As a rule, the colors distinguished by good coverage are white and pastel color shades. In addition to the high-coverage white pigment (titanium dioxide), in fact, they also contain a large proportion of fillers that contribute to a greater thickness of the coating and thus improve their coverage. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of intense color shades, such as strong red, orange, yellow or yellow-green, in which case color differences on the surface are often noticeable even after applying several coats, if the process is not done properly.

When selecting strong and intense colors, their physical properties must be taken into account and a lesser coverage quality of the coating should be expected. Fillers, which improve the coverage of the coating, are used in very limited quantities in intense color shades. Each filler, in fact, has its own “color”, and this can affect the intensity of the color shade of the top coat. Painters solve this problem by applying a high-coverage pastel base coat in the same color as the desired color shade. 

In addition to white, semi-white or transparent, some coatings, such as SPEKTRA Latex Matt, are also available in a red or yellow shade. As the colored base itself has good coverage, two layers of the selected shade are usually sufficient to achieve a beautiful top coating with good coverage.

 If you want the walls to shine in a sunny yellow color, a pastel yellow shade is used for the base coating.This is the only way for this color to glow in its proper shade. Without the pastel base coating, it will not be possible to achieve sufficient coverage even with repeated applications.

In addition to poor coverage, white scratches or the so-called “writing effect” may also appear when drawing a sharp object over the wall surface, especially on matt surfaces painted with intense colors.

Pigments in glossy coatings are surrounded by a binder, while pigments in matt coatings lie freely on the surface, which will cause them to move to the side in case of scratching and white fillers will become apparent. To prevent the “writing effect”, it is recommended to use glossy coats for intense color shades. Even with silky-gloss coatings, such as SPEKTRA Latex Semi-matt, this problem no longer occurs. Coatings with a matt appearance can be protected with SPEKTRA Domflok Matt. This is a transparent coating with a high binder proportion, which covers the pigment and protects the coating against scratching.

Painting with intense color shades does require some experience, however, there is no need to avoid strong shades entirely. Select a glossy coating and apply the base pastel color in the desired shade, similar to the color shade you would like to achieve, or select a color-based shade. Let the walls glow in their fresh new appearance and become part of a new story.