We have a lot of dry shade. I've also had to experiment a lot. A shrub I have found successful in the area that is deepest shade very close to a 50yr old Silver Maple, is Cornus racemosa. It does get a little sun early morning. I don't like to recommend it because it suckers a lot, but it has filled a corner that was very difficult very quickly. It also provides white berries for the birds in a lot of shade which is hard to find. Perennials in the same area that don't seem to have a problem, are bleeding heart, phlox divaricata, Epimedium and ferns. I have another dark corner that receives basically no sun, under a large Maple and I've tried a lot of shrubs there and had to yank them out. I needed a screen for neighbor's yard. I wanted a Rhododendron there and I have one planted right now, but it's not doing well at all. I added a Kerria last year and I am impressed with the amount of vigorous growth this spring. Whether it will bloom remains to be seen. I wanted something evergreen and tried Ilex glabra and that went downhill quickly. I tried a very small boxwood and took that out. Since it is about 3 ft from the trunk of a large Maple in deep shade, I can't dig a large hole to try a larger boxwood. I have Oakleaf Hydrangea along the drip line of that same tree and it is doing fine. But it faces east and gets enough sun all morning to bloom. Oh, and a Clethra 'Hummingbird' is right next to it under the drip line and surprisingly does well there. It's supposed to prefer moist conditions but it tolerates the dry area just fine, but again, gets more sun than you have. I also have a line of spruce 5ft away from my fence in a neighbor's yard, that are difficult to plant near, but that area faces South, so I have more sun then you. I had two Ninebarks in the yard, one on the foundation of the house and the other in this area near the line of Spruce trees and the difference in growth was amazing. I finally cut down the Ninebark near the Spruce trees this spring. I have a Kolkwitzia that is planted north of a large Maple right at the drip line and it does well. It was there when we moved in and amazes me that it blooms every June. So I added a second Kolkwitzia to the area with the spruce trees and it has been taking off. It is the variety 'Dream Catcher' with golden foliage and I really like it. But again, it faces South and gets about 5 hrs of sun. But it is planted very close to the spruce trees and between two of them. Since my original Kolkwitzia grows and blooms in shade, that might be something that would work for you. I've tried hollies in areas near Maples in deep shade and they are doing pretty well. They've been slow to grow but they have made decent growth to screen my neighbor's yard, along with a Taxus that is also growing and holding it's own. Whatever you plant, definitely will need more fertilizer and water than other areas. This post was edited by...

The tile is so neutral, you can go with almost any color. The lighter colors will seem brighter in the dark space. I would find an inspiration piece and go with the colors from that...it can be an outfit you like, a plate, a pic of a room you like, a poster you'd like to hang on the wall...anything. So long as it's something you'd like to look at. Then go with it. My laundry room was inspired by a kitchen I saw on a house tour where the owner had white cabinetry and painted the little bit of wall space in heather. It was luscious, and i loved it so much that the color stuck with me....so now I have a heather colored laundry room...crazy to some, but I love it. And what the heck....it's a laundry room...why not liven it up.

Wow, that 1-2-3 primer is great stuff and usually my first rec. You can generally apply over latex or oil without any sanding. Did anyone apply a wax or polish over the paint that might be what is causing the beading. I would try washing down an area and then applying some of the primer. You can also try a light sanding, but it sounds like there is something other than the semigloss at work here. You can also use KILZ or another laquer based primer (the water based would be like the 1-2-3 primer). I use that in special circumstances, but the fumes can be bad in a closed area and the clean up is a pain. I wouldn't want to turn volunteers loose with it. Even the 1-2-3 sticks so well that if you don't clean up quickly, it may not come off where you don't intend for it to stick (in your situation, perhaps drips on floor or furniture -- even your hands).

Hiii 36 inches is perfect! That gives more than enough room, seeing that the shades are each 12 inches. You don't want them too close, nor too far. 36 inches is great space. Best regards, Janaé