Help me with painting my room

[Anonymous]

I am painting a room and have no idea what I am doing. We are painting the room grey and would like to do the trim white. Do we also paint the doors? Do we paint the ceiling? If we paint the ceiling, do we paint it the same as the trim, white? Or do we paint it the same as the wall color, grey? Do we get the trim paint in semi gloss? Would the doors and ceiling be semi gloss too if we paint those? Any other advice besides to hire a professional

[Anonymous]

Lots of tape for clean lines. I like a semigloss for the walls and trim. Flat for the ceiling. I like white doors and trim but get what you want.

[Anonymous]

If you paint the doors, don't paint the hinges.

White for the ceiling.

[Anonymous]

White for the ceiling. People usually do flat, but eggshell is okay too. Do not do semi gloss on ceiling; rserve that for the trim and door..

[Anonymous]

You can buy paint called 'ceiling white' for the ceiling.

First, fill in all holes and marks with some spackle and sand it down.

Paint the corners and around the trim first with a brush, then do the rest of the walls with a roller.

Paint the trim last and definitely do a semi-gloss or something with a bit of a sheen so that it is easier to clean. We paint the door too, assuming it has been painted before and isn't supposed to be wood tone.

Don't be lazy about it -- take the outlet covers off, take down the blinds, that sort of thing.

[Anonymous]

They have a paint called "ceiling white" anywhere you shop (HD, Lowes, Sherwin Williams). Paint the ceiling with that. It's a cheap flat paint.

[Anonymous]

An alternative to ceiling white is to do the very lightest color on the color chip card that you have for the grey.

And we do satin on most walls, not semi-gloss. Semi-gloss maybe in bathrooms/kitchen.

[Anonymous]

Satin on walls, but semi gloss for the trim. Ceiling white in Satin for the ceiling.

[Anonymous]

Behr sells a ceiling paint that goes on purple and then dries white. It's super helpful to see where you've painted.

I always paint the ceiling first and then the walls, and then the molding & trim. I don't know if that's the way you're supposed to do it, but it works for me. Just like there's specific ceiling paint, you can buy specific trim paint.

If you really don't know what to do, be sure to ask for help. I've generally found the folks at the paint counters at home depot or local hardware stores to be helpful.

[Anonymous]

If the house is new and clean you shouldn't need to paint the ceiling. I usually use actual paint instead of ceiling paint because ceiling paint isn't as white (IME). I use Benjamin Moore Natura paint because it's easy to apply, gets great coverage, and doesn't smell or have any VOC's. You can do lots of things with ceilings, though, including different colors or matching your walls, depending on the look you're going for. We use a satin or eggshell finish on the walls and semi-gloss in bright white (super white?) on the trim. Make sure you clean the walls and patch and sand all holes really well before starting to paint, and use quality brushes and rollers. Old Town Hardware in Alexandria carries all of the above and can help you get started. We also use Frog Tape for edging, but many people do well with an angled brush for cutting in. I have unsteady hands so use tape instead. If you're covering up a dark color or the wall is in rough shape with stains, I'd consider using a primer first. We like the Premium Kilz primer for this purpose. Natura is technically self-priming and does have great coverage, but we have been painting walls that haven't been painted in like 30 years or more, and that really sucks up the first coat of paint. Primer is cheaper, thus we prime. FYI, flatter/more matte paints hide imperfections better and semi-gloss/gloss shows the most imperfections. But the glossier the finish the easier it is to wipe clean and the more impervious it is to water/stains. Good luck!