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Just curious as to what people are using and why? Bright white? Off white? Glossy? Matte?

I paint all of my walls white—basic white (semigloss). I like the light in the room. It makes it easier to see. That’s particularly useful in the shop. And, there’s never any question what touchup paint to use. The semigloss holds up well—you can clean it without wiping it off. (And, we never have to change furniture to match the walls.)

You’re probably looking more for feedback from folks not in home shops, but when I reconfigured my shop I put up some white paneling and white control wall modules. This little corner of the shop is very bright and I enjoy it a lot more than before. It’s weird how much of a mental effect it has. Still no windows though.





This end of the shop is how the whole thing used to be, with open studs and insulation. I may put the paneling up everywhere, if I decide to stay here long(er) term.



I used white panels for the spray booth for the same reason and it has worked out well.

Brad


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That’s a fine looking shop! I worked with no windows for nearly 20 years. When I did a shop mod and finally uncovered one it was very uptick in morale.

I’m a bit concerned with full white possibly being too bright. Probably semigloss will help in not being overbearingly bright…

As a retired painting contractor I would suggest a warm off white as opposed to a pure or cold white. They can be a little stark and cold feeling, but a warm white is easier on the eyes and sets a calmer mood. It will also be more compatible with the natural wood tones. Any sheen above a flat works well for dusting off the walls without marking, and an eggshell for instance has a softer glow than harsher semi gloss or gloss, which can feel kind of industrial, and is easier to touch up when needed without showing.

I’ve always used satin Antique white. I find pure white to be a bit much. The Antique white because it is a stock color and cheaper than getting something mixed.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I'm currently without a shop until I get around to finishing my basement remodel but have been pondering this exact question. I moved form a dingy unfinished area of a basement to a room with finished Drywall a dozen years ago and I was amazed at how much better I felt with brighter painted walls. It was just more relaxing. That shop was painted a color very similar to the yellow on this site where it says subscribe topic. . . at the beginning of each thread. When I moved, the new shop space was already that light gray color that everyone seemed to start paining their interiors 5 years ago. It was fine but not as soothing. I think, at least for me, all white would be too much.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

It's perhaps worth saying that a too bright workspace is a combination of the wall colour and the temperature and power of the lighting. I recently installed a LED strip, replacing a dead fluorescent tube and chose much too high a temperature. I can live with it but I will be more careful next time!

Cheers Dave

Much worth saying, thanks. Lights are a follow up question. I am concerned about too bright as new space has two 4x10 windows south facing. Probably wont even need overheads most of the time…

This is an important issue if you deal with colors. Having worked half of my life as a painter in a body shop it is impossible to match (or judge) colors unless you are using Daylight (Kelvin temperature of 5000K) bulbs. I prided myself for being able to tint colors to match perfectly and lighting is the key to being able to see color correctly.



The color of your walls must be added into the equation because it will be reflected into your shop. So if you use daylight bulbs but have you walls painted yellow then you defeat the reason to have daylight bulbs.

Here is an example: I once got a job at a shop that had a "theme paint scheme" The entire shop was painted with yellow on the upper half and blue on the lower half with a red line between the two colors. I was hired because the old painter couldn't match colors I told them why he couldn't match anything and I had them re-paint the walls white before I would even start working.

Not to say that finishing wood needs perfect lighting but you will not be able to see the natural color of the wood because you will be casting blue or yellow (cool or warm) light onto your work.

Also, blue light is known to cause eye strain and yellow light has a tendency to seem dingy.

So needless to to say I prefer daylight bulbs and neutral white walls but it all comes down to what your own personal preferences


Cheers
Bob

I’m gonna have a ton of natural light through a pair of 4x10 windows…

White! Our shop(s) including my home shop are used for a lot of photography and video work so we want lots of reflected light.

We also use different temp bulbs and find that we can see better with a mixture of different temp fixtures.

I'll add that these days there are significant reasons to want a shop lighting to be efficient from a cost and planet view point. White walls help maximize minimal lighting and when we turn up the lights we can see all we need to see.

As a lifelong photographer I couldn’t agree more with what Bob says.


Pierre
Guitares Torvisse

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Pierre Castonguay