Just when you thought we were all painted out on Monday, I’m back with another painting update. With this bun of ours arriving in five short weeks, it’s lighting a “paint all the things!” fire under my rear. I know that being laid up with a c-section will mean staring at all of the not-done things on the ol’ to-do list, so humming through a few of them before the little man is here will hopefully put my nesting slash home-making mind at ease. So we set our sights on the upstairs hallway.
It connects so many rooms (the nursery, our room, the hall bath, Clara’s room, the guest room, the laundry, etc) that we thought it would be a nice “bang for our buck” spot in the sense that we walk through it ten million times a day, so we’d notice a nice fresh paint job.
You know, instead of seeing the same over-sprayed edges from painting the trim back in May of last year (has it really been that long?!).
It also connects to the stairwell that we painted back in November, and the foyer that we painted last July. So when we picked that color for the foyer (Edgecomb Gray, which reads more like a soft tan “greige” color in our house then an actual gray), we selected it knowing that it would travel up the stairs and eventually grace the hallway up there as well. We like that it’s a simple and light neutral, so it won’t make the stairs or that interior hallway feel dark, and it allows us to use a bunch of other colors in adjoining rooms without worrying that they’ll clash. For example, we have coral, blue, red, and soft pink on the walls (and ceiling) of Clara’s room…
… as well as a deep moody blue in our bedroom.
Meanwhile, the walls of the guest room, laundry nook, and hall bathroom up there have yet to be painted… so we also like that the hall color leaves those wide open.
You can actually see where our stairway paint job ended in this pic. Elegant, eh? Look at that line we just randomly painted on the ceiling. That thing cracked me up and irked me all at the same time.
The hallway is sort of like two or three rooms of its own. It’s 33 feet from the laundry nook to our bedroom, and there are a whole lotta doorways (eight) and lights (three) to cut in around. I don’t usually mind cutting in too much though. It’s tedious, but it makes me feel accomplished if that makes sense. As I go I’m all “three doorways down, five to go – turtle power!” I also ponder things like why mashed potatoes and milkshakes have so many calories while things like celery and water have virtually none. Or why there’s not one cheat day each year when everyone can magically consume anything they want and not gain any weight. My pregnant mind clearly puts a lot of thought into food.
Clara also got in the action. Not by painting, but by lending positive vibes, singing various Frozen songs, and dancing around with a giant piece of ribbon like a tiny color guard.
All told, it was around five hours of cutting in across two days (it took two coats) and John swooped in to do the rolling, which also took two coats but went quite a bit faster (maybe three hours total across two days?). I thought of a few painting tips from Chester County painting contractors to share with you guys as I went, so here they are:
- Even if you can reach up and roll the high parts without an extension pole, it’s a lot easier on the ol’ back if you break one out.
- We painted the ceiling the same color as the walls since it’s a light color and we wanted that seamless look instead of accenting the ceiling as a separate plane in this case (we also tend to do that in bathrooms).
- Try painting with some tunes on to make it go faster (or news radio, or a book on tape, or a tiny dancing preschooler, or some other auditory form of entertainment).
- A short handled 2″ angled brush is my favorite cutting in weapon. Seriously, read the comments on this old post of yesteryear to see how many people commented that it changed their life. I promise I’m not exaggerating – it’s a huge time saver.
- We don’t use a dropcloth over hardwoods because seven years of painting have made us pretty neat, and we’ve found that the occasional floor drip is easy enough to wipe up if it’s wet or even pop off with your fingernail if it’s dry.
- Stop thinking about food. It’s weird.
And if you wanna see some of this rolling in action, we made a video of painting our office:
And here’s our wahoo-it’s-done result:
It’s a pretty dramatic update from what it looked like back when we bought the house.
Here’s the freshly painted result from the other side (with my back to the bedroom). Ugh, I can’t wait to rehang some doors to block our dark little laundry area in the back.
But the view of pretty much everything else is looking a whole lot fresher…
… so we’re really glad we knocked it out pre-Barnacle.
For anyone looking for a tutorial on changing out your outlets, John did a giant infographic about it here. And for here’s a how-I-cut-in-without-taping-most-things-off video, from back when we were painting our guest room:
Before I go I thought I’d share all the paint colors we’ve used in our house to date (along with four that we’re thinking about adding). It’s fun to compare it to our first whole-house-palette post for this house to see how many are the same, how many are close but not exact, and how many have changed since that was just a bunch of guesses about where we thought we were headed last July.
Here’s the key to what’s what:
- Our Bedroom (Black Pepper)
- Our Kitchen (Nelson Blue)
- Foyer/Hall (Edgecomb Gray)
- Possible Nursery Accent Color? (Grassy Fields)
- Nursery Built-Ins (Senora Gray)
- Nursery Walls (Going To The Chapel)
- Clara’s Door (Cinco De Mayo)
- Clara’s Ceiling (Pink Cadillac)
- Clara’s Walls & Half Bathroom (Simply White)
- Clara’s Raindrop Color #1 (Tranquil Blue)
- Clara’s Raindrop Color #2 (Milano Red)
- Clara’s Raindrop Color #3 (Pink Cadillac)
- Front Door (Blue Lake)
- Our Closet & Sink Nook (Revere Pewter)
- Sunroom Ceiling (In Your Eyes)
- Possible Dining Room Color? (Knoxville Gray)
- Possible Guest Room Color? (Sparrow)
- Possible Office Color? (Polar Lights)
* not pictured: possible colors for the hall bathroom, the laundry nook, and the unfinished storage space since we don’t have a clue about those yet
Other Favorite Paint Colors
If you’re having trouble picking the right color to paint your room, check out these detailed deep-dive posts about our favorite paints:
Lauren says
If it’s ok with you, I am going to show this post to my husband to back up my argument that we simply HAVE to redo our kitchen before we have children. Because otherwise I will be sitting at home and stewing about our nasty kitchen tile instead of focusing on raising a human. That was the point of this post, right? ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! It’s worth a shot ;)
xo
s
Cristin says
I’ll back up your argument! We waited to remodel our kitchen, and then had twins. So when they were two, we realized it was now or have to move. We had to move into my father-in-laws for nearly two months while our kitchen and dining room were completely gutted and re-done into one large eat-in kitchen. The results were amazing, but those were the two most stressful months ever, on all of us. My kids didn’t sleep at.all and it was exhausting. So-long story short, do what you can now!!
Erin @ One Project at a Time says
I agree with the “do what you can now” mantra! When I was pregnant with our first we remodeled our kitchen, and with our second we had already learned our lesson, so we remodeled two bathrooms, installed wood flooring and refinished 3 flights of steps. Those types of projects are nearly impossible with a newborn, and even a toddler, so do them now while you still can!
Ethanie says
I have your back too! We just painted and freshened up our kitchen and ajoining den. It was on my priority list even ahead of our nursery, because I knew it was now or never… and our kitchen was a 1950s nightmare (complete with wood paneling)! We used John and Sherry’s suggestions for painting wood paneling and it turned out amazing. Huge improvement for the baby’s sake and everyone else, too!
Candy H says
I will back you up! We just redid ours with 3 kids (6,3, & 7months) – it was awful! Wish we could have moved out during the process. We now have to paint – which is another huge job that I am leaving for over spring break! Good luck – it is fun to get the kitchen you always wanted!
JG says
That’s okay- girl scout cookies don’t have calories!
Anele @ Success Along the Weighn says
You were good to knock it out “pre-Barnacle” because you’re gonna be busy for a bit! ;-)
Thank you SO much for including the colors you’ve used so far. We’re looking for the perfect gray for the living room so I’m going to check out a few of yours!
Meredith says
I like the idea of a calorie-free day each year. I’ve always been a believer that everyone should get at least one “free” food. Like when you turn 18, you get to decide what one food that you eat has no calories. I’ve given this a lot of thought, and, for myself, I’ve settled on milkshakes. (I decided that the general category of “ice cream” was perhaps too generous.) I haven’t found anyone who thinks this is a bad idea….
YoungHouseLove says
Here here! Mine would be cookie dough.
xo
s
Bethany says
I call pizza.
Pia says
Well. I read somewhere that if you break a cookie into pieces the calories evaporate and if nobody sees you eating it there is no calories consumed. Then you can eat whatever you want every day :)
YoungHouseLove says
I like that tip Pia. I also hear that if you eat standing up the calories don’t count. That one’s nice too ;)
xo
s
Michele says
I have heard that calories do not count if its on the weekends… or if you eat off of someone else’s plate – those are their calories, not yours! So let John order dessert… and you can eat off his plate… all the cookie dough you and the barnacle desire!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Emily says
I call chocolate cake.
Also, as a subset of “standing up”: My MIL, a doctor, solemnly informs me that foods consumed over the kitchen sink have no calories. I’ve decided I should always heed my doctor’s advice…
Lynn says
Sherry if you like cookie dough you’ll love this stuff…
http://www.thecookiedoughcafe.com/
They are a company that sells cookie dough in a jar (without eggs so no worries about salmonella)that’s meant to be eaten as dough. You can buy it a Fresh Market. A friend of mine sent me a jar to try and it’s bananas good…(I may or may not have licked the spoon repeatedly).
YoungHouseLove says
GENIUS! Fresh Market is John’s mom’s favorite store ever. I’ll have to take her with me.
xo
s
Erin says
I’m in – mostly because i just ate a sleeve of Thin Mints for lunch. #girlscoutsmustdie
Theresa M says
Looks so clean, that’s what I love about a fresh coat of paint. Since I’m the painter in the family, I rarely do ceilings as I am unable to control and extension pole and can only paint 3 square feet before having to move the ladder. (Though I will say I never use tape or drop cloths, I do have some skills.) Did you have 2 different finishes of paint or do you put satin on the ceiling? Or flat on the walls?
YoungHouseLove says
We did eggshell everywhere. Seemed like a good medium, and it was what we did in the foyer/stairway so it didn’t have a sheen change anywhere.
xo
s
Leah says
Love it! I’ve also been on a painting binge before our June baby comes (thankfully, I’ve mostly gotten others to paint for me during pregnancy). We moved into our apartment last summer and did half of the painting right away. The baby room and some little hallway areas have been languishing.
This past week, one of our maintenance guys had time to paint the baby room and hallways, so that’s all done. All we have left are closets. For some reason, a previous occupant painted every single closet awful colors (yellow, lime green, etc). We have two closets left to paint, but they’re our biggest, so we’ll see what we can get done.
Re: the ceiling, my husband adamantly loves white ceilings, so that’s what we always go with.
Can’t wat to see what else you get off the list pre-Barnacle! So exciting. Just remember that you don’t have to have the house phase 1 completed before the little guy arrives.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Leah!
xo
s
Mrs. Money says
You guys are awesome. I have been itching to paint something. I’ll come help you all!
Emily says
I’m chipping away at two connected hallways with eight doors! It also has eight pantry doors I framed out to match the cabinets and paint sucking beadboard on the lower two thirds…it’s a slow process with three kids and three dogs helping out. The change is totally worth it, from dark green and tan and tan ceilings to white with a dull sort of turquoise on top and white ceilings. It so Bright! Just glad I don’t have a timeline :)
Marybeth says
Did anyone else think John was standing on the paint can in the picture of him rolling the ceiling? That was awesome.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Jennah says
I still can’t believe you don’t use a dropcloth. We didn’t use one when we repainted our bedroom (to orange!), figuring we could easily wipe or scrape away any drips etc (we previously had a sort of mottled color carpet and never worried about it at all, but this was post laminate hardwood install).
Well, there are tiiiiiiny splatters of orange all around the perimeter of the room now, and because our laminate hardwood has a slight texture, it’s virtually impossible to scrape off (all tools fail, and only my fingernails work…which would take um forever and hurts!). Sadface, and I have no idea how we’ll ever fix it. You don’t get those tiny splatters from rolling walls? It’s also evident on our white trim (which we had not planned on repainting, but now could use a fresh and splatter-free coat).
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no that stinks! We don’t get any little splatters like that around the floor, but maybe you have textured walls? Ours are flat. John also subscribes to the less-is-more paint on the roller technique (more paint = more drips & it can splatter).
xo
s
Frannie says
Have you tried a magic eraser? If you use it gently it might pull off the paint without harming the laminate.
Courtney Leigh says
Magic Eraser is a good idea. What about a soft cloth or sponge with just a bit of paint thinner? Both probably somewhat time consuming, but less time consuming than fingernails!!
Robin says
Maybe you have posted this before – but what type of rollers do you use? Aren’t there different types I’ve heard?! Foam or something…
(beginner shyly raises hand to ask question with the hopes that “there are no stupid questions”)
YoungHouseLove says
Of course! No stupid questions! We use small foam rollers for things like furniture and cabinet doors and regular smooth-surface rollers (by Wooster or Purdy at Home Depot) for the walls.
xo
s
Jennah says
Nope, our walls are totally flat and we don’t overload the rollers :/
Magic eraser didn’t seem to work (and would also be sooooo teeeediousssssss) when I tried it before. I have read that paint thinner may work, but I haven’t tried that bc paint thinner seems so scary! lol. It’s a small, furniture-filled room, so it will be a super pain to fix and I just keep trying to ignore it :/. We also need to repaint the trim again because of the splatters.
We have painted a ton, but it was previously always over some old, mottled-color beigey berber carpet that we knew we were getting rid of, so we didn’t really sweat the drips/splatter. Totally regret not covering the edges or the floor now, so I def recommend others cover at least the edges if there is any question or if their flooring is textured. Better safe than sorry!
Do you not even get some paint splatter like back on your hand? I feel like there is always *some* splatter, no matter what!
YoungHouseLove says
Weirdly enough we don’t really get splatter anywhere except sometimes a tiny drop on John’s face like a freckle or something if he’s painting a ceiling (not a bunch, just one weird one where something might flick off the roller). Of course we get a few floor drips too that we wipe off, but nothing like a fine mist or smattering that leaves a bunch of spots in one place. Hmm, one other thing could be the type of paint. If it’s thinner/cheaper it might spray more and maybe since we have been using thicker stuff for the last few years that helps too?
xo
s
Allison says
I ALWAYS get the paint mist on my hand, even with high quality sherwin williams paint! So for that reason, I cover the floors. Usually just with a few pieces of newspaper that I slide along the floor so it moves with me (instead of spending time doing the whole floor). It does get on the floor if I don’t. If I ever did a ceiling (we painted ours before flooring was installed), I’d for sure cover the whole thing! Now I’m wondering why John and Sherry don’t get the mist because it sounds like we’re using the same products and same smooth walls.
YoungHouseLove says
Could it be your roller speed or pressure? If you push harder or roll faster I’d imagine that would alter how the paint flies off/goes on. Anyone else have ideas?
xo
s
Jennah says
I am also mystified (see what I did there??). Please just have John come paint my house so we can compare?? We’ve used lots of different rollers, paint types, etc. It always seems to happen (we just didn’t care with the carpet and figured it would be an easy wipe up fix with the hardwood, and underestimated how MUCH there would be since it wasn’t as obvious with carpet). Happens to both my husband and I, seemingly no matter about speed or pressure (does John go SOOOO SLOOOOW? I wanna see video now!).
Using a newspaper or old towel and dragging it along with you sounds like a good idea – thanks, Allison!
YoungHouseLove says
And a video you shall get! We hope to paint the office soon, so I’ll capture my ninja roller in action ;)
xo
s
Christy says
You are not alone. I also can’t wait to watch the video and see how to wall paint without splatters.
Mel says
I don’t see how you can say you don’t get splatters when painting when John is wearing clothing that clearly has paint splatters on it. ???
Even if you don’t generally have an issue with drips or whatever, it still seems more than a little cavalier to not protect the nice flooring. Anyone can have a fumble, a slip, and drop a roller or whatever.
YoungHouseLove says
We get the occasional big drips that we can wipe off the floor or pop off with our fingernails as we mentioned in the post, but we don’t get the thin mist/splatters that people are asking about (if we did we’d cover the floors since removing them later is a huge pain). Most of the marks on our painting clothes are from wiping our hands if we stick our thumb in paint or if we’re caulking in them and want to wipe something off, so they’re not those small splatter marks people are chatting about here.
xo
s
mary says
I think pressure on the roller does matter for splatters and drips. John must be pretty good at it.
YoungHouseLove says
We’ll definitely share a video when we tackle the office!
xo
s
Sandra T says
Color me what??? on this one. I can not believe that you painted that much ceiling without a drop cloth on a brand new floor. And didn’t have any droplets anywhere (including on John). My husband, who is a VERY experienced painter (and very talented at it!) even has drops sometimes. (Yes we have flat walls, BM paint, the right rollers, and a very steady hand). I don’t know why you would fib on this one, but I think you are sending the wrong message to people who believe everything you say and emulate what you do. It doesn’t hurt to admit that these thing happen to everyone, not just people outside Petersik-land.
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely have drops sometimes. Right in this post I said “we’ve found that the occasional floor drip is easy enough to wipe up if it’s wet or even pop off with your fingernail if it’s dry.” If a method is messy/doesn’t work as well as we’d like it to, we’ll tell ya (see Monday’s post about using our paint sprayer), but this has been our method for years. Here’s a time lapse video of us painting our last house’s bedroom and another one of us painting our old kitchen’s walls & beams where you can see there’s no floor protection and there aren’t a bunch of drips on us or the ground. We’ve also said we’ll share a video of John’s rolling technique when we paint the office, which should put any paint conspiracies to rest ;)
xo,
s
Jennah says
Can’t wait to see the video :) In the meantime, the offer still stands for John to come paint my house. Anytime. I know he’d love it.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I’ll send him right over Jennah!
xo
s
Emily says
I generally don’t tape edges or cover my floor either and have never had a problem with mist. However, a few weeks ago I painted a chalkboard wall in my kitchen and got mist all over my baseboard and floor. Maybe it was my roller or maybe the consistency of the paint was different this time, but I was super bummed. Luckily, I used a fine steel wool pad (just a box of “soap pads” from the Dollar store)and gently wiped the floor (which is a solid sheet of linoleum). All paint speckles came right off. I probably would not recommend this method for hardwoods but maybe it would be ok on laminate? Maybe test it on a spot that can be hidden if it makes any scratches? Unfortunately, this steel wool did not take the splatters off ob my baseboard, so I am going to have to repaint that.
Sue says
As an avid reader of your blog and a professional painter for twenty five years, I just want to chime in and say you would NEVER catch a professional painting without a drop cloth. I use only high quality paint and paint in upscale homes and wouldn’t want you to send the wrong message to your devoted readers. John is the exception, not the rule.
P.S. great work on the Target collaboration!!
Sara says
This post is so timely for me! We are getting ready to paint our kitchen in Edgecomb Gray. I’ve thought about painting the ceiling the same color as the walls – our kitchen is cut-off from the rest of the house so the kitchen ceiling does not run into other rooms.
Does anyone have thoughts about whether I should paint the ceiling Edgecomb Gray too? I’m thinking yes since its a lighter color and a smaller room…..
YoungHouseLove says
I’d do the ceiling too in that instance I think! It’s a nice enveloping feeling but not too dark.
xo
s
Sara says
Time to talk my husband into it. I’ll be sure to tell him “Sherry from YHL thinks its a great idea!” :)
YoungHouseLove says
Husbands love us (she says sarcastically). John usually apologizes to other guys when we meet them out after wives say “your site gave me the idea to do ___!” It’s pretty funny actually. One guy at the state fair told us “you’re the reason I was stenciling for two days.” Haha!
xo
s
Christine says
I send my husband links from the website AT LEAST once a week, and every time I say “did you get my email about YHL…” he just rolls his eyes (in a good way) lol.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Kristin says
Haha! I am so happy I’m not the only one who uses the site as a catalyst to get my husband to do things. We’re gearing up to buy our first house this spring/summer, and I have a desktop folder called “Things You Will Build and I Will Paint.” :)
Sara says
And please don’t tell me I’m the only one who talks to my husband about John and Sherry like I know them. “John and Sherry just did this to their house” or “Sherry said it’s not too difficult…” :)
Hanna Cage says
Mine usually goes like this:
Me: “You know that website, YH…”
Husband: (interrupting) Oh God, what did they do now?
Happily he is always up for the challenge. I think he has a mental competition going with John. Not that I mentioned how cute you guys are, repeatedly, in a totally non-creepy way. /grin
YoungHouseLove says
Ha!
xo
s
Danielle says
hahahaha my husband just rolls his eyes too now when I tell him what John and Sherry did today :) He doesn’t hate it as much as he wants me to believe, but I think he sometimes does wish you guys would slow down lol. We are due for our first baby around the time Sherry is due, so my nesting phase is hitting pretty hard. He went to Chicago with me to meet you guys on your book tour and thought you were both super nice :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Danielle, you’re so sweet!
xo
s
Ashleigh says
Have to admit my husband refers to you guys as Old House Hate, because of how much I talk about you guys. :-) Although, last weekend, he admitted to loving my trash can makeover thanks to you guys. Keep up the good work.
YoungHouseLove says
Bahaha!
xo
s
Kara says
Yes Sarah!!
My husband knows exactly who John, Sherry and Clara are when I bring them up in casual conversation. I suppose it helps that we don’t really know any other Johns, Sherrys or Claras
Kelly says
Phew! So glad I am not the only one. To accurately imagine the way I start conversations with my husband, call to your memory Alison Hannigan in American Pie saying “So this one time, at band camp…” and replace it with me saying “So hubby, you know YHL, well they…” I may have also quoted Clara on occasion.
rachael says
I always start by saying “Wanna know what my Young Lovers did today?” And he says “No….”
YoungHouseLove says
Best. Thing. Ever.
xo
s
John @ Our Home from Scratxh says
Love that you guys share your paint selections. Thanks! Only 5 weeks away, holy moly. That went fast (for us anyway). :)
Heidi says
I think sometimes people work best under a little pressure! With spring upon us, we were trying to wrap up our indoor projects this weekend, which included this amazingly insane family photo display made out of that industrial steel!
http://www.krusesworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/03/iron-pipe-family-photo-display.html
YoungHouseLove says
So cool!
xo
s
Amanda says
This is so cute, Heidi! I may or may not be your newest stalker..lol
Lisa@Double Door Ranch says
Looks wonderful! I used Edgecomb Gray in my craft room. The first coat freaked me out because it wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but once I got full coverage, I loved it.
Catherine says
I’m jealous of your painting prowess without taping / dropcloth-ing. I wish my husband and I had reached that skill level and maybe our bedroom would be painted by now.
I had a question about cutting in – do you worry much about the time between your cutting in a section and John rolling it? As in, do those steps need to be nearly simultaneous for the paint to look seamless?
YoungHouseLove says
We have found that as long as I cut in first, John can follow and roll, even a few hours later. So as long as it’s me, John, me, John it doesn’t have to be me & John together, me & John together.
xo
s
Carrie says
So happy together….. So happy toGETHER!!
Sally says
ha!
Rosie S says
Looks fantastic!!! I too, am painting like a mad woman…not because of impending birth :)…just the promise of spring and the thought of being outside. After THIS winter (Minnesota), I won’t be going back indoors, willingly, after it warms up…ever… I mean it! Today, another bathroom gets a new coat!
Annie T says
Ah, so beautiful! The word that keeps coming to mind is sexy, believe it nor not. And doesn’t everyone want a sexy upstairs hallway?
Does turquoise pop well against Edgecomb Gray? I love it whenever I see it in someone’s home but worry it might not be neutral enough for my living room.
xo
Annie
YoungHouseLove says
We have a turquoise-ish door in the foyer with Edgecomb Gray on the walls and love it!
xo
s
Allen says
John, how do you manage to paint the ceiling without a drop cloth and not make a giant mess? I painted our entryway ceiling and ended up having to scrape a million tiny dots of paint off the hardwood. It took forever!
YoungHouseLove says
That sucks! We don’t get any little splatters but maybe you have textured walls or ceilings? Ours are flat. John also subscribes to the less-is-more paint on the roller technique (more paint = more drips & it can splatter).
xo
s
Laura C says
I think most people get splatters when they have too much paint on the roller and/or are rolling too fast, which ups the centrifugal force and causes the paint to spray off the roller in a fine splatter. If you get big blogs of spatter, you’ve got too much paint on the roller. If you’ve got tons of teeny-tiny droplets of paint everywhere, you’re rolling too fast.
YoungHouseLove says
SMART!
xo
s
SusanB says
Paint quality has a lot to do with the amount of spatter you get. A high quality paint, like Benjamin Moore just doesn’t spatter like lesser quality paints. In that sense, you do get what you pay for.
Kerry says
I think it’s time to remove that “?” after “NURSERY!” :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! It’s true!
xo
s
Nicole says
It always feels great to check off one more thing from the ol’ to-do list. Good job guys!
While you guys seem to have the paintbrush welded to your arm I have to ask if you guys are also planning on painting all the trimwork (and beams) in the living room before the barnacle arrives. I know you guys mentioned that you have plans for the ceiling and potentially knocking down the wall between the kitchen – so maybe you’ll wait to do it all at once? I know that it it was my house, I’d be awfully tempted to paint it now…white and bright just makes such a huge difference in the space!
Either way, you guys are doing a fabulous job with your house. It must be very rewarding for you guys to look at the before pictures and to see how you’ve brought the ol’ house back to life. I’m really enjoying following you guys along this journey! :)
YoungHouseLove says
I don’t think we’ll get to that before the bun, but we’d love to at least lose the remaining blue trim (it’s only in the dining room now). We can’t wait to lighten up the living room and open it to the kitchen someday though!
xo
s
April says
A couple thoughts…
1. I’ve watched your cutting in video a few times, and for the life of me, I cannot make it that easy. Paint always builds up at the edge of the brush and spills onto the trim. Regardless, I still manage to get her done, but while your lines appear nice and straight, mine have this endearing wobble.
2. How the heck do you manage to avoid roller spray, especially when painting the ceiling?! I could roll it out on the tray until it’s bone dry, but the second it hits the wall, I (and sometimes the floor) get a nice misting.
YoungHouseLove says
As for your first note, have you tried a short handled angled brush instead of one with a longer handle? That seems to stabilize my hand a lot more. It also could just be over time that you’ll get steadier (I was a lot wobblier in the first few years but got better over time). For the roller spray question, maybe we should make a video of how John applies the paint and rolls. We don’t get any little splatters but we have flat walls, so that might be something to note. John also subscribes to the less-is-more paint on the roller technique (more paint = more drips & it can splatter).
xo
s
Layla says
I think I’ve figured out why my cutting in is never as awesome as yours, Sherry – I mean, aside from you being the cutting-in world champion, haha. I usually do both the cutting in and the painting, alternating them as I go. When I start out, my cutting in looks good, but as soon as I start rolling, I can’t get a steady hand on my next round of cutting in anymore, because of the strain on my hand from rolling. Does that make sense? At lease that’s what I tell myself to make me feel better, haha!
YoungHouseLove says
That completely makes sense! I know some people who do cutting in one day, rolling the next, then cutting in the next, then roll that last coat. It’s spread over a long time, but it might keep your arm from feeling like jelly!
xo
s
Mary | Lemon Grove Blog says
Absolute perfection!! We’ve got Edgecomb Gray all over the place in our house too and I’m convinced it’s the perfect color :)
Frannie says
Sherry you crack me up :)
When I was pregnant I was sick the whole 40 weeks. Like pukey don’t want to eat anything but I have to because I’m shaky sick. The only time I didn’t feel nauseated was when I was sleeping. I had the BEST dreams, in which I would eat everything I couldn’t hold down during the day. Every night I had food dreams- feasting ;)
The nausea lifted literally the hour after my csection. I actually gained weight after she was born, because it was so good to feel “good” hungry again. All for a good cause!
YoungHouseLove says
Maybe that explains my good fantasies! I still have morning sickness (and afternoon sickness) yet somehow I can’t stop thinking about food.
xo
s
Heidi says
Nicely done! Painting our stairwell is one of my biggest fears. I’m hoping to paint our hallway and just leave the hallway alone :)
Heidi says
Whoops! I meant “paint our hallway and just leave our stairwell alone”
Meredith T says
I am so on a painting bender, trying to knock out my guest room. I went to go paint the doors yesterday and all of a sudden the old paint started peeling off in huge (although not complete – of course) sheets. Primer is not just for fun, previous homeowners! So now I get to strip the door and start over. But I’ll get there! Your hallway looks gorgeous – it reminds me that all my painting will be worth it!
Blaze says
Sounds like you are putting latex paint over oil paint? You can put oil over latex without a primer but not the other way around (just like oil in the pan keeps food from sticking I guess). In addition to proper paint adhesion, priming with a tinted primes is the only way to guarantee you end up with the color on the paint swatch. Our local big box DIY store used to have a great demonstration board up showing a red paint applied in various ways: one and two coats directly on white paint, and one and two coats on tinted primer. The only one that matched the sample was two coats of paint on tinted primer. All the others ended up slightly pink.
Jess says
Your color palette for this house is looking so pretty! And the three “rooms yet to be painted” possibilities look great with everything else. It’s fun to see them all together like that. Looks very cohesive!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jess!
xo
s
Samantha @ Fabulous Fabris says
looks great! It’s a very calming colour.
I’m guessing you’re planning on replacing the lights?
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, originally we thought we could paint them and give them a little facelift but they’re all crooked and one is actually bigger than the others (along with one having a broken stem) so we’re thinking we might ReStore them and upgrade to the same fixture three times. I love the repetition of them and think the hallway could be really pretty with those and some art, and maybe some substantial wainscoting down the line.
xo
s
Blaze says
I’ve never seen anyone cut in around light fixtures. I hope your replacement lights have identically sized bases to match up to the paint ring you’ll have on the ceiling when these ones are removed. In our first home, the previous owners painted the bathroom without removing the toilet tank so there was a big patch of a different color on the wall behind it when we removed it to do the job properly. More importantly, we had to sand down the paint ridge between the colors where they’d put on the extra coats of paint so it wouldn’t show through our paint job. I guess I’m just curious why you’d cut in around a light fixture rather than drop it down and do a complete job and run the paint underneath it? Most fixtures can be dropped down a few inches and left supported by a bent wire coat hanger so it’s not dangling by the wires and you don’t have to actually distconnect it. You remove switch plates, electrical covers and doorknobs for painting, right? Just wondering about why the different process for lights. I get not caring about the fixture because you plan to replace them, but I’d be more concerned about the paint ridge left around the base and creating an extra job if the new fixture’s base isn’t precisely the same diameter.
YoungHouseLove says
So interesting! Our new lights have always had a slightly larger ceiling canopy so we have never had any issues with painting a room first and then switching the fixture (I figure it’s the things-used-to-be-smaller phenomenon, which we actually notice with old outlet covers as well). We’ll have to hold a new canopy up to the old one for a comparison (I’ll try to remember to take a photo of that for the post about switching the lights when we get there). Anyone else find that new lights have smaller canopy than an old one? That would be annoying!
xo
s
mary says
I cut in around stuff, too. If you do wind up with a smaller canopy down the line, it only takes a minute to stick some more paint up there.
What I can’t do is WAIT to replace outdated lights when I paint. I just focus on the eyesores and it spoils the whole setting for me. Of course, that’s why I rush out and buy three cheap ceiling lights I can stand and then often later replace them with three nicer ones I actually love!
Ashley D says
Oh my goodness. Looks great! My husband and I have been on a painting bender this week as well. Family, Kitchen, Kitchen Nook, Dining, and Living rooms in less than 2 weeks to prepare for upcoming parties in a month. We have been staring at the ridiculous(my opinion) paint colors of the previous owner and the failed attempts they had trying to match the color when touching up which drove this perfectionist insane. I feel so accomplished and it is so relaxing to walk the house with new paint. Carry on and good luck with the list these nest few weeks! PS just bought your book (I know I am late to the party) and cannot wait to dive in! You guys are great.
YoungHouseLove says
Woah! You deserve a paint medal for all that! You’re right about how nice it is to walk into freshly painted rooms though. Addicting, right? And thanks for buying our book. Hope you love it :)
xo
s
Caroline says
Beautiful! I never thought painting the ceiling would make rooms feel larger but we moved into a new house that has all the ceilings painted the same color as the wall. We followed suit and painted the nursery ceiling pink (same as walls) and my sons room blue (same as walls). It adds SO MUCH HEIGHT and we already have 9 foot ceilings! Love it!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
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Jane G. says
Sherry, you must of been reading my mind!!! Last night I was looking back at the room colors you used in your first and second houses and tried to go through your old posts to mark down the paint colors you are using in your current house. I’ve had the urge to start painting too! I couldn’t believe my eyes this morning when I saw that you posted your house color palette! Talk about wishful thinking!
You and John have done such a beautiful job on your new home. It’s such a great transformation and you must have such a good feeling knowing everything is in order when your baby arrives.
Best Wishes,
Janie
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Janie! It’s so funny that you were thinking about that last night!
xo
s
Courtney Leigh says
I am hope, hope, hoping that Knoxville Grey stays. I’m dying for super dark and moody paint lately. I really want to redo our master a darker color. Right now it’s Sharky Grey, which is probably similar to Edgecomb. I like it a lot, especially in our hallway/living area, but I’ve been feeling something more dramatic for the master.
I think it’s interesting that you paint the ceilings the same color, and that I’ve never noticed that before.
YoungHouseLove says
We really tend to fluctuate on that depending on the room (we did a slightly darker ceiling in the foyer, a light pink one in Clara’s room, a soft blue one in the sunroom, etc) and also did a basic white one in the kitchen and the nursery – but for smaller spaces like bathrooms and hallways without a lot of windows sometimes the same light color is the most expansive looking.
xo
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Bethany says
Looks great, so much fresher!
I have a question for you – When you painted the ceiling in the foyer a shade darker, did you carry the same color up the stairs? I’m assuming so, since you pointed out the funny little line on the ceiling! So, is there still that line on the ceiling where the two colors meet? I didn’t notice it in the after photos, but I was just wondering!
YoungHouseLove says
We actually only did the ceiling of the foyer that color, so since the stairway breaks through the ceiling (hard to explain) that just has the wall color on it (Edgecomb Gray) so there’s not an awkward line of them meeting or anything. This picture shows you where the darker ceiling ends (on that corner where the ceiling stops) and the Edgecomb Gray is just on the sides of the stairway walls along with the ceiling of that and the ceiling and walls of the hallway.
xo
s
Bethany says
Thanks for the response! That makes a lot more sense than an awkward line in the hallway, haha!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad that made sense. As I was writing it I was thinking “this sounds really confusing.”
xo
s
meghan says
Looks great! A couple of questions.
1. Simply White is also your trim color, correct?
2. What do you use for ceilings when you don’t continue the color up there?
3. Do you tend to have a ceiling height rule for painting ceilings? My house feels really dark and compressed for lack of a better word and I’m looking for a way to open it up. Wondering if painting the ceilings the same color would help.
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, Simply White is our trim and door color (in semi-gloss), and in some rooms we use it on the ceiling (in flat) like the kitchen and the nursery. We have also used soft colors on the ceiling of a few rooms here like Clara’s and the sunroom (see the color chart at the bottom of the post for that info). Our ceilings are all standard height (8 feet) but as long as the color is on the light side it seems to be nice and not too dark/compressed looking. I do think in small rooms sometimes the same color ceiling feels further away than something in a contrasting color like white, which can “come in at you” more than the same color, which sort of fades into the background.
xo
s
Leslie says
So have ya’ll thought about what you’re doing with the light fixtures in the hallway?
YoungHouseLove says
Originally we thought we could paint them and give them a little facelift but they’re all crooked and one is actually bigger than the others (along with one having a broken stem) so we’re thinking we might ReStore them and upgrade to the same fixture three times. I love the repetition of them and think the hallway could be really pretty with those (and some art, and maybe some substantial wainscoting down the line).
xo
s
Lisa E says
Great job, looks nice and fresh! I honestly thought you would be tackling the last of the blue trim next since it’s so time intensive, but it’s probably because you wanted a break from having a claw like hand, ha! I don’t blame you! I would be so afraid not to cover those beautiful hard woods. I stopped using a drop cloth for a long time for the same reasons, however, then my clumsiness kicked in and I dropped a quart of paint in two different houses! It was years apart and several years ago, but I am scarred for life and won’t chance it again. However, I have to say that I do get splatter. Do you think it has to do with the speed in which you roll as well? I know when I’ve been in a rush, I get more splatter. As for texture, I have textured walls in all but the bathrooms and kitchen. I can’t recall if there was as difference because of it.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, I can’t imagine the panic of dropping a quart of paint. And yes, I bet the splatter thing could be from someone going too fast and also from too much pressure (John lets the roller glide right over the walls but resists the urge to press it since you can get lines and drips (and probably some off-shooting splatter) from that. Good point!
xo
s
Christy says
Be careful carrying too many paint cans down stairs. I dropped a full gallon of purple paint on the basement stairs in our old house. Using an old broom to “sweep” the paint was easy and surpisingly resulted in a decent finish on the stairs and cement walls.
Now I am very careful and will make multiple trips instead of trying to carry 3 gallons of paint in one hand.
YoungHouseLove says
Eeks!
xo
s
Jenny says
Beautiful! And I just want to add that recovering from a C the second time is MUCH easier! I labored for 31 hours and ended up with a C with my first son, just had my second son in November and had a scheduled C – can’t even believe the difference! Up and moving right away! Good Luck! And I believe they call this NESTING! :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so nice! My doctor said that too (I was cut open in a hurry the first time and she thinks this time should be a lot less complicated if all goes as planned).
xo
s
Caroline says
Agree!! Emergency c the first time, scheduled the second and I felt a million times better! I think not laboring and being rested to start with makes all the difference!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad to hear that Caroline!
xo
s
Jess says
I have a dumb question that you’ve probably covered in some long ago post, but I need to know! When you cut and roll paint do you do the roll coat when your cut coat is still wet? My husband hates painting, so while he does stuff like changing out terrible old toilets, I do all the painting solo, which would make keeping a wet cut edge extremely difficult. So far with matte finish paint doing my roller coat after the cut coat is dry has been no problem. However, our bedroom color has a slight sheen, and I’m worried that doing it this way in there will lead to “picture framing.” Any advice you have would be helpful.
YoungHouseLove says
It never hurts to do that (roll right after cutting in) although we’ve had luck just going in the right order (cut in first, then John rolls, even if it’s a few hours later, and then I cut in again, and he rolls again afterwards). Different paint finishes and wall types (like a textured wall) might vary the results though!
xo
s
Meg M says
I have smooth plaster walls so my experience may be different, but we did all the cutting in in our dining room before painting and we have a raised line. I’m going to chalk it up to using too much paint and not alternating coats like Sherry mentioned. (Cut, roll, cut, roll.) I did all the coats of cutting in one day and rolled the next day. Alas, I am already unhappy with the color (tastes change) and there is a horrible plaster patch job on the biggest wall in that room. Plus, we are planning to rip out a big section of wall to put in french doors so a major overhaul for that room is in our future.
Emily says
Knoxville Gray is my dining color, too, and I LOVE IT! It started as our front door color (Rockport Gray Hardie with Fairview Taupe shutters). Then I painted the inside of the front door Knoxville Gray because it looked great with the Revere Pewter foyer and stairs. Then I decided that I wanted a bold dining room and added it above the board and batten. I couldn’t be more pleased!
Our current guest room is Fairview Taupe and is dark like Sparrow – I love it there, too! My daughter will be moving into that room once she’s out of her crib and I plan on designing her room around the color because I like it so much. Great additions to your original color palette!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds gorgeous Emily!
xo
s
lynn says
It looks great. Do you have plans for the lights?
YoungHouseLove says
Originally we thought we could paint them and give them a little facelift but they’re all crooked and one is actually bigger than the others (along with one having a broken stem) so we’re thinking we might ReStore them and upgrade to the same fixture three times. I love the repetition of them and think the hallway could be really pretty with those and some art, and maybe some substantial wainscoting down the line.
xo
s
Elizabeth says
I am loving this color. It’s light and looks great with your hardwood floor. (I’m crazy and worry about brown and grey together…which is of course what I have and of course the color I want to use.) I am contemplating a color like that for our living room because there is pretty much no natural light, and I don’t want it to be too dark and moody in there. I have asked so many people this question, and never get the same or a very good answer. I have a tray ceiling in the living toom. When we moved in, it was sprayed with the same beige color from top to bottom. Do I paint all aspects of the ceiling/tray the same as the walls or do I break it up and do white on the actual ceiling parts (including the ceiling of the tray)? This question drives me crazy, and seeing as how it’s a ceiling (the thing I most hate painting) I would like to get it right the first time.
P.S. Love your blog! Y’all are so fun!
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve seen it done a bunch of different ways, but I think I would probably do the walls everything except the flat top part of the tray the same color and then do a soft accent tone just in that top flat part of the tray (ex: Edgecomb Gray everywhere and in that flat top area of the tray I would try Gentle Tide or something).
xo
s
Elizabeth says
Thanks so much for the advice!
Emily says
Is the Grassy Fields color the same green that you matched to a Target end table for the Show House some time ago?? I’m looking for an bold emeraldy green for our baby boy’s (due in June) nursery dresser. We’re in an apartment and can’t paint the walls, so we’re looking to bring in some impact colors on furniture instead. And it’s amazing what a a difference a coat (or two) of paint will make! Loving your house color palette! Can’t wait to see what other colors y’all will go with!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Emily! That was Courtyard Green (more on that here) which we also love! It’s definitely a contender too.
xo
s
Bethany says
How in the world do you roll a ceiling without getting a mist of paint on the floor?!?!?! Future summary post of painting tips you have learned? Also amazed that there are only 5 weeks of your pregnancy to go…how did that happen?
YoungHouseLove says
Lots of people have been asking that so I think sharing a video of John rolling with tips in a future post about painting another room could definitely help. In summary we’re thinking textured walls might be trickier, but we have flat ones, and John tries not to put too much paint on the roller, not to roll too fast, and not to put too much pressure on the roller (when you press it against the wall hard or go super fast there can be more drips/splatter).
xo
s
Jamie D says
John must be a ninja, because I find micro-drips of paint on my hardwood floors all the time!! I also use Valspar which I do like, but after seeing your comments about a better quality paint I think it’s time to try BM.
amybeth says
we need a side by side from when you first moved in! looks great!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, you’re right. Just added one for ya!
xo
s
Rachel says
We have been slowly repainting every room in our house the same color. The previous owners had all the rooms the same color too so it’s boring, but it makes it really cohesive. We’re actually doing Revere Pewter and have done about half our rooms and I’m itching to finish the other half. Of course my husband does not feel the same sense of urgency. ;)
Geertrude says
I have to keep reminding myself that this is your job, sort of, because you make me feel so lazy! You just keep painting these days…
I hope to get some long overdue painting done when we’re home again (not thinking about that, still 2,5 weeks to go on our Caribbean adventure), but it looks like (other) work is already building up for April and May. And I’m really hoping to keep the easy living we’ve gotten used to here going too, so rushing and stressing is not allowed anymore (hmn, let’s see if that lasts…).
Oh well… you can’t have it all ;-)
Anyway, it looks great. And I love that possible office wall color!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh your Caribbean adventure sounds awesome! Have the best time!
xo
s
Katie says
How come you guys don’t ever use lights from your own line?! (Just noticed in the comments you say you may paint them or restore the old ones, but no mention of getting some from your shades of light line…) Just thought no better advertising than displaying in your own home… and who would love a Burger inspired Pendant more than Burgers parents, right?!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Katie! We had some in our last house and are actually using a bunch in the showhouse (wahoo! those high ceilings make them look especially amazing) but I don’t know, it feels kinda weird to buy a bunch of our own lights for our own house for some reason. I’m sure some will sneak in here and there (lots of rooms need lights – as in every single one upstairs since they don’t have any, along with the office and dining room, etc) so we’ll have to see where we end up!
xo
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Lindsey says
Yes, I’ve been on a paint binge, too. After staring at our ugly bathroom walls (marked up after a plumbing job), we primed then painted a soothing grey. And then yesterday I randomly painted a closet. It felt really good :) LOVE your colors, and I’m so excited for your choices. They look excellent.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Lindsey! Happy painting!
xo
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Sue Erneta says
The hallway looks great!
I’m about to tackle our wood paneled playroom (with your tutorial, of course)! I kept ignoring the room and hoping it would just paint itself but that hasn’t happened yet. We had some water damage on the rug and even though we got most of it dried out, we decided to replace it. So before the old rug goes, I’m tackling the walls! Check out how sad and brown it looks now: http://sueathome.com/2013/04/16/playroom-remodel-phase-two/
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that’s going to be such a makeover!
xo
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Ginny @ Goofy Monkeys says
So glad I’m not the only one who paints without a drop cloth or tape most of the time. I’ve painted every dang room in this house (some of them twice or more!) and I’ve gotten good at it.
I love the idea of painting the hall ceiling the same as the walls (We’ll be doing that soon, I hope!). It really solves the problem of where to put the wall color/ceiling color line when you have that slope for the stairs.
Sarah @ Sarah's Daybook says
Ooooh aaaaah. So pretty! Do you guys think that you would like to add board and batten like the last house? I bet that would look super pretty!
Sarah
http://www.sarahsdaybook.wordpress.com
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Something super chunky would be awesome. Maybe picture frame molding wainscoting or just thick board and batten with a few more details/elements.
xo
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D Young says
Do you exclusively use Benjamin Moore paint now? It seems I remember different brands and more “color matching” in the past.
YoungHouseLove says
After trying a bunch of brands over the last seven years (Olympic, Behr, Glidden, Benjamin Moore, Mythic, Valspar), we tend to prefer Benjamin Moore for the added coverage/durability that we’ve found it to have if we’re doing a more permanent/major project (ex: painting cabinets, painting walls). We might be biased because we created a color collection with them for the last two years, but we’ve used their paint since well before that partnership, and we always pay for our own paint, so we truly do like it best. If we’re doing a small crafty thing (like painting a plant pot) we might use a tester of Behr though, and we recently used Sherwin Williams for the house’s exterior since the painter recommended it, and also used Olympic on our bathroom’s stenciled floors (since we’ll be removing the subfloor to tile that space down the line when we do a full reno) so we’re not exclusive or anything.
xo
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Amanda says
One of these days, can you do a quick writeup on how you keep track of your digital painting palette? Are you copy and pasting off supplier websites and building a photoshop image? I know people might keep binders with the swatches but how do you translate this online? I appreciated John’s write up of the floor planning apps this week and this would be another good idea for helping us keep track of projects. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the suggestion Amanda! I go right to the paint website and look up the name, and then I take a screen grab of the color and make that into a “chip” (just a box) in Photoshop and then I just label them all. I also keep real paint chips in real life, but photographing them for the blog is usually less accurate.
xo
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