It has been quite some time since you have seen our home office. Five years ago to be exact. Last year my husband started working from home a couple days of the week, which has been the absolute best. We now get to spend more time together during the day and the kids get more time with him in the evenings. With him spending more time in the home office I wanted to give it a makeover. My vision was to take it in the completely opposite direction, going from white walls and built-ins to black. To successfully pull off such a change I needed to bring in a quality primer to properly prep everything for the new paint. KILZ® recently reached out so now was the perfect time to tackle the office for my husband. When I think of paint primers I think of KILZ® as it’s the one that I have repeatedly turned to for my painting projects because it never lets me down. Cannot wait for you to see our new moody home office with KILZ®!

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Office Before

Office During

Prep

Once everything was removed from the office and built-ins, I dusted and cleaned the built-ins to prep them for paper and painter’s tape. This will ensure you get proper adhesion of the tape and keep you from painting over any debris. Like all the dried drips I found from when my husband’s coffee spilled all over the counter and cabinets.

Primer

For this project I used KILZ® Mold & Mildew. This is and interior and exterior primer that is made specifically for rooms that have high humidity like bathrooms, laundry rooms, etc. In Houston that’s pretty much every room in the house. It will block most medium to heavy stains including ink, marker, and water stains. It’s a fast drying formula with low odor and very low VOC that will offer an amazing base for your paint.

For this project I needed my primer tinted to help me go from white to black paint. KILZ® Mold & Mildew can be tinted. Just tell your paint specialist the final color you will be painting and ask them to tint the primer for you.

Application

An electric HVLP paint sprayer was used to apply the primer to our built-ins, crown moulding, and baseboards. With our paint sprayer I did not have to thin the primer. Check your sprayer’s specifications and adjust according to their recommendations. For the remainder of the ceiling and walls I used a brush and roller. One coat of primer was all I needed to get complete coverage. After one hour you’re able to start adding your topcoat of paint!

Office After

The power of paint never ceases to amaze me! This feels like an entirely different space all together just due to the paint color. To say I am in love is an understatement. Honestly cannot get over the transformation of this room. The new paint feels welcoming and completely envelopes you in the best way.

Paint Color

After spending WAY too much time contemplating which shade of black to go with, I decided on Behr’s Dark Secret. Built-ins, crown, and baseboard are semi-gloss. Walls and ceiling are matte. Could not be more thrilled with the color. Depending on the time of day and where you’re standing in the room it reads creamy black to deep navy. Such a gorgeous chameleon.

Of course the real MVP is the primer. Do not skip this step when painting a room. Your finish and color will be so much more even and rich when you start with a quality primer.

I hope you are getting all sorts of inspiration from our moody home office with KILZ®. Are we in love or are we in love?! I’m going to be adding a comfy chair in here next so I can have a spot to sit and chat while he’s home because I never want to leave this room. He just might try to work from home even more now.

Paint Sources

• Primer – KILZ® Mold & Mildew (grey tint added at paint counter)
• Paint – Behr Dark Secret