Half and half painted walls

8 years ago

Hi there, I am thinking of redecorating our hall - it's a victorian terrace and is narrow and slightly dark. It has horrid light laminate on the floor which (we are not in a position to change) however the walls need a repaint and I was considering painting the lower half of the hall a darker tone to the upper half. I thought this would reduce the appearance of inevitable scuffs that occur from shoes/bags on the wall but may also add some interest in an otherwise dull entranceway.

Much like this-->

We don't have picture rails or hand rails to differentiate the two colours.

Do you think this would work?

Thanks!

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PRO

Amber Jeavons Ltd

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Hello elg684,

Yes indeed! It was actually a look seen in many a stately home, country estate, seat or pile, however you want to refer to it.... Usually below stairs as the need for skirting board, dado rail and cornice wasn't important..but! It's a fabulous look and you can indeed carry this theme to create skirting without the need to add wood.. also encompass doors.. It's actually a look I often suggest as I love this! I don't suggest anything I don't like or wouldn't personally do, so it's a thumbs up from me and I say gr8! I have two tone cabinets in my kitchen and also two tone walls in the bathroom... : ))

here you can add a bead to finish the floor but then the skirting is painted on and then the wall colour. You can do exactly the same at picture rail to ceiling if you want to again create another divide.. Perfectly good without the "features" if you don't have them!

One more thing... re the flooring, Linoleum is actually rather cool... So if you do want to have a look... Have a look at Sinclair Till... : ))

http://www.sinclairtill.co.uk/range/linoleum/

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Comments (25)

headers13
8 years ago
Can you add a baton of wood like a dado rail - as there probably would have been one originally. As then I think the two tone would work.
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Helen C
8 years ago
Have a look at this post by Kate Watson-Smyth (recently featured in an article on Houzz)

http://www.madaboutthehouse.com/10-beautiful-rooms-half-painted-walls/

I love half painted walls, very cool!
Heather Welsh
8 years ago
We have painted our walls darker below dado & lighter above & I think it would also look great without a dado. However, we are finding that any scuff marks are actually more obvious on the dark colour compared with the light so I would bear that in mind when you're making your decision (we do love the look of ours though!)
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
8 years ago
A little note on scuffing.. Lacquer or a high gloss on walls can be a good aesthetic in a high traffic area.. It may not be for everyone and indeed not every colour would suit but it is an interesting wall treatment.. Then above can be matt and chalky :))
Heather Welsh
8 years ago
Interesting idea! Something I might think about myself in future, though I love the chalky finish for now!
dianas1505
8 years ago
It is not hard to fix a dark rail. We added one to our boring living room, and it works well, with slightly darker shade below.
annarocks123
8 years ago
I did this in our Victorian conversion flat last September and as we didn't have a dado rail,I painted one. I hope these photos help
lindalovie55
8 years ago
like the idea of painting on a different coloured stripe to mimic a dado rail
lindalovie55
8 years ago
also try a complete length of a faux barcode where dado rail would be
Ludo Gallagher
8 years ago
Yes we did it with farrow and ball pink and it looked awesome.
titiankim
8 years ago
Have you checked what's under the horrid laminate? Might be Minton tiles
weary51 Weere
8 years ago
Add a dado rail and panel it below, then paint the panelling, vertical mdf or go with any design that is simple. As others have said dark colours show up scuff marks etc and yes there are some high end lino (frm Italy) that you can use on the floor but you may have to apply a hardboard or a ply over the laminate before aplying the lino. Then there are laminate tiles, apply 30 x 30 in a diamond pattern black and white
User
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks all for your help. Any ideas on how to get the line straight and crisp? We've tried using good quality (included branded) masking tape before on other things and no matter how careful we are it still seems to looks bit messy. Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks!
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
8 years ago
Hello elg684,

The best way I have found is to peel off the tape carefully before the paint has had time to settle and possibly run. This also prevents the tape sticking as can be prone to do so in a variety of situations! Also if you need to, use a spirit level whilst marking the tape line.. :))
Ludo Gallagher
8 years ago
Use green frog tape
Lauren
8 years ago
I think I can look fantastic. This was also quite a common thing to do in Victorian times in more utilitarian spaces. The key is to get absolutely razor sharp level lines. It could be worth getting a laser level so you know it's the same all around and frog tape for masking off. Make sure it's well stuck down!

White power sockets can spoil the clean look so consider replacing with either black or dark bronze finish ones to help them blend in.
Lauren
8 years ago
You could also consider tying in the paint and covering some of the laminate with a lovely rug like this which picks up on the sort of tile styles you can expect to find in a traditional Victorian hall.

http://www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk/diamond-runner-55637-p.asp
lindalovie55
8 years ago
ludo....what is frog tape?
Lauren
8 years ago
Its a specialist masking tape specifically designed to stop paint seeping under. You can get it at B&Q and most other big DIY/Decorating places.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Frogtape-Multi-Surface-Masking-41-1m/dp/B004QXKFBQ
User
Original Author
8 years ago
And what about radiators? Unfortunately ours is bang in the middle of the hallway - so you think painting it or leaving it white would be better?
Love the idea of the tile-esque designed runner!
Ludo Gallagher
8 years ago
Type frog tape into Amazon. It's a type of painters masking tape formulated to stop paint bleed
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hello elg684,

I like painted rads and you could do yours. Best way is to remove it prime with an all round paint like zinsser bullseye 123 which you can spray for a better finish including inside the rad. Then spray the rad a top coat of your choice. Matching the walls is a good way to blend them especially if they are not a beautiful architectural feature like old Victorian style can be. Of course if you don't want to do that you can find covers that are white stylish if plainer, and easier to paint that a colour of your choice.. :))
Lauren
7 years ago
Hey elg684, wondered if you'd made any headway with this project yet? I'm considering going down a similar route in my hall.
User
Original Author
7 years ago
Hi Lauren,
Not done yet! At the moment planning on painting the whole hall white for a temporary freshen up until we get the time to choose the right colour for the lower part. It's hard to know what will look good without making the space seem too small and dark! Would be keen to see your progress, please us posted!

Half and half painted walls

Amber Jeavons Ltd

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