Paint Brightener or Fluorescent Paint To Brighten Room ?

13 years ago

My living room/dining room combo is in the interior of our home (split bedroom plan) and the living room doesn't have ceiling mounted lights. Even with lamps, the living room can be dark.

I was thinking of paint two walls on the living room side a cream and adding in either a brightener or fluorescent additive to make the room lighter.

Not sure if there is such a paint or what it would look like, does anyone have any advice or know of such products?

I previously painted the room a pale blue, but I think the coral I painted other rooms would have been better. Just don't want to paint the whole room again if possible.

We live in Florida and great room faces the lanai and out to the pool with three sliding doors which have no window treatments.

any ideas ??? thanks in advance.

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Comments (8)

graywings123
13 years ago
I'm not familiar with paint additives, but I'm going to take a guess that this approach isn't going to give you the effect you want.

If I were you, I would re-examine your lighting plan. The right number and the right variety of light fixtures will give you the light you need. In a former living room, I had three table lamps, a floor lamp, an over-the-picture light, a candlestick lamp, and an uplight to highlight a large plant.

Do you have a floor lamp that shoots its light up to the ceiling? Something like that will brighten the whole room. Replace the normal bulb with a 65-watt flood light and it will do wonderful things for the room.

Could you take a photo of the room and post it?
User
13 years ago
Nothing you can do with paints will make up for a lack of light fixtures. Flourescent paints exist, but they have a sickly green-blue glow (ghastly)

Read this, from a Canadian color consultant:
http://colourmehappyblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/light-colour-will-never-come-to-life-in.html

http://colourmehappyblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/happiness-is-light.html

Go towards the rich dark end of color and add some good lighting.
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Follow Deco's advice. Once you get the bedding in there and the lights, you'll have a better idea of what paint color will work. I have Pale Oak in my eastern exposure dining room and it works well. You may want to sample that one. You'll want to test a few colors on large poster board - with your lighting to see which one is best. You can do a google image search of Pale Oak to get an idea of how it looks.
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dianalo
13 years ago
If you are in Florida, there is a good chance you are in a one level home. I'd opt for a skylight or solartube to bring in natural light if you can. Paint is cheaper but won't have the same impact.
teacats
13 years ago
Consider posting some photos so we can see the room! We love to see lots of photos! :)

Try opening a free account at Photobucket (or another site) and create an album of photos -- then post them here. At Photobucket -- just touch each photo with your cursor -- and click on the HTML code. COPY and then come back and PASTE in each photo.

There are several ways to truly brighten a space. Paint the walls in white; add brighter fabric to a seating area; hang some larger mirrors -- and of course -- add lamps all around the room to create much warmer brighter pools of light. Of course -- adding sparkle with silver items too!

Here's a great site with LOTS of inspiration photos. Just click on one of the larger photos at the beginning --and then check out the rest!

Just some thoughts -- hope you don't mind!

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

Here is a link that might be useful: Phoebe Howard designer website
dainaadele
13 years ago
I remember looking at a ink fan deck that had some sort of luminosity scale on it, and was surprised the the highest value was not to white but to a pale clear yellow. I had always noticed that white seemed to appear dingy to me, but following that fan deck info, I painted a dark stairway we had with the palest of yellows and it looked so much more cheerful. It was so pale that it looked white on its own. It was not until it was up against the white trim, did you see that it was really yellow instead.
bluestarrgallery
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks all, well I'll forget about the additives to the paint, I sure don't want to paint and then repaint again.

I am looking into more lighting options, seeing what the highest size bulbs my lamps can take.

Thanks for all the links I will check them all out today.

I'll post photos as soon as I get the other half of the sectional in the room and the lamps off the floor, he he.

This is a deco on a budget, so solar tubes are out, new roof, don't want to cut into that with the weather we get here in Florida.

Was thinking of some hidden lighting behind a molding on one side of the room, checking into that option too.

Dainaadele - My couch has yellow background, I'll look at paint chips and possibly repaint with the yellow on two walls, thanks for that suggestions. I don't really want white as my walls were white when we moved in and they were dingy looking.
teacats
13 years ago
Here's some examples for brightening a room -- of course the bright blue accents could easily be switched to a soft pale buttery yellow for your room!

Here is a link that might be useful: Inspiration photos from Phoebe Howard
lucillle
13 years ago
Call an electrician for a quote on installing electricity to support a ceiling light.