Tips for painting a lighter color over a darker one?

[Flyover]

One of my projects over the next ten days is going to be repainting my front hallway. Currently the walls are really dark: deep navy blue, and it's an area that doesn't get a lot of natural light so the walls basically look black. My wife wants me to paint them some sort of beige she saw on a color chip.

I expect this means I'll have to put down at least two or three layers of latex paint, but is there something else I can put down first that will save me time (and money)? What's the smartest way to do this?

Also: I don't have any objections to beige, but I'm not in love with it either. Is that a bad color for a front hallway? Color recommendations welcome.

 

[oldognewtrick]

Uhh... Never , ever take a position on color choices. You won't win and if you do. You still loose... Not that I know this from experience...

 

[bud16415]

I agree with oldog. In my case she wanted the bedroom that was off white painted a dark red I nicknamed AB Negative. I wasn’t keen on the idea but figured I spend 99% of my time in there with my eyes closed.


Painting that dark red even with good quality paint required about five coats. Light over dark will be the same.


Just smile and say how nice it looks because in five more years you will be painting it dark again.

 

[billshack]

Just paint first with a white primer.

 

[Flyover]

Just paint first with a white primer.

That's what I figured. Guess I needed to hear it from someone else.

Uhh... Never , ever take a position on color choices. You won't win and if you do. You still loose... Not that I know this from experience...

Figured that, too.

But mainly I'm just asking in case people have an interior design perspective: are there certain kinds of colors that work better or worse for low-light front hallways?