“Oh what a feeling, painting on the ceiling!” Indeed, a classic reference to set the tone for our latest home transformation project – a sunroom makeover that proved to be both challenging and immensely rewarding. After weeks of planning and anticipation, it was finally time to infuse some fresh life into this space, starting with a much-needed coat of paint. You might be wondering about the “heezy” reference; well, in our world, it translates to our sunroom, currently a sea of furniture piled high in the center, a common sight in any active DIY home.
Navigating the Sunroom’s Design Dilemmas: The Brick Wall Debate
Before we even dipped a brush, a significant design challenge loomed: the half-brick wall in the sunroom. This feature sparked quite a discussion among our readers in a previous post, with many thoughtful suggestions ranging from covering the drywalled portion with brick veneer to using reclaimed wood. While appealing in theory, these ideas presented a practical hurdle. The existing drywall subtly protrudes in front of the brick, creating an awkward “lip.” Adding any material on top would only exacerbate this, resulting in an odd, almost “overbite” effect above the windows, which we were keen to avoid. This led us to consider two primary options: attempting to distress or fade the brick for a more weathered look, or straightforwardly painting it.
The decision to potentially paint the brick felt more cohesive when considering the adjacent living room. The previous owners had already painted the brick wall in our living room, which is directly visible from the sunroom. As both areas are within the same sightline, extending this painted brick look into the small, U-shaped expanse of the sunroom seemed like a logical step. This approach would help the sunroom feel more integrated and connected to the rest of the house, rather than an isolated space with a distinct, unpainted brick feature.
However, committed to careful decision-making, we decided against any immediate action on the brick. Our strategy was to first paint the rest of the room’s walls, which were currently an outdated, yellowy-cream color, and observe if the new wall color influenced our perspective on the brick. Sometimes, simply changing one major element can entirely shift the aesthetic of a space, making other decisions clearer.
Prepping for Paint: Embracing the DIY Chaos
With the brick decision temporarily shelved, our focus shifted to preparing the main walls for their much-anticipated transformation. This involved meticulously clearing out nearly everything from the sunroom, a process that inevitably cascaded into our living room, turning it into a temporary disaster zone. For those who relish the honest, unglamorous side of DIY, this image captures the essence of our reality: painting one room often means spreading chaos to several others. Furniture, decor, and tools occupied every available surface, a testament to the effort involved in home renovation.
Even our furry family member, Burger, found a silver lining amidst the upheaval. The influx of extra pillows provided ample opportunities for cozy naps, though he still managed to give us his classic “excuse me, human with the camera, someone’s attempting to rest here” stare. Pets, ever adaptable, often find comfort even in the most chaotic of home projects.
Thankfully, our daughter Clara was enjoying a play-date with her grandparents, allowing us to dive headfirst into painting without the added worry of her accidentally encountering paint or navigating the colossal pile of belongings in the living room. These moments of focused, uninterrupted work are invaluable during intensive DIY projects, especially when safety is a concern.
Tackling the Challenge: Painting 12-Foot Ceilings
Returning to the sunroom, painting might seem like a task we could accomplish in our sleep by now, given our extensive DIY experience. However, this project introduced a new dimension: 12-foot ceilings. This was a unique challenge for us, accustomed to standard 8-foot ceilings. Despite the added difficulty, we were determined to banish the tired white ceilings and dated, yellowed cream walls. The contrast between the two outdated colors had long bothered us, and a fresh start was imperative. With unwavering resolve, we prepared to tackle the daunting heights.
Our method for reaching these lofty heights was straightforward: bust out the trusty ladder and get to work. Safety first, always, when dealing with extended reaches. It’s a testament to simple tools often being the most effective in home improvement. Equipped with our ladder and determination, we began the meticulous process of transforming the sunroom.
Introducing Benjamin Moore Rockport Gray: Our Chosen Hue
Ah, the paint color! I almost forgot to share our selection. We opted for our current favorite: Rockport Gray by Benjamin Moore. This sophisticated hue, which also graces our bedroom walls, is less of a cold, stark gray and more of a warm, inviting brownish-gray. The reasons behind this choice are numerous and will become clearer once we share the “after” pictures. For now, envision this rich tone beginning to define the room, transforming those stark edges into something fresh and modern.
Edging, especially in a room primarily composed of corners and windows, proved to be a time-consuming affair, even with two of us working diligently. It’s a task that demands precision and patience, and I must admit, I’ve honed my skills considerably. Perhaps there’s a new “edging sheriff” in town! Although, I must concede, my partner Sherry still outpaces me when it comes to finesse and speed. She expertly handled the intricate edging around all the doors and most windows, leaving me to tackle the higher windows near the ceiling from the precarious vantage point of the ladder.
Once the initial edging was complete, Sherry applied a second coat around the doors and windows, ensuring crisp, flawless lines. Meanwhile, I ventured into new territory, taking to the pole – not in a literal sense, of course, but embracing the extended roller. Surprisingly, I had never painted with a pole-attached roller before, even on our 8-foot ceilings, where I typically relied on a stool. I was genuinely impressed by its relative ease of use. While holding your arms and neck elevated for extended periods certainly leads to fatigue, the overall process was far from terrible, making the vast surfaces of the high ceilings more manageable.
However, even the trusty extended roller had its limitations. The area where the ceiling fan attached required a level of precision that a roller simply couldn’t provide. And my ladder, despite its height, still couldn’t get me close enough to hand-edge that tricky spot. Faced with this dilemma, Sherry and I brainstormed a truly professional, albeit unconventional, solution: a brush taped to a pole. This makeshift contraption allowed us to reach and meticulously paint the fan area with surprising accuracy, proving that sometimes the best tools are the ones you invent on the spot.
If you doubted my earlier claims of “edging prowess,” this ingenuity might just convince you. We dubbed it “painting with surgical precision,” and it worked like an absolute charm. While I regret not capturing a detailed “after” shot of this specific area, trust us, the results were incredibly neat. This DIY hack saved the day, allowing us to achieve a truly polished finish even in the most challenging spots.
The entire painting process, requiring two coats, spanned approximately seven hours over two days. While certainly not our fastest paint job, particularly given the high ceilings and numerous windows, the effort was undeniably worth it. We are absolutely thrilled with the transformation.
The Transformed Sunroom: Light, Warmth, and Future Visions
Despite the “moodier” warm gray hue, this room is anything but gloomy. Abundant natural light floods the space, a key factor in our confidence to choose a darker tone. The transformation is striking; even the tiled floors, once appearing somewhat yellow, now seem less monochromatic and more balanced against the newly painted walls. While we’re the first to acknowledge that the sunroom still has a long way to go before becoming a fully functional and finished space – recall how “the middle makes no sense” in a renovation journey – the impact of paint is undeniable.
You might notice two blue stools engaged in what appears to be a hushed conversation in the corner. This is our experimental “stool meeting” in session! We’re currently exploring various layout ideas, using the stools to visualize tucking a small cafe table into that nook. Nothing is set in stone yet, but we’ll certainly keep you updated on our design evolution for this cozy corner.
Why Rockport Gray? A Deeper Dive into Our Paint Choice
As promised, here’s a more detailed explanation of the rationale behind selecting Benjamin Moore’s Rockport Gray for our sunroom:
- Enhanced Trim Definition: The warm gray dramatically accentuates all the white trim in the room, making it appear crisp and defined in a way the old yellowed cream walls never did. This “trim-crisping” effect was something we adored when we used the color in our bedroom.
- Minimizing Architectural Quirks: The sunroom boasts a rather unconventional, “rocket ship” like sloping ceiling. We hypothesized that a moodier, darker color would subtly downplay these unusual angles, helping the ceiling and walls blend more harmoniously than they did with the previous stark white ceiling and creamy-yellow walls.
- Harmonizing with Flooring: With the walls no longer matching the exact tone of the tile floor, the room feels significantly less monochromatic and less yellowed. Previously, the space felt like a beige box with an oddly shaped white lid; now, there’s a welcome contrast.
- Cohesion with Adjacent Spaces: From the sunroom, one can see into the living room, which features Moonshine walls, and the kitchen, with its “grellow” hues. Our chosen color had to complement both. Rockport Gray provides a seamless transition, tying these visually connected spaces together beautifully.
- Highlighting Outdoor Greenery: During spring, summer, and fall – essentially, any season beyond the current bleak winter – we envision the vibrant greenery outside becoming the star of the show. A sophisticated, not-too-bold gray ensures the interior doesn’t overshadow the natural beauty beyond the windows.
- Camouflaging Utilities: The brownish-gray undertones of Rockport Gray also serve a practical purpose: they subtly help to camouflage the similarly colored heating/cooling unit, allowing it to blend into the background rather than stand out.
An added bonus we discovered post-paint was how the new wall color subtly picked up the tone of the brick’s mortar. This unforeseen harmony might just be enough to sway our decision if we ultimately opt to keep the brick in its original state.
Revisiting the Brick Wall: The Final Decision Looms
Now that the room is freshly painted, our stance on the brick wall has become clearer: we are still not entirely sold on leaving it as-is. It continues to feel awkwardly disjointed, particularly where the top edge of the drywall above it rests oddly on the window, giving the impression it’s “squishing” it. Furthermore, with an entire wall of painted brick already existing to the right of the slider in the living room, this unpainted section still creates a visual break that a painted brick wall would seamlessly resolve, ensuring better flow with the rest of the house.
We did briefly contemplate a gray-wash treatment – perhaps with watered-down paint, stain, or even by rubbing some cement onto it – to merely tone down the brick’s reddish hue. My rudimentary Photoshop attempt below offers a glimpse into this idea.
However, even this gray-wash concept still feels like a less seamless solution compared to fully painting the brick, aligning it with the already painted brick in the adjoining living room. It appears increasingly likely that painting it completely will be our ultimate choice for a truly cohesive and integrated look.
As always, we promise to keep you informed of our progress! Speaking of future plans, we’re actively giving more thought to the window-seat-under-the-window-wall concept. If we decide to proceed, that will be an exciting project, and you can count on us to share every detail as we creep along our renovation journey.
Reflections on Our Sunroom Makeover
Despite the considerable work still ahead in this room, this project has powerfully reaffirmed for me, yet again, the transformative power of paint. Painting a room is an incredible way to inject personality and make a space truly feel like your own. Our sunroom, which once felt like a forgotten project-room tacked onto the side of our house, is now beginning to blossom into a place where we can envision relaxing on a lazy Sunday. This newfound potential reminds us of how we utilized the sunroom in our first home, filling us with excitement about the possibilities. What home improvement projects did you tackle this weekend? Did you engage in any painting or planning? Or perhaps any other pole-related projects, literal or metaphorical?