How to match ceiling paint?

Did you use what you cut out of the ceiling for them to color match?

Prime the spot first needed to repaint, you may want to spackle and/or prime first, use brush and also sponge to feather out. Also keep going back if it tint is not right or use another store. But the truth is: it is almost impossible to touch up a ceiling. You may have to repaint if it is too much of an eyesore to live with.

Janet is right about matching a faded piece and not the original paint colour. Johnnychip is right about the priming, feathering, and it being almost impossible to touch up.

You don't mention whether the ceiling is white or a colour.

I colour-matched a piece of old trim, and got a very close colour for my panelling for a repair. In another spot, it looked a bit more creamy, so I added a bit of white primer until I got closer, and it is barely noticeable. Sometimes on ceilings, it seems to match till it dries. That happened to me, but eventually with all the sunfading, it blended in.

I had read for walls in darker colours, to add a bit of water to the latex paint, and then use a Q-tip for nail holes, or sponge it on if the area isn't too big, and then "wipe" it in to feather. It works quite well for small repairs.

Unless you have the original paint can, I'd bite the bullet and repaint the entire ceiling. You won't be happy unless you do. Every 'ceiling' white is different, touch ups sometimes are just not perfectly matched. Best of luck.

Just repaired a section where the drywall tape was separating From ceiling. Didnt want bright white ceiling paint to make repair stand out even more so I added some light grey paint to the ceiling paint until it was more of an off white very very light grayish. Seems to match pretty good. I was happy with it. Now in my closet I had to repair a corner of the ceiling and after painting that spot the rest of the ceiling looked like old pale yellow color. So I just painted the whole thing bright white since it was a lot smaller ceiling area than the bedroom.

Paint looks lighter than the paint swatch when it is wet, then dries darker. When dry it should match the paint swatch exactly.

Most big box stores have a computer that will match your paint sample. Take a sample with you to the paint dept and let them do their magic.

Find a hidden spot, maybe a closet or behind a outlet where you can slice off a small piece of the paint you want. Take it to a paint store that has a computer match for tinting. Lowes, Home Depot and any major paint store has that available.

Take a paint chip from the wall to a paint store and they can match it for you!

They only need a sample about the size of a nickel for the computer to match.

Take a small sample/chip to Home Depot and they will match it in whatever (gloss, flat, etc.) kind of paint you need.

you will have to take a large enough chip with you for any paint store to do a color match

if it is something in your home (wall paint, furnishings, decorative items) bring some paint chips home that resemble the color you want. Top pic is our old porch ceiling, bottom is new. Paint is same color which we found by bringing home a chip to match. The lower looks darker because it was a darker day, but it is the same color.

Hi Tim, your best bet is repaint the ceiling, you will never match the old paint, and new paint will really lighten up your room.

Seems like it would simpler in the long run to just repaint the entire ceiling and keep the can lid which contains info to help the paint store match that color.

You're stuck with painting the entire ceiling for best results.

Forget about getting small pots of touch up paint. Get a colour you like and do the lot. The colour of the ceiling will vary all over because of the conditions in the room right under any one spot eg: smoke or age related atmosphere.

Your better off painting the whole ceiling. The touch up paint they mixed for you at the store almost never will match unless it comes from the same can or buckle the ceiling was painted from, sorry.

Ugh, I feel your pain. We literally just went through this and in the end we had to repaint the entire ceiling. It was a lot more work than we were hoping for, but in the end it looked great. Good luck!

Agree with Kim but the best way to touch up the ceiling is just repaint the entire ceiling.

Hi Tim, I agree with those suggesting you just bite the bullet and repaint the entire ceiling. We're always most critical of our own diy work, and even though no one else might notice a slight difference even when feathered out, you'll notice and it will likely bother you.

Since you have now used two touch up mixed paints and not been able to get invisible finish, I doubt you will, because the original ceiling has collected dust/particals etc. from the air. You will have to give the area a stain blocker and then repaint the entire ceiling.......

Hello, Sadly due to age and dust, etc, you won't get a good match, you could just put a new coat on.

Hi Tim: I'd cut my losses and repaint the entire ceiling :( Sad but true, you will make yourself crazy trying to make a match and you will always 'see' where you repainted that little bit. As I mentioned to another person with a ceiling painting question, use a colour changing paint. There's a ceiling paint you can buy that goes on pink or purple and stays that way for about 15 minutes so that you can see where you left off painting. Then, it turns white. This way you don't overlap or miss areas. I've used it and love it :) However, don't have a fan on while using it as it dries the paint too quickly and defeats the purpose of the changing colour:) Here are a couple of them:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zinsser-1-gal-Flat-Bright-White-Ceiling-Paint-and-Primer-in-One-2-Pack-260967/204805213

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Insl-X-Color-Changing-Ceiling-Paint-1-gal-Flat-White-Interior-Paint-1005646/318456088

Good luck

Prime the spot and then seal it with spray lacquer matt finish and try the new paint. I did that and the white's matched perfectly.

Hello Tim: Perhaps the least frustrating thing to do is to repaint the entire ceiling. There are a couple of paints called colour changing paint, just for ceilings. It goes on pink or purple and, within 15 minutes, will change to white. This makes it easier to see where you left off painting and reduces over lap and/or missing areas. One thing to remember is to NOT use a fan when you are painting as it will dry the paint faster and turn it right. Don't ask me how I know :( HAHA Maybe not the answer you want, but I think it's the easiest.

Good luck

I feel ya! We ended up repainting the ceiling.

This is tricky because over time, paint changes color ever so subtly so what it was originally in the can, it won't be later for a repair. If you can take the piece you cut out or a small extra chunk to be color matched, that might work. Otherwise, your best bet is to repaint the whole ceiling, unfortunately.