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Design Dilemma Paint

Paint Advice - Trim and Ceiling

Sandy Rodriguez

last year

How to best paint this? Picture shows walls with picture rail in place and structural beams above. Thinking of painting picture rail a semi gloss/gloss cloud white and area above rail eggshell cloud white to match ceiling, to be in cloud white, flat. Area below rail is white down. In second picture, picture rail will also be put up. Will painting in similar fashion work? Thanks.

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Comments (3)

decoenthusiaste
last year
I would match the picture rail to all the other trim in the spaces, but I'm not sure why the rail in the first place. Was that part of the original styling of the home (assuming this is a reno?) It looks like the rail will sit right atop the windows. The architectural details may get a little busy looking with that extra rail. Why not paint as you plan, but leave the picture rail off until finished? it can always go up later if needed. If I were going to put up a trim piece like that all around, I would be painting the ceiling a dark color right down to the rail to visually lower the ceiling and for drama.

Dark Version
Fountain House · More Info

Light Version
Master Bedroom (After) · More Info
artemis78
last year
last modified: last year
That’s how ours are done—picture rail (satin finish) matched to wall (matte) matched to ceiling (flat), all the same white. Area below the rail is a color. They run along the tops of double windows similar to yours.
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DH sprayed the Advance for all the trim and I think he mentioned it went on a bit different but he didn't have any complaints. I think he thinned it with floetrol, just like he did when we used Sherwin Williams ProClassic for our other trim. We just hired a painter to paint the trim and doors in the remaining bedrooms and 1 additional bathroom because DH doesn't have time to finish those rooms. The painter is brushing instead of spraying and he said he really likes the Advance. It looks great - not as perfect as DH's sprayed on finish but DH also takes 3 times longer to finish because he's such a perfectionist :)
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I would NOT paint the vertical trim or horizontal trim on the walls .. to me, that.looks like part of the stairs somehow. I think I WOULD possibly paint the grid on the slanty ceiling though (making the wood the same color as the ceiling - you would still get the effect of the grid pattern on the ceiling, just not so intense). Why not get some samples of those woodsy colors and just put them up in those spaces on the wall next to the stairs - the thing about wood is that it is such a strong presence in a room (esp. a room like that which is kinda arts and craftsy in style) that it can really look spectacular with a deeper, darker richer color to complement and balance it... you might find the idea growing on you once you see it. Or not! You dont have to commit - just see how it looks. Have fun!
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I never tell a painter what product to use for anything. Unless it's a boutique brand color for the walls/ceiling and then I'll push it. If they want to use Super Paint on the ceiling, let 'em. I don't understand why Cloud White is too yellow for a ceiling color. I actually prefer a subtle hit of yellow for the ceiling "white" because the crisper whiter-whites can shift and look too green-gray. Color on the ceiling always looks darker and grayer; Cloud White is one of those whites that can balance that out nicely. Ellen Kennon's Classic Cream is one of my all time favorite ceiling colors to go with just about all wall colors for that reason.
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Extra white looks to be a cool blue white, Pure white feels gray so I would suggest High Reflective White out of the 3 you have mentioned.
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Sandy Rodriguez
Original Author
last year
Thank you. Yes it’s a renovation and we are restoring to reflect original prewar detail.

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