Wall and Ceiling Paint

[PALYDIN11]

I need to finish and paint my attached garage. I was thinking of just using the Behr Gentle Rain for the walls and ceiling instead of doing the ceiling white. Does anyone have any photos of light gray on everything? Any advice wound be greatly appreciated.
One photo is of one my my rentals with the Gentle Rain paint on the wall. The other is my garage. Thanks.

 

[Turbo]

If you plan on spending any time working on projects in your garage, i would not paint the interior any color but bright white. Add in some led shop lites, and it will be nice and bright. Terry

 

[Bluedodge]

White semi-gloss.
No egg shell.
No pearl.
No porcelain.
White semi-gloss.

 

[PALYDIN11]

If you plan on spending any time working on projects in your garage, i would not paint the interior any color but bright white. Add in some led shop lites, and it will be nice and bright. Terry

I do plan to work on a couple of motorcycles from time-to-time. Thanks for the advice.

 

[PALYDIN11]

White semi-gloss.
No egg shell.
No pearl.
No porcelain.
White semi-gloss.

Thank you.

 

[NUTTSGT]

A light, fairly light, very light gray wouldn't be bad but white would be better to lighten the place up.

I used a battleship grey, alot darker and wow, it's hard to believe what painting white does.

If you want the light gray, I'd either put in extra lights or use it for a lower wall color and put white at the top.

 

[mike93lx]

I would not do semi gloss. There are plenty of durable, cleanable paints today that semi gloss isn't necessary. I personally hate seeing glare and every imperfection on a wall.

If you really don't want flat, I'd go no more than satin.

A lot of this is personal preference.

 

[PALYDIN11]

A light, fairly light, very light gray wouldn't be bad but white would be better to lighten the place up.

I used a battleship grey, alot darker and wow, it's hard to believe what painting white does.

If you want the light gray, I'd either put in extra lights or use it for a lower wall color and put white at the top.

Thanks for the advice. I am just going to have **** it up and paint the ceiling white and use the light gray on the walls. Speaking of light you are right, I can add some extra ones.

 

[TheLurker]

Does anyone have any photos of light gray on everything?

Not light gray everywhere. Dark gray to ~6', light gray to 12', white ceilings.


I used eggshell above the red and the red and dark gray are semi-gloss for ease of cleaning and to get a little more light reflectance from the darker colors.


Does it show more imperfections? I don't know, it's a garage/shop/whiskey&Guinness facility. If you notice imperfections in the wall you're either not working hard enough or drinking hard enough. I can fix both of those.

 

[R_einan]

White semi-gloss.
No egg shell.
No pearl.
No porcelain.
White semi-gloss.

+1 from me, only thing I would do is a flat or satin as opposed to semi-gloss.

 

[PALYDIN11]

Not light gray everywhere. Dark gray to ~6', light gray to 12', white ceilings.


I used eggshell above the red and the red and dark gray are semi-gloss for ease of cleaning and to get a little more light reflectance from the darker colors.


Does it show more imperfections? I don't know, it's a garage/shop/whiskey&Guinness facility. If you notice imperfections in the wall you're either not working hard enough or drinking hard enough. I can fix both of those.

I like it. Thanks for the photo. I also like the light fixtures.

 

[wssix99]

I need to finish and paint my attached garage. I was thinking of just using the Behr Gentle Rain for the walls and ceiling instead of doing the ceiling white.

Ceiling paint is specially formulated to spread and flow on a horizontal surface. Wall paint on a ceiling won't look very good. (That being said, I'm sure people will chime in here and tell you that you are fine, but no one will tell you that your baby is ugly.)

If you want a pro looking job and don't want ceiling white, I recommend going to a specialty paint store, where they can mix the ceiling paint to match the wall paint. (I don't believe Home Depot's ceiling paint on the shelf can be mixed, but I could be wrong/out of date.)

 

[NUTTSGT]

.


Does it show more imperfections? I don't know, it's a garage/shop/whiskey&Guinness facility. If you notice imperfections in the wall you're either not working hard enough or drinking hard enough. I can fix both of those.

No, if you notice those imperfections, you can go back to your own damn garage and get out of mine !

 

[racerex]

From memory, I used Sherwin Williams Solo.....it’s an odd paint because it can be used for interior & exterior applications. I went semi-gloss white. I did prime the drywall first. I used it for the ceiling, walls and door/window trim.....for the baseboard, I used white PVC, so no need to paint it. I’m happy with the paint......easy to clean, no issues if it gets damp, it can take light bumps, etc.

 

[PhysicsDude]

I have light gray (flat) with sand texture on my garage ceilings and I love it. Looks kind of like concrete.

I don't think light gray really makes much of a different compared to white in regards to light reflection.

If you think you'll like how the color looks, then I say go for it.

 

[TheLurker]

I like it. Thanks for the photo. I also like the light fixtures.

No problem.

The lights are all 4400lm versions of these:
https://www.rockler.com/led-shop-light-with-shroud

 

[TheLurker]

No, if you notice those imperfections, you can go back to your own damn garage and get out of mine !

Haha.

If they can't learn the errors of their ways, that's the next step!

 

[PALYDIN11]

No problem.

The lights are all 4400lm versions of these:
https://www.rockler.com/led-shop-light-with-shroud

They are at a pretty good price too. I will probable pick up (4). Thanks.

 

[Sparkynutz]

I just finished drywalling and painting a few weeks ago. It's light gray gloss walls and ceiling. I still need to add the shop lighting, cabinets and organize things but waiting till it warms up. The trim and cabinets will be dark grey or black or both. undecided yet on that.
At first I was afraid the gray was too dark but after it's all done I dont believe it's too dark at all.

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[PALYDIN11]

I just finished drywalling and painting a few weeks ago. It's light gray gloss walls and ceiling. I still need to add the shop lighting, cabinets and organize things but waiting till it warms up. The trim and cabinets will be dark grey or black or both. undecided yet on that.
At first I was afraid the gray was too dark but after it's all done I dont believe it's too dark at all.

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Thanks for the photos. That gray looks good. Also looks like a lot of natural light is coming through as well. I would rather not have to paint my ceiling white, keep it all one color, like what you have. I will probably go with the lights that are in the link on the post above yours. Can you keep me posted on the finisher result, after you install your lights? Thanks.

 

[Sparkynutz]

Thanks for the photos. That gray looks good. Also looks like a lot of natural light is coming through as well. I would rather not have to paint my ceiling white, keep it all one color, like what you have. I will probably go with the lights that are in the link on the post above yours. Can you keep me posted on the finisher result, after you install your lights? Thanks.

definitely. many more pics if you search wet garage raise.

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[Superwilly]

Not light gray everywhere. Dark gray to ~6', light gray to 12', white ceilings.

I used eggshell above the red and the red and dark gray are semi-gloss for ease of cleaning and to get a little more light reflectance from the darker colors.

I'm a graphic designer not an interior designer... but in print/web design we often use the rule of thirds... for example never do a page layout that divides the page in half... use a grid of thirds, will look much better...

So, with all due respect to the above poster... if using more than one color your walls I'd recommend the lower 1/3 dark, and then bright white for the top 2/3... the red border is a nice touch... best of both worlds, you get some color, but still a bright shop.

Some of the nicest shop interiors I've seen on this site have (either intentionally or intuitively) followed this rule of thirds...

 

[TheLurker]

I'm a graphic designer not an interior designer... but in print/web design we often use the rule of thirds... for example never do a page layout that divides the page in half... use a grid of thirds, will look much better...

So, with all due respect to the above poster... if using more than one color your walls I'd recommend the lower 1/3 dark, and then bright white for the top 2/3... the red border is a nice touch... best of both worlds, you get some color, but still a bright shop.

Some of the nicest shop interiors I've seen on this site have (either intentionally or intuitively) followed this rule of thirds...

How dare you question me?!

Haha. If you only knew how long I wrestled with it (mostly in SketchUp thankfully).

The front half(ish) (24') of the garage has 12' ceilings and the back half is vaulted ceiling with the center approximately 25' feet. I followed the line around at the 12' mark so there is actually ~6' dark gray, ~6' light gray, "rest" is white in the back half. So in the back half, it more closely follows the thirds.

The red modifies the eye's perception of height pretty well (and I'm a Cav guy so there's more coming to this plan).

 

[Sparkynutz]

I guess if you want to spend all day taping, painting, cleaning brushes and storing 3 colors of touch up paint. One color is soooooo much easier and quicker. I guess it all depends if you work in your garage or if it's just for show.


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[rcbk00]

Do yourself a favor- paint the space white. As far as sheen, go flat white on everything. It's easy to apply, looks great (even if the drywall and tape work isn't the best), and touch ups/repaints are super easy with flat. If you can't stand flat, go eggshell. With all do respect to the previous posters, I can't understand why you'd paint darker colors/satin/semi gloss, etc... A buddy of mine once did a paint job on his dining room, living room and family room. The rooms were all connected, so he used one color for everything- walls and ceilings. It looked awful (like a cave). A few days later, he repainted the ceilings flat white and the place looked great. Granted, it's America, and you can do whatever makes you happy, but you can't go wrong painting the place white.

 

[machsnell]

I agree. If you really want color on the walls then go light.

I had some bathroom ceiling paint left over that was semi gloss white. I started to put it on my ceiling in the garage just to clean up what was left and the roller. I thought I would put that on my garage ceiling.

It was horrible. The glare even on this 5x8 area looked bad I cant imagine what the whole ceiling would have looked like. Also every little dip and bump and eneveness in the drywall stood out.

I still havent painted over the primer but that one piece will be the cure to my procrastination shortly.

In short I agree with the above.

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[foodie]

My paint contractor recommends exterior paint, no matter what color you pick. It will last a lot longer, than paint meant for interior of a house. I chose white in my garage.

 

[machsnell]

My paint contractor recommends exterior paint, no matter what color you pick. It will last a lot longer, than paint meant for interior of a house. I chose white in my garage.

Makes sense.

Any paint guru got a take on that?

I am painting in the next week or two so I would like to know.

Does exterior come in choice of finishes? Or are you left with a glossier paint?

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[racerex]

Makes sense.

Any paint guru got a take on that?

I am painting in the next week or two so I would like to know.

Does exterior come in choice of finishes? Or are you left with a glossier paint?

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Look into Sherwin Williams SOLO.....it can be used for both interior and exterior applications. That's what I used (walls, ceiling and trim)......I went semi-gloss, but you can also get in flat and egg-shell. I was happy with it.

 

[tff]

I'm presently in the middle of painting my garage (unfortunately am traveling and so can't share a photo right now)... I'm going with the following.
-Ceiling paint on the ceiling (done)
-Off-white matte ~top half of the walls (Sherwin Williams Ethereal White) (done)
-Medium greyish matte ~bottom half of walls + rear wall (Sherwin Williams Argos) (not done yet)
I just want some variety in color (not all white). The other somewhat strange reason for the grey on the back wall is that I have a row of windows along the top of the garage door... at night with the garage fully lit, the beacon of light reflecting off of the rear wall of the garage to the outside is very bright. I'm thinking the grey will help that some.
(In my case I have 11 ~2400 lumens lights in a 20 X 30 garage and can increase that to 18 if i wanted to. Very bright, and so I'm not expecting a problem with partially grey walls. If lighting was limited I'd stick with a lighter wall color everywhere).

 

[wssix99]

My paint contractor recommends exterior paint, no matter what color you pick. It will last a lot longer, than paint meant for interior of a house. I chose white in my garage.

Makes sense.

Any paint guru got a take on that?

There's a reason that chemists formulate paints and not contractors...

This question is not as simple as a "yes" or "no". "Interior" and "Exterior" are large families of different paint products, made of many different materials for different purposes. All have strengths and weaknesses.

Regardless, as a universal rule of life, you can go forward knowing there is no such thing as a free lunch. An exterior paint won't magically do everything an interior paint does. If it did, then only one type would be for sale.

I'd recommend going to see a paint dealer and discussing your goals with them. A salesperson at a specialty paint shop will know their products really well and can tell you what the trade-offs are. If you tell them what you don't like about interior paints you've used, they should be able to fill in the blanks. Maybe what you need is a simple additive?

Here's an article (from another paint contractor) that contradicts what your contractor told you: https://jerryenospainting.com/interior-paint-vs-exterior-paint-whats-the-diff/

^ They mention some specific differences (again over-generalized) between interior and exterior paints, but still leave one in the same place - needing to see a competent paint rep.

 

[Steve_P]

Semi gloss is the way to go. Dirt and oil splatters clean up no issue; flat doesn't. Yeah you can see the texture from the roller more than flat but the durability is worth it 50X. I have flat white in my garage originally and am redoing to semi gloss and the difference is amazing. Behr from HD is durable and reasonably priced