, Herman Miller, Saarinen, Knoll, etc.
I think my front wall (black) behind the screen took 3-4 coats before the streaks and a smoother look was achieved. Make sure if your rolling you follow proper techniques for best results.
Red paint also often has an iron based pigment.
It takes a few days to dry, react with oxygen in the air and eventually obtain a darker tone, usually more like the paint chip colour.
While applying our exterior coat of a deep 'merlot' red trim, the paint itself looks purple while wet.
That is a good point Chess, I always waited a day or so between coats to make sure the paint is totally cured.
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I'll probably create a thread so I can post pix of the new stereo and HT set ups.
I'll be looking forward to the thread.
Why wait? I
am looking forward to the thread.
Thanks, professor!
Pete - this is why expanded computer storage is a bad thing.