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:
Kara says
Maybe you have already answered this… do you thoughts or plans for a runner in this hallway? We also have a very long second floor hallway and I don’t know what would be better… one really long runner or a couple regular ones?
YoungHouseLove says
I’m not sure. I think if we found one we loved we might go for it, although it has some angles in it, and is 33′ long so it might not “fit” a typical runner.
xo
s
Brooke says
You paint your ceilings? Why has this idea never occurred to me – and why have my parents never done this? Is there a specific reason that you do so – or is it just for the overall cohesive look?
YoungHouseLove says
They were all off-white/yellow here, so we either need to paint them white to blend them in, a light accent color for fun (like in Clara’s room) or the same color as the walls, just to blend them in (like the bathroom and the hallway).
xo
s
Victoria says
Sorry if someone already asked this (I really didn’t want to go through 355 notes!) but what brand of paint do you use? I really like the master bedroom color and the pink door – my girls would have loved that when they were younger! We paint a lot as well and my husband also subscribes to the less on the roller is more theory whereas I make a mess, him not a drip. Thanks for sharing! Victoria
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Victoria! These are Ben Moore colors.
xo
s
Peggy Sullivan says
Sometimes I think I might be the oldest YHL follower/fan, but if so, I am living proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I’ve learned so much from keeping up with you on your blog and on IG, it’s amazing. We live in a church rectory in the mid Hudson region of NY. All the walls are painted white except for my office/ rector’s study which is painted Coral Bronze (my choice). I try to make the rectory homey but all white walls gets a little…zzzzzzz. So when we finally sold our house in Connecticut after living hear almost 4 years, I was ITCHING to decorate something. Anything. WE bought a house up near the Catkills for weekends (non-existent in my line of work, but) and vacation time and holidays and eventually retirement and (I’m getting to the point now) we are having so much fun fixing it up. And very grateful that you have been so great about sharing colors and tips and so forth, because otherwise I would be chasing my tail trying to prioritize the projects and pick paint colors, etc. The house was built for a farm manager in 1940 when Ulster County had so many huge dairy farms. It’s on the sweetest piece of land — 4 acres and so peaceful and quiet. And now it’s getting new wiring, plumbing, etc etc and we are having a blast fixing it up. The downstairs is becoming mostly Edgecomb Gray (look! I got to the point!) and that (and some of the other colors we’ll use) is all due to your posts and your tutorials. Thank you a million times over!! I’ve given your book to my daughter-in-law and a couple of other young women I knew would appreciate it–and then I bought myself a copy. LOve everything about your blog and look forward to all the good things that will continue to unfold day by day in your lives.
YoungHouseLove says
You’re so sweet Peggy! That house sounds amazing (as does your church rectory in Hudson!). Happy painting, my friend!
xo
s
Courtney says
Okay, so what’s your secret to painting ceilings without getting it on the floor, your hair, etc. I have to wear a shower cap and completely cover our floors before painting ceilings!
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely get one or two random drops in our face and on our hair that we notice later at dinner and laugh about! I think over the years we’ve learned not to overload our brushes/rollers which helps a lot, and not to push too hard or go too fast (if I swoop quickly overhead I totally get a drip, and John tries to roll slow and steady).
xo
s
Lauren says
Honestly, I just don’t believe you guys. I don’t believe that you paint the ceiling without a GENEROUS amount of spatters on the floor, your head, hair, face, etc. I know PROFESSIONAL painters who’ve worked for me that can’t paint a ceiling without at least a drop cloth on the floor. Even if this fictional, magical ceiling painting miracle was close to being true, why risk it on your brand new wood floors?
Come clean, YHL – who painted that ceiling? And when? Are you guys really posting in real time, or did you do this a long time ago and just stage the picture for a post today? I promise – most of your readers will not care either way. But for integrity’s sake, please be honest with us!
YoungHouseLove says
We painted the hallway ourselves this week (started Monday, finished Tuesday). No pro painter would ever cut in around lights like that (they’d drop them from the ceiling) and we couldn’t get edging shots without stuff on the floor if a pro did it (especially with Clara dancing through). The hall is clearly unpainted in our winter video tour (if we did this a while back we’d just say that). When we paint the office I’ll share a video about how we don’t get mists/splatter marks on the floor (although we get a few drips that we can wipe or pop off with a fingernail as Sherry mentioned). Maybe we should hold a newspaper to time stamp it?
-John
Lauren says
LOL yes a Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper timestamp would be great!
Seriously though – I’ve been reading since This Young House. I’m going to keep reading because I like the work you both do. But I’ve also done/experienced DIY. I’ve hired and observed professionals in my home. And it seems too good to be true.
It wouldn’t be a big deal to just say – “Hey we owned this home 8 months before we moved in. We did some pretty big things before we moved in. We painted this room 2 weeks ago and we’re going to show you now because my wife’s pregnant, we’re involved with a huge showroom house project, and we need time to actually live life in between all of that.”
Katie Bower does this all the time and she still has tons of readers!
YoungHouseLove says
I agree, it would be no big deal to share this if we did it a while ago and just note that, but we didn’t – and I’m sorry if it looks too good to be true. Here’s a time lapse video of us painting our last house’s bedroom, where you can see there’s no floor protection and there aren’t a bunch of drips on us or the ground. Here’s another time lapse painting video without dropcloths from when we painted our last kitchen – including the overhead beams. We’ve been using this method for years (those posts are from 2011 & 2012).
-John
Jennifer says
Are you for real Lauren? You really think they are LYING to you? What would be the point in that? I can personally attest – I painted ALL of the ceilings in my house 2 summers ago (many of which are 12 feet – I used an extension pole), and I had MINIMAL splattering, if any at all. I only used a drop cloth in the rooms with carpet, but it was unnecessary. I made sure to roll off the excess paint before I began, and rolled slowly, and evenly. The fact that you think they are so bold as to just lie on their blog is bizarre. It’s okay to admit and believe that some people are better at certain things than others – no need to be so judgmental and accusatory.
jessie says
I hate to say it, but I have to agree. While I don’t know or care anything about time stamps, lol, I cannot for the life of me see how anyone can paint a ceiling without a very large drop cloth. We have been buying/selling houses for 16 years now, and every ceiling has been painted at least once. Even with the roller barely loaded, I get freckly spatters. We use quality paint and rollers, too. We don’t press too hard. There just isn’t any way to avoid it. And when we had a disaster last year, the insurance company paid for professional painters to replace some of our work, and they used a canvas drop cloth that had spatters, and their clothes and faces were covered in teensy polkadots. I would love to see a video of your technique because I thought I knew them all, and I surely thought a professional painting company would, too.
Lauren says
Actually, yes I am that serious. I’m only bringing it up because I know of friends that read YHL like the DIY bible. They take all of Sherry and John’s advice. And it is just plain bad advice to tell people that it isn’t necessary to cover a floor when painting a ceiling.
I would hate for anyone to think that painting a ceiling is just that easy. Nothing is as easy as they make it look. If I wanted a staged, faked experience, I’d just watch HGTV! DIY is about the real deal. And anyone who’s really painted a ceiling knows that covering the floor is what you do.
YoungHouseLove says
There’s no doubt that some folks wouldn’t paint without floor covers while others do without issue. To us, sharing what works for us = keeping it real. Faking it would be tossing down a drop cloth for show because “everyone knows it’s what you do.” We never said drop cloths are unnecessary for everyone, just that we don’t use them on hardwoods after 7 yrs of experience. If a novice decided to skip one based on that sentence I’d be really surprised. I think we’re pretty good about saying – almost ad nauseam – that everyone has different DIY experiences, so we’re just sharing ours.
xo
s
GreenInOC says
@Lauren, my Dad was a painter in his later years and he was highly sought after because well, first because he was just a really great person but secondly, he never used a drop cloth. People were fascinated that he could paint so cleanly.
By the way, it’s NOT genetic! I can barely look at a can of paint without some spilling somewhere!!
Jessica Moroney says
LOVE all the painting you’re achieving before the baby boy arrives! You guys are machines! I can not wait to see where the dining room goes, as I’m hugely excited by a deep, rich grey dining room! Argh! Do that after the office?
PS, please quickly swap out the hallway lights now, they ruin the ‘after’ shots! ;-)
Keep it up! x
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! I’m with you on both of those things. Can’t wait to deal with those! Hopefully before this little man arrives or very soon thereafter ;)
xo
s
Sherri says
I’m so glad you added that picture of what the hallway looked like before you moved in. It makes the transition all the more amazing! You have accomplished SO much lately. I really like the paint colors you have chosen. You guys have such good taste in all that you do!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Sherri!
xo
s
hannah says
ok, i also tagged you on IG, but did you see the insane sale on the jonathan adler collection at jc penney??? super clearance furniture PLUS 25% off… i am drooling over some bedroom furniture and dressers. but you have a show house :)
YoungHouseLove says
So awesome!
xo
s
hannah says
oh crap the sale ends TODAY!!!
Diana says
I love the reminder of what a difference a little paint can make!
Anna//Gone Banannas says
Using Edgecomb Gray has really made those floors pop! The whole time I was looking at this post, I couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful the floors are!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Anna!
xo
s
Kodi says
I’m super excited about your potential choice for the office, because I was picturing a similar color in there and selfishly want to see what it would look like! Excited to see what you wind up with in the end!
Hope says
Two things:
1) Calorie free days.. That’s not a thing?! Isn’t that what birthdays are for (read: ANYones birthday)?? That gets my vote.
2) have you guys put any thought into using reworking the space with Clara’s closet, the laundry nook, and a small portion of the unfinished storage space to have more of a laundry room than just a nook? With tons of little crannies eager to eat up baby socks, I wonder if there’s an easy way to keep the dryer gnomes happy without having to lose things forever. (Or am I the only one that happens to?)
YoungHouseLove says
That would be fun, although I think Clara loves her closet so much (it’s why she picked her room, and she plays with things like her dollhouse in there as well as just lounging on the beanbag on the floor with a book) so I like giving her that space more than stealing it for laundry ;)
xo
s
Susan Z.F. says
Your home is looking so gorgeous. You have inspired my husband and I to clean/paint/organize our pantry, show our laundry room dirty grout who’s boss, paint those dis-colored refrigerator handles and hack an old tired table into a swan. Thank you! Thank you!
I do have a question…I noticed in the picture you posted of your upstairs hall that you changed out the light switch from a lever to a rocker and I am curious as to why you guys chose to do so. Is it just personal preference? Or was it more of a functional change? Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Susan! We just tend to prefer those (they feel crisp and new to us, and only take a little while to update).
xo
s
Autumn Beach says
Oh, wow…it’s just beautiful! What a difference painting this seemingly insignificant space made! I SO wish I was a good painter. I’m just not. But, let’s face it, I haven’t had much experience. I’m planning on changing that, though! Practice makes perfect, right? No wonder you’ve got such amazing skills! You’ve definitely earned them. Off to watch your cutting in tutorial!
Belinda says
On a side note…How good is the Frozen soundtrack? In our household it’s not just the 3 year old that’s singing along. My husband was home alone painting on the weekend & when we got home he was listening to Frozen! He said it had just come on but I’m not really buying that.
YoungHouseLove says
So good. Clara’s favorite song is track 1. That funny I’ve song no one else knows. It’s hilarious.
xo
s
Belinda says
Speaking of Frozen love, have you seen this clip? Hilarious! http://sploid.gizmodo.com/amazing-parents-perfectly-lip-sync-to-frozens-love-is-1542621446?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Sarolabelle says
You forgot the color in the master bath ceiling. The pretty blue.
YoungHouseLove says
So sad I forgot that!
xo
s
Kristen @ LoveK Blog says
Amazing what a coat of paint should do! The hallway is looking great!
Aine says
Oh! Paint envy! Spring break starts in just over 1 week. My teaching partner is going to Hawaii. Other teacher friends are off to sunny and warmer-than-Oregon places. —I— can hardly wait to get painting! Two of the dining room walls will be Hale Navy. I’m doing the kitchen. Chalk painting the vanity in one bathroom. And all the living room/hall and entryway. I can hardly wait!!!!! I feel like your daughter when I’m painting; dancing with a ribbon with joy! Thanks for the post!
YoungHouseLove says
I love that. Go get ’em Aine!
xo
s
Jillzy says
We are re-painting our master this weekend and was wondering if you suggest painting the baseboard first or the walls, or vice versa (using your cutting technique)?
YoungHouseLove says
We have done it both ways, so they both can work, but when you can, tackling the trim first and the walls next seems to be slightly easier, just to get a nice crisp result. Good luck!
xo
s
Ter'e Crow Lindsay says
You kids are just amazing. I say this with a great deal of respect. You are like three little Energizer bunnies.
I will preface this with a “clause”. I am, more than a little bit, anal. Respectfully speaking, I believe you are too. My husband and I have had 12 houses. Several were new builds. Ok, Ok, Ok…….I’m getting to my point. We had a delightful builder many years ago, who taught us fine details. He had built a beautiful home, and put in a pool, for us in 90 days.
As we moved into our house on the 90th day, Donnie was walking thru the house, straightening the screws on all the faceplates in the house. Every screw was perfectly lined up so that the screwdriver blade line was placed perfectly up and down. Every screw. It’s just one of those little anal, tasteful things we always do when moving into a new home. Well, after viewing your switchplates again and seeing wonky screws………it made me want to hop a plane and come and fine tune all your screws. I know you will see how finished this makes everything look. Time consuming, yes, maybe. Finished and tasteful? Oh yes. Do a few and see the diff. I think you will be consumed to do them all………..in your free time. LOL.
Ya gotta love we seniors!!!! You know you do. We love you and your blog!!! Ter’e
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! I think I need to have a date with my screwdriver soon to make all those screws line up ;)
xo
s
Maria says
Looks so fresh…love it! It’s so funny. When I look at the 1st pic of your hallway, those light fixtures look black…and then when you get the shot of them from the other end of the hall, you can tell that they are gold. Anyway, I love them in black! I know you will be changing those out, but they would look pretty cool in black=)
YoungHouseLove says
Originally I wanted to spray them (I thought oil-rubbed bronze would be fun with the black runner and railing on the stairs), but over time we’ve noticed a few things (one has a broken stem, all three are crooked, and one is actually a different size than the others) so I think we’ll donate them and hopefully get something fun in their place.
xo
s
kate obrien says
I was just ready to try my first outlet upgrade. I had just finished painting, had those ugly outlets all over the place. Went to home depot..had outlets in the basket and then saw the best item ever…they sell an outlet cover. Just screw it on and the whole ugly is gone…and you can still use the outlet.
Pamela Bertone says
The upstairs looks fantastic! You guys are machines!!!
Way to go Team Petersik :)
Bethany says
Just wanted to let you know a little “One Question Survey” just popped up for me on this post. Not a big deal but I know you were fighting those in the past.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Bethany! Off to hunt that down and block it for ya!
xo
s
Sara M says
Hope you’re feeling well! I am due the 17th of April..5 more weeks too! Trying to wrap up lots of DIY house projects!
YoungHouseLove says
Congrats Sara! Hope your little one comes peacefully and at the perfect time – right when you finish that last project ;)
xo
s
Lisa says
I LOVE the Edgecomb Gray with the white trim. Do you think it would look okay with traditional golden toned hardwood floors?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! It’s a true neutral with warm and cool tones, so I think it would!
xo
s
Lauren L says
Are you sure you want the paint sprayer in your list of tools you love in the sidebar? I assumed that those things got the YHL seal of approval and lately it sounds like you’re not such a fan anymore.
YoungHouseLove says
TRUE DAT. Forgot it was there, but it’s down now. No bueno, paint sprayer.
xo
s
Reshma Sanjeev says
Your hallway looks great. I want to go and paint mine white now…:-)
Heidi says
Looks great! It makes me want to go on a painting bender around here! Every time I sit down in our daughter’s room I get very antsy to pick up a brush!
Joan says
Looks great! I have a random question. When you are cutting in for a long time, do you dip your paint brush into the paint can or pour some out into a smaller container? I always leave the paint can open and dip the brush in, but I worry about the paint drying out if I’m painting for a long time. But, I don’t want to waste a lot of paint pouring it back and forth between containers!
YoungHouseLove says
I used to do the paint can thing a lot (I think I do that in the cutting in video) but lately I have been using a little red paint cup from Home Depot. It was around a dollar, and it’s so handy (it even has a magnet on it to hold my brush).
xo
s
Elisa says
Ugh, this post is totally a “why didn’t I think of that?!” post. Working on painting over all our builder beige paint – never thought of doing the upstairs hallway ceiling too! Our stairwell/hallway situation is similar to yours and this would *totally* solve my ‘how do I cut in 16 feet over my head’ problem. You guys rock!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad Elisa! Hope it’s easy enough to tack on :)
xo
s
Val says
You forgot to list Silhouette by Benjamin Moore – for the downstairs vanity. I loved that color so much that I went out and bought a quart to paint some bookshelves at home. It is such a versatile color, a little grey, a little purple a little brown. I have the shelves in two different rooms, and they look very different depending on the lighting.
YoungHouseLove says
Darn it I did forget that! Thanks Val!
xo
s
Bailey says
Great hallway update! I think Grassy Fields is my favorite color from your whole palette up there!
Dayle says
since I’m painting today, I took your recommendation on the little short handled brush. Made a special trip to the Sherwin Williams store and came home thinking this would be a piece of cake! NOT!!!! I’m back to using my long handled 2″ Purdy brush. It covers better. Gets into the corners better and it doesn’t lose bristles like the brand new little brush you like so well. I suggest you buy a Purdy brush for $8 and saw off the handle. You’ll have a much better product in your hand!!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip, Dayle! I’ve tried a bunch of Purdys but never sawed off the handle – might have to maim one for the sake of experimenting ;)
xo
s
Sarah @ 702 Park Project says
We’ve been restoring our 1902 house in NC for the past 10 months, and have done A LOT of painting! Let’s just say I’m on a first name basis with the paint guy at Lowe’s. We had a few rooms professionally painted, but to save money, we painted most of it ourselves, with the help of some very generous family members! My favorite color is our master bedroom…Ben Moore’s Palladian Blue. We tried about 7 color swatches in there, then finally I just picked this one based on a bunch of blogs I liked, and without even sampling it turned out to be our favorite! :)
YoungHouseLove says
I love that color too! So pretty!
xo
s
Stacey says
We are on the same kind of painting deadline you are on! Or baby is due May 1 and since January, we’ve stripped wallpaper, spackled, and painted two rooms (the baby’s and our room) and have the dining room on tap for this weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Go Stacey!
xo
s
Joanna banana says
Recent paint additions for us have been Ben Moore polo blue, frosted toffee, wedgewood gray, and Behr spice delight. Btw… Ben Moore makes a “sweatshirt gray”…. I thought that was amusing.
YoungHouseLove says
Funny!
xo
s
Kat@junktogem says
It’s amazing to me how much LARGER the hallway looks now without the carpeting and blue trim! I can’t believe how much you two can get done; you haven’t even been in the new house for a year yet. :)
Jenn says
From one prego to another, can you share any tips on painting or staining that won’t put the kids at risk? The Hubs doesn’t want me to even look at a refinishing project. But, I have to believe there’s a way to make it safe…
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s a post with that info for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/10/the-411-on-baby-2/
xo
s
Sarah T. says
You painted one of the light fixtures? Did you post about that our did you decide you don’t like it since it’s only one?
YoungHouseLove says
Must just be the pic (they’re all still brass) but dealing with those lights are definitely on our list!
xo
s
Java says
That’s a great find and a great finish! I’ve had no luck finding BM Advance in the Hampton Roads VA area. Would you share your source?
YoungHouseLove says
Our local Ben Moore dealership is called Virginia Paint so that’s where we get ours.
xo
s
Java says
Thanks! There’s one in Williamsburg I’ll call. Sorry about the non sequitur comment. I thought I was commenting on your office desk find (not that the hallway isn’t a “great find and finish”). Too many windows open, I suppose!
YoungHouseLove says
No worries at all! Good luck!
xo
s
Andrea says
And just like that, I’m convinced that our old carpeting Must. Go.
Jessica says
Hi Petersik’s! I just started reading your blog a couple months ago when we began the purchase of our first home (yay!) I love your style and feel like we have some design styles in common (I too like punchy colors on top of rich neutrals.) In looking at paint colors for the new place, I’ve develed a bit of “paint paralysis” Not only am I overwhelmed with so many awesome colors to choose from (and I do have painted pieces of drywall in my current apartment to help with my decision) but because we’re buying a 1000 sqft apt I’m worried that choosing too many colors will make the apartment feel smaller than what it really is. Do you have any advice for the number of paint colors you would use in a 6 room (2 br, 1ba) apartment?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I think I’d go with 3-4 main colors (repeat a few or do a few among two spaces to connect them) and then you can use accent colors with abandon (pops of color, wahoo!) and you can even paint a piece of furniture or an accent wall with a 4th or 5th color and I think it would look great!
xo
s
Stephanie says
I’ve been searching for awhile and don’t seem to see this issue addressed in more than just a quick reference: We’re getting new floors- yippee & then not since it’s the result of a flood… I’m having trouble deciding on my paint colors when rooms will be altered by floor color reflections. I’d love to paint without the worry of drips (everything has been ripped up) but am having challenges committing to a color. Any advice?
Thanks for providing sound advice over the years. I always want to write but never do. You guys should just come hang with us, uh, wait until everything is in order first.
YoungHouseLove says
You’re so sweet Stephanie! Our favorite method is to just hold up swatches next to the flooring to see how they flow (usually you can see if that paint color next to that flooring type will look bolder or deeper or too yellow with it, etc) and then at some point you just have to make the leap! All the best :)
xo
s
Anna says
Hi Sherry,
What program or tool do you use to create the visual representation of your whole house paint colors? I’d like to do that with our home’s palette as well.
Thanks!
Anna
YoungHouseLove says
That was Photoshop (just took screen shots of the paint colors on benjaminmoore.com and used them to make a grid in psd).
xo
s