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Paint Home Decorating Design Dilemma

Ceiling finish when using the same color for walls?

last year

We have four rooms where the wall and ceiling color will match. Three of the rooms have a side or two of slanted ceiling. Two of these rooms will have a satin finish on the walls (because kids) and two will have an eggshell. Do I go with a flat finish for the ceiling?

If it matters, two rooms will be in SW Divine White, one will be in SW White Duck, and one will be in SW Vaguely Mauve.

Featured Answer

PRO

Flo Mangan

last year

Keep it simple. Only use eggshell on walls at most (newest paints wash quite well, they are "coatings" so different from years ago. With angled ceilings it gets a bit more complex. But generally, for those I keep everything the same color. It will still have some variations, because colors look different to the eye on different planes. (vertical and horizontal) Take samples and you will see what I mean.) When you see a spot or spots, give your children a Mr. Clean a wall cleaner sponge and have them clean off their messes. It will reduce messes! We have 4 kids and this cured them overnight! haha!

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Comments (10)

apple_pie_order
last year
last modified: last year
You can use the same finish and color as the walls. It will look fine and be much easier for the painters. However, if you are accustomed to seeing flat "ceiling white" in your area, choose that instead. Some choices are geographic.
cat_ky
last year
Flat on ceiling, would be my choice.
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BM was adamant that I not use anything but flat because it would show any imperfections on the ceiling. OK, got the poster board up. It really does turn a lot darker up there. Looks as dark as the walls. BTW- I used the eggshell from the bathroom walls. Definitely have to go lighter. Help! At this point, I can go with Sherwin Williams and save a trip to BM, a town away. :) Furthermore (again, I am sorry about intruding on your thread, fb02. ) we will be painting the tray ceiling, in the dining room, the same color. I've always hated how dark it turned out, as it is the same color as the walls. I've hung a piece of posterboard in the chandelier to get an idea of what the ceiling will look like and I like it! Can you spot it? Or I can also go with the Decatur Buff for a little more drama, like I have on the foyer ceiling. And looking beyond the foyer ceiling, I will be painting the living area ceiling whatever color we decide on for the family/kitchen and dining room tray. Again, the walls it that room are Decatur Buff.
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I use flat on ceilings, eggshell on walls and semi gloss on trim and doors.
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is it just this one spot (the ceiling?) hard to tell. and you want to paint it the same blue? what you could do is go a few shades lighter blue. please consider a new window blind. that mini blind w/the hanging lever thing is so bulky looking. do a slim type of shade or a cordless roman blind or something. or, don't do a blind at all. (do you really need one? ) stick in a stained glass insert over the window instead of a blind they will fit right over the window (you can have one made, or find a close size and have a little frame build around it so it will fit. caulk it into place
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PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
I like sloped ceilings to be the same as thewalls and I never like shiny paint on walls not matter kids or not. It shows every imperfection and reflects light poorly. There are lots of matte finish paints that wash .
Jennifer Hogan
last year
I would not do any walls shinier than eggshell. It is easily washed. I would do flat on any flat ceiling and eggshell on the sloped ceilings.

I am curious about the color selections.

Orange undertones / Yellow Green undertones

Orange Undertones / Pink / Purple Undertones

Yellow/Green Undertones / Pink/Purple Undertones

I am having a tough time envisioning a flooring that works well with both Divine White and White Duck or a home where I would use both of these whites.
ci_lantro
last year
Flat on the ceiling. Any level of sheen will magnify any defects, waviness on the ceiling. Perfect ceilings are few & far between.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
Flat paint on sloped ceilings & eggshell finish on the walls.
Jay W
Original Author
last year
@Jennifer Hogan Most of the house is in SW Nomadic Desert. We are having Ashford Truewood Cream Plank tiles installed everywhere. I've tried the sample against the walls, furniture, and cabinets in different areas at different times of day and they work. I put the paint samples against it too and they're fine.

The paints listed above are for bedrooms and a bathroom (and I'm still not 100% on the bathroom). I know the Divine White won't be an issue with Nomadic Desert. How big of a deal is it if the undertone in an enclosed room doesn't match the undertone in other parts of the house?
PRO
Sabrina Alfin Interiors
last year
I generally go for eggshell for the walls, flat for the ceiling, and semi-gloss for millwork/trim.
Jennifer Hogan
last year
@Jay W

There are no rules that can't be broken, and I have even used 2 neutrals with two different undertones in one open concept space. The living room had green carpet and the sofa was a patterned fall color sofa with orange/gold and greens. We picked an orange undertone for the walls in that area and used a green undertone in the kitchen and dining room that had hard flooring with an orange undertone and woodwork that has some orange tones. The green was a stronger, more obvious green undertone, not just a tinge of green (The color was named Moss). Both rooms had both undertones in similar amounts and strong colors, the neutrals were more less just flip flopped.

This is a bit more difficult to pull off than using just one undertone or similar undertones. If the majority is orange/pink/purple undertones and you have just a single room with a greige or green beige the greige or green beige may feel dingy in comparison.

If you have it in a bedroom, but have bedding and an area carpet that pulls in some of the Nomadic desert color and the White Duck colors it may provide a calming restful feeling, which is appropriate for a bedroom. I would also try to get a piece of art for the hallway that has both colors so the brain recognizes the connection between the rooms.

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