# How/What to paint this dark apartment bedroom? Noob here.



## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

White paint.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

In instances like yours, I would pick an off-white.........Dover white from Sherwin Williams is a nice, light, creamy white that is neutral enough to go with just about any color of furniture, floor coverings, etc.


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## alisonsarah (Aug 10, 2013)

I am new here and couldn´t see you photos but since you have given a lot of information on your room,
White is the brightest colour but it isn`t a very cosy colour, sometimes it is worth using colour although you lose a bit of brighteness the room will be cosier and more wecloming...there are several things that you can do.

paint a feature wall in a warm colour, yellow, orange, a warm green - lime green is great, aquamarine blue, strawberry red, a warm coffee tone and the rest of the walls in a pale warm coffee/cream colour or off white.

paint all the walls in a pale yellow tone.

blinds ,curtains, bedding , upholsery ect in biege/natural tones... this colour when it gets dirty you don´t notice it too much... white gets dirty really easily and with time it yellows...add little touches of colour- using the colour of the feature wall - in your cushions, ect

look at the paint manufacturers webs they often have simulators where you can upload a photo of the room and try out different colours...its not perfect but it does help to get a bit of an idea of how the room would be.

buy paint samles and try them out on the walls.....and if in the end you do paint in a colour that you don`t like , it is only paint you can always paint over it again.

I would have upload some photos but.....I must be a bit dense because I couldn`t find a way to do it from archives that I have in my pc.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I could not open your image files. 

Two things first off. 

1. Do mind that the kids scribbled on the walls. Depending on what the creative munckins used you may need a special primer/stainblocker to seal whatever it was or it could bleed right up through a normal primer and paint. Primer and paint may not stick at all directly to wax crayon residue. Or at least not for long. 

2. White carpet seldom works out well unless you spend the money to treat it with something like the FibreSeal system (not Scotchguard) and you follow the associated instructions for stain removal to the letter! Never, ever walk on it. And plan on having it cleaned every other day. 

Nature is surprisingly good at color schemes and since you are outdoorsy? Pick a photo you like and abstract hues, or tints of the them, from some scene you like. It is pretty hard to go wrong and it will cheer you. 

If working at random? I would go with some sort of outdoor tints of colors like a light sage green or a light tan if that is what you are into and get carpeting to match. But pick it out first, even if you do not order it, so you can color match. Although the truth is carpeting comes in just about any color you can imagine. Sure you want WTW carpeting by the way? If there is a decent floor, maybe a remnant or area rug would be a better choice?

If the room is a dark color now, you should consider a primer (even if a specialized one like mentioned is not needed) tinted to 40-50 percent of your chosen color to help make the transition. Then follow with two coats of finish.

Given your rather horrid sounding lighting conditions and with only one window, I would budget for some enhanced lighting and bulbs with better color temps and color rendering indexes. The trend is for bulbs above 5,000K (that starting color temp for daylight) and color rendering indexes of 90 or better. The industry standard for viewing color, including monitor settings, is 6500K with a CRI of 98-100. The bulbs will be more expensive but they are manufactured better and will last longer. Look for labels like full spectrum daylight bulbs but still check the CRI. A box store probably will not stock them. An electrical supply or lighting store will. 

By all means, when you pick some color swatches at a real paint---not a box store---take them home and staple them (painters hate tape and other adhesives on walls) to the wall so you can see what they look like in the lighting you have. You cannot judge them out of context.


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## sscheinfe (Aug 9, 2013)

Tried several ways o get my images to display here, nohing works. I have the pictures posted here for your viewing pleasure!!! http://sscheinfe.tripod.com/


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## sscheinfe (Aug 9, 2013)

http://sscheinfe.tripod.com/webonmediacontents/room%201.jpg


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## sscheinfe (Aug 9, 2013)

http://sscheinfe.tripod.com/webonmediacontents/room 2.jpg


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

Agree. Dover white from Sherwin Williams. :thumbsup:


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I would do throw rug, not carpeting, on the floor.

You are definitely going to have to deal with all the kid creativity with a stain blocker or two. Try to get as much off as you can first. Not sure what to suggest since I do not know if they are markers, crayons or whatever. Can you tell?


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## sscheinfe (Aug 9, 2013)

Thank you all so far for your great advice, I really appreciate it.

Yeah, not too worried about the kid markings...I think I can paint over it a few coats should be ok eventually.

In regards to carpet, I really need it. Wood floors make me feel very, very uncomfortable in my space...too commercial, not homey. I really need the wall to awll carpet to make it feel like "mine". Just my thing...and I feel like ny color other than white will just darken the already dark room...

OK, finally found a place to host my photos...here below are the originals, and then some photoshopped fun. Tried a few different color schemes, nothing seems to really quite work..the best I can think o, is make the window wall really bright bright white, and the side and back wall ski blue...but still not sure. Yikes, didn't think it would be to hard to get a reasonable color....




















Here's with blue side wall and "simulated" white carpet









Just some experimentation


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Sounds like you are seeking affirmation and not advice. Good luck.:thumbsup: Post back when the kid creations bleed through 12 coats of paint.


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## sscheinfe (Aug 9, 2013)

sdsester said:


> Sounds like you are seeking affirmation and not advice. Good luck.:thumbsup: Post back when the kid creations bleed through 12 coats of paint.


Wow. Why the antagonism? The draings are with marker, but I'll follow your advice with regards to that

:-0 ??


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## kimberland30 (Jan 22, 2008)

You can go with a very light carpet that isn't white. Like sdsester said, unless you plan on washing it a lot, white carpet only looks nice the day you install it. Have you looked at blends like a frieze (modern term for shag carpet LOL). 

Here's something from Lowes - STAINMASTER Active Family Dorchester Cream/Beige/Almond Frieze Indoor Carpet









There are tons of colors and I'm sure you'd be able to find something you like that isn't as high maintenance as white. This carpet also comes in white if you are set in going that direction. We have this carpet in two rooms in our house and I love the softness of it and the texture it brings into the room.

For the wall color, I'd stick to something neutral in the tan family. Or a light sage green. Definitely slap a coat or two of sealing primer. I allowed my daugther to draw on her walls and it was a PITA to paint over. I ended up wasting a lot of paint and energy just to prime over top of it anyway.


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## biggles (Jan 1, 2008)

white-est of whites and then off white on the ceiling and trim ,then a light tan on some mini blinds maybe a ceiling fan with a light,,paint the blades the wall white.take look at the floor under that carpet might want to pull it up and do a circular rug in the center of the room..flat on the wall/ceiling paint and semi gloss on the trim and anything else blades,trim inside door..radiator cover


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## alexjoe (Jun 10, 2013)

White would be appropriate.


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

We went with Sherwin Williams "Compatible Cream" for our basement. It's pale yellow/tan. It worked wonders on livening up the space without being too colorful. MUCH, much more attractive than white would have been.

Do NOT underestimate the hassles posed by scribbles on the walls. Crayons and the like make for real problems getting subsequent layers of paint to stick, or even hide them from bleeding through later.


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