Need advice on color scheme for HT room

[landry_p2000]

Hello good people.
I am in the process of painting the rooms in my house, and I am open to suggestions for a color for the HT room. I know that the room should be a dark color, I just dont want to go wrong in my color selection. The old lady doesn't give a rats a$$ about what color I use, but I don't want to choose an ugly color. I was looking at a dark maroon or dark grey color. Help! :confused:

Thanks

Landry

[Mike682]

Dark maroon would be nice. But you might have more options. I thought that a dark room is very important with a projector setup and not so much with a TV due to brightness differences...

Either way, maroon would be nice

[ND13]

I was thinking maroon myself, before I even got to the end of your post. So it looks like maroon.

[landry_p2000]

Thanks for the input guys. I think maroon will be a good color. Pam didn't cringe when I mentioned that color to her, so that will probably do it. :)

[landry_p2000]

Dark maroon would be nice. But you might have more options. I thought that a dark room is very important with a projector setup and not so much with a TV due to brightness differences...

Either way, maroon would be nice

The dark walls would still make the TV picture more pronounced than an eggshell wall, wouldn't it Mike?

[Mike682]

The dark walls would still make the TV picture more pronounced than an eggshell wall, wouldn't it Mike?

Sure..I was just saying that you weren't limited to very,very dark colors (like black) etc with a TV and that maroon was a good choice

[landry_p2000]

Oh, okay. Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I will do a little work now. :D

Maroon, it is!

[Mike682]

Get painting!! :D If you can, post some pics

[landry_p2000]

Will do. I have to paint her living room first. :rolleyes:

[ND13]

Landry,

Make sure you DON'T use a "shiny" finish like gloss or semi-gloss. You don't want any light refecting off the walls. Use satin or flat.

[landry_p2000]

Landry,

Make sure you DON'T use a "shiny" finish like gloss or semi-gloss. You don't want any light refecting off the walls. Use satin or flat.

You read my mind. I plan on using flat. I never liked "shiny" walls anyway. How would you describe a "satin" finish paint? :confused:

[ND13]

You read my mind. I plan on using flat. I never liked "shiny" walls anyway. How would you describe a "satin" finish paint? :confused:

A satin finish is in between flat and semi-gloss and is alot easier to clean than flat. I myself would use a satin finish.

[landry_p2000]

Okay. Thanks for the info. This is my 1st home, and I hate the white or eggshell walls that everyone uses in houses. :rolleyes:

[ninerbj]

Is anyone going to ask the question that matters most in selecting HT paint colors???

F*#K IT!! I will....

Are there any windows in this room that may reflect the outside light?

[Shizelbs]

If and when I do it, I've wanted to do maroon as well. WSU colors. I think it goes nice with many carpet colors as well as any wood work that also may be in the room.

[Ron-P]

The old lady doesn't give a rats a$$ about what color I use
Black, no other color will do. I tried several colors, dark colors, even gray and nothing came close to black. It may "look" like a cave but when the lights go out the image on the screen with shine and THAT is what you want.

I hate the white or eggshell walls that everyone uses in houses.
Me too. We do not have a single white wall in the house, nada one. Every wall is painted with color.

[Frank Z]

Linky below.

[Frank Z]

or this one...
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=36283

[disneyjoe7]

Maroon I have 2 walls painted in that color, it's Home Depot's Currant Jam ICC-83 in Eggshell Enamel. It's striking but a major pain too paint that color, it was 5 coats before I liked it. Ok 4 on one wall but I used a primer first, so I counting that as 5.

[landry_p2000]

Is anyone going to ask the question that matters most in selecting HT paint colors???

F*#K IT!! I will....

Are there any windows in this room that may reflect the outside light?

Yep. There are black curtains up to the windows. No light can get by. :)

[landry_p2000]

Yeah Ron. I wanted black at first, but this room is opened with no door. I plan on adding one in the future, but it is visible from the kitchen.

[Ron-P]

I understand. The main reason most do not go with black is because the room is usually used for other purposes or visible from other rooms in the house. But, if you can pull it off you will not regret it. Add the door first then paint it black. After all, you don't want all the sound blasting into other parts of the house, do you? :)

[SCompRacer]

Landry,

Make sure you DON'T use a "shiny" finish like gloss or semi-gloss. You don't want any light refecting off the walls. Use satin or flat.

Semi and gloss paint will also make any defects in the wall stand out too.

[Ron-P]

Avoid satin as well, only use flat.

[landry_p2000]

Okay. I am going with a flat maroon color. This room also has chair rails all the way around, and I may leave them white.

Ron, the black was my first choice mainly because I am a Raiders fan. :D

[jdhdiggs]

Dark Blue's would seem to reflect less obvious light, or at least in my mind. :confused:

Another thought on the finish would be to go check out some of the "textured" finishes. Some are quite rough, almost like sand paper. This would, in my mind at least, diffuse both sound and light bouncing around the room.

That said, i'm just throwing darts in the dark here and don't know squat on this topic.

[landry_p2000]

Dark Blue's would seem to reflect less obvious light, or at least in my mind. :confused:

Another thought on the finish would be to go check out some of the "textured" finishes. Some are quite rough, almost like sand paper. This would, in my mind at least, diffuse both sound and light bouncing around the room.

That said, i'm just throwing darts in the dark here and don't know squat on this topic.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. I don't know about this myself. :confused:
That's why I asked the "Big Dogs" for input. ;)

Thanks for the input anyway JD. Dark Blue would also be a cool color to use, but I am probably sticking with the maroon color scheme.

[landry_p2000]

or this one...
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=36283

Nice room Frank! I like the color in your room also. I want to go a little darker shade of red, burgundy, or maroon. Your room doesn't appear to have any windows which is pretty cool for a home theater room. Nice set-up as well.

By the way, my room is about 23'x14', and I was wondering about how many gallons would I need to do about two coats?

[Ron-P]

Standard 8' high ceilings? If so, your looking at 592sf of wall to cover. The average gallon will cover 350sf. I'd say you'll be safe with 3 gallons. You need to deduct square footage for doors, windows and such.

Be sure to mix all 3 gallons together before you paint.

[landry_p2000]

Standard 8' high ceilings? If so, your looking at 592sf of wall to cover. The average gallon will cover 350sf. I'd say you'll be safe with 3 gallons. You need to deduct square footage for doors, windows and such.

Be sure to mix all 3 gallons together before you paint.

Thanks Ron. Will the paint show up a different shade if I don't mix them up? :confused:

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

A good way to mix paint (large amounts) is to get an attachment for a drill that is like a big mixer... very fast, very effective and you wont be able to mix it any better for a constant color.

Semi Gloss/Shiney finishes are not that bad and arnt that shiney in actuality, they just require so much prep work that will make your head absolutely spin. They show almost every kind of blemish on your wall, and I mean any and everything. I should know, I just painted some crappy walls with semi gloss paint. Not to mention semi-gloss is really thin paint and takes a few coats.

PAINT YOUR CEILING FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is an absolute MUST...

1) It seals your ceiling
2) It looks alot better
3) It makes sense
4) It looks alot better
5) It looks alot better

USE ALOT OF CAULK, put it around the door ways, the moulding - this is DEFINITE improvements if it hasnt already been done.

I used a color called Meteorite Gray... has a shade of blue to it... (Interprise (Lowes) - Meteorite Gray)

[Frank Z]

The pictures don't really show the color as well as I'd like them to. The color is a actually a deep brick red. kwal Paint, Duberry Red is the name of it.

I do have two indows in the room, they're covered with light blocking shades.

I used about 3 gallons to paint it.

[Ron-P]

Thanks Ron. Will the paint show up a different shade if I don't mix them up?
It can happen even if all 3 gallons are mixed at the same time. Grab yourself a 5 gallon bucket and like Sid said a mixer that attaches to your power drill.

Semi Gloss/Shiney finishes are not that bad and arnt that shiney in actuality, they just require so much prep work that will make your head absolutely spin. They show almost every kind of blemish on your wall, and I mean any and everything. I should know, I just painted some crappy walls with semi gloss paint. Not to mention semi-gloss is really thin paint and takes a few coats.
Most of this I disagree with. Semi-gloss / Satin paints will reflect and something nasty. I painted my first bedroom home theater with a deep green satin and the shine was unbearable. But I do find it easier to work with over flat. All the rooms in my house are Satin with the kitchen being semi-gloss. It's much more durable when it comes to cleaning. Flat takes more work so you don't end up with roller lines but for HT it's the best, don't use anything but flat, you will regret it if you don't.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Yep, I have painted with all three types. Satin is by far the easiest to work with.

I found flat was hard to get right (as you mentioned - looks around room) - and I wish I had gone with Satin. I found semi-gloss is much harder to get a full coat on, everytime I've used it, it took 2 coats atleast. Its also VERY hard to paint over... lol

But I don't really think it reflects to bad, but we dont have alot of light either... I don't think I would ever paint a room though a semi-gloss, I was painting our bathroom, hence why we used Semi-gloss... It is also good to use Semi gloss in a kitchen... IMO but thats about it, except for the trim!

The industrial paint from Lowes & HD (White and Bage) is really easy to work with and it covers just about anything! I painted about 5 or 6 houses a few summers back with that stuff... covers VERY evenly and will cover anything. Love that stuff...

But yep, flat is harder to work with. Agreed. All that...

(We have bad lighting in our house, my room has the best lighting (8 bulbs total are in this room)

[Ron-P]

I found semi-gloss is much harder to get a full coat on, everytime I've used it, it took 2 coats atleast.
This could be due to the actual wall and how it's absorbing the paint more-so then the paint itself.

Its also VERY hard to paint over...
The more glossy the paint the harder it will be for the next coat to stick. You should do a light sand job before you repaint the walls. More work, yes, but a better final result.

Also, skip over the Home Depot Behr stuff, they use too much chalk in their paint, it's pretty much crap. Go with Benjamin Moore or the like. It will cost you twice as much but is well worth the money spent.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Yeah, it took quite a few coats in my room to get a real good final result, and even then it could of used another one. The sheatrock in this house sucks hard...

And that is a good idea I never thought of. Thanks - will remember that for when the next time comes around. I usually sand the walls before I paint no how...

I used HD paint one time and I didn't like it at all, it didnt go on well or anything. The industrial stuff is cool, cheap, generic - but cool...

PS: Off topic, but never get wallpaper... if you must have wallpaper - stick to borders, that floor to ceiling stuff sucks the big one.

[disneyjoe7]

I've been happy with HD paint been using it for years, I feel it covers well and even. What else could you ask for? But then on the other hand that maroon color was the worst wall I ever painted, I thought it was the paint and brought it back to HD only to be told red's are the worst to paint it's just about all pigments. I’ve recently seen Consumer Reports that rated Behr paint as a CR BestBuy so I think I still using HD paint.

[landry_p2000]

My walls in this room are (flat) eggshell now, and should cover up pretty easy with a darker color going onto a lighter color. Two coats should do it. I got an old 5 gal. bucket in the garage with the car wash stuff in it. I will buy the mixer when I get the paint. Thanks a million for the input guys, hopefully the maroon won't give me too much trouble.

[Pablo]

I just painted my entire basement. I did my room in Maroon, a Dark Tan & a Yellowish White (trim). I will post pictures of the whole thing if I ever actually get everything finished (still need to finish the entertainment center, some custom molding, a stair banister, some doors, curtains ect...............).

Any red is the MOST difficult color to paint. Make sure you use a red tinted primer. Also, if you are going to do the entire room, get an extra gallon, it takes a bunch of coats to get it right (try not to use to much when you cut as apposed to the rolling). You may want to consider another color for a wall or two. Also, the flat is VERY difficult to clean. I used a satin for everything, and it looks pretty nice (although it is a little shinny). For behind the TV you may want to go with a flat black. I hung a black carpet against that wall, and it help tremendously with the look of the TV (I was going to paint, but found some carpet on clearance [I still have 65' of it]. It also helps quite a bit with the sound).

Another thing, if you use dark colors, make sure your walls are FULLY prepped. Check the walls carefully with a light and smooth out ANY imperfections (you will see every single one when it’s painted). I thought I had my walls pretty good, but after the paint, I can see a million issues (my wife rushing me didn't help either).

I’m not sure if you’re supposed to do this, but I let my second coat dry for just a few hours and then rolled on another. It seems like I got a much more uniformed color when I did this. I’ve seen a bunch of red rooms by friends, and mine by far looks the best.

Good luck.

P.S. FrankZ, nice room. I like that red a lot (mines much darker).

[Ron-P]

Home Depot's Behr paint is not the worst but it is far from the best. I compared the $11 / gallon cheap-o stuff (can't remember the name right now) that Home Depot sells to there Behr and it did just as good a job. I just believe that the Behr paint is extremely over priced for what you get, quality wise. Once you've worked with good paint you'll never go back to the Behr stuff.

[Pablo]

I always use HD stuff (easiest, not to expensive and I'm ussually get a ton of other crap at the same time), but I'm not crazy about it. The best paint I ever worked with was Sears Best. It went on nice and gave a great finish. (but since then they had closed all there stores locally, so it's off to HD these days).

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

It is a fairly good idea to wait about a hour or so between coats as if you go back to soon you will unroll what you just rolled. It basically takes it right back up...

I learned this the hard way.

If you do end unrolling something you just rolled, LEAVE IT ALONE - you will make a huge mess trying to fix it while it is still wet. Let it dry and fix it on the 2nd coat or just touch it up with a brush later...

[Ron-P]

I believe a 4 hour dry time between coats is recommended, 1 hour for primer.

[disneyjoe7]

Ron,

What paint do you like, I never had big problem with Behr paint. But again that Maroon Red was not fun. Good luck with it Landry :)

[Ron-P]

I mainly use Benjamin Moore, it'll run about $45/gallon on average but is well worth it. I did use Ralph Lauren in one bedroom which ran about the same and seems to be holding up quite nicely although it was a bitch to roll, it was their "River Rock" blend which has black and white beads mixed in with the paint for a weathered look. The work was worth it as the final result is beautiful.

I see paint as one of those things that makes a huge impact on the look of a room and why quality is more important, to me.

[landry_p2000]

Thanks guys.

[disneyjoe7]

Does anyone know or care if I posted a Consumer Report report in Paint? I'm not sure if this is ok to do?

[landry_p2000]

Does anyone know or care if I posted a Consumer Report report in Paint? I'm not sure if this is ok to do?

I'm not sure DJ, but go for it, that might make my journey a little less stressful. :eek:

[disneyjoe7]

Ok I thought Behr paint was good for me, and was getting a little beat up here. I that Consumer Reports as an input at time but it may not be my final say. Also note CR is not always right when you know of something not in the main stream. So if something maybe better but not well known then they won't even look at it.

Note these pictures should over lap a little so not to miss anything.


http://tinypic.com/b4j8mf.jpg
http://tinypic.com/b4j9lc.jpg
http://tinypic.com/b4j9xe.jpg
http://tinypic.com/b4jbcm.jpg
http://tinypic.com/b4jd5z.jpg
http://tinypic.com/b4jek0.jpg
http://tinypic.com/b4jeqv.jpg

[disneyjoe7]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words. :)

[landry_p2000]

Well today is the day. After work, I am off to Home Depot to pick up the painting supplies and paint to do the HT room and Living room. :D I decided to go with a color called Licorice Stick, probably in a satin finish. I will post pics by Monday. I should have the room hooked back up by then. It is in complete shambles right now. No movies until Sunday. Darn! ;)

Looks like I will be going with the Behr brand. Thanks again for all the input gentlemen.

[landry_p2000]

I finished the paint this past weekend, and all of the trim and touch up work this week. I used a color called "Cranberry Zing" in a satin finish. The brand I used was Valspar by American Tradition. I am satified with the overall job. It took about three coats to get even that finished look. It is not a pefect job, but for the time and money, it was a great deal. The paint was $19 a gallon as shown by Disneyjoe above, and I used two gallons and a quart out of the 3rd bucket. The slight "shine" of the paint is not bad at all, so I am good. Once again, thank you all for your help and suggestions. Without your help, I would have been totally lost. Here are some pics of the room after I finished.

[disneyjoe7]

Looking good and dark like my rooms I painted with Behr paint. I hope the info posted was helpful for you and others.

[steveinaz]

Dark maroon would be nice. But you might have more options. I thought that a dark room is very important with a projector setup and not so much with a TV due to brightness differences...

Either way, maroon would be nice

+1. maroon, brick red, something along those lines.