Remember when I admitted I was relieved that that project was finished? I’m even more relieved that this one is done. Standing on a stepladder, leaning back to paint three sides of five beams plus crown molding and quarter round in a huge 25 x 15′ room was no picnic. My thumbs, neck, back, chin (yes, my chin), calves, glutes and even my obliques complained. For anyone who guessed that painting beams might burn more calories than rolling furniture (see this post), I can confirm it’s at least moderately strenuous — muscles were pulled, chins were strained, and I earned the soreness.
But it was worth every ache. The beams went from a reddish tone we tried to love but felt stuck out like a sore thumb…
…to a warm, rustic gray that still allows the brown wood to peek through.
There’s still work to do — the ceiling, the fans, and a few other details — so this is just the start of transforming the top 5% of the room. We haven’t decided on a ceiling color yet, but we’ll share it once we do.
The soft gray wash already helps the living room feel more like us. It’s charming and dramatic without the weight of the old dark reddish-brown. The thin paint wash diffused sharp red undertones, giving the beams a more subtle presence.
Here’s a closer shot of the beams so you can see the dimension and the wood grain that still shows through:
Victory never gets old, even when you shuffle around like an achey grandma afterward. Untouched wood beams have their appeal, but they weren’t right for us. As daylight changes, the gray-ified beams shift from soft and rustic to deeper and more dramatic, which makes the room feel moodier and more refined in the evening.
For those still skeptical, remember the room is only about 8% finished. We’re working with a too-small rug and media center, oversized fans centered over nothing that will be removed, large bare windows and sliders waiting for curtains, and empty walls. Swapping the current 5 x 8 rug for a bright 8 x 10, hanging bold, floor-length curtains high and wide, and adding a substantial media unit will make the space feel instantly more complete and help the beams fit among richer textures and saturated color.
Art will be crucial. Along with a bold rug and punchy curtain panels, large-scale colorful art will prevent the room from feeling like a cold gray box and will balance the beams by adding layers of color, contrast, shapes and fabrics. This isn’t a TV makeover show — we don’t finish rooms in thirty minutes. Instead, you’ll see the room evolve in real time on a real budget, one project at a time, and the beams will play nicely with the vision as we add color, art and textiles.
Now, how I did it: yes, I’m taking credit. John helped with Clara-sitting and blog-sitting, which was invaluable, but the painting was my workout. I may have been grimacing while working, but the result is worth it — even Clara stops to grin up at our “new” beams.
The process was more graywashing, sponging and drybrushing than straightforward painting. We taped swatch cards to the beams and chose three Benjamin Moore grays: Shaker Gray 1594, Rocky Coast 1595, and Nightfall 1596.
We had Lowe’s color-match those swatches to small test pots of satin Olympic Premium No-VOC paint and tested each on an out-of-the-way part of a beam. The first test, where I watered paint down and applied it with a foam brush, ran everywhere and was a mess. Then I tried dry-applying the paint directly from the tester with a foam brush and feathering it out. That technique looked much better, and we chose the lightest gray, Shaker Gray 1594 by Benjamin Moore. The other test spots wiped right off with a damp rag, leaving the chosen sample as our starting point.
John taped off the area around the beams and crown molding so the foam brush would be easier to control. Then I used a 2″ foam brush to softly drybrush the medium gray paint over the bottom and sides of each beam, trim and quarter round for a weathered, imperfect wood effect. I used only one very thin coat, dragging the foam brush to spread the paint and keep it translucent. The whole project took place over three days but totaled about six hours of work.
The job was physically demanding even if the technique wasn’t highly technical. Being 5’2” didn’t help, but the results were worth the effort. I even stretched the paint so far that the small test pot we bought — essentially a tester — was nearly full when I finished. The project’s paint cost ended up being about $2.80.
The foam brush I used came from Lowe’s and held up well; I had an extra just in case. The thin application of paint grabs the knots and grain, making the beams look gently stained rather than solidly painted for a soft, aged effect.
We turned down the red and dialed up weathered gray tones to create a balanced look that coordinates with our deep charcoal sectional. Once we add a larger rug, media cabinet, remove the fans, hang textured curtains, and introduce art, this space will warm up and feel much more finished.
Ultimately, we’re glad we stepped outside our usual white-paint comfort zone. The beams feel weathered, stately and surprisingly soft — a risk that will pay off as the room comes together. We’re still deciding on a ceiling treatment — metallic champagne, a pale blue, soft green or yellow, or maybe wallpaper — and we’ll update when we know for sure.
Finally, a quick flashback to when we moved in less than two months ago:
It’s amazing how far the living room has come. We can’t wait to tackle the next projects.