Paint and Floor Stain for Remodel

Boy did I go back and forth whether to even post this one just yet! You scroll through Pinterest and all my favorite home bloggers, and you see perfectly decorated homes telling you all about their color choices. I stare for days admiring all the little details they have in their homes, not even paying any attention to their actual colors!

We are 2 days into this New Year and my home is NOWHERE near decorated, I still have 2 rooms completely unfinished, and my Hunter boots aren’t perfectly staged with a blanket by my front door. BUT I want to share with you some of my home. I’m ready to take you down this path of my remodel!

So, hold your Pinterest saves for a later post. This one is a bare-bones look at all about my color choices for my main level remodel!

Let’s talk wall color, first. I knew I wanted a very light neutral grey for my walls. With so many options out there, my biggest hurtle was finding a light grey that was dark enough to really contrast with my white kitchen and trim. With so much white, it was important for me to have a color on the walls. Nothing too light or the whole house would appear washed out.

I focused on doing a solid grey with no beige undertones. With the wood stain I chose, it was important for me to keep it on a white/black grey scale with no brown undertones.

After a ridiculous amount of searching, I went with Sherwin Williams Repose Grey (SW 7015) in an eggshell sheen.

Since I have two little boys, two dogs…and a husband (😜), I wanted to be sure my door color was able to take a little bit of a beating and not be obvious to the naked eye when it was totally covered in gunk. My contractor and painter questioned my decision and really didn’t like that I was going with a totally separate color for the doors. Their go-to…white. No way could I keep that clean of scuffs, fingerprints, dirt, YOU NAME IT! So I stood my ground and I chose Sherwin Williams Ellie Grey (SW 7650) for my back door and garage door.

It gives a great contrast between the light, the white, and the wood floors! Perfect choice and I’m thrilled I didn’t go with white!

All of our woodwork was old school varnished oak. Absolutely horrendous. Made it so dark, so dingy, and so closed in. Didn’t see it yet? Check out my Fixer Upper Home Tour to see some before photos. Yikes!

Our painters took DAYS to spray with primer, paint, and enamel. We actually had to leave the house for three days during that time because the fumes were so strong and unsafe for us to be around.

I chose to have them do the woodwork, the ceilings, and all the trim in a color called Sherwin William’s Snowbound (SW 7004) for the white. A little softer than the basic Ultra White that is so typical with construction projects. More or less the Sherwin Williams go-to for trimwork and ceiling colors.

The final paint choice I made for the main level was an island color. I’ve seen gorgeous greys, blues, and even blacks all over the Internet and Instagram. I do love them so much, but there is something warm and inviting about a soft green. And the way it contrasts the sharpness of the stainless steel appliances, the white cabinets, and the wood floors make me just so happy!

I chose the color Sherwin Williams Cascade Green (SW 0066). Very pale green with subtle grey undertones. Love. It. All!

The final choice I want to share with you today is my floor stain. I did end up staying with a medium wood stain that would allow for pet hair and dirt to be disguised within the color and the wood grain. I would have loved to go just a little lighter or a little more grey; however, my floors are real wood and the oak showed more yellow the lighter the stain. This was the perfect combination of mix that got me the lightest color with the most disguise from….well…life. 🙂

The mix is 75% Varathane Wood Stain in Provincial and 25% Varathane Weathered Grey.

Love that wood grain!!

So excited to go room to room this coming year and fill it with DIY projects, decor, and plenty of posts! This year is going to be fun, you guys!!

2