A custom color paint or stain tinting system employs a dark-colored non-infrared-absorptive liquid base paint or stain and a point-of-sale array of concentrated liquid colorants which when dispensed into the base paint or stain provide custom-tinted non-infrared-absorptive paints or stains in lightened shades and a variety of tints. Dark custom-tinted paints or stains are tinted lighter from a dark-colored base, not darker from a white or light colored base as is done in conventional point-of-sale systems.