Is That Yellow? When Paint Colors Run Amok….

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I hoped to give you a Part 2 on the Hall Bath Remodel (here’s Part 1) this week but, as with any remodel, it always ends up taking longer and costing more than the initial estimate. We caught a little delay on a few things that have caused us to push back completing the bathroom a few weeks. I promise to share any updates with you when the work starts back up. In the meantime, let’s take it outside!

When we started the remodel on our current home in the summer of 2020, one of the biggest decisions to make was an exterior paint color. I was under pressure to get the color chosen: not only to keep on our timeline of moving in before my kids started school, but also from the bank rep that was in control (and I mean CON-TROL) of the remodel funds. The instructions were to be as thorough and “on the money” as possible with paint and labor costs. This meant the Farrow and Ball paint I dreamed of using was out. Instead, I opted to do some color matching using the Farrow and Ball colors I liked with a more budget-friendly Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams exterior paint. I hemmed and hawed, back and forth, debating between over twenty different colors before finally narrowing it down to the top five. Finally, I chose the cutest (or, so I thought) off-white color and declared my decision to the paint crew.

Well, fast forward to two months after we moved in. The days were still a whirlwind of unpacking and house decisions. One evening, I was sitting on my favorite swing, sipping a beverage while watching the sunset and relaxing after a busy day. I gazed across the patio to a large exterior wall during “magic hour” and to my horror, realized the off-white color was actually very yellow. I wanted it to go, immediately. Yellow was not the look I was going for.

I imagined how the conversation with David would go. I knew he wouldn’t be happy. The more I thought about it, I realized that the numbers just didn’t make sense—I would have to give up too many other projects on our remodel to-do list to repaint the house just two months after the initial paint job. So, I resigned myself to living in a yellow house until the opportunity and funds presented themselves to repaint. Cue the tiny violin playing along with my first-world problems.

Two years later, the house was still yellow. At least once a week, I thought about how badly I wanted to repaint it to the adorable off-white I dreamed of.

At the beginning of 2022, David and I created a “House Project Wish List.” Repainting the exterior was one of the first things I added. I knew it was going to have to be done eventually because we ordered some new windows for the scullery and a gorgeous sliding glass door for the kitchen (more on those later) at the end of 2020. Supply chain and high demand had us scheduled to receive them in the spring of 2022. I knew the installation process for the door and windows would cause some serious trauma to the exterior of the house, so I took the opportunity to bump repainting the exterior of the house to the top of the list. 

I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. This time, I wouldn’t rely on paint swatches or painting just a little patch of wall. I enlisted the help of Chelsie, who helps me with projects around the house, to spread some new paint options on the brick and the siding. This time, I made sure I included the spots where the sun would hit the back of the house. We painted large sections to give an accurate idea of the colors.

And then I waited.

I wasn’t going to make a hasty decision this time around. I took my time and watched the samples for several days to see how they reacted to changes in the light. I made sure to look at different times of day and in different weather conditions.

This time, I chose Sherwin-Williams Aesthetic White on the brick and siding and color-matched Pratt and Lambert Lambswool for the trim. For both, we opted to use Sherwin-Williams Duration Exterior paint. The Duration product was an upgrade (it added up to $600 extra for our exterior), but it was well worth the money when you consider that it is formulated to last longer than most other exterior paints. Oklahoma is prone to extreme temperatures, plus our house gets direct sun on both the front and back, so we wanted the best defense we could get without busting the budget.

I am so glad I didn’t rush it the second time around. Even though I had to live with the off-white that was actually yellow for two years, it was worth it to end up with a color I truly love.

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