Advice on paint colour for sitting room

bikki

hello

i have just moved into new home. which was all painted magnolia by the builders. i bought a 3 + 2 suite which i love...but the colour is a darkish cream (has specs of brown in the fabric) looks lovely against my medium/dark wood floors....but not so nice against magnolia...
does anyone have any suggestions of what colour i should paint the walls?

thanks in advance

JIZZLORD

go wild. magnolia is the most boring tcolour imaginable in what is supposed to be the showcase room of your house. there's nothing really holding you back apart from the lighting in the room, ie, too dark a room go light, etc.
take a look around, and maybe take a look at a few magazines etc.

bikki

ya id like to keep it a light colour...going a darker colour will make the room too dark, as its a long narrow room. and the window is small enough.
i think ive spent about 300 euro on those magazines in the last few months...and i havent used one idea from them yet! i loved some of the ideas from them allright...but ive ended up doing my own thing in the end. now im just stuck on the paint...cause i hadnt actually considered changing the colour at all from a budget point of view....until i bought the suite...the suite only came in one colour and i just had to have it...

JIZZLORD

hmm, you have your suite, have you got your curtains yet?
you're probably just as well to go with a lightish coulour, though this may be stating the obvious. a warm cream maybe? the shape and brightness of the room will hold you back from going hog wild, but if you find the right colour it'll look grand. Have you tried out any colours on the wall yet?

blindman

I'm not even going to try to help you choose a colour but I hear a lot of people complaining about the colour builders choose. I would just like to point out that generally speaking the paint a builder uses is meant to be painted over, its just to make sure the first coat is done properly. Where`builders don't do the first coat, householders often use inappropriate paint or wrong method leaving a problem that paint wont stay on the walls.

TequilaMockingBird

How about one of the lovely feature wall wallpapers? You could leave the rest of the room magnolia or a cream that will blend with your suite.

A few samples here:

http://www.wallpaperstogo.com/collections/collection8040.htm

Homebase are doing some great ones at the moment, at a good price.

EDIT: A kind of minty fresh light creamy green colour would go with your colours. (lol - ya know what I mean!)

TequilaMockingBird

blindman wrote: »

I'm not even going to try to help you choose a colour but I hear a lot of people complaining about the colour builders choose. I would just like to point out that generally speaking the paint a builder uses is meant to be painted over, its just to make sure the first coat is done properly. Where`builders don't do the first coat, householders often use inappropriate paint or wrong method leaving a problem that paint wont stay on the walls.

I never knew that, thanks!

bikki

thanks for all the replies. no, i havent got the curtains yet...a sheet stuck on the window for now!
well the paint job by the builders isnt the best anyway...so it would want another coat.
you know ive liked the wallpaper idea for ages...but now im not so keen, maybe ive just seen it on too many magazines!
i was looking on the dulux website as they are advertising lately how u can choose a colour and they will choose some colours that compliment it....but i cant seem to find that part on the site..

TequilaMockingBird

I think this is the site your looking for:

http://www.dulux.ie/colours/index.jsp

Clink

I'd go for something with a pink tone in it, warm and will match the colours that you have in the room already

masterwriter

Hi
Excuse me jumping in here as I need to ask:

blindman wrote: »

I would just like to point out that generally speaking the paint a builder uses is meant to be painted over, its just to make sure the first coat is done properly.

Does that mean it has to be painted over immediately

Where`builders don't do the first coat, householders often use inappropriate paint or wrong method leaving a problem that paint wont stay on the walls.

You mean what the builders leave is only a first coat?

Thanks

blindman

Does that mean it has to be painted over immediately

No. generally its a good quality trade paint and if you are happy with the colour and finish you can live with it untill it needs painting.

You mean what the builders leave is only a first coat?

Number of coats may vary depending on builder and painter, type of wall ect. Note the use of the word generally, some builders know very little about painting newbuilds, the last house I lived in had a problem with paint peeling off walls, the problem was because house had been painted wrong first coat. 6 houses in the estate had this problem.
Some info on painting bare walls here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055156633&highlight=painting+newbuild

masterwriter

Thanks for that blindman:)I have now read it and in relation to damp and off topic -sorry- is it important to wait before fitting laminate flooring or lino?

blindman

No point in rushing these things. When concrete sets it's a chemical reaction. All the water user for mixing has to get out. A mate of mine who batches concrete says this can take two years.