The Painting Begins
The office began the first room to be completely painted yesterday. I had painted the trim last week and we painted the walls yesterday. We went with the same color we repainted our last house shortly before we sold it – Behr’s Perfect Taupe (PPU18-13).
It’s a good mix of gray and brown and I thought it was a safe choice for the office between the combination of woods in there and not knowing what furniture will ultimately end up in there. I thought it was going to seem darker in there, but it’s actually quite a bit lighter which is nice.
For some reason, I had a hard time getting the white balance correct on these pictures which is why the color looks a slightly different in each one. Despite the way it may look, there is no green, yellow or any other hues in the paint color – it’s pretty straight grey/brown.
On a side note, this is the desk I would LOVE to get for the office. The wood and the metal go perfect with the office ceiling and it’s black metal braces. Unfortunately, the price isn’t even remotely considerable and I lack the welding skills to make it myself 🙁
I wasn’t planning on painting anything else this weekend, but David said we might as well. We were actually done with the office around noon on Saturday so it didn’t take as long as we expected. After tossing around some ideas, we decided to paint the foyer and living room ceilings. It wasn’t fun, but we got it done. There is quite a contrast between the ceiling (Behr Silky White – PPU7-12) and trim (match of Sherwin Williams Linen Cloth – SW1150) now.
After a couple recent discussions, we had decided it was best to paint the ceiling of each room first, then the walls, then the trim. That ended up being a good decision because it was near impossible to keep the ceiling paint off the crown molding. I’ll paint the walls next, which will also inevitably get on the trim too. Saving the trim for last will save me just having to touch it up again later. The picture below has the crown molding in the old trim color surrounded by the new ceiling and trim color.
There is a glimpse above of my other task this week – to pick a color for the main part of the house. I picked up a sample of my first choice – Behr Mineral – earlier this week and painted a couple patches in the living room and kitchen. It is a very light warm grey, but it kept having a slight pink cast once I got it on the walls. It never looks that way on the chip, but it does on the wall. I finally decided it was going to drive my nuts, so I started looking for other options. Everyone online swears by Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter as being a great grey-beige, so I tried to find something similar by Behr. I bought samples of 4 more colors and painted more patches on the walls and on a board with the trim color as the background.
The paint chip on the middle right is the new office color for reference. BM Revere Pewter is on the bottom of the left chip. The bottom right patch was my first choice, Mineral. I ruled out the bottom left patch, Aged Beige, because it has too much yellow in it. That left the top 3 colors.
Top to Bottom: Behr Cotton Grey, Behr Sculptor Clay, Behr Wheat Bread, Behr Cotton Grey (again)
I painted those 3 on the walls and surrounded the living room swatches with the trim color so they wouldn’t be touching the current wall color (which makes everything look really grey in comparison).
Top to Bottom: Behr Cotton Grey, Behr Sculptor Clay, Behr Wheat Bread, Behr Cotton Grey (again)
The kitchen swatches are next to the back door, so they have the old trim color on one side and the new on the other. (The paint chip taped to the wall is the new office color.)
I really like the Cotton Grey, but am worried it will be too “cold”. The Wheat Bread keeps giving off a pink cast similar to the Mineral I had considered, so I’ve ruled that out. That leaves the Sculptor Clay which happens to be the closest match to BM Revere Pewter. I keep questioning if it’s grey enough, but I’ve seen enough pictures of it and I think once it’s alone on the wall, it will be fine.
*CLICK HERE to see the after pictures of the new paint color.*
I’ve been really dreading all the painting that now needs to be done, but I am more motivated now that we’ve gotten started. It was nice to see the office come together and now that the living room ceiling is painted, I want to get the trim done so it will match. The trim and wall colors are going to make it so much brighter in here and I’m anxious to see it.
Did you ever pick a color for the main part of the house? If so, what did you go with, and do you have any pics? I recently painted my den Behr’s Cotton Grey, trying to get a close match to BM’s Revere Pewter. It looks great on some walls and during certain times of the day, but at other times I find it comes across as too cold (as you remarked), and in indirect natural light it even has hints of rose and lavender (which can happen to BM Revere Pewter, or so I’ve read). I’ve since bought a sample of Sculptor Clay – another ringer for Revere Pewter. So far, I like the more beige-y tone on my poster board samples. Anyway, I was wondering if you stuck with Sculptor Clay, and was hoping you had updated pics on how it looked large scale vs. samples. Great looking house, by the way!
Yes, we went with the Behr Sculptor Clay for the main part of the house. I hadn’t posted anything yet because we are still waiting on the drywall to be repaired and things have been really hectic. So far, we’ve painted the foyer, living room, staircase and upper hall with the new colors. I’m hoping to start on the kitchen and mud room in the next week or 2. Anyway, I’m really happy with the color choice. I really liked the Cotton Grey too, but was worried it would be too “cold”. I may still use it somewhere in the house, I just didn’t want it everywhere. The Behr Sculptor Clay has a tinge of beige compared to the other colors I considered, but it’s not that noticeable by itself. I found it to be the closest Behr color to BM Revere Pewter. I haven’t noticed it having any pink or purple tones which I was really concerned with. It looks great in any light.
Anyway, here are a couple pics from my phone of the upper hallway. Walls are Behr Sculptor Clay, trim and ceiling is Behr Silky White and the doors are the original SW Linen Cloth. I hope that helps for now and I promise I will post real pictures when I can 😉
Thanks so much for the update and pics. I think this just solidified my tentative repainting plans for Sunday. Sculptor Clay really does seem to be a dead ringer for a lot of the Revere Pewter pics I’ve seen online. What finish paint did you use?
The Cotton Grey would be a great color in the right room, but as you suspected, I don’t think it makes for a “whole house” kind of color. My wife loves the rosy undertones it gives off at times, and if it weren’t in one of the most used rooms in our home, I wouldn’t mind it, either. However, I was after something that would keep a warmer tone regardless of light, and not oscillate between too rosy, just right, and then too cold, as Cotton Grey has done in our den.
Thank you again for your opinion and pics. They’ve really come in handy. Good luck with the rest of the repairs. I look forward to seeing the finished product!
I’ve been using Behr Premium Plus Ultra in Eggshell for the walls. I’ve found it’s worth the extra dollars for the Ultra to save the frustration. For the trim, I’m using Behr Premium Plus Ultra Exterior in Semi-Gloss. I always use exterior paint for trim because its more durable and easier to clean. The Behr Ultra is pretty good though so we could probably get away with using interior on the trim.
Great tip on using exterior paint on the trim. I’ll have to give that a shot some time. I agree about the Behr Premium Ultra. I first tried it after reading that Consumer Reports rated it equivalently to far more expensive brands like Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore. I’ve used it a few times now and have really liked how it applies. After painting walls with both satin and eggshell, I’ll undoubtedly stick with eggshell…the satin was almost borderline semi-gloss, to me. If only their cross-brand color matching were a bit more exact!
Don’t use exterior paint inside your home! Yes, it’s much more durable, but it’s also loaded with pesticides and other nasty stuff meant to protect your home, that don’t stop working after the 30 day cure time. If you want something more durable that is okay to have inside after the cure time, go with enamels. Very easy to work with, near perfect finish, and very easy to maintain.
What colors are on your crown moulding and trim?
It’s mentioned above – the new whiter color is Behr Silky White – PPU7-12. The old, more ivory (yellowish) color is a match of Sherwin Williams Linen Cloth – SW1150. We are in the process of repainting the ceilings, trim and doors the Behr Silky White.
I cam e across your website and its is amazing I just love your pics and the paint color you have used. I recently moved and was so stressed about choosing a paint color for the living room but after reading and see pics I have decided on behr sculptor clay paint color.
I’ll second the use of Sculptor Clay. I’ve used it in two rooms so far (regular base in my den and a medium base in my living room) and plan on carrying it through the rest of our downstairs living area. It’s a fantastic and versatile gray that subtly changes with the light. I’ve had nothing but compliments on it.
Hello
Could you tell me what the paint color is on picture #13, the darker color left of your back door? Thank you for your input on this subject and appreciate your photos!
I believe it is a color match of Benjamin Moore Huntington Beige HC-21. It was mixed in a different brand though and I learned the hard way that it wasn’t an exact match.
Thank you for this post—SO helpful!!! 🙂
Soooo I am currently painting my one bedroom condo with BM Revere Pewter (SEMI GLOSS)…I was told by a very successful architect that it is the best finish of Revere Pewter. However, it has been a day so far and it still has shiny streaks and looks gray in some times of the day and others looks blah and beige. I was wondering what finish is best to use for revere pewter. Is the satin shiny? Is the eggshell better to use? HELLLLP! I have painters coming tomorrow and need to purchase the paint!
Sorry for the delay replying – I’ve never used semi-gloss on walls and can’t imagine doing so unless I was going for a specific look where I wanted it really shiny. Semi-gloss is what I use for trim. I haven’t used BM paint and paint finishes vary by brand, but I primarily use eggshell in Behr paint for walls. Occasionally, satin if I want something easier to clean. Hope that helps and good luck!
I presume you are already finished painting your home and from what you have shown; I am sure it has turned out beautifully. Pinned your recommendations in Behr paints as that is all my daughter uses so they will be particularly helpful to her, so thank you! Also before closing re the application of enamel base paint; I often use it in skylight areas for durability and function as it is one place that is really subjected to many elements. i.e.: Direct sunlight and heat plus cold when temperatures dip well below zero where I live.