Category: Pool House

Last Thursday and Friday, to prep for priming and painting the pool house ceiling, I carefully masked off the two beams and the six skylights my short T-Rex arms could reach.  I took my time on the beams, first getting masking tape tightly along the edge, then following up with a plastic wrapping.

The thought/possibility of getting paint on the beams had me biting my nails with concern, because it would mean sanding and trying to feather in the stain.  Or even completely resanding and staining.  As a side note, we realized not all plastic masking films are created equal.  Unlike cheaper film, paint doesn’t flake off of this one, even after a few coats, making clean up a breeze.

With the beams and skylights covered, we threw drop cloths over tools and stapled more plastic sheeting over the windows to protect from overspray.  Saturday after lunch, we started spray priming the ceiling.  Watching is like instant gratification because the process goes so quickly.  Like an hour to prime everything quickly.

This isn’t our first time painting fresh wood, so we’ve learned a good primer is a crucial element.  Though it is far stinkier, we used a good oil based primer from Sherwin Williams.  Having used it in the past, we know it blocks stains and the tannins in the wood, preventing the annoying bleed through.

We got lucky with a gorgeous 70 degree day, so we opened windows and doors to speed up the drying process and help air out.

After cleaning up the sprayer, Ben looked at the 15 gallons of paint.  That’s when he noticed a slight problem.  He had ordered satin, but was given gloss.  Generally speaking, I’m just not a fan of gloss paints, especially in this instance.  A call to the store, followed by a trip in with the big buckets, and the helpful folks exchanged the paint for the correct sheen.  Which allowed us to get painting Sunday.

Ben sprayed while I followed behind, touching up and drips or thick spots.  Unfortunately, it rained off and on, so the drying process took a lot longer.  After finishing touch ups, Ben carefully peeled off the plastic wrapping the beams.

Whew, not a single drop, splash, or drip on them.

And the ceiling looks amazing.  It’s exactly as I pictured in my head and really lightens up the entire room.

Going from an unfinished Photoshopped image:

To reality:

Ben still has some lights to install, but then we should be able to remove the scaffolding.  Eek, it will be so great/strange to see the entire ceiling from below.

If you split the space into four parts, the ceiling, floor, walls, and pool, we’re a quarter of the way finished.  Next up, removing the tile, which should be great fun.

As we near the end of the tongue and groove pool house ceiling install, I’m trying to pin down the exact finish.  When new and protected, pine looks bright, but over time, with exposure to sunlight, it darkens and yellows.

That’s never been a wood tone I like, so stain is necessary to over ride those natural undertones.  As is the case with all of our material selections for this space, we want an interior look but need exterior grade finishes due to the splashing and possibility of humidity.

I started searching for an exterior oil based color that had a bit of both brown and gray, but wasn’t too dark.  Something along the lines of this:

Sherwin Williams applied two store samples to a board as a starting point.  On the left is Weathered Gray, the center is Banyan Brown.

Weathered Gray was entirely too gray and read very cold, with blue undertones.  Banyan Brown was darker and still too yellow.  Neither were what I wanted, so I checked out Lowe’s and Home Depot.  Lowe’s had an Olympic color, Madrone, that kind of fit the bill.  Compared to the other two samples, shown on the right above, it was more of a blend.  To get a more accurate idea of the color, I selected a variety of scrap pieces to stain, creating a large sample.

Yes, it was better, but still looked a bit too yellow.  I wasn’t sold and neither was Ben, even when I held the pieces up against the ceiling and he viewed from below.

All along, my fall back option was to paint the planks white, while staining the beams.  It’s a simple and classic look, something especially crucial in this situation as this ceiling is completely inaccessible without scaffolding.  We also have painted tongue and groove throughout our home, so we know we like it.  Images like the following have only reaffirmed my belief.

Photo by Bartelt

Most elements planned for this room will be simple and neutral, carrying the slate floors from the kitchen around the pool deck.  A shot of wood tone via the beams will add a tremendous amount of warmth and interest, without the feeling of a lower ceiling.  Add the flood of natural light through the windows, doors, and skylights and I’m picturing a private year-round oasis.