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:
Rachel says
I’m about to be a painting machine! I’m going to have a week at home off of work, so I’m planning on painting the living room, kitchen, entry way and hallway (AKA – half of our house). I can’t wait!
Julianne says
Looks so great and feels more like home, I’m sure! Fantastic :O) I love your colour choices, by the way. Noticed that for the most part they have cool undertones. Do you typically go for/recommend cooler undertones for a whole house pallet, or do you chose based on how much light a house gets, simply preference, etc.??
YoungHouseLove says
It’s all personal preference, but I think John and I are typically drawn away from colors that we’d call “fleshy” (like a skin tone color) or “tuscan” (like a golden yellow/orange) so we tend to veer more towards neutrals that are somewhat balanced (a warm gray or a cool tan) instead of skewing warm – and cool accent colors for the most part. We do love the coral/red touches in Clara’s room though, along with loving wood furnishings and other natural elements (bamboo blinds, a woven chandelier, a warm cream linen lampshade). We also like to bring hits of warmer colors like yellow in with accessories (like our bed pillows or the rug in the guest room) so it ends up being a smorgasbord I think!
xo
s
Julianne says
Good tips, thank you!! :O)
Anessa says
Thanks for the little tutorial on swithing out the outlets that is something I have been wanting to do but a tad nervous about it. Seems pretty easy. Also I had one comment. Love all your house colors but was just wondering about the polar lights color for your office. Just reminded me a little of your old kitchen color and how it effected photography. Are you concerned about that with this color in the office? Just a thought. I do like the color but i just thought it might be another problem color. Maybe not with all the windows. Good luck. Everything is looking amazing in your new house.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s definitely a good thought! Thankfully our office gets so much light through all those windows, and our kitchen had no natural light (just a window looking into the sunroom) so we think a lot of the issue with the kitchen color was that lack of natural light (we had it in the laundry room which had a window and loved it there). This office color on a color chart is actually a lot lighter and less yellow, so we think it could work – but we’re definitely planning to do test pots of a few options to make sure we’re not rushing into anything!
xo
s
Avi says
I couldn’t figure out how to respond to a response… Probably has something to do with my work internet browser being several generations old. But I just wanted to make sure John knows not all husbands hate him.
As a husband, and fellow DIYer, my wife and I get great ideas from reading your blog.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Avi! I appreciate that.
-John
Christine says
I hope you didn’t address this already in the comments section (I didn’t read through them all, I admit!) – but how did you guys paint the “two-story” walls over the stairwell? We have a two story atrium style living room which will be hard enough to scale, but I’m stumped for how to cut in around the ceiling in our upper hallway that is directly over the staircase.
YoungHouseLove says
That was a whole lot of ladder balancing! Here’s that post for you: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/11/old-carpeting-600-staples-and-ladder-painting/
xo
s
Jessica Moroney says
I guess it also helps that they painted the ceiling in the same colour as the walls…no cutting in :)
Julie W says
I broke out the brush last night. I’ve had a bunch of Medieval Blue paint sitting around for over a year, and decided that the poopy-brown “accent” wall in our master bedroom had to go. So, a sample pot and 45 minutes later, I’ve got my side of the bed wall mostly done – it definitely needs a second coat, and, pretty sure I need to break out the roller for the rest of the wall! What can I say? It was 11 pm and I was on a mission.
It helps that my husband is out of town until Friday…Happy Anniversary to me! (and him, but more to me)
YoungHouseLove says
Hilarious!
xo
s
alia says
I feel your pain.
And am also jealous, as every wall in our bedroom is that shade of brown. Well, it was. Until I freaked out with leftover primer and painted cat faces and shooting stars on the wall at the foot of our bed, just so I could wake up to something different. Husband took the hint, and now that wall is a nice light color. Now, for the rest of the brown walls…
(I’d do it myself, but he made it a point of honor that he was going to do it himself, so in the interest of marital harmony I have to wait for him to get around to it. Though if I get any more leftover primer, I might get creative again…)
Bethany says
Hahahaha, I wish you had a picture of the cat faces / shooting stars! That sounds hilarious. At least your husband took the hint after that. Hope he gets to the rest of the walls soon!
Cindy @Made2Style says
I’m so impressed that you can paint the ceiling without a tarp on the floor! I’d be terrified of the little splatters…even doing if after that many years I still wouldn’t trust myself haha
alia says
I have a 5 pmish deadline today, because that’s when our first airbnb guests since November are arriving.
I’m really proud, actually, because I looked at the pictures on our listing and decided the nice tall dressers actually didn’t look good, and no one ever used them anyway, so I replaced them with two small sets of drawers that we inherited covered in stickers and magic marker.
My husband bought me a sander, and I covered the entire living room with sawdust but it was amazing to see them free of varnish. Then my sons were unhappy that they didn’t get to help, so we all primed them together. The grownups painted them white (and green) and now they are on either side of the bed and are crisp looking and adorable.
Now all I need is a working toilet. (The plumber is in the bathroom now. I’m relieved that it was a problem we couldn’t have fixed ourselves– friends kept saying we should just bolt the toilet down harder, but that wasn’t fixing the problem, really) but nervous that he only has 4 hours to put my toilet back and make it stay there. (It wasn’t supposed to be last minute! He was supposed to be here last Tuesday! Aaaaahh!)
…and breathe. :}
YoungHouseLove says
Exciting! Sounds like it’s all coming together!
xo
s
Kate says
I know this isn’t related to this post, but at least it’s kind of related to paint… :)
I swear you guys had posted before about a certain paint stripper you like to use that’s low/zero VOC and low oder and I think maybe the name had “orange” in it or the bottle was orange or something. I tried to find it in old posts and couldn’t. Am I making that up? Is there a certain paint stripper you’ve used that you really like? I’m looking to take the (now damaged) factory finish off of my dining room table top this summer.
YoungHouseLove says
We love a liquid deglosser called Next because it’s low-VOC and biodegradable and it used to be sold by Home Depot but it’s not anymore. SO SAD! We loved that stuff. Anyone have a deglosser that you love/would recommend?
xo
s
Kate says
I figured it out! It was Censational Girl’s post about Citristrip that I was thinking of. :)
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2010/03/a-tale-of-two-strippers/
YoungHouseLove says
We love Kate’s blog! Thanks for the link to that post.
xo
s
Amy says
I’m so glad to see that color palette!
As we make changes to our 51-year old house we’re finding out that every single room has been painted green at one point.
Mint green, hunter green, kelly green, grass green… based on paint layer archeology they all happened about the same time! Yikes!
Lindsay says
I love Edgecomb Gray! How do you think it would look with maple cabinets? I know my husband would not be down with painting cabinets!
YoungHouseLove says
It looks nice with our wood stairs, which aren’t as red as maple, so I think you could bring home a swatch and hold it up to see. It’s such a neutral it seems to work with a bunch of things.
xo
s
Kelly says
Speaking of updating outlets, and having babies, do you know about tamper resistant outlets? They have a built-in mechanism that prevents kiddos from sticking objects into them, without needing any special cover or other device. They are more expensive, but they are required by code for all new residential installations. I did a post about having to replace all my newly installed outlets with TR ones to pass my electrical inspection: http://diynot.tumblr.com/post/16762736982/no-tampering A simple swap-out with non-TR outlets wouldn’t be a code violation (and doesn’t need an inspection so how would they even know), but if you’re replacing an outlet anyway to update it, consider using a TR outlet and then it won’t need any babyproofing later on. It also looks cleaner than any other babyproofing option.
YoungHouseLove says
Love the tip Kelly! Thanks!
xo
s
Robyn says
I love the proposed office color! We painted our office in a really similar color and it’s perfect. Somehow soothing, but energizing at the same time. I believe ours was Benjamin Moore Pale Sea Mist.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds really pretty!
xo
s
erin says
I can’t believe you’re doing all of this with just 5 weeks to go! Kudos.
I have to hijack for a second and suggest that you guys do a fun “pool” or guessing game for the baby’s name! Maybe on the forums?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! If Clara has her way it’s either Barnacle, Acrobat, or Awesome.
xo
s
Stephanie says
You should totally paint those hanging lights a fun color – like turquoise – for a fun and free pop of color!
YoungHouseLove says
I was originally planning to paint them for an easy update, but one has a broken stem, and one is bigger than the others along with all of them being crooked, so I think donating them might be the best way to go.
xo
s
Christine says
It looks so much fresher than before, and, wow, that floor is going to stay so much cleaner than that carpet would. The doorknobs are really subtle and classy in that color scheme.
I could see one big piece of colorful art in that hallway– or even a big, colorful letter or other cool vintage thing hung up as art.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
Courtney says
One more for the short handled brush love. Bought one after you suggested it sometime last year. Now every time I walk through a room I did before I bought it, I want to re paint it because the cutting in looks so sloppy.
Kaitie says
No love for Spring Mint in the master bath?
YoungHouseLove says
DANG! I knew I forgot something!
xo
s
Carrie says
I love the ceiling painted the same color as the walls! I also think it’s great that you are taking advantage of your motivation to get items checked off your list so that you can snuggle up with your new little one very soon!
My question is about the hardwoods upstairs. We have carpet upstairs (and four kids soon to add a dog). I would love to continue the hardwoods upstairs but is it loud? Our first floor is open to the second in the foyer and family room. I also worry about it being cold. What do you think?
YoungHouseLove says
Thankfully our floors had sound deadening underlayment from the carpet that we could keep in and then we used another layer of underlayment called Elastilon to install the flooring so it’s really quiet. We’re also a shoes off house, so that helps, but we don’t hear people clopping around or anything. The stairs were a little loud without the runner, but now that it’s back they’re pretty quiet too.
xo
s
Barbara says
I often wonder if the previous owners look at the blog and go “Dang it Henry, I KNEW we should have painted!”
Jessica says
Have you guys considered (or did you consider) painting the newels on the stairs the darker color of the rail instead of white of the balusters? I suppose it’s just a preference thing, but I keep thinking that they would look so nice and substantial in the black.
YoungHouseLove says
We went back and forth on those but for balance reasons at the base of the stairs we opted to keep them white. There’s more on that in this post for ya.
xo
s
Keeley says
We’re just starting to paint our all-white home that we purchased last summer. I hired an interior designer for color consultation/custom window treatment measurements (a good deal at $145) and we’ve hired professional painters for the two rooms with vaulted ceilings. We’ll be doing the rest of the painting ourselves. The pro painters seem crazy expensive, but there’s no way my husband and I were going 25 feet (or higher) in the air to paint these two rooms. We’ll just have to save money somewhere else! I love that our home is newer and I love the feel of high ceilings, but they are a pain to paint! Here’s hoping we love these color choices for at least 10 years.
LKB says
I’m curious about how you avoid paint splatter on your floors. I’ve painted every room in our house (over a few years now…), and I decided to forego drop cloths on the last room I did. Big drops are no problem to clean up, but I found that I had a little sprinkle-haze all around from rolling. And there was a lot of scrubbing with a sponge after all the painting… Any tips? Thanks!
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 too hard or go super fast there can be more drips/splatter). The quality of the paint could help too (something thicker like Ben Moore might not splatter as much).
xo
s
Nina says
Love the paint colors! I have a question that I know you guys have probably answered before, so I am so sorry if I am repeating. But I am expecting for the first time (12 weeks) and we are in the process of selling our house and buying another one. We are closing soon (hopefully) and EVERYTHING needs paint. Like everything, lol.
What’s your go to plan for pregnancy and painting? Where we live hopefully the weather will be cooperating and we will be able to have windows open, etc and can stay with the out laws while we are painting, etc.
Thanks so much!
Nina
YoungHouseLove says
Congrats Nina! Here’s a post with that info for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/10/the-411-on-baby-2/
xo
s
lisa says
I’m the painter in our family. Re the paint splatter issue I think it might be impacted by the quality of your paint and roller too. I used to use Behr and CIL and Home Hardware (I’m in Canada). And my mom was always swearing by Benjamin Moore, but I largely ignored her suggestion given the price. But I’d have to say I have used Benjamin Moore recently and was shocked at how much better its coverage was – and I’ve done a lot of painting. And I found it didn’t splatter. I find Home Hardware paint is good for coverage and splatter too. So I think maybe the quality of paint and roller can make a big impact.
YoungHouseLove says
So interesting! Thanks for the tips Lisa!
xo
s
Sara says
So you guys NEVER get drops or splatter painting the ceiling, yet John’s “paint clothes” are covered in paint drops and splatter. Huh. Guess he bought them that way?
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
Allison says
Your brush recommendation saved my life! (Dramatic? No.)
The day I first used it I ended up *accidently* painting all the trim in our house because that brush was so darn amazing. And it wasn’t even the most expensive brush in the aisle!
I tell everyone who will listen how great that brush is.
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! I’m so glad. Spread the paint brush gospel!
xo
s
Amanda says
Do you guys shy away from purple paint shades on purpose, or is it just something you don’t consider for no reason? I think a deep greyish plum would be amazing in your dining room!
YoungHouseLove says
We painted John’s Granny’s bathroom a soft purple tone and loved it so much we chose a similar color for our last house’s hall bathroom as well! We both liked it so I think we’d consider using it again for sure!
xo
s
Amy says
Have you thought about brining the door to the laundry closer to the end of the hallway and really open up that back space? So the laundry feels more like a room rather than an extension? Love the transformation !
YoungHouseLove says
We did think about that for a little while, but we’re not sure if that’ll make it feel more closed in (like you’re standing in a small light-less box instead of having an open hallway behind you). Will keep you posted though!
xo
s
Stephanie says
I can’t remember: does this house have a basement? Wracking my brain about that! Thanks! xo Stephanie/Des Moines
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, there’s no basement (which is pretty common for Richmond) but it does have an unfinished storage room on the second floor and a walk-up attic along with a double garage.
xo
s
Amanda says
I think you typed Barnacle a bit quickly in your post. You have Barnicle.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Amanda! All fixed.
xo
s
elicia says
When adding doors to the laundry nook, you should consider framing up a small wall for a new door somewhere in the hallway past Clara’s door. This way it will help tone-down the length of the hallway, and you wouldn’t need the doors right in front of the laundry machines, you could have a full laundry room. The storage room could be accessed through the laundry room, either with or without a door.
Just an idea…
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Elicia! We thought about that for a little while, but we’re not sure if that’ll make it feel more closed in (like you’re standing in a small light-less box instead of having an open hallway behind you). Will keep you posted though – we tend to change our minds a million times!
xo
s
xo
s
Bethany says
My last apartment had a small light-less box for a laundry room. I seriously miss it so much! Haha! My new place just has a “laundry closet” similar to your’s, and I miss all the storage having an actual room gave me. I always kept the door open when I was in there anyway so the lack of natural light didn’t bother me at all.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s true, we could just leave the door open and it would be similar to having the open hall behind us. I love the idea of a pretty frosted glass door or something too!
xo
s
kathyg says
You could always put in a skylight too. I have several, love them. They seem to be DIY, with the exception of how to get on the two story roof!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh! That would be awesome.
xo
s
Bethany says
A frosted door would be pretty! And a skylight would definitely take it to the next level. Is that seriously something you can DIY?! That seems scary, haha.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeahhhhhhh, I’m not sure it would work with our roofline/attic setup, and we’d definitely call in a pro for that since it’s structural – but man does it sound awesome.
xo
s
Susan says
I’m sure you get this a thousand times a day, but what finish of paint do ya’ll use…eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, or flat for your walls and trim? Is it easily cleaned with a wet rag? Lastly, why do you chose that particular finish over the others? I find there’s a glare with semi-gloss on my walls or is it just me? Thanks!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Lately we have been using eggshell and we love it. It’s not too shiny, easy to touch up, yet very durable/scrubbable – and it can even work on the ceiling like it did here. For a bathroom or kitchen I’d probably go with satin though. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Jen says
Looks amazing guys! So light and bright! Im curious if you painted inside the linen closet or not?
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, we have some plans to redo that down the line, so we’re leaving it well enough alone for now. Could be fun in an accent color though!
xo
s
Brandi from Bloomington says
Just a request, take it or leave it. Either way, I won’t be hurt.
I would love to see your floor plan with the colors of the rooms instead of the beige color. Maybe little squares in the rooms if they are accent colors.
YoungHouseLove says
That would be fun! We did that for our first house and our second house I think (when they were more finished so we didn’t have a bunch of bare rooms) so maybe when we get a little further along we can do that!
xo
s
Corrin says
Hello,
What color were the kitchen cabinets again? Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
They’re Simply White (and the bases are stained).
xo
s
Elizabeth says
I just wanted to tell y’all that I LOVE the paint colors in this house! It looks so light and airy and I think the bright colors you’ve used, like your door, are so fun. We’ve been slowly painting rooms in our house and I keep coming back here to see what colors you have been using!
Good luck with your last few weeks of pregnancy and the delivery!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Elizabeth!
xo
s
Kris Mays says
Yes! We have a baby due in 7 weeks and are trying our hardest to get our painting projects done, here, too. We need to finish painting our family room (SW Antique Marble) and our kitchen dining areas (Behr Ballet White)
Monique says
So jealous of your Edgecomb Gray. I painted my open concept main level Edgecomb and it looks great at about 6pm each evening. The rest of the time, it looks lavender. :( Can’t wait to see Knoxville Gray and Sparrow used. Love your blog.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! It looked yellowed and sort of faded in our last house.
xo
s
Roxanne M says
It looks fantastic! I love the color. Yes, we are on painting benders too. I am also pregnant (my first!) and although still in my second trimester we are also on a bender to get a lot of home stuff done. Our house came with all white walls! Sherry, do you wear a respirator while painting? My husband has been doing all the painting but he was a professional painter in the past and is great at it, and usually just tells me I’m in the way ;) He recently painted our main bath Riverway by SW and the master Hemlock by BM. We have a upstairs hallway and 2 bedrooms (including the nursery, which we’re doing neutral since we’re not finding out the sex) which I’m torn between Revere Pewter and your Edgecomb Gray. Guess I’ll get samples. We’re also getting SW to color match those tones because their Emerald paint line is the BEST we’ve found, BTW. Our walls aren’t in the best shape and the finish is nearly matte but scrubbable. The coverage and finish is OUTSTANDING. Highly recommend it, and the price is totally worth it. With their coupons it comes down in price. Oh we have a giant tall entryway attached to the upstairs hallway to do too that will probably happen at a later date, so we’ll have a weird ‘line’ too Sherry!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome Roxanne! We hear such good things about SW paint – and you’re lucky to have a pro painting hubby who does it all! And as for the respirator, I don’t when I’m using no-VOC paint (we prefer BM Natura) but if it’s low-VOC primer or caulk or stain I break that sucker out.
xo
s
mp says
Are you concerned about going up and down the stairs post-caesarean? A friend of mine had real problems with it after giving birth to twins.
YoungHouseLove says
I’m going to talk to the doc about that at my next apt (I have to stay in the hospital for an extended time, so by the time I’m home the stairs might be fine). If need be I can have everything I need on the first level though, just in case, so we might do that if the doc says we should prepare for it.
xo
s
Timothy says
since you like the seamless look in the foyer by painting the ceiling the same color do you think you will add crown? i know you guys like it to be everywhere or no where right? i think that way. like you have to either have it everywhere or not at all. anyway just wondering if you’d put crown in there.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we’d love to eventually add some crown and maybe even some thick wainscoating – although as I was edging around all of those doors and angles I thought “this is going to be a lot of cuts…”
xo
s
Susan says
Just to make sure…do you use egg shell on the trim, too? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Semi-gloss for the trim and doors :)
xo
s
Trish says
WOW, I’m impressed, no dropcloth. Have you done a post on painting ceilings? I would love to know your technique and more importantly what type of roller you use. When I paint ceilings I always have way more than just a drip or two on the floor! It all looks so crisp and neat now. Beautiful job you guys!
YoungHouseLove says
We use either Wooster or Purdy rollers for smooth surfaces from Home Depot. Other than that John just tries not to put on too much paint, not to press too hard, and not to roll too fast. We do get the occasional drip that we wipe off the floor (or scrape off with our fingernail once it dries) but we don’t seem to have any issues with those splatters of small drops or any mist of paint getting on the floor, so it’s a pretty streamlined process for us. Ask me how it was 5 years ago though (hint: waaaay messier) so I definitely think it improves over time.
xo,
s
Kate says
I am really loving what you are doing with this house. It is a mixture of your first and second houses. The way you guys are combining bold elements with neutral elements. To me it seems like you guys are taking what you loved about your first home, and combining it with what you learned from going a bit bolder in your second home. It is coming together so nicely.
P.S. We also went paint crazy before baby, so glad we did now that she is here and quite a handful!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kate! I feel the same way! It’s like we smashed our tone on tone first house against our bolder and more modern second house – and somehow we’re hovering in the middle with some high-contrast touches, some bright color bursts, and some neutrals to temper things too. Should be fun to see where we end up when rooms come together more (art, curtains, rugs, painting the rest of them, etc).
xo
s
Sarah in Florida says
I will add myself to the list of how that little brush changed my life but it would be totally awesome if it would just finish all the painting left to do around here on it’s own :D Do you feel like some days you will never finish painting like I do? I’ve been painting on and off the entire interior of my house since September and I swear this is the last house I will ever paint. I have my room left and I hate the color I initially started with in the kitch/fam combo so I have to repaint it all again….one day.
Hooray for nesting though as you find things to clean and ponder the mind would never consider any other time.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we will never be done! Haha! I think it helped us to realize that it took us around 4 years to finish painting our first house and a few more to finish painting our second house, so it’s just sort of a constant job, but it’s so rewarding when a room feels all fresh and new. Or maybe we’re just gluttons for punishment. Haha!
xo
s
Jakki says
Wow! Huge difference from when you first bought it! Looks lovely now!
Sherry just a thought- after your c section you may not be able to make it up or down the stairs for a little while. I had my second one last year and we only had 6 stairs but I found it too hard and painful getting back up them after going down. (The house we lived in was split level and in the side of a hill where the entrance was the top level). Day 7 I went up and down a few times but ended up quite sore so waited until day 12. Our master and bathroom were on the top level along with the playroom so I hung out there and hubby waited on me.
I did find the second c section better than the first which was an emergency- second was planned. I reviewed a lot faster but I was able to rest a lot more second time around too.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tips Jakki!
xo
s
Susan says
I’m so happy you shared your cutting-in tip! I just painted our master bathroom this weekend and I bought a 2″ wooster brush to try your technique. It TOTALLY WORKS!! I don’t have steady hands at all, but I didn’t have any issues staying inside the lines. Not to mention, it’s a billion times easier/faster than taping. We’re getting ready to list our house, so we’re trying to knock out a few more items before we put this baby on display!
YoungHouseLove says
Woot! So glad it worked so well for you Susan!
xo
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Pia says
For the other rooms that you have yet to paint. I have a suggestion. Dont use Knoxville Gray, Polar lights or Sparrow. Remeber your first house? The colours there? To many of them and you ended up repainting? Im not saying that those colours arent good looking BUT you have already quite similar colours in your palette. Reuse is better than selecting a new one almost the same as some other. So I would do this instead…
16.Possible Dining Room Color? (Black Pepper instead of Knoxville Gray)
17.Possible Guest Room Color? (Senora Gray instead of Sparrow)
18.Possible Office Color? (Nelson Blue or Going to the Chapel instead of Polar Lights)
That is what I should have done. If I were in your shoes. But Im not. Actaully in any shoes right now.
Keep up the good work. Love reading about it!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Pia! We’ve been debating reusing some of those (ex: Black Pepper in the dining room) but have seen Knoxville Gray look awesome in other spaces. Will keep you posted for sure!
xo
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Jill says
The brand of paint totally makes a difference in how much it splatters. But it is not necessarily connected to price. We once tried a very expensive Yolo Colorhouse, which is supposed to be zero VOC yada yada, but 1) the room smelled like fish for 6 months, so it failed that test, and 2) it splattered SO bad. We did walls in a bath and the other surfaces (like the door, toilet, sink – things you don’t think to cover) ended up like a speckled egg.
Two paints I can recommend, however, are Sherwin Williams Emerald, which is pricey but it truly is 0 VOC (I think the colorants are, too). I’m really sensitive to paint but I can use this in a closed room. And they have 30% off sales often. The other is a clay paint from a company called Bioshield. It’s totally nontoxic/ 0 VOC. It’s a little hard to use because it’s on the opposite spectrum and very thick, but it gives the walls a subtle, somewhat adobe texture.
YoungHouseLove says
We hear Emerald is awesome! I would love to try that. And thanks for the Bioshield tip too!
xo
s