DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi everyone, first post here.

I've just touched up a few patches of paint but the touched up areas have come up a lot lighter and I'm not sure why.

The room was originally painted using Dulux Trade Diamond Matt just over a year ago. Paint was in good condition, but I repaired a few small holes (from screws etc) with filler and then spot primed with Zinsser 123.

I had about 1 litre of the paint left, so I stirred throughly and then used a mini roller (the room was originally rolled too). As you can see from the pictures the touched up areas are much lighter.

It has had 15 hours to dry at this point so I'm guessing it's not due to not being dry yet? I also kept the room at 22 degrees so wasn't cold.

It can't be due to the filler or primer either, because as you can see the light patches are quite large. The filler and primer are in much smaller areas, but I try to kinda feather the paint out at the edges.

Any idea why this has happened? Have I gone too thin with the paint? If this was the case I wouldn't have thought it would be so light in the areas where it's already a darker green below?

Thanks for any advice

Hiya,
I'm an interior designer and have worked with painters and decorators for a few years now. My guys would always paint the whole wall. No matter when we touch up - even a few days after and the best feathering, it will show up in some lights. If there are a few areas, you are best off painting the entire wall I'm afraid. The zinisser may have had an effect. Well worth a fresh coat.

I'm afraid I can't see your pics, but if you've concentrated just on those areas, light, wear and tear all has an effect day to day, so I think a fresh coat is all you need.