Front Hall Overhaul – Part 11
Front Hall Overhaul – Part 11

Front Hall Overhaul – Part 11

Since my last front hall update, I’ve finished grouting & sealed the grout:

sealing the grout in the front entrance hall and closet        sealing the grout in the front entrance hall and closet

The sealant looked like water, smelled like mint, and was supposed to soak into the grout for 5 minutes but I forgot about it and left it on for 30.  No harm appears to have been done…

I moved the shoe racks and rug back into the hall:

        the new rug looks great on the slate floor

Now it’s time to work on the closet shelf.

A few weeks ago my friend Ted gave me his almost new 10″ portable Ryobi table saw:

218b        218a

The blade is pretty scary but it has a full cover which is quite comforting!  And the cover moves up over the wood as you push it through:

218c        218d

Yesterday was the first day I actually used it.  OMFG!  It was a little frightening, but I did well.  I used it to cut a ¾” piece of plywood down to the size I needed for the front hall closet shelf.  Back in March I had the hardware store cut me a piece of ¾” ply for the shelf, but, like an idiot, I cut it up for cat platforms before realizing it was my closet shelf piece – d’oh!

After cutting a different piece down to the right size, I slapped 2 coats of primer on one side.  Tonight I primed the other side:

218e

Tomorrow I’ll paint it white.  Then I’ll try out the iron-on veneer strips my blog friends told me about, for the front edge – woohoo!

Today was a holiday from work, so I went to the paint store and bought a quart of Benjamin Moore Marina Gray:

benjamin moore marina gray

I thought it would work well in the front hall.  It’s much lighter than the Kendall Charcoal currently on the walls:

painting the front entrance hall benjamin moore kendall charcoal

And it seemed to be a good match to the Delorean Gray grout I picked for the slate tiles.  However, once on the walls, it looks like cement:

218g2        218f

Granted, it’s only one coat, and it’s a bit splotchy due to being painted over Kendall Charcoal, but still… I don’t think it’s the right color.  Too blue-ish.  I’m thinking now of something more greige like Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray, BM Inukshuk, BM Pashmina, BM Plymouth Rock, BM Portland Gray, or BM Stone Hearth.  I really don’t know… I want something light grey but with brown-ish undertones.  I’ll be picking up some more paint chips tomorrow after work.  Any suggestions for a good greige?  I’ll be doing some more research too.  At this point I’m leaning towards Inukshuk or Pashmina.

Before painting the walls I made sure to cover every square inch of my new slate floor with contractors paper!

218h        218i 

It’s not a total loss.  The coat of Marina Gray will act as a good underlayer for whatever color I choose next 🙂

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7 Comments

    1. Nine Dark Moons

      Oooo those look beautiful together! I woke up today determined to mix my own paint, which is totally thanks to you!!! I’m going to buy a gallon of white after work and mix it with the unopened quart of Kendall Charcoal [the color I original painted the walls last March] – I’m hoping to lighten it about halfway – I really love the hue of the Kendall Charcoal – a rich, deep, brown/grey. I am hoping it works out well! *fingers crossed*

  1. Anne

    Your slate floor is awesome, and once you find the perfect color for the walls, your hallway will be finished and beautiful. Colors, some colors more than others, are really difficult. And seeing the colors online is impossible. By the end of the week, you’ll have it all figured out.

  2. Warm grays and cool grays are tricky. How do the warm grays look with your tile? I’m thinking the Portland might be nice, but monitors are calibrated differently, so only you can tell. I’m leaning toward colors like these the next time I paint my living/dining room. I want to go lighter, too.

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