Project Overview / Scope
Complete Painting was brought in to transform a room inside a 100-year-old home in Avon, Ohio, combining extensive plaster restoration with a dramatic new color palette. The project included repairing and skim coating the original plaster-and-lath walls, properly priming the restored surfaces, and changing the walls from Sherwin-Williams Sage Green to a bold Deep Maroon.
The transformation also extended to the ceiling, which went from traditional flat white to Sherwin-Williams Orchid. With deep, distinctive colors being used throughout the room, careful surface preparation, tinted primers, multiple finish coats, and precise application techniques were essential to achieving a smooth, consistent finish.
The result was a complete transformation that gave the historic room a bold new personality while creating a properly restored foundation for additional improvements planned throughout the home.
Client: Residential Homeowner in Avon, OH
Project: Interior Painting
Completion Date: September 2026
The Challenge
Painting a room in a 100-year-old home is rarely as simple as changing the color on the walls.
For this Avon, Ohio home, the homeowners wanted to completely transform the look and feel of the space. The walls had previously been painted Sherwin-Williams Sage Green with a traditional flat white ceiling. The new vision was much bolder: Sherwin-Williams Deep Maroon for the walls and Orchid for the ceiling.
Before we could think about applying those dramatic new colors, however, we needed to address the condition of the original surfaces.
Because the home is approximately 100 years old, the room featured traditional plaster-and-lath walls with cracking throughout. Simply filling the most noticeable cracks and applying new paint would not provide the smooth, consistent finish this color combination demanded.
The room needed extensive preparation from top to bottom.
THE Complete Painting SOLUTION
Restoring the Original Plaster Walls
Restoring the Original Plaster Walls
Restoring the Original Plaster Walls
We began by fully masking and protecting the room before addressing the aging plaster-and-lath surfaces.
With cracks appearing throughout the walls, spot repairs weren't going to be enough. We skim coated the walls to create a smoother, more uniform surface and provide the foundation necessary for the new finish.
This step was especially im
We began by fully masking and protecting the room before addressing the aging plaster-and-lath surfaces.
With cracks appearing throughout the walls, spot repairs weren't going to be enough. We skim coated the walls to create a smoother, more uniform surface and provide the foundation necessary for the new finish.
This step was especially important because Deep Maroon is an unforgiving color. Dark, rich finishes can make surface imperfections much more noticeable, so the quality of the finished room would depend heavily on the preparation underneath it.
Priming for a Dramatic Color Change
Restoring the Original Plaster Walls
Restoring the Original Plaster Walls
Once the skim coating was complete, the next challenge was preparing the walls for such a significant color transition.
We applied Sherwin-Williams PVA Primer/Sealer and had the primer tinted dark gray. Tinting the primer provided a much better foundation for the Deep Maroon finish than starting with a bright white base.
The walls were then
Once the skim coating was complete, the next challenge was preparing the walls for such a significant color transition.
We applied Sherwin-Williams PVA Primer/Sealer and had the primer tinted dark gray. Tinting the primer provided a much better foundation for the Deep Maroon finish than starting with a bright white base.
The walls were then fully primed with Sherwin-Williams P-5 Primer before the finish coats were applied.
We ultimately applied three finish coats of Sherwin-Williams Deep Maroon, carefully maintaining a wet edge throughout the application. With deep colors like this, maintaining that wet edge is critical for reducing flashing and creating a consistent appearance across the entire wall.
Turning the Ceiling Into a Feature
Restoring the Original Plaster Walls
Turning the Ceiling Into a Feature
Instead of leaving the ceiling the traditional flat white, the homeowners chose Sherwin-Williams Orchid — turning another surface of the room into part of the overall design.
The ceiling received three coats of Orchid to achieve consistent color and coverage.
Application technique becomes particularly important when introducing color to a c
Instead of leaving the ceiling the traditional flat white, the homeowners chose Sherwin-Williams Orchid — turning another surface of the room into part of the overall design.
The ceiling received three coats of Orchid to achieve consistent color and coverage.
Application technique becomes particularly important when introducing color to a ceiling. We painted in a pattern perpendicular to the walls receiving the most natural light. This helps minimize the appearance of roller marks, lap marks, and inconsistencies as natural light moves across the finished ceiling.
Combined with the Deep Maroon walls, the Orchid ceiling created a distinctive finished space that feels dramatically different from the original Sage Green and white color scheme.
The Result
The transformation turned out beautifully, but the finished colors are only part of the story.
Restoring the aging plaster, skim coating the walls, using properly tinted primers, applying multiple finish coats, and following the correct application techniques allowed us to deliver the smooth, consistent finish that such bold colors require.
More importantly, the project became the beginning of the next phase of improvements to this 100-year-old Avon home.
The homeowners were so happy with the finished room that they've already scheduled our team to return during the winter season. Next time, our carpenters will be adding custom wainscoting and built-ins to continue transforming the space.
For Complete Painting, that's one of the best outcomes a project can have: not just a great-looking room, but homeowners who trust our team to help bring the next part of their vision to life.