CHANGING A BORING BATHROOM

The downstairs bathroom was...well...gross.  Ugly yellowed-paint.  Old yellowed sink and standard honey-colored wood cabinet (which I didn't change) and an old bulbous light bar.  Okay, all I did was paint, but STILL it's MUCH BETTER than before, don't you think?

The first challenge was the tight fit for a ladder in just a little 1/2 bath.  Geeez, I couldn't even fully extend the legs to a locked position!

My kids helped me pick the paint colors: Wild Hawk and Lyndurst Duchess Blue with trim in white.

My daughter likes white ceilings, but that looks a little stark to me, so I started with 1 gallon of white ceiling paint and I mixed in 1 cup of the Wild Hawk (one of the wall colors).  It's supposed to "warm up" the white and reflect the wall color in a more pleasing hue.  It's a nice effect, I'll admit--very Martha Stewart.

This project has taken me waaaaay too long.  You'd think a little 1/2 bath would be quick and easy, but with an accent wall and all the white trim...the lines are very time consuming.

I painted the ceiling first and let it dry.  Then, I used a 2 1/2" slanted brush to make the lines between the ceiling and the walls.  It takes a very steady hand, but it's the part of painting that I actuallly like.  You can always use painter's tape, but I like to do it the old-fashioned way by hand.  I just have to make sure I don't have too much coffee in the morning.

The trick for lines is not to paint right into the crease between the ceiling and wall or wall and wall.  You want to make your line about 1/8th inch below the ceiling .  The line is actually on the wall, not on the ceiling or in the crease.  Your eye won't see that your ceiling paint comes down onto the wall, but it will see that you have a straight line.  It's appealing.  Use your painters tape on the wall about an 1/8th inch below the ceiling.  Press the tape firmly in into the textured walls.  Then, paint over the tape, and while it is still wet, pull it off.  If you wait until the paint is dry, the tape will tear into strips and it'll be harder to remove.

For the accent wall, try to paint the line as close to the corner as possible, but favor the line toward the "neutral wall" instead of the accent wall.  The important factor is that the line is straight. If it is a little over the border onto the neutral wall, that's fine, as long as the line is straight and consistent.  This is particularly true if your walls or ceiling have/has warped a bit with age.  Ignore the sloping surface and paint the line straight to the eye.
If you have a steady hand and don't want to use painters tape, then connect with your inner artist, and paint free-hand.  Focus your eyes on the line and the paint that is pooling around the brush. You can do it!  It's the way REAL painters paint.  Remember Magnum P.I.? Tom Selleck? The Doberman Pinchers are chasing him and he needs to get into the Porshe to save himself and as he fumbles with the keys and says, "Pick the lock, don't look at the dogs."  Remember?

Never mind.  If you paint by hand, then focus on the leading edge of paint and don't look at the dogs chasing you!  Ther's no shame in using tape, my friend, but for the proud, "pick the lock, don't look at the dog."

Before: Boring yellowy-white

In Process: Wild Hawk (which looks like the color of poop, to me, but the kids like it) and Lyndurst Duchess Blue.  The finished line is between the blue and ceiling.  The other wall isn't finished yet.