Many medium and light-colored paints will cover dark paint just fine in two coats without a primer. It depends more on the base and pigments in the lighter color than the underlying paint. You can usually paint lighter neutral colors without a primer, even over black or bright red paint. Some pastel shades and yellows, however, will require multiple coats, or primer, even over a light or medium shade of paint. Knowledgeable staff at a good paint store should be able to tell you whether or not you need primer to paint over dark paint.
Instructions
1. Ask the paint store when you buy the paint whether it is mixed in a "low hide" base. Low hide colors are usually yellows and light peach-toned colors. These may require more than two coats of paint to cover, even over a white wall, and always require primer.
2. Have the paint store add some black or umber colorant to pure white paint. This will not significantly alter the brightness of the white, but will increase its hiding properties.
3. Buy a suitable high-hiding primer for low hide colors. Use exterior primer for painting outside, and general purpose or interior primer for interior walls and trim. Buy an oil- or shellac-based primer if you are painting over an oil-based paint with water-based paint. Ask the paint store to tint the primer close to the color of the finish paint.
4. Perform this simple test if you're not sure whether the existing paint is latex or oil-based: Rub a small area of the paint with a rag soaked in rubbing or denatured alcohol (the kind sold in drug stores). If some of the finish comes off on the rag and the rubbed spot is dulled or a little bit sticky, it's latex or water-based paint. Oil-based paint is not affected by rubbing alcohol.
5. Apply one coat of the primer over the darker color. Allow it to dry according to label directions.
6. Paint one, or preferably two, two coats of the lighter paint over the primed surface. If the finish paint is flat, you may be able to get away with one coat--evaluate it in good light after it's dry. If the paint has any shine to it, do two coats for uniform sheen.
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