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myexecutiveranch

Help with Navy Blue paint!

7 years ago

Does anyone have a Navy Blue paint that they really like?


My daughter has decided to paint over the brown grasscloth wallpaper in her room with Navy Blue. (I think it'll end up looking great as long as the wallpaper doesn't bubble; we'll do lots of light coats and keep our fingers crossed!) We're going to use a satin or semi-gloss paint to provide some of the depth that fresh grasscloth would have. So far, those samples are looking ok, sheen-wise.


But I'm having trouble finding a good Navy Blue, not a problem I thought I'd have. The paints seem to actually look lighter on the wall than they do in the paper samples! Have paint companies started making extra-dark paper samples or something? I'm on my third liquid paint sample based on the paper samples, and still underwhelmed.


So far, I've tried

1. Behr "Tidal" (Too light, kind of a plain blue.)

2. Behr "Express Blue" (This one had a bit more green in it, which made it more interesting. I thought it still looked a bit too light/blue, not Navy enough, although my daughter liked it.)

3. Home Decorator Collection "Champlain Blue" (This one had a bit more intensity of color to it, but looked almost purple in some lights.)


My next step would be to go with the most intense colors: Behr "Very Navy," "Inked," or "Starless Night", or Home Decorators "Indigo Ink." I was worried that these might look too black on the wall, but maybe they'd be fine.


Any suggestions from the color enthusiasts out there?



Comments (24)

  • 7 years ago

    That is a great looking color, and it seems to read navy, which is good.

    Glad you've had luck with painting over grasscloth! It's nice to hear from somebody that it actually worked....

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Yup, Hale Navy is my go to navy as well! With a dark color you may have to do multiple coats to get the darkness you want.

    myexecutiveranch thanked Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design
  • 7 years ago

    Sherwin Williams Naval. Not too blue, black, or purple, just perfect navy blue

    myexecutiveranch thanked OneRidgeOff
  • 7 years ago

    I love Hale Navy as well but was wondering if it makes a bedroom look small because of the dark color? I bet it will look stunning when you are done.


  • 7 years ago

    NewEnglandgal, it's a pretty good-sized room so I don't think it will look small. In a perfect world the ceiling would be a bit higher than the standard 8 feet, but it should be ok! :^)

  • PRO
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Dark wall color makes small rooms look larger. Why? Because you can’t see the shadows in the corners. Shadows define the space.



    myexecutiveranch thanked JudyG Designs
  • 7 years ago

    One other question (and thanks everyone for the input, it's very helpful.) The room has some medium brown 1960s woodwork which we're going to leave in place rather than paint. (We'll have some white in the room to pop with the Navy as well, but I'd rather not paint the louvered closet doors, etc. white.) If we're looking for a Navy Blue that won't fight too much with the woodwork, is there an undertone that will work best? My gut tells me that a Navy with an undertone of teal might look best, or am I overthinking it?

  • 7 years ago
    I used SW Gale Force on my front door.
    It’s not a true navy- I think it has a touch of teal in it...
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I'm hoping it'll end up looking sort of like this, except probably not quite as cool: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/95/78/b4/9578b42da04362f50e0957643a594fbc.png

  • 7 years ago

    blues, teals, dark blue greens, all look good w/wood. here is a deep peacock blue (Valspar- Ocean Radiance is close to this color)


    BM Dark Harbor




    don't know if you saw these other Behr colors




    myexecutiveranch thanked Beth H. :
  • 7 years ago

    This is really helping me get a feel for the colors. Now I feel like I have a handle on a set of navies that range from deep teal to deep grayish navy! Thank you so much.

  • 7 years ago

    Love Farrow & Ball Skiffkey Blue

    Looks light here but goes on deep and rich....you can order a small sample from Farrow&Ball online.

    The Stiffkey Blue In-Frame Kitchen · More Info


    myexecutiveranch thanked Susan Davis
  • 7 years ago

    Love the deep blues and blue greens!

    Noticed you were referencing Behr. A couple of these looked moody.

    Restless sea

    Formal Sitting Room Webisode — STUDIO MCGEE · More Info
    Nocturne blue
    behr nocturne blue - Google Search · More Info

    I have this photo saved, it's actually grasscloth wallpaper in a deep blue. Your post reminded me of it.

    Promontory Project: Main Floor, Master Suite — STUDIO MCGEE · More Info

  • 7 years ago

    Put on a coat of oil primer before you paint. That will assure that the navy blue paint will go on nice and smooth with no bubbles and no peeling. Latex paint, will loosen the grasscloth without the primer.

  • 7 years ago
    Kmg, I love the Restless Sea color! So moody!
  • 7 years ago

    Hi. Here are my top navy colors. Remember though a true navy almost looks black so you might opt for one with a little more blue. Hale navy, old navy, marine blue, symphony blue, champion cobalt Are solid choices, all by BM.

    For a color in between navy and cobalt blue look at admiral blue.(BM)

    newburg green (navywith hints of grey and just a tad green)- this is one of my favorites, on trend but not over used.

    if you are looking for more deep teals check out twilight, teal, Galapagos turquoise (all BM)


    summer nights, is also worth looking into.

    good luck! Would love to see a pic of the finished product.

  • 7 years ago

    myexecutiveranch...i like that Sea color too. Did I mention Ocean Radiance to you? It's a Valspar color. I used it on the inner drawers of this dresser I painted. the outside color is Birds Egg from BM

    It's a dark color, but on the wall, not too dark that it will look black.

    myexecutiveranch thanked Beth H. :
  • 7 years ago

    Hale navy by BM. My sons room is one wall hale navy and 3 walls light gray. Love the combo

  • 7 years ago
    Another vote for Hale Navy! I have it in my master bedroom and LOVE it!
  • 7 years ago

    We just painted our library SW Naval.... I love it!

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Have paint companies started making extra-dark paper samples or something? I'm on my third liquid paint sample based on the paper samples, and still underwhelmed.


    It can be a challenge to test darker colors. All modern paints dry quickly but they're not fully cured when they're dry to the touch.


    Paint can take 2 to 4 weeks to fully cure and darker colors in particular can take several days for the color to cure out.


    I sell a custom dark shutter green in my online store and it takes longer to dry compared to the other, lighter colors and we let the samples cure out for at least a week before we ship just because it take a while for the color to cure out.

  • 7 years ago
    Apply two coats of flat latex paint to the grasscloth wallpaper, using a roller. Move the roller vertically across the wallpaper, proceeding left to right. Allow the first coat of flat paint to dry for two hours before applying the second. Use a paintbrush to prime areas of the grasscloth wallpaper that are inaccessible to the roller. Let the wallpaper dry for two hours.

    Clean the roller by washing it.

    Apply the finish coat to the grasscloth wallpaper, using the same method used to prime it. Satin latex paint will provide the most attractive result.

    The two pre-coats of flat latex paint act as a primer for the grasscloth wallpaper. Although it may seem like a nuisance, apply both of these coats, or the finish may dry unevenly.
    Hale Navy and Naval are both nice
  • 7 years ago

    Lori, that is really interesting about the paint curing darker, something I had not considered but it makes total sense!

    I think I'm going to take Irene's advice and use the 2 coats of flat latex as a primer. We'll put it on thin so the moisture doesn't dissolve the grasscloth.

    Thank you all for sharing this information and photos of spaces! It's been so helpful! (And ps I think I'm going to paint the insides of all my drawers in shiny contrasting colors, it's beautiful....:^)