The paint saga of 2022, has officially come to a close (I hope). And when I say ‘saga’, I mean SAGA. Listen, I fully understand that this whole process was drawn out, overcomplicated, and probably slightly annoying. This was one of the first times, in a long time, that I felt true design paralysis. Paint is a big deal and can truly make or break a space, but I realized that was not what was holding me back in deciding. I can spit out paint colors for my clients with ease and can do it on the fly. I’m not bragging, I’m just saying for reference. I realized that I was worried about other people not liking the color or it not translating well to others. WHICH IS CRAZY. This is my house, and I should, and you should, ALWAYS do what you love in your space.
The color I went with was literally my first choice that I selected, weeks/months ago. Then I let the comparison game creep in, and it was game over. I think the final selections would have been a lot easier had I planned better and gotten samples to test each of the final two choices. At the end of the day, I knew what I wanted and wanted a color that would lean more green-brown vs. grey-brown. So, we went with Oak Leaf Brown, and I couldn’t be happier. It is the perfect green/brown/muted color. I wanted to just break down how I handled the details, like paint finishes, specifics requests I asked of the painters, issues that came up, and cost.
I had my walls, ceiling, trim, and doors all repainted. I knew I wanted the walls (obviously) and the trim to be the same color. I also have a small closet in the room in my living room and no, it’s not ideal. So, I had that door painted the same color as well as the back door/window trim. The ceiling, I originally had painted in Pure White by SW but that didn’t really happen once they started painting. More on that in a second but I had been going back and forth on if I paint the ceiling the same as the walls but decided to go with white to open the ceiling up more and create visual height.
Walls: Oak Leaf Brown / Satin Finish
Trim & Doors: Oak Leaf Brown / Semi-Gloss
Ceiling: Pure White / Flat
This next part was something I didn’t even think about, nor did I ever notice. Probably because the previous existing paint color had been there since I moved in. When the crew started to paint the ceiling, they made me aware that there were yellow-ish streaks/patches on the ceiling that were becoming visible as they were applying the new white paint. They had asked if I had had any leaks recently, which is never a fun question to be asked. The stains were heavily focused under where my upstairs bathroom is located so I immediately went to how I had remodeled it in May of 2020, and something went wrong. Luckily, they did a quick inspection of the ceiling and let me know if was a prior leak that had probably been repaired but still stained the ceiling. The paint I had originally bought was not strong enough to cover up the yellow stains even after two coats. I had to run out and get stain blocking paint. Luckily, I was doing a white ceiling, so it made it less stressful.
I say all the above not to scare anyone but more of a “heads up”. If you’re thinking of painting a ceiling, especially in a white/light color, I would do a good analyzation of your ceiling to see if you notice any staining or if you know you had a leak above that ceiling, you will probably want to purchase a paint that has that stain blocking aspect to it, so you don’t have to double buy. You’re welcome.
Lastly, I wanted to break down the cost of the labor as I know that can be helpful. Or at least, I hope. My living/dining room is about 250 square feet, and the labor came out to $650, and they completed same day! I know labor rates vary by location but just wanted to be transparent.
If I haven’t said it enough, I am BEYOND thrilled with how it all turned out. It just feels so cozy and inviting in here and that’s exactly the vibe I wanted. Next up is getting the front hallway, stairs, and upstairs hallway painted but I promise that will not be as dramatic.
So, what do you think of the color?!
As always, thanks for being here.
Xx
Kevin