paint disaster with Dulux Vivid White

5 years ago

Used Vivid White (Dulux) on walls. OMG! its like liquid paper white! not good. Changed to Natural white and hoping this looks better. Laundry too so gets full sun.

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Rebecca

3 years ago

Thank God someone talking about the effects of light and surrounding colour (and furnishings) when choosing a white (or any paint). So sick of reading about how 'bad' vivid white is on walls. I have put a paint sample up on the walls of my (poor natural lighting) unit, and it looks great, as well as being a good foil/contrast to the colours in the furniture I am painting. Tried white on white, which looks great in the pot, only to look 'dirty' on the walls. Vivid white in my unit doesn't look 'clinical', but 'clean', and most importantly, looks 'white' instead of slightly yellow or grey, or worse, like the walls haven't been cleaned in a decade. And the place looks brighter and more welcoming because more light is being reflected off the walls (and as I said, there is not enough of that to begin with). And as an FYI, yes, vivid white is an untinted Dulux colour, and is used as a base. However, I was just talking to a paint shop retailer of a different brand who I have been getting some supplies off, and he said that the Dulux vivid white base is actually slightly yellower than their base (Luxury paints base), which is very white. So even the much disparaged vivid white isn't a 'pure' white. And I did notice that when I put it up on the walls of my unit. The current white is very similar, but more yellow, but I was surprised there wasn't as much of a difference as I expected. Just goes to show the effect of a) the surrounding colour and b) the light a room gets.

Comments (7)

PRO
Dr Retro House Calls
5 years ago
The ONLY way to choose a white is to get a sample, either a sample pot, or an A4 brush-out from a professional. Put it in the room that you are planning to paint, and live with it for a few days to see how your perception of it changes with the changes of light during the day and night. Your perception of white depends on the quality of light from windows, light fittings and colour of your light bulbs, as well as what other colours it refelcts such as the colour of the floor. In my experience Dulux Vivid White is great for timber trims in older style homes, but is too clinical as a wall paint. I also know that one white which looks great in one house can look completely different and quite wrong in another house. Spend a little money on a sample pot and save stress and big dollars down the track...

Best of luck

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls
Tilly
5 years ago
I always buy sample pots and paint a large piece of cardboard.
Also I’m a big fan of Dulux Whisper white.
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Hi Rochelle. We have Hogs Bristle 1/2 strength on the walls. Vivid white on Windows and skirts. Looks fabulous. It is a very bright room with high skylights. Always looks clean and fresh and very stylish. hogs Bristle has been a favourite in the Deluxe range for many year and I can understand why. Good luck with whatever you go with.
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bigreader
5 years ago
Vivid white is untinted so it is white white white. Natural white I think may be too far the other way (although I do love it). Agree Whisper White may be a good choice. Lots of people suggest Lexicon 1/2 or 1/4 strength but I found it also too stark. I’m going to try Wattyl Chalk Dust for my next repaint (if you’d like to see pics of it google Amity Dry house).
zaffa
5 years ago
Dulux Snowy Mountains Qtr or half strength is another good option. Not too cold/stark but also not too warm/cream looking
PRO
Paul Di Stefano Design
5 years ago
Take the "hope it will be ok" out of colour selection by preparing large sample boards that you can move around. On many projects we'll prepare say 3-4 samples of each colour/tone being considered on a 900mm x 900mm approx pieces of ply that can be moved around and considered. It might cost a few hundred dollars for the exercise but to get the decision correct it's a no-brainer investment, particularly when you can be spending $30K on painting labour for a house. Colour and tints are super subtle and will be perceived differently depending upon what they are next to and how large an area they cover.

Colour choice needs to made in context with understanding about what it will be interacting with and relating to in terms of extent of light & other materials/finishes in the same space

http://www.resene.com.au/samecolour.htm

Is this the same colour?
Julie2266 B
3 years ago
lexicon quarter?

paint disaster with Dulux Vivid White

Rebecca

Comments (7)

Dr Retro House Calls

Tilly

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bigreader

zaffa

Paul Di Stefano Design

Julie2266 B

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