Painting Rooms??

[John Terefenko]

Odd question but got into a weird discussion with someone and thought I would throw it out here. I value this group. Painting rooms in a home. How many people paint their ceilings white and walls another color?? How many people paint the entire room the same color including the ceiling. Is one way more modern or more acceptable or is it just a matter of taste. I think it is a matter of taste. But the person I talked to mentioned a few things. One is with white ceilings it makes the room look larger. They also said that to have one wall a different color makes the room more interesting along with a white ceiling. Thoughts please. Thanks.

Asking these questions because I am about to paint the rooms in my house after I get the bath and kitchen remodeled this year. Right now all rooms the walls and ceilings are the same color. Just a carry over from when I lived at parents house and that was the way my Dad did it. I should mention woodwork is stained a med brown. That will stay. No painting woodwork, doors or windows.

[Mel Fulks]

Well, I’m still awake! I’ve always painted ceilings white, but truth is we don’t do much painting as we have made a lot of changes and done
some messy jobs ,like soundproofing two baths. But I plan to paint the living room soon. Probably yellow,if I can find a good one ,meaning
bright with no subtlety or beige -ness. For the ceiling same paint ,but mixed with white to attempt as smooth a blend in with the help of
Some new lighting. I plan to make an Art Deco fire place floor to ceiling and possibly try a curved transition on to ceiling with some wood
”sun rays”. Always liked Art Deco. And the fire place has an elevated hearth so I don’t think traditional would look right with that.
.

[Doug Dawson]

Odd question but got into a weird discussion with someone and thought I would throw it out here. I value this group. Painting rooms in a home. How many people paint their ceilings white and walls another color?? How many people paint the entire room the same color including the ceiling. Is one way more modern or more acceptable or is it just a matter of taste. I think it is a matter of taste. But the person I talked to mentioned a few things. One is with white ceilings it makes the room look larger. They also said that to have one wall a different color makes the room more interesting along with a white ceiling. Thoughts please. Thanks.

Asking these questions because I am about to paint the rooms in my house after I get the bath and kitchen remodeled this year. Right now all rooms the walls and ceilings are the same color. Just a carry over from when I lived at parents house and that was the way my Dad did it. I should mention woodwork is stained a med brown. That will stay. No painting woodwork, doors or windows.
You can have your ceilings any color you want, as long as it’s flat white with a touch of grey added to tone down the brightness slightly. Then walls can be anything.

[Jim Becker]

The largest convention is to make ceilings white because of how it distributes light. There's no rule that says you cannot do something different, but it's not the norm. I'm betting that in some cases where the ceiling matches the walls it's because it's easier...many folks find cutting in along the ceiling line to be very challenging. It's an art-form that requires patience and that means a lot more time. Too many want to "just get it done" and that's not consistent with things like careful cutting in. This is one reason why pro painters make a good living...it takes time to do it right.

BTW, I don't buy "ceiling paint"...I just use good quality flat-white paint.

[Gary Ragatz]

We toured a lot of homes ~5 years ago, before we decided to build - a variety of ages and styles. I'd say white was, by far, the most common ceiling color. But we did see some examples of ceilings painted a light grey or light beige, with walls painted a deeper, complementary shade. These were almost always highlighted with white crown molding. If done right, I think it creates a nice formal look.

[Adam Herman]

all ceilings flat white for us. makes the rooms look cleaner, more open and bright. we have done accent walls as well, usually one wall is a color and the rest is whatever offwhite you like. we use westhighland white from SW.

[Michael Weber]

In the 70’s when I painted my first homes interior, my wife insisted a ceiling should be painted a VERY diluted color the walls were painted. Don’t remember the percentage but just a little bit more than somewhat of a hint. I still remember the LR and DR walls were “Wedgwood blue” (She sold fine china). The gentleman at the Great Western paint store getting the color just right by manually making color additions that were spot on. Great Western is long gone and a very sad story for the career employees who were left with nothing, including the above person who lost his retirement after decades of work. Currently our ceiling are flat white ceiling paint.

[Alex Zeller]

I suspect that flat white is common because it hides poor quality taping and mudding of sheetrock. Back in the day it was that popcorn texture stuff. My timber frame house is a story and a half so the upstairs rooms have ceilings that are angled at 45 degrees that start at about 4' high at the outside walls. Painting them white seemed wrong. But, as Jim points out, the rooms with darker colors are much darker because everything is the same color.

[Lisa Starr]

I personally dislike the stark white of most ceiling paint. Throughout our home the ceilings and crown moldings, in the rooms that have them, are Sherwin-Williams Dover White. It is light and reflective without being stark. It also plays well with most colors you might chose for your walls.

[Alan Rutherford]

"Ceiling White." Or perhaps as Jim says "good quality flat-white paint". I've painted a significant number of rental units going back years and Ceiling White is all I've ever used. Same for my own house. It's a good time to practice cutting in if you aren't already good at it. Get a decent trim brush and do the ceiling first.

[Mel Fulks]

I personally dislike the stark white of most ceiling paint. Throughout our home the ceilings and crown moldings, in the rooms that have them, are Sherwin-Williams Dover White. It is light and reflective without being stark. It also plays well with most colors you might chose for your walls.

I call Dover White.....beige using an alias ,to get “a new start”. Or maybe that I’m looking at a bad batch !

[Ron Citerone]

I would not paint a ceiling any color except white. I know other people who paint it the same as the walls. I think the room seems to close in on you that way. But hey, people should do what makes them happy.

[Ed Aumiller]

Antique white for walls and ceilings in rooms that are painted.... Blends in with any style / color furniture IMO...(actually wife's opinion!!)...

Daughters BR has been pink, green, grey with always a white ceiling..

[Malcolm Schweizer]

White ceilings, except if it has a recessed tray, then paint the recess blue and it looks really cool.

[Mel Fulks]

White ceilings, except if it has a recessed tray, then paint the recess blue and it looks really cool.

Yes, it’s a Roman impluvium with a new improvium that lets in light ....but keeps rain OUT ! Franchise Available In YOUR area !

[Bill Dufour]

In California the term is Navajo white and Swiss coffee for rental units.
Bill D

[John Terefenko]

Antique white for walls and ceilings in rooms that are painted.... Blends in with any style / color furniture IMO...(actually wife's opinion!!)...

Daughters BR has been pink, green, grey with always a white ceiling..
I am planning on painting the office room a grey. It will be the first time I ever painted a room grey but I think that is the new in color these days. I am leaning white ceilings the more I read these.

[Mel Fulks]

I have never liked beige paint ....and it was finally on its way OUT!! Now it’s back as WHITE !? If you have a child in kindergarten, and you want
them to learn quickly....be honest about colors. Don’t wait until they want to post a GREEN “red bird” on the refrigerator!

[David Publicover]

I’ve always painted ceilings with flat white ceiling paint. I hate painting ceilings and the idea of having to use multiple coats to cover or change the colour of the ceiling every time the wall colour is changed is unappealing. We seem to change colours regularly. Our current house has a swirl texture finish on the ceilings (yuck) which would make it even more difficult to change colours without multiple coats.
I paint closets white whenever possible for similar reasons so am beginning to suspect I’m just lazy!
Good luck with the re- decorating.

[roger wiegand]

Painting ceilings to match the wall color is a trendy thing on sites like Houzz these days. I'm sticking with the brightest white I can find, these old eyes need all the light they can get.

Gray is definitely the new beige.

We paint our house in pretty bright, albeit light, colors, every room different. I like the variety. Always hated houses painted entirely in "landlord white".

[Ole Anderson]

Just painted two bedrooms, both have white ceilings, one needed repainting and I stayed with white. I HATE painting ceilings, so I used the paint that goes on pink so you can see where you have been and then dries white. Still hate painting ceilings. Maybe use a pro trick and go with an 18" roller so it takes half the time? personally I prefer white ceilings, it helps set off the wall color and helps brighten the room.

[Ole Anderson]

In California the term is Navajo white and Swiss coffee for rental units.
Bill D Hmm, wonder how much longer that Navajo white will last with the PC police ramping up?

[Jim Becker]

I am planning on painting the office room a grey. It will be the first time I ever painted a room grey but I think that is the new in color these days. I am leaning white ceilings the more I read these.
Coincidently, I just did a refresh on my office exactly like that...walls went to grey and a vinyl plank floor went in as the soft wide pine had been damaged over the years by my chair, despite a carpet to protect against that. Ceiling and trim remained white. The previous wall color was a very light green.

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[Tom M King]

I like the color changing ceiling paint. The color changes from purple, to white as it dries. That can save an extra coat, since you can see how well you're covering. It's especially useful when spraying using a supplied air hood, which does restrict visibility some when the face shield gets some bounceback spray on it.

[Doug Dawson]

Just painted two bedrooms, both have white ceilings, one needed repainting and I stayed with white. I HATE painting ceilings, so I used the paint that goes on pink so you can see where you have been and then dries white. Still hate painting ceilings. Maybe use a pro trick and go with an 18" roller so it takes half the time? personally I prefer white ceilings, it helps set off the wall color and helps brighten the room.
Painting ceilings is easy and quite fast with an airless sprayer. But you may have to do a lot of masking. Still, with practice and the right tools and materials this can go quickly.

[Tom M King]

My order of work, if the walls are going to be a color, mask off the floor with brown paper around the edges, and dropcloth over the rest of the floor. Trim gets sprayed, not worrying about what gets on the walls, roll the color on the walls and cut in the trim with a brush-quicker than masking anything, then tape the top of the walls, whether plain wall, or crown molding, and use the cling drape below the tape, then spray the ceiling last. It's easier to drape a wall, than mask a ceiling, so ceiling is last.

edited to add: I like the wall drape with the built-in tape for the highest layer, or by itself is one will cover.

[Doug Dawson]

My order of work, if the walls are going to be a color, mask off the floor with brown paper around the edges, and dropcloth over the rest of the floor. Trim gets sprayed, not worrying about what gets on the walls, roll the color on the walls and cut in the trim with a brush-quicker than masking anything, then tape the top of the walls, whether plain wall, or crown molding, and use the cling drape below the tape, then spray the ceiling last. It's easier to drape a wall, than mask a ceiling, so ceiling is last.

edited to add: I like the wall drape with the built-in tape for the highest layer, or by itself is one will cover.If doing the walls _and_ ceiling, I’ll start with what you do on the floors, and mask off the windows and appliances etc. Then spray primer on the walls and ceilings. Then (because I usually have the benefit of waiting some time after that) I’ll paper the perimeter of the wall/ceiling intersection and spray the ceilings. Then the walls usually get rolled, and the trim rolled and brushed. I don’t have to drape the walls, unless painting them first, which is a bit inconvenient although manageable.

Essential tools: 3M hand maskers, 3M masking film, general purpose masking paper, green frog tape.

[Jerome Stanek]

When I was painting for a home builder that I worked for he had 2 colors one was rice paper and the other was antique white they were close to the same color if you didn't see them side by side. I would spray the walls and ceilings the same color.

[roger wiegand]

I like the color changing ceiling paint. The color changes from purple, to white as it dries. That can save an extra coat, since you can see how well you're covering. It's especially useful when spraying using a supplied air hood, which does restrict visibility some when the face shield gets some bounceback spray on it.

When we lived in St Louis we got first hand experience with that. The prior homeowner had used it so every time the humidity went up into the high 80's and beyond (an unfortunately common experience in StL) the ceilings would all turn a mottled rosy purple/pink. Not my favorite.

[Mark Blatter]

I am doing a mild remodeling job on half a duplex for designer I work with. She originally said to do the ceilings the same color as the walls, a medium tan color. Then just before I started, she changed her mind and said to cut the ceiling paint with equal portion of a white ceiling paint. I looks better than it would have, but the 50% dilution didn't make as much of a change as you would have thought. Still, I personally like white, or perhaps a notch or two up the scale of a grey. Certainly makes the room look bigger and the ceiling not so 'heavy' when you are in the room.

[Doug Dawson]

I am doing a mild remodeling job on half a duplex for designer I work with. She originally said to do the ceilings the same color as the walls, a medium tan color. Then just before I started, she changed her mind and said to cut the ceiling paint with equal portion of a white ceiling paint. I looks better than it would have, but the 50% dilution didn't make as much of a change as you would have thought. Still, I personally like white, or perhaps a notch or two up the scale of a grey. Certainly makes the room look bigger and the ceiling not so 'heavy' when you are in the room.
Part of the problem with non-white ceiling colors is how difficult it makes it to light the room. It’s like living in a cave, to a certain extent. Or a David Lynch movie. Unless that’s your intent. :^)

[John Terefenko]

Coincidently, I just did a refresh on my office exactly like that...walls went to grey and a vinyl plank floor went in as the soft wide pine had been damaged over the years by my chair, despite a carpet to protect against that. Ceiling and trim remained white. The previous wall color was a very light green.

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I like that combo. What is the grey color called??

[Mel Fulks]

I like that combo. What is the grey color called??

Which side? DARK SIDE or LIGHT SIDE? With stripes you could use both colors

[John Terefenko]

Which side? DARK SIDE or LIGHT SIDE? With stripes you could use both colors
I am talking about the photo Jim showed of his office.

[Jim Becker]

I like that combo. What is the grey color called??

SW 7072 "Online" is the color...same one I used for the Gallery Room project a few months ago. The Emerald matte covers really, really well, too...one coat in both rooms rolled without being stingy with the paint. I thought about going slightly lighter, but since I had enough to do the room by only adding a quart, I stuck with it to keep the cost to a minimum. The flooring is HD's "Home Decorators" vinyl in "Black Ash" color. Ceiling paint is SW "SuperPaint" put on by the contractors that did our addition in 2008 and the trim is SW ProClassic.

[John Terefenko]

SW 7072 "Online" is the color...same one I used for the Gallery Room project a few months ago. The Emerald matte covers really, really well, too...one coat in both rooms rolled without being stingy with the paint. I thought about going slightly lighter, but since I had enough to do the room by only adding a quart, I stuck with it to keep the cost to a minimum. The flooring is HD's "Home Decorators" vinyl in "Black Ash" color. Ceiling paint is SW "SuperPaint" put on by the contractors that did our addition in 2008 and the trim is SW ProClassic.

Thanks Jim I just looked it up and like that color because it actually looks grey and not these blue grey looks. They have a shade lighter in that same class that I will have to look at. Will pick up chips. All this painting is going to get done after these guys get done with kitchen and bath and I get my work portion done. Then I will go through entire house one room at a time and paint. I do not mind painting. It is relaxing and if I get a room done a day that would be fine. Being retired we have no clock. :)

[Jim Becker]

You cited one of the major reasons I chose that color...it's not tilted blue or green. It has nice contrast with the white trim but is light enough that it doesn't "shrink" the room.

[Bill Dufour]

In high school I painted my bedroom walls and ceiling a pale yellow. Still remember it was called "pastel jonquil". next summer I painted the ceiling white. It just needed some contrast.
In this house I painted the living room a swiss coffee for walls and ceiling. We decided before i was even all the way done the ceiling needed to be lighter to look good. Easy to do since this house has coved ceilings with the 12" wide drywall making a sharp 1/2" step at the ceiling transition.
Bill D