Commercial Painting · Jun 2021
School: classrooms with blue wainscot and an office
School: classrooms with blue wainscot and an office. These are before, in-progress and after photos from the job, taken Jun 2021. This commercial painting project was done by Larry Gaytos and the My Personal Painter crew. We are based in Florence, Kentucky, and our work is covered by a 2-year touch-up warranty.
Before and After Photos
School Classrooms Repainted With Light Blue Beadboard Wainscot and Radiator Covers
This school job covered classrooms and an office. The photos show busy rooms with drop ceilings, ceiling fans, mounted projectors and tall windows with navy curtains. Before painting, desks, cubbies, shelves and a play house were pushed to the center of each room, and much of it was wrapped in black plastic. Clear plastic was taped over every whiteboard, chalkboard and bulletin board. Canvas drop cloths ran along the walls, and blue tape lined the base where the carpet meets the wainscot. The lower walls are beadboard wainscot with a chair rail, and the in-progress photos show white patch spots where dings were filled on the old blue paint. In the after photo the upper walls are a clean off-white. The beadboard, chair rail and the long radiator covers under the windows are a soft light blue. The window trim is white, and the room is ready for students again.
Our Process for Painting Occupied School Classrooms
- We moved desks, cubbies and shelving to the middle of each room and wrapped them in plastic so teachers’ supplies stayed clean and in place.
- Clear plastic was taped over whiteboards, chalkboards, bulletin boards and projectors, and drop cloths went down along every wall on the carpet.
- We taped the base of the wainscot at the carpet line and removed or covered the outlet plates, wall vents and wall-mounted speakers in each room.
- Dents and dings in the beadboard and walls were filled and sanded smooth. You can see the white patch spots on the blue wainscot.
- The upper walls were rolled with off-white, cutting in carefully at the chair rail, window trim and the edges of the dropped ceiling grid.
- We brushed and rolled light blue onto the beadboard wainscot, chair rail and radiator covers, working paint into the grooves so no lines were missed.
- After the final coat, we pulled the plastic and tape, cleaned up and set furniture back so each room was ready for staff to return.
Paint Colors Similar to This Classroom's Blue Wainscot
Here are similar colors to consider for a light blue wainscot and off-white walls like these, but they are not the exact colors used in this school.
Sherwin-Williams Rainwashed SW 6211
A soft blue with a hint of green, close in feel to this beadboard and radiator cover color and calm enough for a classroom.
Sherwin-Williams Morning Fog SW 6255
A muted blue-gray that would give the wainscot a slightly deeper tone while still hiding scuffs better than white.
Sherwin-Williams Creamy SW 7012
A warm off-white near the upper walls in this classroom, and it keeps the room bright under fluorescent ceiling lights.
Questions About Painting School Classrooms
Can classrooms be painted without emptying the room?
Often, yes. Furniture can be grouped in the center and wrapped, and boards and screens can be covered in plastic. This saves the staff from packing up a whole room. Rooms with a lot of fixed items take longer to prep, so planning around school breaks helps.
What sheen works best for classroom walls?
Busy rooms do well with an eggshell or satin finish on walls, since they wipe clean better than flat paint. Wainscot, chair rails and radiator covers take more bumps, so a satin or semi-gloss is common there. Washable finishes make it easier to keep rooms looking fresh between repaints.
Why paint the lower wall a different color?
A mid-tone color on the lower wall hides scuffs from chairs, backpacks and hands far better than white. A chair rail gives a clean break between the two colors. It also makes touch-ups easier, since only the lower section usually needs attention between full repaints.
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