I’d like to know your opinions on the ceiling color of our master bath within the bathtub area. That bath/shower ceiling is about a foot lower than the rest of the ceiling.
We painted our walls medium taupe. The ceiling is ceiling white.
The tiles is the bath are white, with teeny grey speckles. It’s almost 50 years old and they are still in great condition. We are regrouting. They looked white, even though they are really a bit off white.
They looked white because that ceiling was beige. Mistakenly I painted it ceiling white. Whoa! Now my tiles look yellowish, not white. Tiles on the floor are white, too.
So, should I paint that ceiling the color of the tile? I found a good swatch, and it looks better than flat white, but doesn’t make it look white-white.
What about using a very light, close to white color of my walls. I still have the paint, so I know the color. Maybe there is a light shade of it, or they can mix it for me.
I’m thinking that at least the color would have the same twinge as the walls.
It won’t take much of the taupe color to tint the ceiling just enough that the almost white tiles look white. There will be enough of a contrast with the walls that the ceiling will look white.
No one notices that the ceiling in one of my rooms is actually a very light yellow. My first attempt with ceiling white was far too bright and glaring. I was much happier with the room after I added just a touch of yellow to the paint. My sister didn’t believe me until I put a piece of white paper against it.
You can easily make the custom color yourself. Put more than enough white to paint the ceiling in a container, add a teaspoon of taupe and mix well. Paint a sample, let it dry, and test it against the tile. Remember that the paint will dry darker. Add white or taupe to get a shade you’re happy with. Keep the left over paint in case you need to do any touch-ups, you’ll never be able to match it exactly. Don’t ask me how I know this.
Looks like some good advice. I saw the inside entry of a new neighbor’s house a few weeks ago. Could tell from the painter’s van that they had painting done. She said it was a gray tone- in that light it looked more like cream to me. I know our “antique white” on halls et al is so much more of a beighe than the name would imply. And looks different with different light and shadows.
Do what works to make you like it. Thankfully an easy fix and small area. Plus- paint spills usually easy to clean from tile (go ahead, ask me how I know).
how white is white? (many whites have a yellow undertone to make it a little warmer and that undertone really shows up on sunny days. That yellow could be being picked up by the tiles.)
There are different colors of “ceiling white.” (And white trim colors also). You could try a “softer” white. For example, we are having our entire house painted. In many areas or trim is painted BM dove white. The areas we wanted really white are painted BM chantilly lace. You can definitely tell the difference when they’re side by side.
I’ve been doing research on ceiling colors as I am repainting my upstairs hall (and probably many other rooms). I was surprised and happy to find articles from decorators that colors other than pure whites can look great on ceilings. If your walls are a lightish, neutral, you can use the wall color on the ceiling. You can also ask the paint shop to lighten your wall color up one to two shades and use that on the ceiling.
So it sounds like either of the options you ask about would work.
So, this is what I did. I started with ceiling white…bad!
Went and got the small paint sample that matched the color of the tile. Better, but it still didn’t look as white as I wanted.
Mixed in the taupe paint from the walls. The tile does look whiter, but I wish I had used more taupe. I was afraid it might go pinkish on me,
I think it looks a lot better, wish it were a teeny bit whiter, but I can live with it. I’ve been fooling around with this small space too much. I’ll live with it for awhile. I bet I find I don’t even “see it” in a few days. Thanks all!!
@1214mom, insomnia!! Had been up since 3 am. Haha! Because of that, I was in bed last night at 8:00 pm, after falling asleep on the couch at 7:30. Woke up at 6ish.
