Donna Frasca,
I was wondering what white should ceilings be painted. Should they be extra white or just a more toned version of white? Could you share a paint color with me that you would most recommend to paint ceilings? Please suggest the brand and color.
JC, Waxhaw
JC,
There's more to choosing a ceiling color than just “picking a white”. Maybe it shouldn't be white at all. Let's talk about options.
Basic Ceiling White: If you absolutely, possatutley HAVE to have a white ceiling, just get Ceiling White in the paint brand of your choice. This one is a Valspar product and it's only $23.98 a gallon which is a good buy. Save your dollars for a high quality wall paint instead of investing top dollar in a ceiling paint.
Need to do a whole house? It may be easier and more economical to purchase a 5 gallon container.
WARNING: Do not buy the ceiling paint that changes color as it dries. If for some reason the humidity should change in the room, if it's in the bathroom for example, the ceiling paint has been known to turn back to pink. This also goes for caulking or any product that is pink when wet then turns white when dries. Sounds fun but … just no.
ANOTHER TIP: As tempting as it is to use a cheap flat, white paint for $11.00 and use it as ceiling paint, please don't! Ceiling paint is formulated to be used to paint on the ceiling so it's splatter resistant.
Ceilings should NOT be extra white.
Why?
Well of course they can if you want them to be but the reason I personally don't suggest extra white is because of the color.
Did you ever see snow that was so white it looked blue? Enough said. Unless you want or need to have a blueish tint to your ceiling, I would avoid extra white ceiling color. Use soft white or just white. That's really all you need … unless … you want a really cool color for your ceiling but I'll talk about that in another post.
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| So white it's blue! |
So, if you DON'T want a white ceiling, what is your tip? Do you go to the lightest color on color strip?
ReplyDeleteAgain, it's a little more involved than that. For example, when I choose color for a dining room, I never even come close to white. It's usually an accent color which is much darker than the wall color or something completely different - for drama.
DeleteFor the rest of the ceilings in the home, I look at the overall color palette, find the common undertone then choose a white from the Benjamin Moore Off White Color deck that will look best with it. So if the house has a warm color palette, I'd use a warm white such as White Dove, Cotton Balls or Swiss Coffee. If the home was a predominately cool color palette I'd consider White Wisp or White Diamond.
But - if the home was a Coastal color scheme or a color scheme (which looks best with just a white ceiling) where the clients wanted some contrast, white really looks best so I'd just go with a generic Ceiling White - but not Ultra White - because - it turns blue.
I can go on and on about how to choose white but it really depends on the color scheme in your home. Simply put, if you want a clean, crisp look than Ceiling White it is. If the color palette contain a substantial amount of yellow than an ivory ceiling looks best.
The thing to remember about ceiling color is to view your color chip upside down - just like you'd see it on the ceiling. Hold it flat and look up under it. Doing this looks silly but it really makes a big difference on how the color looks.
It's not that easy choosing white when there really is so much to consider :-)
Donna, I always learn so much from your posts. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda!
DeleteGreat tips Donna. thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThank you Elba!
Deletewonderful tips! i love white
ReplyDeleteI want to paint my bedroom a cream color, what color should I paint the ceiling?
ReplyDeleteCream, white, light blue, light green, black - just about anything really. Consider your decor and the height of your ceiling before you choose a color though. When you decide on a hue, view it upside down, just like it would be seen on the ceiling.
DeleteIf my ceiling is white, should my crown moldings be white also or should they be the same color as my door and window trim which is cream color. Then again maybe my ceiling should be cream also?
ReplyDelete