Q&A + Project Recap for July

Every month mom and I decided we’re going to go live on our YouTube channel to answer questions we received on projects from the month prior. We figured this would be a fun way to keep the conversation going with our amazing community! Today we’re answering questions on projects that we completed in July!

HOME EXTERIOR

The first set of questions has to do with painting my home exterior. This was our biggest project this month.

QUESTION 1: This is so beautiful! Question: Does the masonry paint allow the brick to breath in the same way the lime wash does? We will likely be painting our brick later this summer and I’m still trying to decide between paint and lime wash. – A Livingston

I received this question more than once. The pros recommend using a paint that is breathable when painting brick. A brick’s surface is naturally porous and absorbs and releases moisture very quickly. When the brick is painted, this exchange is blocked and does not allow water to migrate. This will either causes mold and mildew or the paint to crack over time.

When I painted my first home I chose Romabio Limwash for this exact reason. They do an amazing job explaining how their product is breathable and durable. On their FAQ page, this is what they say about their limewash: “Classico Limewash is an authentic slaked lime paint, handcrafted in Italy with lime from the Dolomite Mountains. It is a specially formulated limewash that calcifies and hardens to absorbent, unpainted brick, stone, or masonry surfaces providing a breathable, permeable, yet durable finish with artistic flexibility.”

I honestly loved the product when I used it but they recommend applying it with their masonry brush so I did this and it took 4 days, 4 people, and 15 gallons of limewash. The end results were great and the paint has held up GREAT over the years.

I was going to use Romabio again but I wanted to use a sprayer because the brush simply took too long. On their FAQ page, it does say that limewash can be sprayed but I couldn’t find any videos or blogs showing someone doing it. I personally like to take on products after someone else has done it so I can bypass some of the troubleshooting.

Romabio also makes masonry paint but they don’t sell it locally and I didn’t want to wait to get it tented and delivered to my house so I went with the best option locally to me.

This is why I chose Behr Masonry Paint. I loved that it was easy to find tons of reviews, tips, and projects others had taken on. Their website does describe the paint as breathable, “This extremely durable, mildew & dirt resistant waterproofing finish has superior elasticity & elongation properties to resist cracking. It withstands 98 mph wind-driven rain. The 100% acrylic latex formula provides a breathable film, releasing moisture that builds in walls.” This paint worked great with the sprayer and I love the end result.

So this was kind of a long answer, but in short, yes I chose breathable paint. Is it the most breathable paint for brick on the market? No, but I’m confident that with the prep work I did it will hold up.

I LOVE how the house turned out ..It’s gorgeous!! I would love to see your shutter video too. I’ve been hand staining a solid stain on our wood siding and it took me over a month to do the front alone. Do you think a sprayer would work with solid stain on wood siding? I also just made wood shutters for our house too. Sounds like we have a lot in common. – WhiteOakInteriorStudio

Yes! The Wagner Control Pro 130 can be used for stains! I haven’t used it for that purpose but I’ve seen YouTube videos where people do and the results are great.

You have inspired me to work on outside painting. The question I have and maybe you can answer or one of your subscribers, what colour do you paint eavestrough? Do you match it to window trim colour do you try to make it blend so it does not stick out? HELP! – Karen Hudgin

I would find inspiration for elevations and use the color combinations you’re most drawn to. I love the color suggestions in this blog post from Room for Tuesday!

I left everything but my brick the original color because I didn’t want to paint all the siding. It goes really high in the pitch of the roof and I knew it would be a challenge to get that high so we chose a paint color that I felt would go with the color of my siding. I also have the intention to build a second story on my house. It might be 5 years from now but I didn’t want to do a project that I would basically rip out at some point in time if I didn’t have to.

If you read the full blog post for the project you’ll see my tips on picking the color for your brick!

ABOUT US

Before youtube, what was your previous line of work (both of you) and education/degrees? – Kimberly Novak

Mom and I love that we get to call YouTube and blogging our full-time jobs! We started Farmhouse Living over 6 years ago and the blogging component of it was definitely a hobby but now it’s become the primary thing we do.

Before Farmhouse Living I was a social media manager for small businesses. I took clients from retail stores to service-based businesses and helped them market themselves online. Before that, I worked for a company that built apps for cities almost like a modern version of yellow pages. I went to the University of Texas at Austin for Advertising with a minor in business and I’ve always loved social media!

My mom has been a stay-at-home mom most of my life, but she decorated her own home and helped friends as a hobby! She even contracted a complete new build home by herself to save money when I was in middle school. She’s always loved creating home, hosting, and entertaining. Although she has no formal training I would say she’s a real pro with her years and years of practice.

With my experience in social media and my mom’s experience in home design, Farmhouse Living was born!

What are some of your regrets in decorating? – Naida Anstey

My biggest design regret is definitely my vent hood in my new home. It wasn’t really the design that I regret but that I wasn’t bold enough to speak up and have my contractor redo his mistake. I created a rendering and provided multiple inspiration photos and he just did his own thing. I didn’t want crown molding at the top and he put GIANT crown molding. I wanted the top to have a slight curve but it was fat and straight.

At installation, I knew it wasn’t right but I just was nervous to speak up and tried to work with it. I took the crown molding off and had a guy come out and build it up and put a coat of mud on it so it looked like it was plaster or something. This made it worse. At the end of the day, I tore it out and had a new one built by a new cabinet guy. Now I LOVE it and it has great function. The lesson to be learned here is to speak up when something doesn’t seem right and don’t live with the mistakes too long. I waited a year to have it fixed and I couldn’t stand my kitchen.

Below you’ll see pictures of the rendering, the original hood, and then the modification we made. In the photo with the original hood, we had not put the tile back splash in yet because I hadn’t decided what I was going to do to make it work so I didn’t want to invest in tile. Then when we tried to plaster it and make it work we tiled it. I only have a photo from Christmas because I didn’t really like to share it.

Then you’ll see the new vent. It’s more traditional but goes great with the kitchen and I love it.

RENDERING I MADE FOR CABINET MAKER

This inspiration for Amber Interiors was my inspo to “make it work. Clearly the sides of it was too thick to make the look work.

FINAL FIX

PAINT COLORS

Is it ok to paint ceilings extra white and the rest of the house Alabaster (walls and trim) ? – Natalie Puerto

I wouldn’t because Alabaster is a warmer white and Extra white is cooler so the undertones of each color are going to show really harsh next to each other. Alabaster next to a cooler color can look yellowish but independently it’s a stunning color. Mom and I both have all of our main spaces painted Alabaster.

We recommend painting the ceilings flat and the walls satin but the same color. I do love a ceiling treatment like shiplap, wood beams, or even wallpaper. Sometimes a really fun dark color can make a pop but for the most part, we like to keep the ceilings the same color.

We have an entire blog post on finding the perfect white paint if you’d like some more inspiration there.

RUGGABLE

How do you wash a rug that size in a washing machine? – Joy Hansen Young

We have 3 Ruggables and I get this question at least ten times a day. Here’s the deal. We have to take the rugs to the Laundry Mat, but that’s because we have front loaders. Most people say if you have a top loader they fit. But if that’s a deal breaker for you, I just want to say that we don’t have to take them often. We take them when things have gotten really out of hand like Quinn coloring all over the one in the playroom. To me, the highest benefit of Ruggable is NOT that you can fit the entire rug in a washing machine but that they spot clean SO WELL! Stains release so good with barely any effort with a Ruggable. We’re huge fans and I am not paid to say this.

Here is Ruggable’s answer, “Hi, Joy! All of our rugs are designed with home washing machines in mind. The Rug Cover, once removed from the underlying Rug Pad, can fit comfortably in a standard or large capacity top or front load washer (with or without an agitator). To see what sizes/styles your washer is compatible with, please visit the following link: https://myruggable.com/washing-machine-guide

I hope you enjoyed this month’s Q&A! If you have any questions for next month or just want to chat be sure to leave them in the comments below. We love hearing from you!

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