Panic about Paint!

[refinnejk]

We have recently bought a house after renting next door for 5 years, and we are using the opportunity to do it up before we move in. Whilst very exciting, we have a lot to do (decide) in just two months (new kitchen, en suite, cloakroom, knocking down a wall, blocking up a doorway, building a room in garage, painting and new flooring throughout). We have barely done any home renovation or decorating before so I am learning a lot fast, but not fast enough. Anyway, the painter/decorator is ready to start and I have to choose paints quickly. All I know is that I want it to be fairly neutral but not boring magnolia (but may resort to magnolia!). Ceilings will be white (unless good reason for not white?) and I think next easiest decision will be woodwork. I didn't know satinwood/eggshell was the new gloss, but do now... any reason why I should choose one over the other? Also, which colour - will choose white or cream but can anyone recommend a safe bet?! I know this sounds ridiculous and I wish I could spend longer choosing but I can't so any help really appreciated. Thank you!

Have to admit I tend to go for colour, but DH's SIL swears by Johnstone's Antique White as a non-irritating neutral (i.e. one that's very liveable with until you decide you'd like something else!) Could look quite good if you did the skirting in either matching or perhaps one shade lighter?

Alternatively, if you'd like a hint of colour I'd recommend using the lighter end of the palettes from Colortrend if you have a stockist nearby - their paints go on well and last well (and are cheaper than F&B/Little Green).

I'd go for the satinwood finish on the woodwork - marginally easier to keep clean.

Thank you so much for your response. I am drowning in decisions and wish I had longer to make them, and wish I had taken some notice of home decorating before now!

we've gone for dulux satinwood jasmine white, it's a sort of creamy colour which has gone well with all the different wall colours we've got. satinwood is slightly shinier than eggshell which is what we wanted, a bit of a sheen (and easy to wipe down) but not full on gloss. dulux timeless is also a popular choice, slightly more white than the jasmine white but not as bright as brillian white.

good luck, i know just how you feel we've just done a similar amount of work in 3 months (with a baby and toddler!) so i too ended up with decision-fatigue!! :-)

As long as it's a colour you can live with for a while, then it won't be a problem (or not if it's a warm white at any rate - as I discovered on our first house brilliant white walls are not exactly cosy to come home to in winter, no matter how many soft furnishing 'accents' one accumulates).

Paint is v.easy to re-do as long as you take your time on the edges, so worst case is it gets changed after Christmas)

Thank you titchy, much appreciated. I like the sound of Timeless, but will check out that and Jasmine White too. I'm almost at the point that I am tempted to just choose it on your recoomendation!! Part of me thinks how hard can it be, it's white! And part of me thinks I should get lots of testers and try them all out but I do not have time! Thankfully my youngest has just started school and we are not living in the house as it is being renovated, but I have been focusing on booking in the people to do the work, and now I have to tell them what to do!

Dulux Egyptian cotton is a lovely neutral when contrasted with white ceiling and woodwork. My favourite non-colour colour! I'd always use white in at least one room as well on its own. I do like a good bit of crisp monochrome.

I understand what you mean about overwhelmed. we did a similar refurbishment when I was in late pregnancy and I actually cried over curtain fabric choices!

thank you ch1a. That colour sounds like a possibility for our kitchen-diner-living area. kitchen is gloss white, light grey quartz worktops, wood effect floor) or at least it will be in a few weeks). Would it be too dark? It's T-shape space. (You sound knowledgeable!)

We were in a similar position and painted the whole house (ceilings and all) in Crown Milk White. A nice, soft white that we could use as a backdrop for any furnishings. Dulux Timeless is another similar one.

Magnolia isn't great; it's quite a cold, blueish colour.

Eggshell on woodwork gets dirty and is difficult to clean. I prefer satinwood.

Dulux Natural Calico, sort of cream but not as yellow as Magnolia.

Is it an old house, and are the ceilings cracked?

If it will have any plumbing or, especially, rewiring done in the next 20 years, get it done before you start decorating or fixing down flooring.

If there is chipboard flooring in the bathroom rip it up and throw it on the bonfire.

If you are having new doorlocks fitted, do it before painting. If you are having new window locks fitted, do it after painting. Door furniture should be removed before painting. Get a canister vac and do not allow builders to see let alone borrow your hoover.

personally I would do the woodwork white. If you are using satinwood or eggshell then it won't be too harsh and shiny and it will go with any colour in the future.

The walls can really easily be repainted if you want a bit of colour in a room. So I would paint the whole house in bland neutral, and then as you at a later date decide on curtains or sofa and think a bit of colour would be good, you can very easily paint one wall, especially if your ceilings and woodwork is all white. I wouldn't try to choose colour in the middle of everything else you are doing, UNLESS you have something, eg favourite curtains, that obviously lend themselves to walls in a particular colour. eg curtains in dhs study have very soft pinky beige background, we found the same colour in paint and used that.

The only problem is that at times I have used 10 or more match pots trying to get the right colour (you wouldn't believe how many different shades of cream there are and none of them match my curtains) if you don't have time for that, just use one colour throughout initially.

We had a but of a panic like the with decorating our extension. We went with Dulux Timeless on walls and ceiling and PBW satinwood on all woodwork. Really happy with it. We do have 2 "feature walls" with lovely wallpaper though (sorry if that's not fashionable any more!!) Our very lovely italian architect also has Timeless through out her house and if its good enough for her then its definitely good enough for us.

Just a big no to any dark coloured wood work (or ceilings...)
Hard to paint over if you decide to go for white/light in the future - probably better to strip back ... and if you just paint over every little chip will reveal previous dark colour - like little beacons!
(speaking from experience - this house previous owner painted all the wood work in every room with dark 'wood effect' paint - and it was badly done so bits flaked off etc, not a good base for painting. Stripping skirtings is a nightmare - and the one area I got a painter & decorator to do (stairs) he painted over and it is now covered with dark brown chips )

Are you me??! We've just done exactly the same thing, even down to the kitchen spec!! Spooky....

I spent a fortune on testers, and in the end had to make a spot decision to just go for off white throughout, I chose Crown sail white, we have brilliant white eggshell on the woodwork. It's looks great, it's a kind of stoney greyish white, and really nice to paint with (we couldn't afford the decorator!) been in for about 5 weeks now and I'm still happy with all my choices, so stay calm and be confident!! Good luck xx

White ceilings.

Pure white non-yellowing satinwood woodwork.

Something simple and neutral on the walls - you'll probably re-do it room by room over the next few years as you settle in. Dulux washable matts are excellent. Its hard to suggest a shade for everywhere without seeing the furniture and flooring.

when you find out what non-white or magnolia paint costs now, you'll probably rethink the idea of regular repaints.

ceilings are white.
skirtings and woodwork are white.
all else- live with it a while and see what you think. Look out for paint special offers.

It took a while to get this thread going and I was losing hope but just revisited and lots of replies and helpful advice now, thank you, and I even have a virtual twin (Achange...)! Decorator has managed to re-jig his jobs so I have a slight reprieve but I have lots to go on now thank you. He is doing the prep work now and then painting ceilings and inside cupboards white and then a bit of a break before starting bedrooms and another break while kitchen is done. As we are paying for decorating I want to get as much done by him now, as I doubt we will get round to doing anything again for a while (knowing us).

A pic of sail white in my kitchen, no sun today and the down lighters are on, just to give you an idea of how it might look. And it's 3 tins for £35 in b&q. Good luck!

Thank you for extra tips PigletJohn. House is 14 years old. No major cracks in ceilings. We are doing a bit of plumbing and electrical work before painting. And plan to change door handles from brass to chrome/steel/nickel??! Another decision.. We are not doing lounge yet so one less decision there. Would like an interesting 'neutral' in kitchen diner, and will do daughters' rooms with a feature wall of wallpaper and possibly a light colour paint. Also master bedroom. Other two bedrooms and hall/stairs/landing in a neutral. Dulux Timeless is getting a lot of mentions. Is that a 'warm white'?

Thank you Achange! Lovely kitchen! Paint looks very nice. Please could you tell me the details of your wall sockets (I might be using incorrect terminology!) Are they nickel/brushed stainless steel/brushed chrome? Thanks.

I'm going to really annoy you here and suggest a really pale grey (I use Little Greene's french grey in lightest shade)

thing about grey is, if you like a lot of other colours around, it doesn't clash with anything. I know I sound nuts but have had yellowy whites really jar with other colours

also LG paints are shockingly expensive- I had to swallow the lump in my throat the first time I bought a tin. But it's dead easy to wipe down or would be if I could ever be arsed and also easy to paint with- about half the coats needed with really cheap paint, and one less than Dulux/Crown

Spring - pale grey for wood, or all the 'neutral' walls, or for the kitchen? Or everywhere? I love grey but I don't want to end up with a fully grey house!

Thanks

The sockets were supplied by our electrician, dh's uncle, so I don't actually know the spec, but I think they're stainless steel, I saw v similar ones in b&q trade section.

I don't think Egyptian cotton would be too dark at all. I have it in two rooms and it looks different in them both. Here is a pic of it in the lounge. I think the other lighter whiter shades or a pale grey as suggested would also look great but for me I love either brilliant white or enough of a different shade that it really is picked up by the white.

I can only say don't go for a pale grey called potters clay 2 which as it turns out is very lilac en masse.