Light blue, or white?

[tomparryharry]

Hello Folks, I hope you're all doing well.

 

A question for the collective, if I may.  I'm finally boarding out the ceiling over here (gasp! ) so I was wondering.. Light blue? White? Or, some other hue?  In addition, I'll be using LED 1,500mm strips ( 'cos I've got them in stock).  Edit: I should have added the word painting. DUH!

 

Views and suggestions are, as usual, gratefully received & acknowledged. 

 

Cheers,

Ian.

Edited April 2, 2021 by tomparryharry

[The Johnster]

If it were me, which of course it isn't, I'd go for a neutral light matt grey and using the lighting to determine the colour temperature.

[Nearholmer]

For a ceiling: white, to maximise reflectance.

 

If you are looking to create a background for a layout, I’d confine whatever colour you choose to the walls.

 

I used a very, very pale blue on the walls behind my layout  (it looks white in photos), but if I was to do it again, I’d use very, very pale grey, with a hint of blue. I painted our hallway before Christmas, and took a slight risk in using that sort of colour (without going to the shed to check at the crack of dawn, I think it’s called ‘dove’), and it works a treat, looking very crisp with white woodwork, and it would be a perfect shade behind a layout, because it looks like English sky does for 90% of the year.

 

I’ve got one grey wall in the study, very slightly darker than the one I used in the hall, and that works too, as here (sorry, no scenery on the bookshelf plank).

 

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Nearholmer

[tomparryharry]

Thanks Gents. Grey? I'd never considered it. But looking out of the window, it is indeed a very light grey. A serious dose of 'looking at' with the colour charts, methinks.

 

Having a second look, there's a dash of red in there. Oh, hang on, that's my eyelids.........

 

Cheers,

Ian.

[Nearholmer]

This is the one I used in the hall, and what I’d use behind a layout. Not apparent in the tin, but it has a hint of blue.

 

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Dulux---Goose-Down---Matt-Emulsion-Paint-2-5L/p/156611?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=&scid=scplp156611&sc_intid=156611&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7aaot8Hh7wIVkud3Ch3ccgfOEAQYAiABEgKxYfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Don't panic when you use it (my good lady did when I was using it) - it looks much darker wet than dry.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Nearholmer

[kevinlms]

4 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Don't panic when you use it (my good lady did when I was using it) - it looks much darker wet than dry.

But usually men get no choice when it comes to colour. Many have no sense of colour, even if not colour blind!

What did the other half say when the colour turned out OK? Probably nothing, certainly not an apology for doubting you!

[tomparryharry]

Aah, I can relate to that...  When we bought our first house, the box room was a battlefield.  Not to worry! Sez she... " I can hang wallpaper! In fairness, she did a thoroughly competent job, nicely trimmed up, properly well-painted skirting & ceiling. 

 

We had the first house in our street with diagonal wallpaper.....

[kevinlms]

30 minutes ago, tomparryharry said:

Aah, I can relate to that...  When we bought our first house, the box room was a battlefield.  Not to worry! Sez she... " I can hang wallpaper! In fairness, she did a thoroughly competent job, nicely trimmed up, properly well-painted skirting & ceiling. 

 

We had the first house in our street with diagonal wallpaper.....

Looking at these prices, no wonder wallpaper is rare these days!

 

https://wallpaperbrokers.com.au/collections/striped/products/wide-diagonal-stripe

[Nearholmer]

I don’t want to go into detail over the ‘discussion’ about the colour before it dried ......

 

I was under instruction to source a farrow and ball paint, but I wasn’t happy with the thin pigmentation when using one of theirs in another room, worked out expensive and time-consuming to get coverage, so I sourced this one, which is so similar that I’d defy anyone to tell the difference ...... when it’s dry.

 

So, my good lady was comparing a colour swatch of F&B paint with my wet Dulux. It did not go well.

 

In fairness, once it was finished, she did ask for it to be continued up the stairwell, which I take as endorsement (and a job instruction).

[Wheatley]

White for the actual ceiling, for reflectance as already mentioned and because anything else will add a slight colour cast which you'll have to correct or mitigate. Graduate it down the walls to pale grey/blue if you want but I wouldn't on the ceiling. 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Wheatley

[kevinlms]

3 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

I don’t want to go into detail over the ‘discussion’ about the colour before it dried ......

 

I was under instruction to source a farrow and ball paint, but I wasn’t happy with the thin pigmentation when using one of theirs in another room, worked out expensive and time-consuming to get coverage, so I sourced this one, which is so similar that I’d defy anyone to tell the difference ...... when it’s dry.

 

So, my good lady was comparing a colour swatch of F&B paint with my wet Dulux. It did not go well.

 

In fairness, once it was finished, she did ask for it to be continued up the stairwell, which I take as endorsement (and a job instruction).

Yes, wet paint is hopelessly deceiving.

[bécasse]

The alternative for the ceiling is to paint it a really dark colour in contrast to pale coloured walls. I think that I would probably go for a matt dark grey rather than black (and certainly rather than a dark blue). You would be surprised at how well that can work, not least in making the room seem larger.

[tomparryharry]

Hello Folks, thank you for all of your tips & observations.  After consideration, I'll be using white, as suggested by many. If nothing worse, it'll do as a base coat, if I need to alter the colour. as far as walls are concerned, it might be a very light greyish blue, by way of a bit of experimentation. 

 

Thank you all for the input.

 

Ian.