Yup, our formerly beige-on-beige master bathroom is officially rocking Rockport Gray. And we love it as much as we did when we saw it in this kitchen. Here she blows without the shower curtain hung back up yet (we snapped some pics with it up as well, which we’ll get to in a second):
But let’s back up. Before applying two coats of paint to our bathroom (we shared our little mood board for the room yesterday) first we had to remove that unused-shelf-and-towel-bar (read why we didn’t use them here)…
…to make way for some art on the only wall that isn’t tiled nearly all the way to the ceiling. So we did (using an allen wrench kit like this).
And then we hit some metal anchors that were ripping the drywall apart when we removed them (the bathroom is part of an addition from the seventies, so the walls are drywall instead of plaster, which would have crumbled even more probably).
So after learning our lesson with one, we decided to do this instead:
Yup, I banged them into the wall a bit with a hammer and just spackled right over them for a nice seamless look. Here’s what it looked like before I sanded it smooth (pardon the super blown out picture, I forgot to white balance).
See how it’s sort of rough in the middle of this picture? After using a sanding block it was good to go (that’s my tip, since a sanding block stays nice and flat like the wall, instead of being floppy like a loose piece of sandpaper). The spackle we used was Dap Crackshot (with the blue lid), but we hear stores sell low-VOC spackle now so we’re itching to try that out soon.
Once the walls were spackled and sanded it was time for paint (note: priming after spackling isn’t a bad idea but we’ve skipped that step on a few occasions without any issue, so perhaps paint formulas are getting good enough to cover well on their own these days?). Anyway, on went Rockport Gray by Benjamin Moore (we first saw it in person in Portland when we House Crashed this casa and totally fell in love). We only needed a quart of semi-gloss, and we bought Natura paint (since that’s BM’s no-VOC line). The room needed two coats since it’s semi-gloss paint in there (which is so slick that painting over it almost always results in a terrible looking first coat…
… but then the second coat looks great.
So here’s the room all painted with the shower curtain back up. Of course I didn’t get to make the cream trim bright white before painting the walls, but I’ll do that soon enough (I’ve painted walls and then trim a bunch of times so it’s not too bad of an order for a painting fool like me):
Here’s a flashback “before shot” just to show the contrast and crispness that the less monochromatic color brings to the room.
The gray in the tiles is so pretty next to the darker toned wall color. And the funny thing is that the gray in our little tree accent tiles looks nice with the new paint on the walls. We can picture the room looking even more like us with soft frosted gray glass subway tile as the accent someday, but it’s nice that the trees work better with the new wall color in the meantime.
This freshly painted wall is just begging for some art (scroll up see the “before” perspective from this POV). And the room actually feels more open, even though the wall color is darker because there aren’t shelves and bars that feel like they’re all up in your area when you walk to the john.
You can see how the slice of white in the curtain looks with the tan and gray tones. Can’t wait to make the trim in the room a true glossy white color along with the toilet and some other accents to tie that color in more consistently.
So now our bathroom to-do list looks a little something like this:
- paint the cream trim white <– it looks white in the pics, but the bright white light switch next to the cream door trim makes it painfully obvious in person
paint the walls so they have some contrast- craigslist the toilet and replace it with a classic white one
- replace the boob light
- hang some bathroom-friendly art
- do something to add privacy to the window
- replace the border tile around the room (maybe in phase 2?)
- replace the floor tile down the road (just to break things up since there’s so much of it)
The good news for anyone putting off painting a small bathroom is that it doesn’t actually take that long. Each coat probably took us less than an hour (I cut in and then John rolls, and then we repeat that process for coat two). John’s mom once painted her entire bathroom with a paint brush. I remember thinking how amazing that was (and still think about how amazing that is, actually). Must’ve taken forever, but it was only one thing to wash at the end of it all. Haha.
Stefanie says
Hi! Bathroom looks beautiful! Loving the color!
I thought I’d let you know that a room from your first home is in an article on Better Homes and Gardens’ website. I clicked
on a link from my email and after scrolling through a couple photos, I thought, hey! that living room looks familiar. Burger confirmed my suspicion. :) I’ve attached the link. http://www.bhg.com/decorating/seasonal/spring/get-fresh-this-spring1/?page=5
YoungHouseLove says
No way- thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Chrissy Henry says
HAHA your house #1 dining room and sunroom is in the slid show too :) OH BHG… way to bring us all a blast from the past. I had to go look though the old before and afters of the Petersik Casa numero Uno just for old times’ sake. Man that house was little ;)
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! Yes, that house was teeny but we loved it so much.
xo,
s
CampDallas says
So, we are in the process of buying a house with cream trim, too (it looks white at a glance, but definitely is not), and you have me thinking. Are you also having to paint the doors bright white? Love the grey!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, it’s cream on the back of the door and bright white on the front, so at least I only have to paint one side. Haha.
xo,
s
John says
Perhaps you could add a molded tile over the tree border tile and not even have to remove it. A little projection might relieve the flatness.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that could be fun!
xo,
s
Kelly H. says
Looks great! Since you two are always painting, I’ve been wondering if you have any tips for cleaning up your brushes and rollers. A post on the process would be great! I would be more willing to paint if the cleanup wasn’t such a pain!
YoungHouseLove says
We just rinse the water-based paint ones in water and swirl them around til the water runs clear. Then we dry them flat on a paper towel. We clean up oil-based paint with mineral spirits. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kate says
Love the bashing in of the old anchors, I totally did the same thing in our house last summer! I thought I was stupid for not understanding how to get them out, and I finally just got frustrated and tapped them deeper into the wall and filled in the hole. It makes me feel better that I wasn’t completely wrong, lol!
Jessica says
One question for all Americans: Do you all use open trash can in the bathroom? If so what do you do about soiled diapers? Wouldn’t it stink up the whole bathroom in an open trash can.
In my country the trash cans always have lids, ever since I moved to the U.S I’m having a hard time getting a trash can with lid to match my bathroom decor.
YoungHouseLove says
We don’t change Clara’s diapers in the bathroom (we do that in her room) and we use cloth diapers so they go into a wet bag and get washed and reused, but for folks who use disposables I hear they bring them into the kitchen and drop them in the lidded trash there (or even walk them outside to the outside trash can if they’re stinky).
xo,
s
Elisa says
I’d suggest looking at kitchen trashcans, although they may be too big.
Also, lots of people use trashcans in the nursery/bedroom made especially for diapers, made to seal in the stink. :P
teresa olander says
LET’S GO SWIMMING ! I really dig these paintings. I would hang it in a place that needs some energy or give it to my daughter-in-law, who is a serious swimmer. Thanks.
Lorendia says
Hey all! I absolutely love the grey and the contrast, but I’m a little worried: did you leave the light fixture up and paint around it? I’m worried because I just swapped out my bathroom light and found that the previous owner had left the light fixture up when they texturized the ceiling and painted it. So now I’m left with a mis-matched ceiling texture and color. It looks awful!! And if you did leave the light fixture up: why that choice?
Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we painted around it knowing that we’ll be replacing the light and will just paint the rest of the ceiling that’s exposed when we get the new fixture. Didn’t want to take this one down, paint, reinstall it, and remove it to put the next one up. So we’ll just do some touch ups during the hanging process. Thankfully there’s no texture or anything to worry about.
xo,
s
Melissa says
I can’t believe what a difference the new paint color makes in there! I think it makes the tile look 100% better. Well done!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Melissa!
xo,
s
Val says
I love the gray! Looks great in there and will look sooo much better once you get some more white going on.
I desperately want to paint our bathroom, but I’m sort of stuck. The previous homeowner got about 3/4 done ripping out the wallpaper before she ran out of willpower and just painted over it. Eeeek! The walls are a hot bumpy mess.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, good luck with those walls Val!
xo,
s
Abbey says
I never thought of painting the ceiling in the bathroom but I agree, it makes the room feel bigger and less choppy. Both of our bathrooms have white plastic ventilation fans on the ceiling – would you still paint the ceiling in that case? I wonder if it would then make the fans stick out like a sore thumb.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, I’d paint the ceiling and the fan, but I’m crazy like that. Haha. It’ll all blend together that way!
xo,
s
Wendy says
You have MAJORLY inspired me. Can’t wait to start on my bathroom and ceiling in Rockport Grey. I want to try to paint the plastic ceiling fan like you suggested. Would you try to sand it first to rough it up? Use a roller or brush?
YoungHouseLove says
I would sand it a bit to rough it up and then use a paint brush to apply super thinthinthin coats (a roller might glob it on and create drips in all the holes of the fan). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Georgia says
I use semi gloss and gloss all the time. I don’t like mat paint and how difficult it is to clear up with kids putting their hands on the walls all the time. I always prime before I paint, and i find i often only need one coat of paint over primer. I think primer is especially necessary when you have patched the walls, and anywhere where moisture can get into the paint.
I love the colour and it’s amazing how much fresher the room looks with that grey!
Jen says
I LOVE the tree tiles!! then again, I’m not a decor expert ;)
Paige @ Little Nostalgia says
It made such a difference! I love it.
Candice says
Perfect bathroom painting post timing! Painting is on my list to get our house ready to sell. This is just the post I needed to read. =)
Briel K. says
It’s amazing what that little amount of grey paint does to liven up the room!
Stephanie says
Love the color. It really makes the room pop. I know you feel bad about getting rid of the tan tile. Have you considered covering the wall tile with white beadboard? I saw that on an HGTV show a long time ago. It seems like an inexpensive way to get a more customized look (ie, not boring beige) without actually getting rid of the tile (in case down the line you decide you like builder biege? not that I am expecting that to happen).
FYI, we are currently under a bath remodel (we hired people – it saves our marraige this way) and are putting in the white matte hexagon tile and high beadobard on the walls. CANNOT wait. I’ll send pictures when it is done. I saw you might consider glossy hex tiles, but I was warned that those get super slippery in a bathroom.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that beadboard idea! We’ve thought about it a lot but don’t know where the beadboard would stop if that makes sense. See, the tile near the door to the bathroom goes all the way up (about a foot from the ceiling) so it’s really hard to explain, but the beadboard would have to go up close to the ceiling at that part of the room (outside of the tub), which would look weird. Your bathroom sounds gorgeous though, and thanks for the hex tile tip!
xo,
s
Stephanie says
P.S. Here is the HGTV link to covering tile with beadboard!
http://www.hgtv.com/home-improvement/covering-bathroom-tile-with-wainscoting/index.html
YoungHouseLove says
So charming!
xo,
s
Teresa @ wherelovemeetslife says
I would never think that painting the ceiling in such a small space grey would really make the space look bigger… but it does! Looks so much better. I didn’t even realize how close the walls really were to the tile color.
Courtney Rutledge says
Love the color!! Is there anyway to find out the other colors she used in their home? I loved that green in the living room!!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, on that post I have tried to list the colors or you can click over to her blog and ask. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
renee says
Remember back in the day, at Casa #1 when you guys would store all your leftover paint in pretty matching stainless steel cans and label it all, in your beautiful basement? I’m guessing you don’t quite keep that habit up, with the Bean and the book, and all the other demands on your wonderful life.
My OCD self loved it while it lasted!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yeah not so much anymore. For a moment in time we were organized. And then that moment passed. And now it’s chaos. Haha.
xo,
s
Sandy Acree says
Very nice ! I really like it.
Marge says
The color (and choice to paint the ceiling) looks great! I didn’t notice the detail on the tree tiles before–looks like a little pencil sketch on my computer. Maybe one of the tiles can become a shadowbox inhabitant on your frame wall after you replace those with different accent tiles.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s such a fun idea! We saved some of the tiles from the old kitchen backsplash too!
xo,
s
RebeccaMac says
Amazing how that one simple change can make such a difference. Looks great.
Kim says
I’m sure this is impossible, but I can’t help but think how much a pocket door right there would really open up the space in your itty bitty bathroom! Would that require ripping out that entire wall and shower?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, I would love that but the plumbing for the shower is in that wall. So sad.
xo,
s
Karen J says
We had two pocket doors in our old house; LOVED them. Not sure if this is your “style”, but there are lots of DIY’s for adding barn-style doors that don’t require ripping out walls: like this one: http://www.maillardvillemanor.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes we’d love to do that but we can’t do a pocket door since the plumbing for the shower is in that wall and a barn door wouldn’t have anywhere to slide open (there’s a shower on one side of the wall and a sink vanity on the other side).
xo,
s
Karen J says
Love that color. I recently saw an article in our local paper that mentions a way to prevent “leaky flaps” in new (or old) toilets. It’s called the EnviroFlush; thought you “greenies” might be interested.
http://www.enviroflush.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Karen!
xo,
s
Chrissy Henry says
Wow, I never noticed how much tile is actually in this bathroom… a little too much for my liking… so I totally understand your need to cute it up in there! Plus it did not look like your style at all. The color is great!! Cant’s wait to see how the other mood board ideas help this tiny bathroom turn into a John and Sherry room ;)
Liz F says
I keep saying, “Oh my gosh it’s going to look AMAAAZZZINNNGG when it’s done!” YEAAHH!!
Denise says
How long did you wait before you put your curtain rod up for the shower curtain? I just painted our bathroom (no window unfortunately) and I put the rod back up for the curtain so the shower could be used, then I took the rod down because I wanted to clean the tiles and the paint came off of the walls where the rod was. I fixed it and have now put the rod on the tile for now.
YoungHouseLove says
We thankfully have a second shower in the house, so we waited about two days to hang the rod. It seemed to be dry enough since we shifted it around a bit while hanging it, so here’s hoping! It sounds like the touch ups weren’t too bad for you though (at least I hope they weren’t!).
xo,
s
Ali says
Love that gray! We found those same metal anchors in the wall when our son ripped the toilet paper holder (grr) out of the wall. I ended up pulling them out – didn’t even think to hammer them in and spackle over them! Brilliant. Would have saved me some serious hole repairing. haha
KC says
This was such a timely post! Our master bath is also beige on beige on beige!! We’re looking to paint it in a few weeks, and you have me sold on grey. Yep, I think I’m officially a copycat! Thanks so much for the idea. Now, if I can just get your help on the other rooms in our house…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, good luck and happy painting!
xo,
s
Debbie says
We used Aura Bath & Spa in Heather blue (grey-blue) in our bathroom. Maybe I could Rockport grey in our powder room. I highly advise a fan in a bathroom. We put in a panasonic fan in our bath and love it since I’m allergic to any mold. Fans are quiet and greener now.
Every summer our family used to paint our fence and porch with a brush. We could have used one of those little rollers, but I’m not sure if they made them back then.
Lyn says
Oh, how wonderful! Lovin’ the gray colour but sadly, can’t seem to find BJ paints in Australia…would you suggest a paint colour that is similar or equivalent in another brand like DULUX or something???? Would love to paint the same colour in my bathroom, which has white tiles on the wall and boring BEIGE tiles on the floor. Great job! You have inspired me!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, that’s a hard one since we don’t know anything about Australian paint. Never heard of Delux or anything. Hmmm. Any Aussies have advice for Lyn?
xo,
s
s says
I really like those tree tiles! What’s with the glass thing next to the Potty? If you ever have a boy you’ll have to move that thing right quick! Lol
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s a clear acrylic trash can. Thankfully John has good aim and Clara (and future kiddo?) have another bathroom.
xo,
s
Jen says
I love this color and would love to use it to update our kitchen… But I’m truly terrible with color, so here’s my question. Can you picture this color with greenish-tealish countertops (we didn’t choose them!), medium oak cabinets, and a light off-white floor (very light beige with tanish undertones). Oh, and white appliances.
Do you think that’s too much brown/wood color to work with this gorgeous gray?
Or, as I’m hoping, would the gray drag the rest of the kitchen into this century, decor-wise?
Love the bathroom updates so far and can’t wait to see what else you come up with for this room!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I bet it could work (it’s a really neutral color) but your best bet is to bring home the swatch and just hold it up near everything to be sure!
xo,
s
Jen says
Thanks for the reply, Sherry! Can you tell I’m a novice? :) Keeping my fingers crossed that the swatch works in our crazy kitchen.
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck Jen!
xo,
s
KarenH. says
How cool is that? I love how the grey turned your tile into something really sweet instead of blah. Push the non-bathtub wall out another foot and turn your toilet to face the tub and that’s the bathroom in my house. Only you have much nicer tile–even before the paint job!
The original owner of my house had pastic mini blinds up in all the windows and shortly after I moved in, the bathroom blinds broke (I think one of the cats helped :). I got a set of wider wooden blinds from Ikea and really like they look. They come in white, too.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Karen!
xo,
s
K says
Loving this paint colour! What an instant improvement it makes to the space! I love how it picks up on the design in the “border” tiles.
Jenny B. says
It looks so much better! I’ve been thinking about going gray in our house (it’s currently mostly cream/light tan), but I’ve worried that it would make it feel cold and sad. Not so – at least in your bathroom, anyway! :) Oh, and I would totally paint an entire bathroom with a paintbrush (maybe not the ceiling, though). I hate rollers, and painting with a brush is very theraputic. I just get in the groove, and go. Of course, I could probably only do it (without getting athritis) in a very small bathroom. :)
Chantelle says
The majority of our house is Rockport gray and we looooove it too!
Dani says
SOOO It totally made my day that you call those lights, “boob lights”. My husband thought I was crazy. I had never seen (or maybe noticed) those until I moved away to my first apartment in college. Anyway, I’m glad we speak the same language, yo. :)
Beth says
I love the gray and the drama it brings to that little bathroom. You have inspired me to put painting the bathroom at the top of my list.
Luke says
This might be a good place for the second horse print you’re no longer using the in bedroom…
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that could work too! We were hoping to use my blue painting (see the mood board from Monday for that pic). We’ll have to see what works!
xo,
s
Ariel says
I’m moving next week to a new apartment and I’ll finally (!!!) be able to paint! I picked a gray that I want for the bathrooms (Martha Stewart Bedford Gray, but I’m wondering how much paint does a normal sized rental bathroom (just walls, no ceiling) typically require.
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
You’ll probably need a gallon since a quart might be just shy of what you need. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Ariel says
Thanks!!!
Shauna says
Our living room is painted Rockport Gray and we LOVE it! I’m so glad your’e tackling your bathroom now, because we’ve been trying to get started for a long time now!
Stacy says
I’m thinking about painting my bedroom gray, but I’m finding gray to be a tough color to navigate as I’ve never worked with it before. I don’t want a gray that has green, red, blue, or purple undertones, but I don’t want my bedroom walls to look like the side of a battleship either. I don’t ask for much. LOL I could live with taupe undertones as long as they are from the yellow side as I prefer warmer colors to cooler ones. Anyway…
After reading this post, I went to our local hardware store for Benjamin Moore swatches that are in the gray family. Upon sticking all of the ones I grabbed on the wall, more than half were removed due to having undertones that I didn’t want. I did grab a swatch that has the Newport Gray on it, but the color looks really muddy for lack of a better description. I don’t know if it’s the colors next to it that are making it look muddy or what, but it doesn’t look anything like what you have photographed. Did you guys have this issue when choosing this color? Is it possible that the colors on a swatch change to some degree with time?
If I can’t get past this muddy issue, I think I’m going to go with a color called Gray Owl which I think you guys have mentioned before. It’s a bit on the cooler side, but on my walls it reads a “clean” gray as all the others are coming up with lots of blue and or a hint of purple.
Sorry for the novel, but I’m curious what your thoughts are on this. Also if you have any suggestions for another gray color option, I’m all ears and willing to check it out.
Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Oooh Gray Owl is a gorgeous color! I would buy a test pot of that (and a few other contenders if you want to compare) and paint some large squares on the wall to see how they look when they’re actually on the wall and bigger (do two coats so you can judge the final product as it will really look when it’s fully applied). Good luck!
xo,
s
cali says
Love it. Hoping to use a similar gray in our new bathroom. What helps you choose wether or not to paint a ceiling?
YoungHouseLove says
Unless it’s a truly dark color we always paint the ceiling of a bathroom just to keep the room from feeling chopped up and closed in. It really opens things up!
xo,
s
Shannon says
Love the color.. Question how would this look in a bathroom without windows? Would it be too dark?
YoungHouseLove says
I think it could be really pretty! They also make a green one and a clear one, so maybe trying the clear one would be slightly brighter?
xo,
s
Stacy says
I found my color. I went to Sherwin Williams to get a handful ( literally) of swatches after a owner of a site posted that she used a color called Amazing Gray.
The cranky sales clerk was of no help in telling me where I could get a regular sized swatch of Amazing Gray as he said it is a “old color”, but in all the swatches I grabbed, I found a comparable second.
I won’t buy the paint at Sherwin Williams especially after how I was treated yesterday, but I wanted to update for anybody that wants to tinker with the color gray, but prefers warmer versions of it. The color I chose is called Sedate Gray and it will be color matched at Lowe’s. If it doesn’t come out right, I know they won’t give me a hard time about bringing it back and mixing up a new batch.
Yesterday as I was staring at the great wall of swatches, I found it funny that I would pick a color with the mention of sedation in it. LOL I’m not sure what that means, but it’s going to look really sharp with bright white trim, so I guess that’s all that matters.
Thanks for the tip.
Jen @ simply-inspiring says
Lookin good…love that gray
Jesette says
Hey guys! Not sure if anyone asked this but why did you paint the ceiling the same color? Our master bathroom is similar to yours in that it has beige tiles with a hint of yellow. Right now, the bathroom walls and ceiling are painted in a nasty yellow. We’re buying a sample of rockport gray today and trying it out but we’re unsure about painting the ceiling the same color or white? What made you paint it the same color? Sorry for the longgg comment!!
YoungHouseLove says
In bathrooms we always do the ceiling the same as the wall since it’s such a small space and can feel really chopped up and even smaller if you keep the ceiling a different color. In the bedroom assuming it’s not tiny I would try a half-tint of the wall color on the ceiling in flat paint. Just ask them that at the counter and they’ll mix it up (it’ll be a bit lighter and look nice and cohesive on the ceiling).
xo,
s