PAINTING A ROOM - CHOOSING A FINISH!

Today I read a great POST which completely inspired me....

in one of my favorite "sista" blogs called

"For the Love Of A House".

I say "sista" in that we both live in BIG OLD HOUSES.

I also feel like both of us, in addition to transforming our homes...have been transformed BY our homes

and the Country we inhabit.

....a few months ago I did a Makeover of our Dining room above (POST HERE) and repainted it...

 "Ashwood" by benjmain Moore...

..a color Joan has also used all over her 

New Hampshire home (below).

for the love of a house

 Today, Joan was talking about paint finishes and how she (accidentally) 

went against the recommended "Flat" finish

 and used Benjamin Moore Pearl Finish on her ceilings.

It turned out to be a HAPPY ACCIDENT.

As soon as I heard "Pearl" I knew what I wanted to talk about. 

While Color obviously is your number one concern when painting a space....the finish you choose can make or break 

your color choice.

 Lets back it up a bit and talk about the finishes which are usually available for interior painting.

there are: 

Matte or Flat

Satin

Eggshell

Pearl and

Semi Gloss

High Gloss

I am going to give you MY personal definition of each of these finishes..

 From A Country Farmhouse Blog
Simply White by Benjamin Moore. The Ecospec line and in flat.




Matte/Flat - Dryer, chalkier hides imperfections, does not hold up to scrubbing as well

as some of the glossier finishes, thus not used in rooms like bathrooms and kitchens as much.

Eggshell - looks much like the eggshell it is named after. Probably the most common finish used.

Satin - slightly shinier than eggshell, good for rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, kids rooms, trim and higher traffic areas, where you may be wiping off the walls more frequently.

Pearl - MY personal FAVORITE FINISH!!! 

This is the finish that Joan used (by mistake) on her ceilings and is now so happy she did. 

I TOO was advised NOT to use Pearl finish on our old bumpy cracked walls.

"It will show the imperfections"..they all told me.

I thought.."Hmmm, who says cracks and bumpy walls are imperfections?" 

Personally I LOVE our bumpy old walls. People pay money to Create walls like this!!! 

Lots and Lots of money! Why in the world would I want to hide them???

One time I actually chose eggshell, just a shade flatter...and DID not like how it made the bumps invisible. I ended up repainting that wall in Pearl.

Semi-Gloss - This finish is used on trim and in Bathrooms and 

Kitchens. I am contemplating doing a room in dark color, in semi gloss....

I think it would look amazing. 

High Gloss - Very Very shiny. Gives that lacquered appearance.

I used High Gloss on front and back doors in my house and plan to use black high gloss on the banisters in our staircase.

So there you have, in a nutshell...the basic descriptions of the paint finishes, according to ME. 

Which brings me to my next point. 

Be willing to try a few different finishes...

DO NOT just paint your walls a certain finish because someone told you to...make sure YOU like it!!!

Lots of times the person you interface with is the guy at the paint store. They may be biased OR be told to push certain finishes 

or really not know much about how it really looks....

especially in YOUR HOUSE!!

 I have a tendency  if say I hear, "everyone is doing Matte". I will choose something else.
That is not always the way to go either because what everyone is doing might be a GOOD choice!!!
 In the case of this house, I chose the pearl finish because it enhances the walls and colors, and my ART and my Style. The walls do not look shiny, and maybe that is because I have painted over layers of wallpaper and plaster...so you really do need to see what works on YOUR walls, in YOUR house.

okay okay

so I am triple dipple super duper excited because

 ART CAMP 2012 starts today!!!

the room is ready to go!!!

Supplies in place!!!

i learned last year that my children are not the only kids who misplace things...so this year, I color coded the kids...they each have a "color" and that color is on their things and on the ends of their paint brushes.

XO