I'll be moving to a new home soon, with a much bigger shop. The previous owners used it as a gameroom, and the walls are painted a sage green color. I'm planning to repaint before moving in. Is there a "best" color for the walls of a woodshop?
Well red or dark brown will cover the blood spatters better if you are prone to those type of problems. Still got all 10?
Otherwise, white gloss will be bright and washable.
Gawd, those Wreckers can be mean, eh?
Bright White eggshell.
You'll need all the light you can get if you want to do some serious sanding and finishing.
Jeeeez, you guys... why so mean??.... now I have to clean my keyboard again....
Gloss will give you a headache.
You have two (2) chances of ever washing those walls, slim and none.
Stick to light shade flat or at most, semi-gloss.
Off white(AKA: Egg shell) or light green come to mind for walls.
Off white for ceiling.
Lew
Lew
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote in news:4504f5bf-d447-4b45-970a-f9f016172e96 @s27g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:
For my model workshop, I went with masking tape yellow (close to it) on the walls and a grey on the floor. The cieling's white, with a few drops of the wall yellow mixed in. My idea was to provide a uniform color that I wasn't likely to encounter in my tools, and reflect the natural light from outside without blinding me.
Puckdropper
I also wonder how many folks who mention washability of paint for shop walls have ever actually washed the walls.
something light but not too bright. Pure white is too "glaring" for my taste- I like off white better. Of course, if you are going to be doing a lot of splattering type stuff (like behind the lathe), either a drop cloth or a less obviously stained color might be better.
I have to admit that the walls of my shop are raw chipboard - random shades of woody brown. The cieling is unfinished drywall, and the floor is advantec (waterproof structural plywood). I never bothered to paint anything. Of course, I also have a window roughly every 10' on three sides (shop is
40x55"), so I get lots of natural light.I do all of my detail work in the center of the shop, where I can use the antural light, plus the overheads if needed, and spot lighting when I need that.
In my opini0on the critical factors are light and maintenability, and lets face it, once the shop is set up, the last thing that ever gets done is maintenance..
-JD
Count me in the camp of the eggshell / off white camp. My shop is painted a satin off white which reflects the light well.
The other advantage is that the sawdust matches the wall color closely enough that it eliminates the need to wash the walls ;0)
Bill
Totally agree about not using glossy finish. You want light, not glare. While a matt finish gives the softest ambient light it dusts up quickly and isn't as easy to blow off with compressed air as semi-gloss.
Don't go with white white - but rather an off white - say Navajo White or Autum Wheat. Much easier on the eye yet bounces back plenty of light without glare.
Color can be a tricky thing - the color given off by your lighting, the floor, walls and ceiling. It's hard to see the actual color of things you're finishing under indoor light. Add walls that have much color in them at all and the piece that looks great in the shop looks weird in the house,
And while on paint and colors - if you have a concrete floor - paint it with epoxy paint with a little fine sand for traction - epoxy paint makes for a lot of slipping and sliding otherwise. If you can find it in tan or beige you'll find that preferable to gray. Stuff that falls on the floor is easier to find on tan or beige.
ramble mode off
charlie b
You should prefer a gloss or semigloss paint on the walls, because they will scrape a hunk of your latest project, and you don't want them to leave a mark. Flat paint is less strong, will rub off on the plywood or cherry some day while you're stacking or hauling.
If there's any unpainted wood or concrete, definitely put a coat on (urethane or epoxy paint for concrete) because the porous building material can harbor moisture and let it loose at inopportune times and rust things. Paint won't stop moisture, but it will slow it enough to give ventilation a chance.
Closest I come is the occasional swipe with a bench brush.
White, but not a brilliant white. Your shop will not be seen by Martha and most of the walls will be covered up anyway. Durable baseboards with enamel paint is a very good idea too.
Well, if he paints his tools bright pink he won't have any problems with folks trying to borrow or steal them.
Closer than me!
Boat builders like to use chrushed walnut shells for non-skid.
Sprinkle on wet epoxy, let cure, then sweep up excess.
Consider a light sand color for the floor.
Lew
Boat builders like crushed walnut shells for non-skid.
Sprinkle on wet epoxy, when cured, sweep up excess.
Consider a light sand color for floor.
Lew
This is included in the "slim" category - I washed the walls of the shop at the previous house before we put it up for sale.
John
Fri, Dec 28, 2007, 9:49pm (EST+5) snipped-for-privacy@nobody.com (Phisherman) doth sayeth: White, but not a brilliant white. Your shop will not be seen by Martha and most of the walls will be covered up anyway. Durable baseboards with enamel paint is a very good idea too.
Oh yes, brilliant white. BECAUSE most of the walls will be covered up anyway. You want as much white to shine thru as possible. It'll dimm up enough with dust as times goes by anyway. Latex, not enamel. And paint the floor and ceiling too.
And, if you really want a spiffy shop, paint all your tools yellow. Makes it cheery (proven medical fact), and people tend not to borrow painted tools. Bright yellow.
JOAT If you can read this you're in range.
The day we moved out of our flatlander house (the shop was gone), Maggy pulled her car into the (now) garage, parked it, and took a picture. Sweet. mahalo, jo4hn
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