Studio Painting Progress And A Slight Change Of Plans

I’ve finally started the pretty stuff in the studio! Well, that is, if painting is included in the “pretty stuff” category. It is, right? I think it is.

They finished all of the mudding and sanding in the studio on Friday, which meant that I needed to paint the ceiling this weekend so that they can install the ceiling fan for me today. (There’s no way I’m installing a ceiling fan by myself on a 12-foot ceiling, so I’m very happy they will do that for me.)

So on Saturday, I headed to Home Depot to pick out some potential ceiling colors. If you remember, I had my heart set on a light blue. I ended up sampling these three colors…

The one on the right is Behr Sunken Pool, and the one in the middle is the same color at 75%. The one on the left, which is dull and barely visible, is Behr Streetwise. I ruled that one out immediately. My favorite was the middle one (Sunken Pool at 75%), but I thought it could be just a bit lighter still, so I ended up going with Sunken Pool at 50%.

It is such a light and fresh aqua color. There’s nothing in-your-face about this color at all. I still have no lighting in the room, so it’s hard to get good pictures of it, but I took a few while I was painting so that you can see the aqua next to the white primed ceiling. Here’s an in-progress picture during the first coat…

And here it is with the first coat done. It’s in various stages of drying so it looks really splotchy, but you can see how light and fresh the color is.

Anyway, I liked the color so much that I decided to just go ahead and paint the entire room with it — ceiling and walls. It’s one of those colors that’s so subtle that when you see it by itself, you might actually think it’s white…

But when you see it next to white trim, it’s very obviously NOT white…

I like this so much better than white. And I’m also going to edit my wallpaper design and swap the white background for this color. That way it’ll be cohesive all the way around the room.

To paint the room, I started out using my Flexio 590 sprayer…

That’s the kind with the paint-filled container actually attached to the sprayer, so when it’s full, it’s heavy. After a couple of hours of climbing up and down the 10-foot ladder with that thing, and then holding it up to spray over my head, I thought my arms were going to fall off. And in fact, my arms go so tired that I ended up dropping that sprayer and breaking it.

I called one of the local equipment rental places to see about renting an airless sprayer, but the rental fee is $115 per day (!!), which seemed like a waste when I could put that money towards purchasing something that I could actually own.

So I could either buy another Flexio for $100 or so, or I could upgrade and get one of the small airless sprayers for $300. I decided that the airless sprayer, that would only require me to hold and lift the actual spray gun while the paint stayed put on the floor, was worth the extra $200. So I got this little Graco Magnum X5 airless sprayer…

And y’all, I LOVE this thing!!! If you have a whole house painting job in your future, you need to get this. Your arms will thank you, and the job will go SOOOO much faster!!

Now if you saw my Instagram stories yesterday, I know you’re saying, “But Kristi, that’s not the song you were singing yesterday.” That’s true. I was about ready to pull my hair out after using the airless sprayer to prime the ceiling.

Well, as it turns out, the first one I got was defective and I just didn’t know it. I was using a defective, finicky sprayer, and ended the day in tears of frustration, thinking that that’s just how these things are. (I’ve never used an airless sprayer before.) But after describing how the sprayer was acting to someone on Instagram who has one of these (or a similar one), she assured me that mine was defective.

So yesterday before I started painting the ceiling, I took it back and exchanged it, and the new one worked PERFECTLY!! It made the job so fast and easy that painting a 12-foot ceiling was almost fun. 😀

But just be aware that the sprayer is a whole lot messier than a roller.

I had no idea it was dropping so much paint on me! 😀 But the tradeoff on how much faster and easier this was compared to any other method made it totally worth it. Although it may take a couple or three washings to get all of that paint out of my hair. 😀

Today they should be finished with the mudding and sanding in the back areas (half bath, back entry and storage closet), so after today, the rest will be up to me!

 

 

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50 Comments

  1. I have that X5 sprayer and love it too! I have sprayed my wood fence (covers 1 acre), kitchen cabinets, deck and shutters. It’s worth the investment!

  2. I love it! So much progress. You’ve now motivated me to actually use the paint sprayer I recently bought. I’ve been afraid of how I would properly clean it. Do you have any tips? And I’m happy to see your photos as well. I’ll be wearing a shower cap and goggles 🙂

    1. I just ran clean water through all the hoses until it ran clear. The owners manual has more specific instructions if you’re cleaning it for long term storage, but if you’re going to use it again very soon, then it’s pretty quick and easy. And surprisingly, even taking the sprayer handle apart and cleaning all of the little pieces was pretty easy.

  3. That color is perfect! I was looking for something similar for my small bathroom and that’s a winner. Thanks for doing the research! 😉

  4. Love the color too!
    Question, I thought you used a cricket sprayer. I realize that you would quickly run out of paint but which sprayer do you find more user friendly?

    1. Would like to know this too . I think my cricket is defective. I have never gotten good results with it. I have 3 different harbor freight guns , seveal other top feed compressor guns but I get the best results with my electric Homeright super finish max. I just painted 100 feet of wooden porch railings and 28 metal pilings with it on my Acadian style house that sits 10 ft off the ground . My only complaint was holding it overhead and the constant filling of paint. I also paint furniture. I would love to have a more efficient paint sprayer.

    2. I love them both, but for different purposes. Trying to spray a wall or ceiling with the Critter would be like trying to paint a big china cabinet with an air brush. So I love my Critter for painting cabinets, furniture and small projects. The finish it gives is beautiful for those things where you want a flawless and smooth finish. But for walls and ceilings, I need something that sprays a lot more paint and covers large areas much faster, and that’s where these other larger sprayers come in. So I highly recommend both. It would just depend on what you’re planning on painting.

  5. Hi, if the ceiling doesn’t need to be painted ( and is white with different wall color) does the sprayer make sense, or should I stick with the roller??

    Looks great!

      1. Ok I have the opposite question. I need to paint just my ceilings, the walls are fine (though need some touch ups) and the ceiling will be a different color. Would you use a sprayer or roller? We have vaulted ceilings in 2 of the larger rooms I’d need to paint. All of our ceilings are dingy but I could probably live with that if the sellers who flipped our house before we bought it hadn’t gotten overspray from the walls on the ceilings. Now we’ve got hazy edges…. 🙁

  6. you seriously crack me up!!! It is always fun to be on the ride with you… oh yes, totally going with this as ceiling, hold on now walls (it is soooooooo like myself!!!! I feel ya sista friend!). Okay I was laughing out loud with your “face paint” the only better thing would be that you didn’t realize and either answered the door or went out. HAHAHAHAHHAA!!!!
    The dance party in celebration of your mad skills continues 🙂

  7. Hmmm, I have what feels like miles of ceiling to paint in my new home. And I also want to paint my yucky brown cabinets white. This may be a good treat for myself 🙂

    I positively love the color! It’s so light and airy 🙂

    I typically rely on my glasses for eye protection, too, but I have pretty big frames. You have small frames, protect those eyes, girl!

  8. I see your vision of the paint color and wallpaper change on the walls and ceiling!!! Certainly will be a HAPPY PLACE!!! I have needed a paint sprayer for years and hesitated to purchase one because there are SO MANY out there. I will be buying this model and get busy painting the ceilings and walls the same color in all the upstairs rooms. Do you use water base paint and clean the sprayer with water ?

  9. YIPPEE! Love that color and love that you’re doing the whole room in it! FYI, my son in law is a painter, and he always wears one of those white hooded suits that look like a space suit, along with a face mask and goggles (over his glasses!) If he forgets his “paint shoes” he always has some paper booties on hand for his shoes too. You might want to take the extra step to also wear a bandana over your forehead and hairline, in case the hood would slip down. Now that you have the fancy sprayer it might also pay to have the proper gear to match! Don’t forget to also check your furnace filter frequently after all that sanding and spraying!

  10. I love that you painted everything such a pretty, pretty color. Subtle, but there, definitely there. Chuckling at your “face paint” . So cute.

  11. Gorgeous color! I saw that (from my tiny screen) and was like- it’s perfect! So serene and calm! Then you are like- did the walls! WHOooHOoo! I love that you just rolled with it and now change the wall paper to coordinate accordingly! Brilliant! I love when you share your journey! As for the paint in the hair. They actually make lightweight paint hood socks, it’s like wearing a lightweight sock on your head, I call it my Paint Ninja hood. They are hilarious and make for belly laughs. But makes clean up a breeze. lol

  12. Love the colour. Out of interest how are you going to match the colour for the wallpaper?
    Also, great to see a pic of you even if you are covered in paint!!

    1. Spoonflower has a one-yard color chart that you can order that shows the hexadecimal color code for about 100+ different colors. I have one of those charts, so I’ll just compare my paint color to the chart, find the closest color, and then use that hexadecimal color code in my photo editing software to change the background color on the wallpaper I designed.

      1. Ah great. Thanks for responding.
        I’ve been thinking about using spoonflower to design some fabric I can make into a cushion, but been scared of getting the colours wrong for the room. The chart is clearly the answer!

  13. I was questioning whether you were going to be happy with white walls, and now my question has been answered!! lol

  14. Love the color! That said, you’ll love the Graco. That is the main brand that pro painters use on a larger scale. We bought one when we had rental property. Hints: Buy a small box of the hair coverings that food service people wear. Non-woven but allows air/humidity to pass thru so you don’t sweat to death. Then get a splash shield face mask for your face. A jumpsuit made of Tyvek keeps the rest of you from getting dirty. Some plastic /nitrile gloves and you’re ready to paint the world! We’re not discussing how I know all this! LOL

  15. Love thee color!
    Planning to paint an older mobile home, inside & out, on my son’s farm as a retreat for myself. Was planning to rent a sprayer but this one makes the purchase a reasonable idea. And we will use it a LOT. (Had a Wagner years ago. Did all the siding for our home. No idea whatever happened to it!)

  16. Well, now, you have chosen my absolute favorite color of all time. 20+ years ago I used Glidden’s Aries April in my guest room. When I move to my present house, I used it again in that guest room. Then I used it in my kitchen and have been debating using it in every room as it needs to be repainted. I could just vary the strength from room to room. (My color is just slightly more saturated than yours, but I bet it is very close.)

    As usual, you are doing an amazing job and changing The wallpaper background is absolutely genius! Can’t wait to see what,s next.

  17. Kristi…..! Love the paint color…..must say you look
    Mhaaaa-vel-ous Daaaah-link with blue “freckles” 😁…… just a wee suggestion….wear a cheep plastic shower cap… one from the $$$$$ Store…. it will protect your hair…… as far as your specs….. if you have an old diving mask…. put the gogles over your glasses and the they too will be “blue freckle free” 😊…….

  18. Cooper was banished from the site, I assume. Did he pout since he wasn’t inspecting, as usual? Rhetorical question.

    The color will inspire many fine works to come. I really like it. Onward with the fun stuff.

  19. I have a HVLP sprayer and I have finally started to use a desposalble shower cap to keep the paint out of my hair. My husband travels all the time so he brings them back from the hotel for me!! Just use it and throw it away when you are done straying.

  20. Love what you’ve done with your hair! LOL

    That color is subtle but very fresh and clean. I think it will be wonderful with all of the other color/design in the room. Well done!

  21. That’s a great color!! I love that you just went for it on all the walls – I feel like leaving them white may have looked unfinished in the end, as if you primered and never got around to actual paint. Excited to see it with the wallpaper.

  22. Yes it is defiantly is the pretty stuff! My vote is the far left for ceiling and the middle color for walls. I love those 2 colors!