Hi friends!

I painted my kitchen last weekend (the list is getting shorter in the DIY kitchen remodel!) and I wanted to share a few tips that made the color choice and process go a little smoother. 

I had to paint the ceiling as well as the walls, because of all of our renovating. 

First things first, I picked the paint color.  I did as most, and painted a bunch of samples on the walls.  And because I just can’t do the easy thing, I combined two of the colors I liked most to make my very own color.  I finally chose the color to the far right in the samples above. 

I mixed my little sample and had the folks at Home Depot color match it for me. Did you know you get to name your color if you have a color match done?? I was kind of excited about that!

I opted to paint the ceilings first, figuring I would make the most mess there and then do the walls second.  I used a roller and a paint shield to paint the ceiling, and stayed on a drop cloth as much as possible. 

My favorite paint man at Home Depot taught me a trick, he said the pros favorite ceiling paint is pure white with 5 drops of black per gallon.  It’s just enough color to hide anything, but not enough to look gray.  I used Behr Pro paint in flat for the ceiling paint, and it worked fantastic!  One coat was all it took to cover the ceiling (praise the Lord!). 

Because I had just painted the ceilings, I wanted to be extra careful not to get wall paint on the ceiling.  We’ve used one of these edgers for years and have always found them to be the handiest paint tool ever!  You just dip it in the paint, and then run it along the edges.  You can see how much lighter I went in color here!  I’m saving the final photos of the room for the big reveal… but in the meantime…

Since we were on the topic of painting walls, I thought I’d ask my blogging friends to share some of their favorite painting tips and tricks.  They shared some great ideas with us!

Evija stenciled her walls, and the effect is just gorgeous!  I want to be brave enough to try this some day… she has some great tips to get started with stencils. 

The Navage Patch has some fantastic info not only on how to pick colors, but on prep and tools to use to get the job done!

Mimi shares how color can completely transform the feel of a room as well and color pairings that go really well together!

Although trim painting is never too fun, Annie shares some tips on completely transforming a room by painting the trim.  You have to see the before photos, this space looks amazing now!

Heather shows us two inspiring faux finishes with comprehensive tutorials that make it look so easy!  Check out her denim and linen finishes and imagine how they would totally transform a room!

As always I’m amazed by the power of paint, not only on furniture, but also the difference it can make in a room!  I think there’s nothing like a freshly painted room! 

I hope this post has inspired you and given you a few new tips for the next room you take on!

Until next time,

Jenni