Wednesday, February 10, 2010

First Coat DONE & What I Learned

Anyone who's ever painted a very dark room knows the first coat is brutal, but the second coat is not too bad. This is definitely the case with black paint!

I finished the first coat yesterday and I am in love. I'm sorry if you are sick of my black room updates by now. To make this post worth while, I'm going to share what I learned when painting a room black. But first, some pictures!







What I learned (aka what I wish I knew) when painting a room black:

  • Use BEHR Premium Plus ULTRA. No, they are not endorsing me to say this, but this job would have been 1,000x more brutal if I hadn't gotten this paint. It's the paint with the primer in it. At first I was skeptical but after getting the sample I was sold. I'm almost ashamed writing this considering I've been a Valspar fan for so long. In fact the only reason I walked into Home Depot was to see Martha's new colors, which they didn't have yet.
  • If you are going black, go with "Onyx" by Benjamin Moore, colormixed by BEHR. This color is absolutely perfection. Velvety, warm, just perfect. I first learned about it from Autum at design*dump. Then I picked it out on my own, after forgetting the name, at BM. It was fate. And to make things even easier for you, here is the color breakdown from my can in case you want to get it mixed at your local Home Depot:


  • If you are doing dark (or black) walls, go with a flat finish. It won't leave ugly streaks. Black is already a reflective color by nature, so even with flat you'll still get somewhat of a natural sheen.
  • Roller Lite Tiny Touch-It-Up Kit was a godsend. It's a cute tiny little roller and tray that is about the size of half a piece of paper. I got it at Home Depot. It was perfect for edges and corners along with a paint brush and painters tape.
  • Use Frog Tape painters tape... black paint WILL leak through the blue kind. And with a color as dark/bold as black, use painters tape.
  • Use Shur-line Rollers with Teflon. I tried three different kinds, and wish I had started with this one first. It really did make the process faster, like it claims.
And that's pretty much it! Using high quality products really makes a difference, so if you are going with a color like black, don't skimp because it will just end up costing you more time and more money in the end. And my last tip is, if you want to go black (or any other color that is a bit daring), don't be afraid! Even though it look more effort than I thought, and even though we are just renting, I'm still so glad I did it. It already feels more like "home".

I can't wait for the "after", but our furniture won't be arriving for another two weeks. So I'll be waiting with bated breath along with you! Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be sure to answer in the comments section.

22 comments:

  1. One of my art teachers painted one wall of studio a deep chocolate. I love the way it looks and can't wait to see it all done. Hope you can get a massage, painting can be so physically tiring.
    pve

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  2. Instantly luxurious looking! Isn't painting the worst?? Hope you're finished after this!

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  3. Wow, great job Bryn! I have to admit I was skeptical, but it looks awesome even without furniture. I bet you're glad to be done!

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  4. Looks great already! So exciting to have a new space to decorate.

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  5. Loving it Bryn! Now the wait begins!

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  6. I'm not tired of these posts, it is a very intriguing approach to a bedroom and looking forward to seeing it all pulled together.

    I can imagine edging with black paint would be one of its challenges! Janell

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  7. Thanks for your notes about painting dark! I'm going to be painting my bedroom a super dark navy blue, and it was helpful to read your feedback about your experience.

    (Also, I completely agree about the Behr paint...I was absolutely not going to buy it, but the sample alone looks amazing! After seeing the normal Behr paint compared to the Plus, my decision is made.)

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  8. i LOVE it! We are just starting to get painting in our new (6 months in) house. I did most everything in a warm neutral and then painted our stucco fireplace dark navy blue, the dining room will be dark charcoal and the kitchen creamy white and poppy. I can't wait to see everything put together!

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  9. Love your room, and thanks for sharing these tips. That onyx looks great!

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  10. Love your room, and thanks for sharing these tips. That onyx looks great!

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  11. I can hardly wait for the finished product. Black is definitely a bold color AND I'm super excited to see how you style the room...I'm sure it'll be fantastic!

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  12. I'm excited to see the finished product! Black is pretty darn bold, but I have a feeling your room is going to look amazing!!

    I'm just curious....did you have to get approval to paint the room since you are in a rental? Do you plan to paint it back to a neutral color when you move out?

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  13. It looks so gorgeous! I too can't wait to see the finished product with your stuff in there.

    jbhat

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  14. Looks great. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes together when you get your furniture.

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  15. Looks sophisticated and rich, and we haven't even seen the final "ta-DA" - can't wait!

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  16. I missed this post...I just painted a room in our house black to...yours looks great. I used Ralph lauren bone black in matte (flat) and loooooooooooove it..

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  17. I missed this post...I just painted a room in our house black to...yours looks great. I used Ralph lauren bone black in matte (flat) and loooooooooooove it..

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  18. Love your room, and thanks for sharing these tips. That onyx looks great!

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  19. I'm not tired of these posts, it is a very intriguing approach to a bedroom and looking forward to seeing it all pulled together.

    I can imagine edging with black paint would be one of its challenges! Janell

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  20. Looks great already! So exciting to have a new space to decorate.

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  21. One of my art teachers painted one wall of studio a deep chocolate. I love the way it looks and can't wait to see it all done. Hope you can get a massage, painting can be so physically tiring.
    pve

    ReplyDelete

THANK YOU for taking the time to share your thoughts. I appreciate each and every comment.

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