Painting-What color would light in the hallway without too many coats?

My husband is standing in the hallway and behind him is the doors where the stackable washer and dryer would be so that's the utility closet but as you can see all around him the walls are that dark black chocolate. What color would light in the hallway without it taking so many coats of paint?
This small portion of wall I wanted to put a gold metallic just so it would be a little bit brighter. You cannot see it from the living room from the front door. You could only see it when you're coming out of the pink room. We are moving into this house in 3 weeks I will have a chance to paint the walls before we move. Any thoughts on that??
This is the small wall. I wanted to put gold metallic paint on. Any thoughts??
I'm hoping the owners take the decals off the wall. What color would you choose for this room as a guest room?
What is a good color this year and covering this whole entire room. That is an ugly pink to me. This is going to be a guest room. My grandchildren will stay in there when they come to visit my mother will come in there when she come to visit
What color please. I'm also going to paint all the wood trim White.
  9 answers
  • Terri Whittaker Terri Whittaker on Mar 11, 2018

    Any paint job for walls requires at least two coats, no matter what One-Coat paints claim. Add at least one more coat for a really good base primer to cover the dark paint. Skipping the primer may very well result in more thn4-5 coats of pint to block the dark colour. However, if you only want to lighten it to a tab colour, it may be easier. All depends on how light the new paint colour will be.


    You could also go for a wall covering...shiplap...wallpaper?

  • Kiturah Humphrey Kiturah Humphrey on Mar 11, 2018

    I like the gold metallic. I note that home depot ppg metallics comes in lighter shades of gold all the way to silver. The iridescent oyster is a very pale gold.

    • Sharon Manning Livella Sharon Manning Livella on Mar 11, 2018

      Thank you for the input. I did not know that the gold came in a lighter shade. I have dealt with the silver metallic I came across the house a while back that had a dark blue and I took a little bit of white mixed it with the silver and it turned out beautiful. I will check into the lighter gold color thank you so much

  • -Donna -Mason -Donna -Mason on Mar 11, 2018

    I think there are 2 great colors for a guest room that would work for any age guest..a medium yellow...muted..which is cozy and adds light..or a sage green..where it feels a bit like you brought the outdoors inside. The green is almost a neutral and would go with just about any color.

    • Sharon Manning Livella Sharon Manning Livella on Mar 11, 2018

      Thank you. I have sisters who are great with decorating combinations of colors. And they're not able to help me that's why I was asking anyone's input on what color they would make that that is a great help. I was told that gray of all shades are in this year. Are they?

  • Eroque022810 Eroque022810 on Mar 11, 2018

    I would use a stark optic white gloss good quality paint,my go to paint is Sherwin William. And do trim in the same so you don't have a lot of different colors in a small tight space. Keep it clean and neutral. I would not go gold. Although it would be fine in an area with a lot of natural light to bounce off you don't have that and in my opinion it will look out of place. If you wanted the decals removed you should have added that in your contract as well as money to have home painted or have them hire someone. It's to late but there may be a next time. I love the dark walls.

    • See 1 previous
    • Eroque022810 Eroque022810 on Mar 11, 2018

      Good I'm glad to hear that and I hope for the best for your in your new home.

  • Kiturah Humphrey Kiturah Humphrey on Mar 11, 2018

    I love those metallic paints and am painting an apartment with few windows in all metallic paints. The PPG from home depot is the same as the ralph lauren they used to sell, and I have liked them.

  • M. M.. M. M.. on Mar 11, 2018

    Beware of metallics that may make the walls appear darker because they will reflect dark as well as light. Why not hang a long mirror with a wide metallic frame there, and use the hallway as a place to check your look, full length??

  • 1401470 1401470 on Mar 11, 2018

    a nice light gray would be pretty and if you go with a behr paint you can get the primer mixed and you should be good with 1 or 2 coats.

  • Shore grandmom Shore grandmom on Mar 11, 2018

    As far as the dark colors, cover the brown and gold with a good primer then probably two coats of the color of your choice. As for the dark hall, I have done a pale yellow in a stairwell and hall with that had no natural light. I did another stairwell and hall in a pale sage green.

    For the guest room, why not pick out bedding and play off of a color in that. Just keep it a light color.

    I'm not a fan of the fad of painting everything grey, but it's your home. Paint it colors that make you feel happy and content.

    Good luck with your new home. May you have many happy, healthy years there.