Comments on: A Red Wall?!

By: Erika Mulvenna

Erika Mulvenna — Mon, 28 May 2018 12:48:50 +0000

You go Mary! No ideas on reputable painters, best of luck on that search. So happy to read your updates, and one day in the near Chicago future I’d love to catch up with you in real life!

By: Mary Dusenberry

Mary Dusenberry — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 14:41:37 +0000

I wallpapered our dining room with Red silk ! Still love it. Paint can be changed! Ask friends in your neighborhood for referrals!

By: Judy Mischke

Judy Mischke — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 13:01:15 +0000

Can’t wait to see it, Mary! My while house was painted in neutral colors. I decided, a few years ago, to go totally wild in my kitchen! I painted the walls red and the curtains bright yellow. I found a perfect red and yellow fabric and made valances and small appliance covers. I get a lot of compliments on my bright kitchen! (It also has a picture window and four regular windows and it’s not a large kitchen!!!)

By: Cindy M

Cindy M — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:03:24 +0000

I have an Alabama Crimson Tide-themed media room. My plan was to paint the walls and ceiling dark gray. My son-in-law talked me into painting the ceiling red (based on a Pinterest picture). I doubted it, but bought the paint. It looks awesome! Something I never thought I’d do, but I love it. Go for the red wall, you’re going to love it!

By: Mary D

Mary D — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 05:21:04 +0000

I love red also. When I bought my first home, I had to have a red front door. Life would not have been right without one.

By: Nadine Donovan

Nadine Donovan — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 22:01:36 +0000

Ha! I have been saying for awhile now that I want to paint one of my bedroom walls. Red! Love it!

By: Cara

Cara — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 18:44:49 +0000

By far, the best painters I’ve used are a handyman service that has a lady who just does the painting (and they had no problem just doing a little project for me) and a local guy who wanders around town with his ladder and tarps to paint as asked. Unless you’re doing a whole house, I’d skip the painting companies.

By: Glenda

Glenda — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 17:53:00 +0000

I love chalk painting and anyone can do it. Got some furniture that needs updated. Red is the hardest to get on well, blue is the hardest to cover up. I told you my sister has people in your area. Let me know.

By: Jain Barrett

Jain Barrett — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 17:27:16 +0000

Mary, that sounds great!
A few thoughts about hiring someone to paint. (I work as a designer and construction coordinator in residential remodeling and custom home building) Mary Fons Red is both Dark and Bold… and when painted over a lighter wall, if not done properly, can “ghost”. That is, you may see stripes of the lighter shade coming through. So, don’t despair, just make sure that your handyman/painter is willing to
1) use a properly tinted primer, and
2) two good coats of the final paint.
=) That’s three coats in total.
Some will tell you that the paint they will be using is an upgrade and is designed for one-coat application. Hmm. Maybe not when painting dark red over white?

When interviewing your contractor, make sure you know in advance if they are willing to move any furniture or items that you cannot move yourself. And will they move them back in place afterward? Basically, have them tell you what they expect from YOU so there are no surprises.

And if it matters to you, find out if they will use a sprayer or a roller and brush. (I vote for a roller and brush in this situation.)

By: Janet

Janet — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 16:29:39 +0000

Red? Love it!

Christopher Lowell has said that if you can dress yourself you can design a room. I agree, but I know a lot of people who are terrified of even trying. They really don’t know what they are missing. I’m still (?) getting used to the idea of neutrals being not just whites and greys but navy. All that aside, i Love Color. I tend toward deeper hues, but pastels are okay too. Anything – and I mean ANYTHING other than plain white walls that came with the house.

As for getting the job done – don’t you have a few relatives who can give you a couple of hours during the weekend in return for a meal? 🙂

Good luck – Great Job! And I really would love to know what Mary Fons Red looks like.

By: Georgia O'Neal

Georgia O'Neal — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 16:02:02 +0000

I LOVE color – that’s one reason I love quilting – Nothing bad can come from having a red wall !! Go for it !!!

By: Caralie G.

Caralie G. — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 15:13:37 +0000

I’m first and foremost a pink-loving person but I really, really love my red bathroom. It’s the main bathroom downstairs, not a small secondary one. Gotta go bold once in awhile! Go for it, girl!

By: AJ

AJ — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 14:12:35 +0000

No advice on painters as we have always done that ourselves. As for that red wall, go for it! I made a move I hated a handful of years ago due to my spouse’s job and struggled in my new environment. To say that I felt unhappy, restless, and unsettled would be an understatement. I tried at least a dozen different paint shades for my living room before the heavens parted and the perfect color for the space just jumped out at me from all of those little cards at the paint store. I am still living with that smoky, sexy amethyst room and have never regretted it. As for where I live? I don’t like it any better five years later (actually, I like it even less) but I have a killer living room that I feels like a space I belong in no matter where it happens to be in the world.

P.S. Incidentally, purple is not my signature color but it fits the space I am in. I realize that is probably a pretty telling commentary about the position I find myself in and my relationship to where I live. Not quite sure how to describe it. Adapt or die seems overly dramatic. Bloom where you are planted is not accurate at all and sounds extremely Pollyanna, sugary, and trite. Suffice it to say that sometimes a paint color is much more than just a paint color.

By: Mary Spriet

Mary Spriet — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:31:42 +0000

If you can’t find a painter or have to alter your decision, why not go with big RED accents. Maybe paint an old dresser, or other piece of furniture a nice bright RED, or the trim around a window, etc…. My kitchen is mainly blue & white, but I love my red accents. When I was finally able to purchase a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, I got RED. For me personally, a little red goes a long way. But, have fun with it, even if you don’t get a whole wall done!

By: Barbara

Barbara — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:14:14 +0000

My daughter painted her den red, and they call it the ‘red room.’

By: Dayna Williamson

Dayna Williamson — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 12:55:56 +0000

We have a red wall in the “Scottie Room” guest room. It is where I at one time tried to gather all the scottish terrier collectibles but somehow they have oozed out under the door and throughout the house again just like the slime from movies of old.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 12:08:38 +0000

I have no idea what it will cost, but hubby and i painted an entire room red in one of our apartments. It was grand! 12 ft ceilings snd red! It was red for years after we moved out. You could see the glow from the street when we drove by.
Go red!

By: Paula Nadelstern

Paula Nadelstern — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 12:05:43 +0000

In our first apartment in Washington Heights, NYC, we had a red wall with red Venetian blinds. 1970-73.

By: Bethany

Bethany — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 11:57:43 +0000

I have a red wall, I love it. It does need a redo, it’s a bit faded. But, you are wise to hire this out. Red can be a difficult color to get on the wall without it looking streaky or thin. You really need to use a good dark tint primer. You’re going to love it.

By: Emilio

Emilio — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 10:27:13 +0000

Come and visit my red wall anytime! Also, please don’t miss this book: How to Use Your Eyes Paperback
by James Elkins

By: Jennifer Reinke

Jennifer Reinke — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 09:23:24 +0000

I love it! Be bold Mary–go for it!

By: Kerry

Kerry — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 08:18:00 +0000

Having had the worst decorator ever – and she was recommended – I had to sand down the enormous drip marks. Horizontal lines of marks. She slapped the paint on and it cracked as it dried. Worst still we had new plaster and that was super and she spoilt it! So I also had to repaint the damaged areas.
After that nightmare I went onto a search engine that the tradesmen join and hope to generate more business by being rated by their customers – the higher the points the better the quality workmanship. Since getting in people via that method we’ve been really happy with the results – and less stress. We had 3 people to come and quote for us and chose the person who we felt was more in tune to what we wanted. After all, I wanted someone to do a job faster and better than I could.
Good luck with your decorator.
A little anecdote for you. My grandfather was a painter and decorator doing a lot of work at the film studios in and around London. My father answered a knock at their house door, opened it and came face to face with Charles Laughton! He wanted my grandfather to paint his house having seen his work at the studios! Actually he’d probably be turning in his grave with my decorating ways – although much better compared with the lady we had!

By: Judy Forkner

Judy Forkner — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 07:37:56 +0000

Can’t wait to see it!

By: Brenda King

Brenda King — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 07:10:59 +0000

Mary- I too love saturated colors, and red shades are my favorite also! Make sure your painters are licensed and bonded. That way, if there are problems, they have insurance to cover whatever the problem is. (We learned this the hard way!) Don’t bother checking Better Business Bureau. They will give out good reports according to how much the company pays them! Take care, and good luck with your glorious new RED wall! Brenda King Bend, Oregon

By: Colleen

Colleen — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 04:12:44 +0000

Buy a new dishwasher instead

By: Mary Lu

Mary Lu — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 02:18:30 +0000

3 of my 4 sewing room walls are red. Love them but maybe not the best color for a sewing room. Still I keep them and enjoy them! Yay for your red wall!!!!

By: Jeanann

Jeanann — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 02:05:48 +0000

I <3 "Mary Fons red."

By: Smg

Smg — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 02:01:15 +0000

I fear it will be difficult to hire a painter at a reasonable price to paint a single wall. Even a big one. You may need to go the handyman route.

By: Cindy Moore

Cindy Moore — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 01:18:43 +0000

I'm from Nebraska, home of the Huskers!! Our cheer is....... "GO BIG RED" !!!!! So Mary........GO BIG RED