I am trying to match the color on the ceiling to fix a small area that had leaked water years ago. I know that I should repaint the whole ceiling, but the person living there says that if I paint anything it will kill them That is another story completely.

I need to mix white paint or possibly joint compound (ceiling is swirled) with some tinting to try to get close to the color. I went to several stores and got samples, but non match the color. I know that guns are used to come up with paint formulas to match colors, but they are very expensive.

I just need to tint slightly to match the 12 year aging look. It is an area about 14 inches by 2 inches.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.