Make Me Some "Wheat Bread"

OK so it's not real wheat bread but Behr's "Wheat Bread" paint. Amazing color. I've said it again and again, but I'm just so amazed. And after Googling it, apparently Wheat Bread is a very popular color.

I used the Behr Premium Plus Ultra brand with the paint and primer in one. I was really getting sick of having to prime before painting and after the guest bedroom debacle from here and here, anything that skipped a step, was fine by me.

So glad I did! The living room walls only took two coats and the second was not very labor intensive. For future painting, I'm definitely keeping up with paint and primer in one.

Here is our finished painting project at night. See how it tones down the harsh blue on the walls.

The neutral color gives a great canvas for the bright accent colors of the pillows and future artwork (its coming so soon!)

Here is a better look of the gray/blue combo.

A day time shot. This is the truest look of the coloring. You can also still see the last of the many ceiling hooks left by the previous owner. They either loved hanging lamps or macrame hanging plants. I am hardcore picturing the plants. 

What do you think? Is gray the new neutral? Do you wish we'd bring back the macrame? Starting to see the bigger picture?

3 Easy Painting Tips

With the ceiling crack taken care of, it was time to paint the rest of living room walls. Finally. It seems way overdue. I mean, we've only lived here nine months and we spend a lot of time in there.

Also after nine months and this was going to be my sixth room being painted, I was really starting to get the hang of this whole painting thing. I wanted to share some things I've learned thus far.

1. Proper floor cover is essential. I even learned how to get around awkward corners from Ellen, Max's mom. First take a sheet of industrial paper and fold it flush against the wall's surface.

Cut the paper evenly with the wall.

Fold the outlining areas of paper down.

With the middle section of paper, fold it under the main piece creating the "cutout".

Now you have a flush, easy way to paint around a bump out wall.

2. Waiting to put that second/third coat of paint on? Use two plastic store bags to tightly wrap around your roller and keep the moisture of the paint sealed in. This way you don't have to wash the roller in between coats. Only do this if you are going to paint again within a day.

3. Cutting in with a trim brush is way easier than using a rolling trim tool. The one we use from Shur-Line is small to fit easily in your hand. The bristles on the outside edges are beveled so that the paint along the ceiling or wall seams gets in there just perfectly.

I am definitely not a professional by any means but each room does seem to be getting easier to paint. Here you can also tell how awesome Behr's Wheat Bread is going to look when its done...

Ceiling Be Crackalackin'

After months of searching for a color to tone down the Glidden "Cool Cobalt" that I have for accent walls and half of our living room/former dining room space, I finally found a winner. And believe me this didn't come with an easy decision. We have had paint swatches up on our wall since September. You would think after four months it would be a no brainer and I have seen each color in every light imaginable. I had, and the color tones just didn't seem to be right. The tan and creams just didn't seem to go with the cool tone of the "Cool Colbalt". So on a whim, I swung by Home Depot to pick up a few more swatches. This time I went for some cooler tones and grays. Boy was I happy I did!

I found Behr's "Wheat Bread" and just had one of those "ah-ha" moments. It's a gray with a taupe-ish undertone which warms it up. So perfect and pretty! I guess gray really is the new neutral.

So that brings us back to the current walls. I wanted to get cracking on the paint, but but before I can could do that, I had to get crackin' on a crack! Our ceiling had a crack that went the width of the living room and continued down the wall. It was from the previous owners when they turned the house from a three bedroom to a two bedroom and expanded the master bedroom and living room. From the looks of it, they originally sealed it up, but eventually after the house settled more or there was shotty work (I'm thinking the later) the crack appeared.

The crack began just left of our front door and continued all the way to the kitchen/hallway opening. In the words of Michelle Tanner, "you don't got it dude."

I started to Spackle up the crack and up the wall I went. The hardest part wasn't just filling it in, but the two parts were uneven so trying to make that seamless was a daunting task.

About half way through, a glob of Spackle fell in my eye off the trowel. I laughed hysterically but there way no one home to share my funny moment.

About two hours later, I had gotten through the length of the wall and ended up with this. Wowza! I wasn't lying... huge crack. Plumber's crack. Butt crack. Charlie Sheen crack. Whitney Houston crack (oops, too soon?).

After it dried overnight, Max sanded it down and did another round to smooth it out. We then primed the area with sanded primer to give the area a seamless textured finish and would be ready for ceiling paint later.

On to painting!

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