1930s Bungalow – Painting
I’m ready to tackle the inside starting with a fresh coat of paint on the main floor walls. Dark paint on the walls really divides up the space making the rooms look small. I am just craving simple and clean right now. Old houses are notoriously hard to clean. White on White! I want my home to feel light and airy and an extension of the outdoors.
Before photos
Prepping the walls
The walls are almost 90 years old and have layers of wallpaper which has been painted over countless times. So painting alone is not an option. Old plaster walls are more temperamental than drywall so you have to put a little more time and effort into the prep work before you paint. My brother Ben texturized the walls which hide wallpaper seams and years of wear. So we asked Ben how he did the texturizing and this is what he said:
I mix 12 oz water with a half box of standard drywall mud until the mixture is soupy. Roll it on in a random up and down pattern with a 3/4″ nap roller. You can use a printed nap roller for a different texture. It would also be interesting to add a second coat of texture after the first has dried to give it a heavier texture.
Ben shares a video of the amount of prep work just to paint the woodwork: Prepping for painting
Prepping the dining room
Choosing the right paint
The walls were painted with Benjamin Moore Simply White in eggshell (eggshell is a finish, not a color – it has a dull sheen and is easy to clean). The woodwork was painted the same color in semi-gloss. Makes the room look huge with one color!
Ben: We used Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec 500 interior eggshell for the walls. Two or three coats are needed because the drywall mud soaks up the paint. I used an oil-based primer on all the windows and raw wood. Then painted with Benjamin Moore Advanced Interior semi-gloss for the trim.
Why white paint?
White is always a popular wall color, but I am seeing a resurgence of white as the new neutral. Gray walls have been the go-to color for quite a few years, and while I still love gray, white walls are where it’s at.
Choosing the perfect hue of white might seem simple but can actually be a bit daunting. My best advice is to paint swatches on pieces of cardboard and test out several options before fully committing! Many paint stores sell sample jars of paint for you to experiment with. Do you like the color in the morning, afternoon, and evening? Do you like it in each room? What is the undertone? Too blue? Too purple? Too yellow?
After photos
Decisions to make
As Ben paints, I’m sorting through my “stuff” deciding what I will use with my new decorating scheme. I’ve collected a lot of stuff over the years but as I look at what I have my taste has changed, in some ways I’ve outgrown many of my old favorites. Somethings never change with me though: old jars and bottles, birds and nests, bits of nature. My inspiration is anything Natural History. I seem to have been influenced by our great-Gramma Bessie. She had the most interesting home. Lots of love and lots of collections of Native American artifacts, arrowheads, and bottles. Fond memories of sitting with my mom and sister drinking green tea surrounded by old yellow climbing roses.
Follow along as I continue to remodel and update by bungalow:
My 1930s Bungalow – Inspiration Fabric
