You would think we would have the answer to every question we get in the ol’ inbox…   Well, here we are again, trying to answer a perplexing color question.

Hi Painter Lady’s -
I recently painted an accent wall a dark “brick” red.  It’s a beautiful color, but I think I would like to tone it down a bit by adding a sponging technique with a lighter color. I’ve never done this before and I hope it goes well. What color should I use? The other walls in the room are a yellowish color and I am thinking that a gold metallic paint would work great for this. Can you give me any tips? Thanks!

How would this look? Always a question until you see the end results. Gold over a dark color is going to be dramatic. But… how is it going to co-ordinate with the light yellow color on the other walls?

First, the question of sponging on a color.  This is an old style that can lead to problems.  Sponging with a sea sponge has it’s uses, but it can seem outdated on a beautifully painted base coat.  I would look into using the Ralph Lauren Candlelight topcoat.  It will add drama to your dark red walls without changing the dramatic accent of the space. This is a roll on top coat and a very easy way to add some pizazz to your walls.

You could glaze over the dark walls with the yellow from the other walls, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The yellow will be the dominate color and kill the dramatic effect the deep brick red accent has on the room.

These are just my thoughts… anyone else have any helpful ideas?  Leave your comments below.

Interesting… sometimes it’s like people are reading my mind. I have a kitchen that has an ugly old fluorescent light fixture and I can see that there is a lovely tray ceiling under all that old plastic.  I’ve been on the lookout for some tray ceiling lighting ideas.

My plan is to pull out all the old plastic and light fixtures. I’ll replace them with 4 can lights. The center of this tray ceiling holds a really ugly ceiling fan. I already have an old iron chandelier for that space… with amber mica shades. The light fixture keeps calling out my name from the attic… Need to get this done!

A newsletter subscriber wrote in asking a question about tips for painting a tray ceiling.  She writes about the same problem I have with my kitchen… and the burning question we all have:  What color do I paint that neat covered area?

Debra, I have a galley style kitchen, that’s getting a facelift!.

I’m eliminating a fluorescent light fixture and discovered a tray ceiling much to my delight. My color pallet is beige tan and gold.  I’m unsure what color to paint the top of the tray or sides? It’s not a large kitchen so would you recommend lighter/darker and where?
HELP ME PLEASE.!!

Catherine

So, Catherine… we have the same question about choosing a color for the kitchen tray ceiling.

A while back… I had thought of painting it dark sky blue… like a night sky. Then adding tiny specks of what would look like dim stars… but it’s too much of a “boys room” look.  At least to me.

I do have cobalt blue in my kitchen as an accent color, but that would just be over kill. The lighting must be taken in to consideration when painting the ceiling.  The tray ceiling will capture that light at night… so the paint color needs to look pretty in daylight and dramatic in the evening.

But… we are talking about a kitchen, not a dining area.   So what to do??

Anything in blue is going to turn green at night.  Hmmm…  And your colors are beige, tan and gold already…

My thought on this is to paint the top of the tray with a red and then skim over that with a faux glaze coat in burnished gold.  What happens when you do this is you’ll get a copper sheen.  Yeah…I know…This may not seem “light” and airy… but we are talking about a boxy area that we want to accentuate.

See the finish here: Gold Glaze on Coral Walls

If red isn’t in your accent color scheme at all… then fall back to your gold.  Still… think about using a gold color glaze over the gold paint. It would look pretty in the daylight and dramatic at night.

Now… what if you want to paint the sides and top of a tray ceiling?  Paint it all the same.  Don’t try to just do the top one color and leave the sides bare or another color. It will look like a tiny jewel box when you paint the entire tray ceiling top and sides.

Hey… these are just my tips for painting a tray ceiling.

I know…I know.  I’ve addressed this before.  Debra’s addressed this before.  It’s a common topic.  But I got a new email about this very issue this week and decided I needed to write about it one more time. 

So…A newsletter subscriber wrote in – actually left a comment on another post about this subject – about how she and her husband had just painted stripes in a bedroom and wished they’d read about how to get the tape set right so it doesn’t bleed under it.  Here’s what she wrote in:

“Several reviews I’ve read say that the frog tape takes the original paint off the wall when you peel it off. I’d almost prefer touching that up than having to repair painted stripes afterwards. My husband and I didn’t use any leak prevention measures with our painter’s tape, and now have thirteen eight foot vertical stripes to touch up on both sides. We should have done more research!”

Oh my goodness!  Okay…I’ve dealt with bleed through before.  It’s not difficult to fix but it is time consuming and annoying.    When I read this email I just HAD to write back.  Here’s what I said:

YIKES!  Okay…here’s a thought on how to fix it if you want to try it.

If you don’t want to use Frog tape just take regular ol’ blue painter tape. Get the one with the ORANGE core though.  It’s the “easy release” version.

Put the tape about an inch outside the edge of the stripe edge.  Paint the
base wall color along the edge where you are going to paint the stripe.
The base color will fill in all those little gaps.  THEN paint your
stripe again.  It’ll be a little bit wider than you’d planned on but it
should have clean edges this time. 

Okay…so here’s the steps:

1.  Put the blue tape slightly outside the stripe line so your wall base
coat is showing about 1/2 inch or so.
2.  Paint the wall base color over the edge of the tape to fill in those
little gaps.
3.  LET IT DRY.
4.  Paint your stripes.
5.  LET IT DRY.
6.  Remove the tape at a right angle.  If you feel resistance or it
looks like the paint under it is lifting – take a blow dryer and blow it
on the tape as you lift it off.  The heat will loosen the adhesive. 

AND…done! Nice clean edges on your stripes. No paint lifted. You’re
good to go.

Anyone can paint clean lines using this technique.  There are lots of “ideas” out there on how to keep the color from bleeding under your tape.  Some people say to run a bead of caulk along the tape edge before you paint so the caulk fills in the gap.  ?!?  Then I’ve got a caulk line on my wall.  No thanks.

Others say to use rubber cement and brush it on the edge of the tape to fill in those gaps before you paint.  Okay… Well… that would work but then you have to go back and rub off all the rubber cement.  In this article we wrote before – Stop Paint from Bleeding through Painter’s Tape – a newsletter subscriber wrote in to say she’d heard that you could use acrylic gel medium.  Not  a bad idea but be careful of your sheen.

This way – using your base coat/color to fill the gap – just seems the simplest way to resolve this issue to me.

One note.  When I say “LET IT DRY” I mean just until it’s dry to the touch.  I do not mean let it dry for 4 days.  Lol!    Let it dry for about an hour or two…or three…but then it’s time to do the next step.  If that means time to paint the stripes then paint the stripes!  Its most important when it’s time to remove the tape.  Don’t leave it on for days on end.  It gets harder to remove.  The blow dryer helps and makes it much easier but it just comes off easier if you don’t wait for days on end.

Hope this helps…

Be BOLD - Photo thanks to indigophotos

Do you like bold colors…but think they’re only for eggs or kids clothing?  Think again!!

Bold colors have a place in our homes as well.  Sure, they look good in throw pillows, or in paintings, or accessories, but they also look great on walls!  Really!!

The easiest way to change up your decor – any decor – is with color.  Change the color of your drapes.  Add a colorful throw rug to a small bathroom.  Put a painting up on the wall.  Bold style is most often about color.  One of the best ways to get there is with paint.

So if you want to make a statement…a big BOLD colorful one…then it’s time for some paint.  You don’t need to be afraid of going bold.  And if you just aren’t sure…start with one wall. 

That’s what I did in my bedroom.  I just wasn’t sure I could handle the depth of color on 3 of my walls so I started with one.  LOVED it and painted two more.  Left the 4th wall so I could do a faux finish on it and wouldn’t feel “closed in”.  It’s honestly my favorite room.

So…Check this out.  My niece and her family recently bought a home and everyone was thrilled.  Of course, when you move in to a new (to you)/previously lived in home you KNOW you’ll need to make changes to make it your “own”.  It’s just all part of the process.

After my niece put down nice fresh carpeting – well, probably before ‘cuz she’s brilliant like that – she also decided to paint the walls.  They were a nice boring…er…I mean…a nice NEUTRAL color that would go with anything.  Actually, that’s a good idea if you’re trying to sell your home.  Make it neutral so buyers can picture their style in the room.  But I digress…

Okay…so my niece decided to spruce up the walls and what better way than with some color!  Here’s a picture of what she had to start with:

Old - Neutral walls....lovely carpet

As you can see it’s a nice neutral color that is easily overlooked and prone to allow buyers to see their own belongings in the home.  Great for selling a house.  A bit boring.  Tan.  With a hint of pink.  But plain.  A seller’s friend.

But now it’s time for some personalization!  Don’t go off all willy-nilly, though.  Have a plan.  Think about your furniture and your accessories.  If you have bright red furniture you don’t want to paint the walls bright red, too.

Pick a color that compliments what you have.  At least the BIG stuff that you don’t want to replace.  This way you can tie it all in together with the wall color and the big items by adding some colors from both in to smaller things.  Throw pillows, drapes, a painting, etc.  You can also add some complementary colors to pull the whole thing together.

My niece chose to paint her living room this fabulous color:

New - BOLD, Bright & Beautiful

Look at this WONDERFUL color!  The carpet was replaced with a beautiful neutral color and the walls painted with a fabulous bold green!  Love the red throw (red is a complement to green) and the black and white photos on the wall.

Notice how much nicer the fireplace looks now with the bold color on the wall?  It sort of blended in when you look at it in the “before” picture.Some things to think about when you want to try BOLD?  Keep these things in mind:

• Colors that are bold usually appear more intense or darker when you paint them on the wall then they do on that small chip you get at the paint store.

• Remember…we at THATPainterLady dislike FLAT paint.  We’ll concede that the more shine you have in your paint the more imperfections in your wall show up.  So a compromise.. Try eggshell to show off your new bold color.

• Like we always recommend – TEST it out!  Paint several large foam core boards with the color you think you want and put them up on the walls and along the floor line.  Live with them for several days and view them in various light – morning, noon and night.  You want to make sure you LOVE it before you paint it all over the place. 

• Don’t be timid about going BOLD.  If you’re gonna go for it…then GO FOR IT!  Sea foam green is NOT bold.

Afraid to go bold?  You don’t need to be.  Remember…it’s just paint.  You can always paint it over. If you want to try BOLD color but aren’t sure you can handle THAT much color then just try doing ONE wall.  And don’t forget to take those “before” and “after” photos to share. 

Faux-Granite Painted by Debra Conrad

Hi Painter Ladies!

I have a formica bath (half bath really) counter that I would like to do a faux countertop painting on so that it looks more updated.  Until I can do something else.

This bath doesn’t get used much.  Can I do this, what products can I use, and is what are the steps in doing the process? 

I’ve ordered your video but am nervous about starting. 

Thanks,
M

YES!  You absolutely CAN do this!  Painting Laminate Countertops is not rocket science…but it is labor intensive.  And worth every minute to update your half bath.  No need to be nervous.  Anyone can do this it’s that simple.

Having purchased Debra’s Beginner Guide to Painting Faux Granite was the best thing you could do.  She’s got ALL the steps in there for you.  OooOooOdles of good stuff!    And like the title says – it’s a beginner’s guide so everything is simplified.  Nothing in there that requires 10 years of experience to do! 

Here are some tips for you to use as you start your project:

#1 -Search the web for a picture of the granite you want to copy/recreate in your bathroom.  It’s always how I start.  I find a picture of what I want so I can study the colors…the shifts…the nuances before I start.  That’s how I figure out what

DAP TSP All Purpose Cleaner

color paints to buy! 

#2 – As always – PREP WORK is KEY!!  Clear the countertop off of all your debris (tissue box, toothbrushes, decorating items, etc.) and then clean it thoroughly.  Some people will tell you to use ammonia-based cleaners – which are great – but I prefer TSP.  Then I know it’s really TRULY clean!  But it’s up to you.

#3 – Scrub it down good and then rinse it all off – - then rinse again and let it dry.  You can do this twice…or even three times just to make sure it’s GOOD and clean.  And don’t forget the backsplash! You don’t want to get started and then realize you forgot that little tidbit! 

#4 – Then the surface needs some tooth to it.  So the paint will stick to it.  Paint doesn’t like silky smooth surfaces.  It needs some little nooks and crannies to stick to.  Time to sand it up!  But gently.  We don’t want to gouge it all up…just give it a little light scrub down with some sandpaper or a sanding block.  Then remember to wipe it all off – again – to get all that dust off there.

You’re getting close to painting time!!!  But first – tape off and protect anything you don’t want painted.    Dabbing paint with a sea sponge (which is how you get a great granite look) on any surface can sometimes lead to paint showing up in spots you hadn’t intended.  Best to spend a few minutes taping off and covering things you don’t want a new color.

I hope these tips help.  Some of the things you’ll find in Debra’s video is how to paint:

•  Trendy Dark Black Granite
•  Light Gray Granite – And how to change from black to gray in an instant by adding just one thing to your sponge.
•  Brilliant Sunset Colored Granite – So Popular in the Southwest!
•   Soft beige tones – For blending with white or light-colored cabinets

But like I said…the best way to start is by finding a picture of the granite you want to create in your space.  Study it…really see the colors in it and use that to buy your paints.

For more tips, check out this article called “Painting Technique – 6 Easy Steps to Faux Granite“.

Now get out there and SPLASH some paint around!