# Bedroom painting question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** tools-electric-diy\ **Created:** [July 17, 2025, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958 "2025-07-17T03:07:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/1 "2025-07-17T03:07:49Z")
We are repainting a bedroom. Ceiling and closet high-white, same with the door and window trim. I am thinking of semi-gloss; I just don’t like the look of glossy trim and doors. The walls will probably be a light peach and I’m thinking satin finish but feel free to change my mind. Here’s the question, why can’t I just use the same paint for the ceiling, closet, window (and later baseboards) and door? I read that it is a durability issue but this is a hardly-used room, think spare bedroom. Another question (or more of confirm my thinking). The door is one of those cheap-ass wood doors that mass-builders use. I do need to prime it … right? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/2 "2025-07-17T06:36:02Z")
I think people usually use matte for the ceiling, probably to better disperse light, and glossy or semi-gloss for high-touch areas like the door and window trim, because it’s tougher. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/3 "2025-07-17T06:57:45Z")
Just sand the door. Pretty good. Get all the edges.(I liked removing doors to paint. But it can certainly be done hanging) Look. There are no laws about which paint you use or where. I mean you wouldn’t want to paint the outside of the house with interior wall paint. But the satin, semi-gloss, eggshell or that new suede-d variety is all just preference. Peeps are so scared of paint. It’s easily fixed if you hate it. And, I don’t just mean completely repainting. I knows some tricks. Of course repainting is an option. If you think ahead you won’t need primer again if you hate it. Pick your color. Look on the color swatch/card. It should list neighboring colors and cross the color wheel complimentary colors. The trick is to stay in the same value level if you’re gonna repaint anything, other than bright red you’ll be safe enough. I have to say buffs and nudes up to peachy colors are really “in” right now. Personally, I steer away from what’s “in”. They age(as in fall out of grace) faster than new paint will be needed. Stick with classics. Whites, beiges, taupes, pearl greys and very light sage green. Don’t worry about if the can says ceiling paint, wall paint or trim paint. Concentrate on the shine level you like. Pick the lightest base and have it mixed. Any paint that says gel-paint or one-coat is lying to you. Straight up. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/4 "2025-07-17T07:56:55Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Here’s the question, why can’t I just use the same paint for the ceiling, closet, window (and later baseboards) and door? I read that it is a durability issue but this is a hardly-used room, think spare bedroom. Eggshell or similar that you use on woodwork is designed for durability, indeed - as such it tends to be quite thick and high sheen compared to the flat matt you would use on walls or ceilings. The reason you would use a different paint on the ceiling is that the flat matt absorbs light and helps disguise any imperfections in the ceiling, and it’s also considerably cheaper and easier to apply to large areas - painting a whole ceiling in eggshell would be both a pain in the arse and expensive. If you apply flat matt to your woodwork, it will chip off very easily - even in a room you don’t use often. Simply opening the wardrobe and catching the paintwork with your finger nail can chip/scratch it. Simply not worth it. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/5 "2025-07-17T08:00:15Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Stick with classics. Whites, beiges, taupes, pearl greys and very light sage green. This may be to your taste, but nothing depresses me more than beige, taupe and grey on walls. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/6 "2025-07-17T08:44:11Z")
All the rooms i painted are cheerful colors. Yellow, light green, light blue. My daughter requested pink for her bedroom, so that one is pink. My son requested a taupe. That’s the only dull-colored room. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/7 "2025-07-17T09:56:40Z")
My hallway. Not beige. [![](https://i.postimg.cc/cHNsNDdc/hallway.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/cHNsNDdc/hallway.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/8 "2025-07-17T10:21:32Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Another question (or more of confirm my thinking). The door is one of those cheap-ass wood doors that mass-builders use. I do need to prime it … right? So you’re saying it’s bare wood now? You’ve had a bare wood interior door in your house for however long? Seems surprising if so. But yeah, if it’s bare wood it needs a gentle sanding and then priming. You’ll be LOTS happier with primer on there. Sounds like more work, but other than having to buy an extra can of paint, it’ll be less work in the end to achieve a decent quality finish. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/9 "2025-07-17T12:10:12Z")
Some paints are self-priming, I’ve found they work fine and save an extra coat if the paint is a good quality one. Painting doors is a pain, so less coats the better! I mean paints like this one - good quality and explicitly state they are self-priming: > **[Premium Architects' Eggshell Paint | Paint & Paper Library](https://www.paintandpaperlibrary.com/paint/finish/architects-eggshell)** > > Architects' Eggshell paint is a premium water based, low sheen acrylic paint. Use this durable eggshell paint on walls, wood or metal in kitchens & bathrooms. BTW I would always make sure to get water-based rather than oil-based eggshell - oil base is impossible to clean off your skin and brushes. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/10 "2025-07-17T12:40:58Z")
Yeah! I’m thinking next time we paint the living room, to do at least one wall deep teal. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/11 "2025-07-17T12:46:00Z")
Buy good quality paint. It lasts longer. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/12 "2025-07-17T12:54:17Z")
I’ve done a lot of inside painting over this last year. I changed the sky-blue guest room to a dark green walls with light brown trim and crown molding. I changed the master bedroom from a kind of pastel olive drab to a much bolder light blue (a more saturated vibrant version of sky blue) on the long walls and deep royal blue on the short walls with the trim in white. The hallway and common rooms have a color called “Practical Tan.” Boring. So the little walls in the living room became burnt orange. Since the drapes and carpet are dark blue and the furniture is dark brown, it all ties together and the accent walls help define the space. One thing I noticed with the switch to darker colors is that all the spots that have been patched or altered now show up much more clearly. I would have liked to sand them down first, but the house was built in 1956 and I’m worried about the base layers being lead paint. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/13 "2025-07-17T13:00:18Z")
Pfff, my house was built in the 1700s! It’s all been replastered though, so wobbly walls aren’t an issue. Another top tip with using colour - don’t be afraid to paint the skirting/doors/door frames - and even ceilings - a bold or contrasting colour to the walls, it can be a lovely detail. The default is always to paint these bits white, but it’s missing a trick quite often. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/14 "2025-07-17T13:00:39Z")
The bedroom in question is on the north side with one small window so I am looking to paint it a warm color. If I have a really good primer, do I need to sand the door? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/15 "2025-07-17T13:02:42Z")
At least a quick pass with an orbital sander. gives the primer something to grip. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/16 "2025-07-17T13:02:58Z")
A professional would, but if it’s too much effort I personally wouldn’t bother unless the wood is grainy or it’s been handled by lots of greasy fingers. I moved last year to a house where all the doors - 13 of them - were still bare wood, no way was I sanding all of those! ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/17 "2025-07-17T13:06:17Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Here’s the question, why can’t I just use the same paint for the ceiling, closet, window (and later baseboards) and door? I read that it is a durability issue but this is a hardly-used room, think spare bedroom. I don’t think it’s _exactly_ a durability issue, it’s more of a cleaning issue. Even in a room I don’t use often, I’m going to want to clean the areas that get touched (doors and windows and the frames around them) more often than the walls and ceiling. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/18 "2025-07-17T13:13:39Z")
I just realized I’ve never painted any of the doors in my house and now I want to. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/19 "2025-07-17T13:33:04Z")
In _A Billion for Boris_, by Mary Rodgers, two kids hire a house painter to paint an apartment. (Long story.) The painter asks if it should be the usual flat for the walls, semi-gloss for doors, and high gloss for trim? The kid giving instructions says “High gloss all over.” (She likes things shiny.) So that’s what the painter does, and it’s _way_ too shiny. This is a sequel to _Freaky Friday_, by the way, and I think it’s a better book. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958/20 "2025-07-17T13:50:28Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > At least a quick pass with an orbital sander. gives the primer something to grip. Coarse or fine grit? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedroom-painting-question/1020958.md?page=2)