It feels like a theme lately to remind you guys that we mentioned that we were going to do fill-in-the-blank a while back and then exclaim that we finally got around to doing it. So this time fill-in-the-blank is finally painting the bedroom finials to match Ed The Bed. See how they’re a bit too white in this pic?
It definitely wasn’t rocket science (not much of what we do around here is, haha) but we wanted to share the super easy process when it comes to matching paint to any existing item of furniture, like if you’re planning to add legs to a painted dresser that you already own for example. The first step is to grab a bunch of white (or whatever color your item is) swatches. Start with some of the most popular white paint colors, but also grab a wide range of brightnesses and undertones
We weren’t brand loyal at all (we wanted to get the widest range of white tones). Then we came home with all of them and held each one up against one of Ed’s posts to see which one almost “disappeared” when we held it up (meaning it was the closest match). The winner was Parchment White by Glidden.
So we got a tiny test pot of it in satin for a few bucks and I prepared to get my paint on. I had saved the cardboard packaging from the guest bedroom mirror that we picked up from Target (large cardboard pieces like that always come in handy since I’m so paint obsessed, and I’ve actually already used it a few times now) so I stuck each finial through the raised part of the packaging so they would “stand up.” That way I could paint all sides of them without worrying about having to touch/smear them to spin them around. And yes, of course I was watching some evening TV while I got ‘er done (The Apprentice if you’re wondering).
The result? Well they look pretty much the same color as Ed.
Oh but we’ve noticed that many items from Ikea vary when it comes to how white they are (for example, some of their white frames are brighter than others) so it’s not necessarily safe to assume that Parchment White by Glidden will be a perfect match to every white Ikea item. But bringing home some swatches, holding them up, and then buying a tiny test pot of the one that blends in the best for a few bucks is a pretty painless process.
The only problem? Little paint projects like this leave me itching to find other small things to paint. What’s wrong with me? It’s a sickness I tell ya.
Cait @ Hernando House says
Looks great :) Don’t you love it when you get some of the little things like that checked off?
s leigh says
i have a gallon of antique white from glidden that seems to match everything and look good everywhere.
Sadie says
Looks great! What did you think about Nene?? She is crazy with a capital C.
YoungHouseLove says
Whew- she went nuts on Star! But I kind of liked it because I imagine that not many people talk to Star that way. I worked with her a while back in my advertising days on a Got Milk shoot and she was a bit, um, less than warm.
xo,
s
Krystal says
I absolutely love Nene. She tells it like it is, and that doesn’t exclude Star. “When Star had open heart surgery, the doctors forgot to put the heart back in.” Love it!
Sadie says
Ooh, I love inside scoop like that! Thanks for the juicy details! So maybe Nene isn’t as crazy as they made her out to be. I guess LaToya also said that Star was “backstabby.” haha
YoungHouseLove says
John and I love LaToya. She seems like such a nice person and we were kind of sad when she went home. Glad she’s back.
xo,
s
@christinamdick says
So cute!
April says
My husband thinks I am psychotic because I go on painting binges too. Unfortunately, he doesn’t think home improvements are as awesome as your husband thinks they are! You’re so lucky!
Katie says
This sounds just like my house!
Katherine says
It looks good! Funny how those small things are what keep us from resting in an otherwise perfectly good room. And I have to laugh — “it’s a sickness I tell ya” is definitely becoming a catchphrase with you!
YoungHouseLove says
I know. I’m realizing how weird I am more and more every day. Haha. I called my friend and said “you know how you paint one thing and you want to paint a ton of other stuff?” and she said “um, no” – I died laughing.
xo,
s
kim says
@Sherry – Oh I totally get that! Everytime I get out my can of oil rubbed bronze spray paint, my s
son yells “Hide yo’ kids! Hide yo’ wife!” because he claims the more I paint, well…the more I paint.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, hilarious.
xo,
s
ka says
I wonder – does Ikea sell cans of the stain colors they use for touch-ups? I’ve been there a thousand times and never thought about it…
YoungHouseLove says
They don’t (maybe because many of their white furnishings are different tones of white, etc) but they totally should!
xo,
s
Charles says
I’ve never seen white touch up supplies at Ikea but I have seen other actual stains there. I bought the BlackBrown one to make a little project match the night stand of the same stain…worked pretty well. I’ve done little touch-ups of scratches and stuff with those stain pens with pretty good results too.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s good to know! I always wondered how close those stains would be.
xo,
s
liz says
Looks awesome… and although you make it sound so simple… there is really a process to it all.
I love this post… and it makes me want to go paint something!
Robin @ our semi organic life says
looks very good! Sometimes I have that itch to paint things too! I want to try a mini project like you’ve done and paint the back of a bookcase. I’m trying to decide between a solid color and pattern – chevron stripes?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! That sounds awesome!
xo
s
Teresa says
Looks awesome! What a great tip.
Julia @ Chris loves Julia says
I am breathing a sigh of relief for you. I finially finished ottomans that I reupholstered weeks ago this morning. All I had to do was add backing to hide the tufting and I JUST got around to it. What is MY problem? But now that it is done, I feel like that project isn’t haunting me anymore and I can move on.
A little tip from one paint enthusiast to another: I collect the sample paint mistints. I have never seen them above $.50. For that much paint, it is a GREAT price. While they are of virtually no use when it comes to touching up furniture like your post, I use them for painting large canvases–I studied art, too!– that I like to hang around my house…..and now my secret is out.
Chris Loves Julia
YoungHouseLove says
Love that idea!
xo,
s
Robin @ our semi organic life says
I love checking out the mistints section too! Always great prices if you’re flexible with specific colors.
Shawna says
Oohh! It matches perfectly! So which paint project is next??
YoungHouseLove says
I’m dying to paint the dining room but I have to get John amped up for it. Haha. He’s so sore from the patio it might take some work to convince him…
xo,
s
Caitlin @ Desert Domicile says
Glad you guys find the right white (say that 10x fast)! Ed looks much better with his matching finials :)
Amanda @ Our Humble A{Bowe}d says
I’m the same way. When I finally get around to getting something done, I look for other similar projects I can tackle. After spray painting, nothing in my house is safe.
Kim@superchyc says
LOL…I feel the same way! Once I get to spraying, anything made of wood better watch its back!
Kristie says
Thanks for such a timely post! I have a Stratton Bed from Pottery Barn that my Pup’s paws had a scratch-fest with while he was running doggy marathons in his sleep. PB’s touch up kits received crummy feedback on the website so I’m going to pickup a boat load of white swatches and have at it!!
tarynkay says
Is there a reason that you brought home samples rather than bringing a piece of the bed (like one of the shorter rails you removed) to the store to have custom matched? Do paint stores still do that?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah I could do that but the shortest rail was still around 4′ long so I figured bringing home swatches (which could be stuck into my purse) would help me travel light. Haha.
xo,
s
gemma@thesweetestdigs says
What is it about doing a paint or other DIY project with some good old reality TV on in the background?! I’m totally the same — great combo apparently.
Your house is looking better and better every day! The bedroom and living room in particular are awesome!
Charles says
I know exactly what you mean. I went crazy one weekend and spray painted the front door kick plate, door bell button, and door knob oil rubbed bronze…after a month they are all holding up great. But now I’m like…what else needs paint!?
Hence the reason why the old-ish ceiling fan in the newly painted master bed room is disassembled awaiting a transformation from chrome (yuck) to brushed nickel and a new light kit. For about $30 I’ll have a “new” fan =)
shannon says
It’s funny that you said you are looking for little things to paint, because I was sitting here at work today thinking of little things I want to paint! I don’t have your love of painting (oh, I try) but last night I just noticed an old metal magnetic clip on our fridge that would look cute spray painted a bright color. And there’s a little basket that I got a birthday gift in… and the ice cream parlor chair sitting in the basement… my mind is on paint today too apparently.
Laurie says
It SO annoys me that things like the Ribba frames aren’t a consistent white! We bought two for our nursery, went back for a third, and the color is off. I don’t think anyone would really notice it, but I know it!
Giulia says
Excellent match. I had the same IKEA white matching dilemma when we made a built in with IKEA doors, it was so hard to match the door trim to the doors and the existing baseboards…It becomes very obvious that white does not equal white…
Barb says
I LOVE HOUSE PAINTING PROJECTS…am I weird? I just find painting a wall relaxing. My husband hates to paint, so it is my task. I even painted my house in Maine when we lived there. I was on 22 and 24 foot ladders…..just painting away. (Not sure I would do that again…as I am 10 years older. )
Painting is the easiest way to change a room…so cheap and instant gratification.
How did you like Bethenny Ever After last night. I found myself laughing out loud. This one was so funny!!! Will be sad when it is over. How about you?
Sorry about your expensive project. But in the end it will be wonderful and will last the entire time you live there. Do it right the first time. My motto. Anyway….just planted 46 liriope plants this past weekend…..totaling 218.76. Would have loved to get your mature plants and would have paid you for them. would have been worth a few bricks…..right???
Have a great day Sherry,John and Baby Clara.
Did you go to TJ Maxx and see those soaps with the little CLARA charms? So nice.
B.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes it was such a good one! I love that girl. I like to lie to myself that her show will never end. It’ll just always be on every week like Housewives seem to be, haha. Oh and as for the soap, we haven’t seen it yet but we can’t wait to check it out!
xo,
s
Obsessive Compulsive Daniela says
Love the bedspread! I have the same one! West Elm is great. I’m lucky to live right by the only location in Canada!
Lynn van Slyke says
FYI!
We have the hemnes bed in white and the swiss coffee by behr is a 100% perfect match!
Jenn says
That’s good to know. Our window trim, baseboards and crown molding are all Swiss coffee and we were actually thinking about some white hemnes!
Tiffany P says
Now I have the painting itch…. yikes. Looks like something is getting spray painted this weekend!
Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says
The finials really match Ed now! I like it!
Laura says
I was looking for white paint swatches for a trim color (baseboards, doors etc.) and I found that there aren’t many white swatches out there. I didn’t want to go whiter than my white cabinets in case it made them look dingy.
Can you suggest white paint colors for trim?
And is it ok to paint the ceiling the same color as the trim?
YoungHouseLove says
We have always loved Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White (for trim, ceilings, cabinets, and beyond). And yes, it’s great if the trim and the ceiling are the same color (trim should be semi-gloss or gloss finish while the ceiling is flat though). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Becky says
Totally unrelated but I saw this and thought of you guys.
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2011/04/make-a-bunting-paper-lantern/
YoungHouseLove says
SO CHARMING! I pinned that on Pinterest too!
xo,
s
Kylie Harbin says
You’ve probably already answered this in a previous post, but what color are your bedroom walls painted?? My hubby and I have gone through a thousand colors all over our bedroom wall. The blue always seems either too teal, too gray, etc.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s Carolina Inn Club Aqua by Valspar (color matched to Olympic No-VOC paint). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kristen says
Hi Guys, I was just wondering if you are planning on creating a mobile site? I love reading your blogs and do so from my phone (android) but it would look alot better on a mobile site!!
YoungHouseLove says
We have given it a few tries but we just can’t get the coding down. It’s still on our to do list though!
xo,
s
KellyD says
Don’t stop trying that would be awesome! I do half of my YHL reading on my Iphone.
Lisa G. says
Ha! I get the painting-little-things-sickness also! Yesterday I spray painted a decorative G and then walked around my house looking for other things to spray paint. The winners were: a decorative pineapple, our napkin basket, and an old metal trash can that was in the play room. It’s so fun :)
Naomi says
When we went to Ikea to snag an entertainment center to put in between our 4 one-year-old Ikea bookshelves I had no idea their idea of “white” varied. Now every time I watch t.v. I have to make myself not scream. I may need therapy.
Melissa says
That method never seems to work for me!! I tried to do that with my cabinets and I ended up taking it to the Benjamin Moore store and got it color-matched which worked almost perfectly. Be sure to label the jar well in case you ever decide to make a change!
Laura says
You can feel free to come by and paint my bathroom trim. ;-) I’ve only been putting it off for a few … months … It’s almost too little square footage to bother getting out (and cleaning and putting away) the brushes.
MrsF says
Just a tip to anyone else trying to match paint/stain – IKEAFans probably has the answer you need. We needed to paint kickplates to match our new Adel white cabinets so I checked the IKEAFans posts and found that Ralph Lauren studio white was recommended…it’s an exact match! We had it colour-matched with a less expensive paint. Don’t know if it would work for all lighting conditions, but for our kitchen it’s perfect.
YoungHouseLove says
Such a great tip! Thanks for sharing!
xo,
s
Carrie says
Every time I see a picture of your bedroom I just want to crawl in you fluffy bed and take a nap. It is such a relaxing room!
Now that I reread that it sort of sounds creepy.
I could never do anything in front of the TV. I go into a coma when I turn that thing on!
Fran Dvorchak says
I love the color of your bedroom walls. what color is that exactly?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s Carolina Inn Club Aqua by Valspar color matched to Olympic No-VOC paint. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
reyanna says
Heeee! I had to giggle a bit when you said you were looking for other things to paint after the finials! I’m the *exact* same way! Painting, refurbishing, re-doing, etc. I alter stuff all the time with Mod Podge and paper (I’m a scrapbooker, so I have TONS of paper on hand… tee hee), and without fail, every time I alter something, I’m like… “What can I alter next?!?!” Glad to know I’m not alone.
And those do look great! We’re in the process of our baby’s room, and I need to paint the thrifted rocking chair and free (!!!) side table to “match” the white crib. So you can bet I’ll be getting all kinds of white swatches for that! ;-)
As always, thanks for the inspiration, Guys! :-D
Reenie says
I never knew there were so many shades of white….until I started painting my trim….and now it all needs to be re-painted to match.
I love “reality tv” too! Who got the boot on Apprentice? I think John will be in the finale. Love Bethanny and all the other HWs too. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah we think it’ll be John vs. Star or John vs. Nene. As for who got the boot, it was (spoiler alert) Hope. Poor girl didn’t stand a chance in a room full of sharks. But she sure is a hottie.
xo,
s
Melissa says
Love your blog! It inspires me to DIY more – hubby is not impressed – my latest project is constructing a deck in our back yard! Thanks for an inspiring blog that I look forward to reading! xx
Donna Huebsch says
Great job color matching – the finished finials look very nice! The light fixture is TOO cute – I just love it! Also noticed the plant in the background and have to ask, is it real or silk? I can’t keep a real plant alive, and have been debating on having silk plants at our new house or not.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s real! It’s a corn plant and if I can keep it alive anyone can. It’s from Home Depot about two years ago. Can’t kill it if I try!
xo,
s
Blair says
White and Black are always the toughest shades to match, but they just look weird if you are off by even the tiniest tone. Thank goodness you aren’t brand loyal or you would never be able to having matchy matches!
~Blair
Michelle says
Where are your bedroom curtains from? I am having the HARDEST time finding 96″ curtains to match my bedding – seen here http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/04/18/08/60/0004180860032_500X500.jpg
I am pretty close to attempting to make my own. What do you suggest?
Thanks!
Michelle
YoungHouseLove says
I made those myself (without sewing at all!). They were my finest domestic moment. Haha. Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/look-how-domestic-my-wife-is/
xo,
s
Genevieve Ferraro says
Looks like a perfect match! And thanks for sharing your favorite DIY mistake in your last post, about the failed string lanterns that became hanging lanterns on the porch.
I just love stopping by to hear about your adventures and to get all the wonderful design/home improvement tips!
carolinaheartstrings says
Coming together nicely. Looks really nice.
Tara says
I find myself using you two as an example/excuse for things lately. If you were a fly on the wall in my house you’d hear “Well John & Sherry painted their beams and…” etc. I talk about you like we’re BFFs. Last week I wanted to paint something in the living room and my husband caboshed it (he thinks “messy” projects like that should only be done in the basement), so now I have another one to to use: “but Sherry paints in the living room!” hahaha off to watch Star on Ellen… I’m not sure whose side I’m on yet!
Eliza says
Lovely finials! (“Finials”? Who knew? Your blog would totally help me win the “Names of Home Decor and Furniture Items” category in Jeopardy.) Finials aside, I have paint brush envy! How do you clean your brushes? We have nice paint brushes that, no matter how long we run them under warm water or what kind of soap we use, seem to collect paint (ie you can see every paint we have ever used at the base of the brush). The paint brush that you used for the finials looks brand new to my cruddy-paint-brush eyes, so it is either new or you have a bang-up way of washing your brushes.
YoungHouseLove says
I wash them for a while. Like ten minutes. I get in the zone. Even after the water runs clear I keep rinsing them and just squeeze them out and lay them flat to dry on a folded paper towel. Hope it helps. Oh and that brush is pretty new so don’t feel bad!
xo,
s
Kim says
We just renovated and ended up with a little area that was once the end of our driveway (opposite the street end). We added a small bricked area there and thought we’d use it to store the trash can, but since it’s near the side door, we decided it was perfect for the grill. I joked with my husband that it’s a man patio, since he didn’t get his man cave in the addition. It’s actually one of our favorite hangouts now!
Carol N. says
I have tons of paint samples downstairs in my ‘painting’ area (a corner of the garage, ha). My husband is always wondering why I walk around with paint swatches constantly! I think he and the cat are afraid to sit still too long.
Amanda Wells says
I have a painting obsession too. Currently crushing on blue paint – http://www.amandadovewells.com/?p=338 – exhibit A.