White

I'm in love with all the white in the boat room.

Here's what needed to be done to get it this white and bright.

Phase One. Taking off the fabric that was covering the walls. Easy peasy. It was stapled on with the overlaps double taped... a quickie solution nine years ago...

 

Phase two. Trying to figure out if the lining paper idea would work on these patchy walls and realising I needed to caulk the gaps between the floor boards. My knees will never be the same.

 

Phase Three. All the hard grind. But after the ceiling, trim, lining paper and floor were painted with several coats it's just a lovely bright basement room. 

Still to come, a built in corner desk but that will have to wait a while because we've run out of MDF and time off. Both Martin and I start work again on Wednesday and Wille's school starts on Thursday.

The bed's in already as you saw in the previous post and the little table is temporarily going back in after a quckie spruce up.  

Can't say it enough. Love the white.

Comments

[Andrea K]

I love your blog! It's so inspiring. Did you make the shades covering the windows? and if so have you posted about them and how they were made? I just wondered what type of fabric you used. I love them.

[Carlos]

Andra K, I didn't make them. I bought them and they are 100 % cotton. I'm actually going to use them as a template for making some though because they only come in standard lengths and I need longer ones. I want to change the simple roller blinds upstairs to these roman blinds. It will be quite a while until I get to sewing them though as I have to many other projects at the moment...

[Kat]

Simply beautiful :) I am so jealous of this white floor. It's my dream to have an all white gallery room.

[Ksenia in Canada]

It looks fantastic. We have hardwood in the apartment, except in the bedrooms. I would like to replace the carpet in the bedrooms with floors exactly like above.

[Danette]

Amazing what a difference caulking the floor did. You are somethin' special!

[Rachel]

It's really beautiful! I just love the floor!

[Carola from Austria]

That looks like many many hours of work but all worth it!! Simply beautiful!!

[Petra from the Netherlands]

Oh yes, the glossy (semi-gloss??) paint on the floor reflects the light beautifully, making the whole room seem more airy and light. No dingy basement at all!!

Great job! I can't stress enough how inspiring your blog is and how amazed I am time and time again on how much you get accemplished during a day or 2....

[Anna @ D16]

I can't decide whether I want to caulk the gaps in the floor of my back room before I paint it white. Sometimes I like the way the gaps look between the boards, but the uniform finish of yours is making me reconsider.

How many coats of paint did you use? And did you use oil paint or latex?

[Carlos]

Anna, I only used two coats of oil paint because it was white to begin with. I think I did three coats the first time though because it was a deep burgundy to start... I caulked because I didn't like the way some paint seeped into the grooves, but not everywhere. It looks really stripey. I'm really happy with the result this time!

[Franziska]

I enjoy seeing your photos (did I write this in my last post, too? *grin*). Sometimes I enjoy your white home and are a little envious but sometimes I ask myself whether you sometimes might think it's too white that means too cold? I flipped through your pictures and thought that you always have a little blotch of colour so that it doesn't look too cold. But sometimes I ask myself whether you sometimes are weary of so less colour. So many sometimes words ;) But I hope you understand what I try to ask ;)
I become so much inspired by reading your blog and already found so many things I really like very much. But that above sometimes comes to my mind. What a gibberish...
Hälsningar
Franziska

[carol k]

This floor and room look amazing!
What type of paint did you use? How do your painted floors stand up to foot traffic?
I have done this in another home using boat deck paint. I would love any wisdom you can impart about how the paint holds up and what type you use.
Also, What is your criteria for choosing whites? Do you like cooler whites, creamier whites, whites with a slight tint..? I have a room I want to paint white, but the exact shade is a tough one to choose. Thank you again, Benita, for your patience with my many questions. Whatever you are working on whether its organizing ,redesigning, or repurposing any area of your home you always inspire me to try harder to create a happy environment for my family!

[Loppran]

I love the white, too. Thank you for blogging both persistant and nice!

[Barb F (Australia)]

It's looking fantastic Benita, so white and light and airy. Can't wait to see the final result.

[h]

I love how it turned out. I have a question regarding the floors & the caulk you used. Did you use the same stuff you use around a sink, the rubbery silicone like stuff? It's in a sort of tubular container with a nozzle and you apply it with a caulk gun. Doesn't stuff get stuck in it?

I have a floor I that I have often thought about filling in the gaps between the floor boards. It is just a sub floor that was polyurethaned in this older building & it is good looking, sort of rough & rustic,although the finish is wearing down... and every single board has a space between itself and the next one.

Anyhow, I always think of what the vacuum doesn't get up! And would like to fill the cracks in. Maybe a clear would work for me since I probably would leave the floors the color they are...

If you are able to answer thi, it would be so awesome.

Thanks!

[Frida]

It looks great! I'm in the process of redecorating my new house on the Swedish westcoast and I'm trying to find the perfect white colour. I want something that is perceived as white but still is a bit warmer than totally white. Can I ask which colour you used?

Thanks for a great blog!

[BENITA ~ CHEZ LARSSON]

Franziska, I never get tired of white! I do add colored accents which is probably why.

Carol, I used oil paint for the floor, not floor paint, just the regular one used for trim, doors etc. It's what I used last time too and it has held up pretty well over the years. Most of the marks on the floor where from furniture being moved around but I made sure everything has thick felt pads on when I put it back. It's not a high traffic room and no one enters it with shoes on. We rarely wear shoes around the house here in Sweden. I see shoes being worn indoors in other countries and always think of the poor floors and carpets..

Carol and Frida, I use what is probably decribed as pure white. It doesn't have a name. It just says white on the cans :) It's my favourite. I don't like the tinted versions much. Here in Sweden there's a tint called NCS S0502-Y which painters use a lot but I stay well clear of it because it looks like someone peed on the walls (sorry but it does!). It doesn't have the clean look I love.

h, the caulk I use is exactly the type you describe. If you just caulk it will be rubbery to the touch and dust will get caught to it. The key is to paint over the caulk. Depending on where you caulk you either paint over it with emulsion paint (walls etc) or oil paint (trim, floor etc). I'm not sure all caulk can be painted so check what it says on the tube and ask at your paint store.

[Franziska]

thanks for answering, Benita. ;)
Hälsningar

[Karin]

Vackert!

[carol k]

Benita - thank you for answering my questions. I covet the clean, crisp, airy look of your floors...but we have five dogs and those little paws and claws... sigh!
I have floor envy. Sigh! again.
I'm on the hunt for a pure white that does not have any "pee" tint. Yellow-green? Eeeewww!

[Vanessa]

Så svenskt :-) Saknar det!

[h]

Thank you for your reply!

Again, I love your place. I have the pure white in mine too and it is so calming and refreshing, at the same time it can be rejuvenating - I just think true white is beautiful.

I have some eggshell to glossy finishes depending where it is - I also have bits of color (orange stripe in one room & a green wall in the dining area, black shelves in the hall - but I think of going 'whiter' often). I love bright, true, unadulterated bone/chalk whites and how they change throughout the day. I guess overall, I just find them peaceful and feel like I can think & breathe better.

For the commenter who was looking for brand / names - I am in the US and have used - Behr, Ultra Pure White; Benjamin Moore Super White & also some by Glidden - whatever the plain, bright untinted white they had (I don't remember the name, it might have even been some number. In fact thats what's in my place since the last time I painted). It seems like a friend of mine used the Dutch Boy brand available at his local hardware store in plain white.

I always think of these whites as blue over yellow, chalk, milk, snow, cool over warm - in terms of what I am looking for when I look at the swatches.

Also, I live on the west coast (California), with mainly western and southern exposure which may also influence my choices; however, I have always disliked the creamy, ivory 'pee tints': Navaho white, Arizona white are common names for that color. Some people like Swiss Coffee, but I still feel it has that slight yellowy undertone, although it is much whiter than the others I mentioned.

So hope that helped some with the white colors.

[Carlos]

h, thank you so much for the paint info. So great!!!