Painters here - need advice for ceiling & trim color

14 years ago

Forgive the babbling....The saga of my de-popcorning my ceilings is coming to a close. (I had to call in pros once I realized my arms and eyes and body in general are way too old to be taping and mudding 20 ft off the ground.) The now flat ceilings are bee-yoo-tiful.

Problem: I have to have a single ceiling color run through entry, greatroom, dining and kitchen. There are walls and partial walls and beamwork demarcating the spaces, but the vaulted ceiling is continuous. My wall color in the LR, DR and entry is EK Amy's Sarasota Sand (like FB String), a tan that shifts to gold, khaki, gray and greenish tones with a the light. The kitchen is BM Victorian Garden, much deeper but also in an elusive green-gray tone. I need something that can live with both.

And I don't have the gut$$ to do a contrasting color like EK Gustovain Grey.

In the SW deck, the Muslin (6133) strip seems to be closest to my LR/DR wall color in most light - though the EK does bounce more all over the spectrum. Muslin works with the kitchen color too. I think.

4 questions:

Is it best to pick form a comparable hued strip (rather than contrasting)?

My LR/DR is a bit lighter than 3rd from lightest on a strip and kitchen is a little darker than the 4th from the lightest. Re depth of color, Muslin is comparable to Antique White or Navaho White, so a bit darker than most ceiling whites. Should I have it mixed lighter? I'm worried too much hue might not play well with the bouncing EK color. 70% maybe?

Third, I may well repaint the walls before this gigantic ceiling ever sees new paint. I favor gray-green tones, always have, so I THINK I am good with the Muslin's tilting that way. Tell me if this is a terrible mistake. Is there a 'universal' ceiling color I should be considering?

Last, for trim I have the same questions. The whole house needs trim redone (it is now 20 yr old very pale orangey white: Organza SW 6637). I will not miss that orange cast!!! How bad a pick can Muslin be compared to that? But do I use Muslin full strength or part strength for trim? The EK Sarasota Sand does look very crisp against a true white. Is there a universal trim for us green-gray people?

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

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Comments (2)

randita
14 years ago
There are so many choices, aren't there? I think you're on the right track tone wise with Muslin. Even Antique White (6119-a little less green) or Nacre (7011) might work. Another shade worth a look is Polar Bear (7564)-it reads tan/gray/green to be. Dover White is a very popular trim color - that and Creamy-but they might be too yellow/gold for what you want. I don't think there's a rule of thumb about picking the trim from the same color strip. If you play with the SW Visualizer, sometimes you'll see recommendations of warm toned trim colors like Dover White with cool colors, like green or blue.

There is no universal ceiling color, unless you were to go with just plain ceiling white, although some like a very light blue ceiling throughout the house. If you have crown molding, painting the trim and ceilings all the same doesn't help the crown to stand out. That might be a consideration for you, as well.

I have read this advice once (might have been Christopher Lowell). Paint your walls the 4th darkest on the strip, paint your ceilings the 2nd darkest and paint your trim the lightest on the strip. I think it's worth considering.

If you have narrowed it down to Muslin, then a possible direction would be Muslin full strength on your ceiling (once you get it up there, it's going to look white enough) and Muslin half strength for your trim. By doing that, it will be a variant on the C. Lowell advice above. And it keeps the tone all the same so it will blend well together.

Before making the whole paint purchase, consider buying a $5 sample quart of the Muslin ($5). Paint a large patch of it directly on the ceiling. Try it either full strength or 50/50 with some white paint (get a sample of SW Extra White if you don't have any white on hand-Extra White is the base used for mixing the lighter shades). Paint some paper, cut it into strips and tape it to your trim - maybe around one door and see what it looks like. Your SW store should have a color consultant. Find out when that person will be in the store and run your ideas by him/her. The woman at my local SW store is great at offering suggestions.

Some people have a gift of being able to envision a finished product, but I know I do not. I have samples of 4 different shades of green right now on my kitchen walls trying to make a decision.

You will not be making a mistake with Muslin no matter what you decide. I think it will look stunning on your ceilings and/or trim.
celticmoon
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer. Very good advice. I especially like the idea of the full strength on the ceiling and half strength on the trim. I have no crown to contrast. Just a few square miles of vaulted ceiling....for now.

I called SW and they reported that the Muslin has different colorants from the other shades on that strip. I think I will have them read my EK Sarasota Sand and see what that shows. Something in that Muslin/Nacre/Antique area will be right.

Again thank you for the helpful thoughts. I committed to a roof color this morning and that about shot my color circuitry in my brain!
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Painters here - need advice for ceiling & trim color

Comments (2)

randita

celticmoon
Original Author

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Painters here - need advice for ceiling & trim color

Comments (2)

randita

celticmoonOriginal Author

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celticmoon
Original Author