Can you fix a bad Warhammer paint job without stripping the model?
Most bad paint jobs can be fixed without stripping the model. Acrylic paint covers its own mistakes, so you paint over them in thin coats. The table below gives the first fix to try for each mistake. Strip only when paint has buried the detail.
Match the fix to the mistake
| What went wrong | Try this first | Repaint the part if |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast is blotchy or has tide marks | Once dry, a second coat of the same colour. Or keep the marks as weathering. | It is a big flat panel and you want it smooth. See the Contrast page. |
| Shade has pooled in stains on flat armour | Let it dry, then cover with thin coats of the base colour. | The stain covers a whole panel. |
| Drybrushing is chalky or heavy | Paint the original colour back in thin coats and drybrush with less paint. See the drybrush page. | The model has no texture for it to catch. |
| An eye is smudged or too big | Cover it with black, or the colour around it, and paint it again. | The whole face is lost. |
| Coat is streaky | A thin coat of the same paint over the top. See the brush strokes page. | Paint is thick enough to hide detail. |
| Surface is bumpy | Thin coats hide pitting but raised grit stays. See the bumpy paint page. | The grit still bothers you. |
Why painting over works
Acrylic paint takes more acrylic paint, so a mistake can usually be covered rather than removed. Games Workshop's eye-painting advice says as much: if you drop too much paint on an eye, cover it with Corvus Black and try again.
The rule behind the table is to use thin coats, wait for each to dry, and stop when the mistake has gone. "Repaint the part" in the table means painting it again over the old paint in thin coats, not stripping it. If a fix is taking ten coats, start the part again from the undercoat colour and paint it in full.
If Shade has pooled
Shade paints are made to settle in recesses and leave raised areas relatively untouched. Games Workshop reformulated the whole Shade range in 2022 for exactly that. A dark stain on a flat plate means too much paint went on, or the paint was left to sit.
- If it is still wet, touch the tip of a clean, slightly damp brush to the pool and let it draw the extra away.
- If it has dried, cover the stain with thin coats of the base colour. Do not scrub dried Shade.
- Next time, load less paint and put it in the recesses only.
We also list the Citadel Medium Shade Brush, which is sold out at the moment. Nuln Oil is sold out at the moment, and the Shade in our 10th Edition Paints + Tools set is Agrax Earthshade.
When stripping is the only answer
Stripping removes all the paint, so it is the last resort. It suits a model where thick paint has filled the detail, or where a coat has peeled in sheets. We do not sell a stripper, so we will not recommend a method. Some chemicals melt the plastic and some are unsafe to breathe. Ask a local hobby club what has worked on current plastic kits before you put a model in any liquid.
Before you decide, hold the model at arm's length. Our page on tabletop standard painting explains what the finish needs to be.
Common questions
Do I have to strip a model to repaint it?
Not usually. Acrylic paint takes more acrylic paint, so most mistakes can be painted over in thin coats. Stripping is for models where the paint is so thick the detail has gone, or where it has peeled.
Why has my Shade left dark stains on flat armour?
Shade is made to run into recesses and leave raised areas relatively clean. On a flat plate there is nowhere for it to go, so it dries in a stain. Cover it with the base colour in thin coats.
Is it better to repaint or leave a small mistake?
Look at it from where you play. Many flaws vanish at tabletop distance, so fix only what you can see from there and leave the rest.
Covering a mistaken eye: Warhammer Community, 30 November 2022. Shade behaviour: Warhammer Community, 13 June 2022. The damp-brush tip for pooled paint is adapted from Warhammer Community's Contrast advice of 4 February 2025. Paint types in the 10th Edition Paints + Tools set: this shop's listing. Prices and stock: this shop, read live. Repair methods other than these are our own advice.