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White Walls and Reader’s Choice: Ceiling Paint Color

April 30, 2012

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After you readers decided you would like to see the studio painted with white walls and a colored ceiling (check out the poll in this post), we decided to take care of getting the walls painted a crisp white over the weekend.
 
I mentioned it before, but these walls were in terrible shape.   We removed the corner shelves and the window valance and then proceeded to spackle 75-100 holes.  I don’t understand where all of the holes came from!?  The only conclusion I have is a BB gun.  Other than holes, the walls were just dingy, so a fresh coat of paint made a world of difference.
 
Here’s a reminder of what the room looked like when we moved in…and throughout the past year:
 
After a fresh coat of white paint:
 
 
Ahhh, so much better.  We used Behr Premium Plus (for extra help covering all those soiled areas and the stenciling) Ultra Pure White in Eggshell.  For the most part, I think paint sprayers aren’t that great.  They use a LOT of paint and take forever to clean and it takes about the same amount of time to cover everything you don’t want painted as it does to paint the room with a roller.  All those disclaimers out there, they are great when you don’t care about getting paint on the ceiling or floor–which we didn’t.  The carpet we are gladly ripping out and the ceiling we are painting as soon as you all decide on a color (poll at the end of this post), so covering the window and outlets was no big deal and made for a relatively quick paint job and a hazy looking room.

Check out the difference between the new white walls in the studio and the now-beige-looking door swinging in from the hall:

 
One of these days I’ll get all of the doors painted and gold hardware replaced, but for now, let’s talk about your next decision for this room.  What color to paint the ceiling?  I’ve narrowed down 175 swatches to 4 for you to choose from.  Of course everyone’s screen might make the colors look slightly different, but pick the one that you would like to see the ceiling wearing:
 
 
Your choices are:
 
1. Martha Stewart Lagoon–the bluest of the bunch
2.  Martha Stewart Araucana Teal–a true teal
3.  Martha Stewart Hummingbird Blue–if 1 and 2 had a baby, it would look like this
4. Martha Stewart Sea Glass–the softest of the picks
 
Yup, I picked up 4 different brands of paint swatches and landed on all Marthas.  I think our winner is in there, and as soon as there is a clear winner, we’ll get the ceiling painted.
 
Ready, Set-ty, Vote!

P.S.  While you’re in the voting mood, don’t forget to vote for our Exterior Melodrama right here.

Paint the ceiling

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What do you think?

  1. Linda says:

    My vote is #1. Love that Tiffany Blue.

    Question: How do you feel about painting an entire house in pure white (as opposed to off-white, i.e., Swiss Coffee.” I’m thinking about doing this, but I’ve always read that when painting whites on walls, don’t use a plain white. Thanks.

  2. Bam! That eggshell is gorge. The room looks five billion times better. I am such a sucker for Martha’s Sea Glass, but I thought the hummingbird was more fun and suits the purpose of the room. Good luck!

  3. the white looks so nice! can’t wait to see what color comes out on top…i foresee a closer finish!

  4. I originally leaned toward #1, but ended up picking #3. I’ll be pleased with both!

  5. MUCH better. I love all the shades you’ve picked (turquoise is my favorite colours, how do I pick just one???)

  6. Alana says:

    All great choices, I voted for Hummingbird blue. Looking forward to seeing the end result!

  7. meaganbriggs3 says:

    Holy cow what white paint does to a room!!!!! Woooooo! It looks a million times better already!!!!! I voted for 3. I like #2 but it is a bit bold for my taste. But who knows! I’ve never seen a ceiling painted in any color so I’m new to this! But I like it a lot! I would loooove to do this in a nursery or in a kids room someday. Ooooooo! I am loving this room already!!!! I am SO curious about the flooring you want to do…

  8. I know! I am so anxious to see where we end up!

  9. Reader’s choice is the name of the game for this room. Can’t wait to see it evolve myself!

  10. I’m in love with teal right now, so that was my vote, BUT #1 would be really pretty too!

  11. MissMegK says:

    Looks like this poll will be alot closer!

  12. Jessie McKinley says:

    It looks SO much better!! Crazy what a fresh coat of paint can do! ps. I love how you are including us in all your decisions :) Love the choices for the ceiling color!

  13. Nicole says:

    I really love teal, but I voted for #3 so you could kind of have a blend…they are all fabulous choices, though- it’s going to look great no matter what. (minus #4, really not a fan!) I’m thinking the painted ceiling is definitely happening in my playroom!! LOVE it!

  14. LauraPriest says:

    My first gut-reaction choice was number 3. Then I stared at them for about 10 minutes and had no clue. Pros and cons to each, but 3 still felt like the best one in the end.

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