skip to main content

Home Decorating

Do I paint the bulkhead the ceiling or wall color?

katenewbiedecorator

14 years ago

I am trying to paint our bathroom and have primed all surfaces and painted the ceiling last night CIL Stowe White. I have Valspar Willow Wind a light sagey green for the walls, and I intend to use beadboard for 48" at the bottom painted an off-white. My problem is the bulkhead above the tub. Wall color, or ceiling color?

I have set aside this morning to paint the walls so please, any opinions would be much appreciated!

Here is a pic of the area above the tub where it meets the walls, without ceiling paint yet.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

User
14 years ago
Wall color,keeps the ceiling at a consistent height, otherwise it will make your ceiling look low above the tub.
les917
14 years ago
Wall color, tho I would also paint the ceiling the wall color, since you are already going to be breaking up the height with the white beadboard.
Related Discussions
White ceiling, tinted primer walls - what order do I paint?
Q
Comments (3)
Mary I have followed the same advise by brushworks but with a little twist. I cut the wall in with a brush and then use a small 2 or 3 inch roller to provide the 3 inches recommended. That gives me the nice knap texture and I can control the small roller more effectively, never hitting the ceiling. It takes a little longer but it works great. I used to go nuts and try to get as close to the ceiling as possible - scraping it too - but over the years discovered that if I get within a 1/2 to 3/4 inch of the ceiling or so, you cannot see the transition from brush stroke to roller from the floor - especially on high ceilings. Good luck with the painting. Bob
...See More
Creative ideas for kitchen bulkhead; also wall color debate!
Q
Comments (5)
I wish we hadn't made the rail quite so wide now, but at the time I thought it would be great to have it wide enough for bottles, figures, and other collectibles. I do like that it looks more finished than the other way. Ignore the plates, I just stuck all my extras up there to see what a plate collection would look like.
...See More
Should I paint walls and ceilings the same colour or do them white lik
Q
Comments (2)
I read elsewhere that if you paint the ceilings and walls the same color, the ceiling will look darker. I just painted my ceilings a bright flat white, and walls SW Snowbound, which has that slight beige undertone that Balboa Mist has. I don’t think you can go wrong, but see if you can get a sample to test a swatch on the walls as whites pick up surrounding colors and look different depending on furnishings and N,S,E, or W exposures.
...See More
How do I hang curtains around a bulkhead?
Q
Comments (9)
A photo from further back would help but you would need two length of curtain, a fixed set to hang under the bulkhead, then the balance sized to fit up by the ceiling (hospital track?) The will never stack back all the way to the wall as the section under the bulkhead would be decorative only
...See More
denali2007
14 years ago
Yes, I would also paint the ceiling the same color as the wall.
museblues
14 years ago
i agree...wall color :)
katenewbiedecorator
Original Author
14 years ago
Sounds unanimous! Wall color it is! Thank you so much.
Happyladi
14 years ago
He didn't ask if he should paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. Everytime we get a thread like this people feel the need to tell everyone to paint the ceiling and walls the same color.

I know it's a trendy thing to paint the ceiling and walls the same but lots of people still like a lighter color or white for ceilings.
les917
14 years ago
Happyladi, you are right, she didn't ask if she should paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. So what?

Her name is katenewbiedecorator. Perhaps some of us thought that she was new at this, had not considered that option, and as long as she was painting, it was worth mentioning. No one TOLD her she HAD to paint it one color or the other.

Periodically this issue comes up. IMO, if someone asks for help with something, and someone here has a thought that might be of help regarding the space (even if it is not the original question), I think the OP would be getting shortchanged if it weren't mentioned in a constructive way.

I think if you were to look back, you would see many places where, for example, Squirrel created a virtual pix that was NOT what the homeowner asked for in the first post, but ended up being thrilled with because it had never occured to them to do that. You will see threads in which people have suggested a color nothing like the first ones that the OP asked about, but the OP ended up using.

FWIW, painting the walls and the ceiling the same color is not 'trendy' - I did some of mine 7 or more years ago. It is an option that has been used for ages.

Related Stories

PAINTING Bulletproof Decorating: How to Pick the Right Kind of Paint

Choose a paint with some heft and a little sheen for walls and ceilings with long-lasting good looks. Here are some getting-started tips

DECORATING GUIDES Look Up and Dream: 11 Ideas for an Inspired Ceiling

By Lisa Higgins

Think beyond the standard coat of paint, and make your ceiling pop with unexpected materials and glamorous finishes

EXTERIORS Help! What Color Should I Paint My House Exterior?

By Jennifer Ott Design

Real homeowners get real help in choosing paint palettes. Bonus: 3 tips for everyone on picking exterior colors

REMODELING GUIDES Design Dilemma: How Do I Modernize My Cedar Walls?

8 Ways to Give Wood Walls a More Contemporary Look

COLOR 11 Reasons to Paint Your Ceiling Black

Mask flaws, trick the eye, create drama ... a black ceiling solves a host of design dilemmas while looking smashing

CEILINGS Great Ideas for Painted Ceilings

By Kelly Porter

Look up: Your ceiling may be crying out for some color

CEILINGS Oh, What a Feeling...To Have a Painted Ceiling

By Becky Harris

DECORATING GUIDES How to Paint Perfect Wall Stripes

Draw the line on lackluster walls with crisply painted stripes. Here's the secret to getting them right

BRICK How to Make an Interior Brick Wall Work

By Toronto Interior Design Group

Learn how to preserve, paint, clean and style a brick wall to fit your design scheme

MOST POPULAR Heads-Up Hues: 10 Bold Ceiling Colors

By Jennifer Ott Design

Visually raise or lower a ceiling, or just add an eyeful of interest, with paint from splashy to soothing

Sponsored

More Discussions

Which headboard matches this room?

11

Master Bedroom Decor

10

DO YOU SELL THE LEATHER WALL PANELS IN THE DIAMOND PATTERN?

2

Anyone have any ideas on how to decorate the Shane plan from dr Horton

7

Different Flooring in Upstairs Bedroom

2