Painting Bedroom Closets

[Tony Sivori]

Modest ranch home built in the mid 1950's, so we're talking about small unlighted closets.

I can't decide whether to paint the closet walls the same color as the room, or should I paint the closet white?

I'm leaning toward painting the closet the same color as the room it serves, as it will look more finished and perhaps imply better workmanship. But all white walls would have the advantage of a possibly better lighted closet interior.

Is one of the two choices generally accepted as the right way to do it?

[John Grabowski]

*I vote for white. By the time the closet gets filled with clothes and other things you won't see what color it is anyway. How many people see the inside of your closet?

[Ed Pawlowski]

Can go either way, but white would be my choice. Closets get little dirt or wear so if white, it will always look OK to the rest of the room if you decide to repaint in a few years. You can skip closets at that time.

[aemeijers]

White makes it easier to see the cobwebs, spiders, and mice, and what they leave behind. That may be bad or good, depending on how you live, and SWMBO's sensibilities. If there is a SWBO involved, you're gonna do what she wants anyway, so may as well ask her at the get-go.

Me, I'd go with white, and if I ever get around to redoing the closets here, that is what they will be. They are mostly sorta white already inside, but I'll do them all in a single shade.

-- aem sends...

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, I always paint whole interior with top quality egg shell white. Our WIC is same as bedroom, bathroom. Egg shell white.

[Master Betty]

Whatever you like but I like to use good semi-gloss for easy clean up. Darker colors can hide scuffs.

[Walter R.]

I second that. Anything painted white (think cruise ships) always appears larger than if painted any other color. White (off-white, of course)always looks clean and bright. Bright rooms are more attractive to residents and buyers alike.

White interiors also have the advantage of neutrality. You can hang paintings, wall hangings, antiques etc to decorate your home without having such objects clash with your red walls and blue kitchens.

Keep it simple. Life is too complicated already. (KISS)

[Tony Sivori]

Not many. But I see it every day.

[Tony Sivori]

Agreed. I always thought that scuffed up closet walls look dirty.

[Tony Sivori]

White does seem to be the popular choice.

[Tony Sivori]

Good point, but all white walls make me feel like I'm living inside a ping pong ball. Since I plan to stay, I'm putting some color on the walls. If my plans change and I have or want to move, I can always repaint to off white.

[Tony Sivori]

No mice, thank goodness. Just the occasional small to medium size spider. No SWMBO either, so I only need to suit myself.

I'd always thought of white closets as a less than through paint job. With the only advantage of white is that it makes a small unlighted cubby hole look better lighted. Judging from this thread, I'm in the minority with that opinion.

[SteveBell]

Paint it whatever color you have. If you can finish off a gallon of the room paint, use that. No one will care.

If you use different paint than the room, use glossier paint in the closet. I can't tell you how many closets I've seen with black marks on the wall where someone leaned a folding chair or shoe rack. Flat paint seems to generate marks all by itself.

[Phisherman]

I like white inside a closet. If you leave your closet door open most of the time, I'd use the same color as the room.

[benick]

Yea but those marks usually mean a dent the drywall so touching up is necessary...Most new construction the closets are srayed flat white when spraying the ceiling...Makes touch-ups and painting a breeze when the back wall gets banged up , that being the only wall seen and damaged the most especially by it being used for storage by EVERYONE on the jobsite......A few touch ups with OneTime and touch up the paint and it looks new in minutes with Flat White Ceiling Paint..Try that with Eggshell or Semi-Gloss and matching colors...Plus it makes it look brighter and bigger....FWIW...