Hey-O! I’m back, fine people of the internet! Hope you have all had an amazing wonderful summer. We sure a nice one. School started yesterday, and I’m excited to get back to a more regular schedule of projects, taking photographs and blogging. I have to admit, I’m a little overwhelmed by all the possibilities of what to do next that I just had to decide on one thing and JUST DO IT. I have managed to work on projects this summer and take some photographs, it’s the whole blogging thing that I didn’t seem to have the time or space to focus on. Now I’m playing catch up and want to get you all up to speed on what’s been going on.
Today I’m sharing the cabin’s new dark lewk (that’s cool to say still, right?)! As it seems to be with all trades people in northern Wisconsin, nothing happens when they say it’s going to happen. The cabin was supposed to be painted in June, and here we are in September still waiting for a few punch list items for our contractors to complete before it’s really done, done. For instance, we are still waiting on the front door AND if you have a keen eye, you may be able to spot a few places that the painter forgot to remove the painters tape from. I just couldn’t wait anymore, and wanted to fill yas in on where we were at.
You’ll have to forgive the fact that I’m still staining the GD deck. It’s a beast and I need to get it done be for the first flurries start to fall. I know what I’ll be doing the next few visits to the cabin. Like I mentioned above, we are missing the front screen door. As a kindness for being tardy on the painting job, our contractor offered to do a special paint treatment to our wood storm door. He was very amped up about it, so I decided to go with the flow on this one. He wanted to do a high gloss finish on the door and needed to take it to a spray booth to have the finish turn out just right. Also, our front door has seen better days. The veneer is chipping off, and since we’re not in the market to buy a new door at this time, I think I’ll go ahead and try to replace and then stain the veneer. I’ll fill you in on that in an upcoming post if it all goes well. Once the deck is completely stained, and both doors are installed and repaired I’ll share even more photos! They’ll probably be winter scenes too – Ha! Believe it or not, I actually learned a few things from this experience about what I think you should look for if you’re ready to hire a painter.
Our painter was very enthusiastic about his prep work, like the nitty gritty stuff that no one really wants to do. A few weeks before he painted he came over after we had a few dry days and sanded the entire cabin with an orbital sander connected to a HEPA vacuum. He also caulked, filled holes and repaired rotted surfaces that would be susceptible to mildew and water with a heavy duty epoxy. He followed up the sanding with a thorough washing and then allowed the cabin time to dry out before beginning with the painting. Sanding and prepping the surface is a crucial part of a good paint job – the paint needs a good foundation to adhere to. It’s not necessary, but I would highly recommend asking your painter if they have a carpenter on our their team. Our painter had his carpenter replace some rotted trim around one of the cabin windows. The carpenter also replaced wood batten strips that butted up against water-prone concrete steps with PVC to prevent future rot. At our home in Minneapolis, our paint contractor had a carpenter to install new corner board for us prior to painting. Random carpentry jobs and house painting go hand in hand, so make sure that your painter has someone to help with those small details.
P.S. Our painter’s go-to carpenter was a woman!
I learned this lesson the hard way. When we had our home in Minneapolis painted, the painter used low-grade paint. I believe it was the Ben exterior paint by benjamin moore. I didn’t do my research, and I wish I had. The dark blue paint color we choose has not held up well to the sun and has faded immensely over the last 6 years. There were immediate signs that our painters did not do a quality job, like when they decided to try squeezing in our paint job 20 minutes before a downpour, or when their ladders left marks on the siding that the painters never evened out. After the first rain post painting our house looked like the paint color was leaking tint. All bad signs! Trust your gut when you feel like you’re not being treated fairly. We were naive and didn’t speak up. I regret that now. In contrast to our house, the cabin was painted with two coats of a well reviewed high-end paint, Benjamin Moore Aura. The B.Moore Aura paint has such a lush finish. I’m obsessed. The finish is nearly as good as the paint color. Before the paint even touched the cabin it was coated in a heavy duty tinted primer (XIM Peel bond mixed with the Aura tinted paint), the primer was sprayed on and then followed up with a roller coat while it was still wet. Every brand of paint has a cheaper option. You get what you pay for.
Contractors go at their own pace, they are often juggling a handful of jobs at one time and your isn’t always going to be top priority. Our painter was also painting a 10 bedroom cabin in another part of the state, and obviously that was his priority because that was the job that paid more. Not only that, it was a very wet summer, the weather windows available were few and far between. I was disappointed that we were low man on the totem pole, but in the end was so happy that we went with a contractor who really knew his stuff. I’m hopeful that the cabin will look as great years from now as it does today.
Remember when you guys weighed in on paint color? I really struggled with the choice. In the end, I wanted it to be darker than greener and I went with Dark Knight from Benjamin Moore. It looks like a dark forest green in the sunlight, and in the shade is a perfect tone of black. I’m still debating as to whether or not I paint the aluminum sliding doors matte black on the exterior side. We’ve already invested in quite a bit of money restoring the glass in the doors. The vapor seals on each door were broken so the windows were fogged from the inside before we had the glass replace (see photo). I have this soft spot for these sliders because they are original to the cabin and they have cool 60s wood and aluminum door hardware. I worry about painting them because they are in such a high traffic area, I would hate for them to chip, but at the same time, I feel like they kind of scream for attention as they sit.
We also plan on adding two triangular windows on either side of the square window. We are in the middle of the woods, so the cabin doesn’t get a ton of light, and we all agree it could use a little more.
Total cost of the new paint including carpentry and prep work was $4500. Let me know if you have questions and I’ll try my best to answer them.
It looks so great!!!!
Thank you, Great!
Looks amazing! Sounds like you had a wonderful painter too, who did not take short cuts!
Ha, Yes we did! He took long cuts ;)
It looks fantastic! Keep on sharing, please!
Thanks for stopping by! I’m hoping to be around the blog a lot more now that the kids are settled into school.
It looks incredible! I love the color you chose. I’m curious to know if you could have had your painter deal with the deck, and, if yes, was it purely a financial choice not to?
Hey Meredith! Good question. It was a financial choice. One of the ways I contribute to the fam is through the projects I take on. I figure at least I can save us some money on labor, so if there’s something I can tackle, I usually try to do it myself rather than hire it out – even if it’s a total pain.
That makes perfect sense. It’s so great that your painter works with a carpenter. The cabin we’re about to close on needs to have some of the fascia replaced and I’m tempted to just have the place painted ASAP (I strongly dislike the current color, but the sellers put a new roof on recently and the shingle color goes so well with the existing paint). Are you open to sharing the name of your painter?
Sure thing, He services North West Wisco, and North Eastern MN. His name is Russel. Here’s a link to his FB page
Would you recommend your paint contractor in Mpls — the one with the carpenter on hand? Or was that the same contractor who didn’t do the best quality work?
No, I would not recommend the painter. I don’t even think they are in business in anymore. Both painters in Hayward Wi, and Minneapolis had a carpenter they worked with. They Hayward painter was the experience I preferred.
The cabin looks soooo good! Great color choice. I also wanted to say how much I appreciate you sharing the actual cost! I am a new homeowner and posts where I can find price details are so helpful in planning realistic budgets for my place, thank you for the transparency
For sure! I agree, I always like to hear costs too. I think people often stay away from sharing costs because they don’t want to alienate a reader. When we did our house in Minneapolis we had quotes from 5k – 20k (we were having windows glazed and storms painted as well as carpentry work done). So it does vary, but I imagine you get what you pay for.
I love it! It’s such a nice contrast with the forest surrounding it. Absolutely stunning!
Thanks, Caroline! I agree, it’s really nice against the backdrop of the trees. I’ll be excited to see it for the first time in fresh snow too.
it looks so good! honestly, i think the doors are fine. i would worry that the maintenance it would require to keep up with them looking good if you painted them, would not be worth it! let’s be honest, i think all of us that love beautiful design are initially going “FOR SURE YOU HAVE TO PAINT THOSE BABIES BLACK” but in reality, this is your very loved and very beautiful personal vacation cabin. sometimes i think we lose sight of function because we just want our spaces to look like it belongs in a magazine all the time & i don’t think that’s always the right answer for how we actually live in those spaces.
Hey Jana, thanks for your input. I agree that the cabin should be a place for some r&r, but for me, “putzing around” (aka doing projects) is kind of meditative and relaxing, so I don’t want to strike it off the list just because of that. I’m probably going to let it stew for awhile. The time to do it would spring or fall, as we can’t have the house open in the summer or winter due to bugs and cold.
After I read your comment, I decided I should at least mock-it up. It’s not fair to ask a question without something to base it on. I do think it would be pretty, but if I were to do it, I’d have to be confident that I was doing it right, and I can’t guarantee that outcome at this time.
it for sure looks pretty all black! and i just realized that maybe my comment made it sound as if it’s not beautiful as is or that you personally lose sight of form over function… which is NOT the case! i love your style & i think the cabin looks so good! i just meant – don’t do it if it’s because you think that’s what you SHOULD do, rather than what makes the most sense. ya know? i don’t know! did i dig my hole deeper? i feel like i’m digging a hole. when it comes down to it, I TRUST YOUR DECISION! hahaha :)
No holes dug! You’re all good! I really appreciate your feedback :)
I also get that sometimes the internet makes us feel like we need EVERYTHING NOW. I’m with ya.
I like the white frames, they look like teeth in a big toothy smile! I agree that painting them would be so fraught. I’d be afraid of the paint scratching away immediately on the first slide. Those tracks are not forgiving. AND you already incorporate so much white in your palette, it doesn’t seem out of place. Great lewk!
Looks so good!
Your cabin looks absolutely amazing! I love your blog so much, keep up the great work!
It looks so good! Thanks for sharing the cost. I’m pretty poor, so I painted my house by hand with a brush last time, which sucked, but I did buy a top quality paint and it’s holding up like a dream. Next time, I’m gonna hire someone to do the second story because heights are a no from me, dawg. I’m with you on the issue of painting the sliders– I’d be so paranoid about doing it right! And how do you keep the paint from coming off the tracks? I have no clue!
I love it! I really like how the dark color looks. I have a house in the PNW and its got a few trees around it and I’m considering black also, so I was wondering if you think you would paint a main home that color? Do you think its too bold? I get the impression that cabins have more room for creativity….so just wondering what your opinion is?
LOVE the black and the way it makes it look tucked into the woods! I am getting ready to paint my house black-what sheen did you use for your paint? thanks!
I love love love it! I hope you grabbed the phone number of that lady carpenter in case you ever need a hand – support those ladies in construction!
I’m all for keeping the aluminum as-is. I can see how they might bug you, but I support the OG sliders. Maybe swap out your light fixtures for aluminum shades (and then give me the black ones! jk jk)
Srsly. Looks so good. I just pinned every photo. Even the before photos.
Do you mind sharing what sheen you used for the black? This looks great!
So ecstatic! Plan on painting the addition to our brick home black. Love yours. Thank you for posting brand and color.
It looks so amazing. I am fighting a similar issue as your main house on my house right now. I went with top of the line SW paint but the dark color combined with a rainstorm an hour later has left it looking absolutely terrible. Still crossing my fingers they will be willing and able to remedy it.
Very nice! I love it.
I am absolutely obsessed with this! Ever since spending time in Denmark and Iceland I am obsessed with black homes. We just bought our first house (a 1938 bungalow) and it’s light yellow and surrounded by over an acre of manicured gardens. I can’t wait to paint it black!!
Hi! Using your cabin as inspiration as I go to paint mine! I know you said the color was “Dark Knight from Benjamin Moore” but that doesn’t seem to exist when I look it up? Dark Knight for Sherwin williams does, or “Black Knight for Benjamin Moore”. Is there any way you can just clarify with the swatch #? That would be really helpful! Thanks!!
I have the same question. :) Black Knight by Benjamin Moore or dark night?
Thank you for asking this. I’ve been obsessing over this today as well. We just had our home stuccoed and I’ve been frantic over what to paint the house and this cabin has been in my mind since day one. When I came to get the color name I too have been unable to find it for the exact same reason you have stated. Dark Knight or Black Knight? Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams? I’m a bit perplexed and, if I’m truthful, driving myself a bit crazy. lol Thanks for any and all help!
Love your blog and style! I found you when searching for dark exteriors on Pinterest. Our cabin is Deep Forest by Cabott (very similar to your Dark Knight) and was looking for accent colors. What color are you using on your deck? Thanks so much!
Hey there, so glad you found me! This is a Behr solid stain, the color we’re using is grey seas. I have a list of all of our paint colors right here. Hope that helps.
Hi there. Love your cabin! You said the color is BM dark knight when i search it it come up black knight. Is the same
Color?
I’m in love with black cabins and so glad they are “hot” today! I love the Scandinavian black cabins with either red or white trim and doors❣️ I sold my little A frame chalet in Colorado which I cherished but am in a more traditional although quirky cabin now and I’m still in CO! ❤️ This little place is mud brown and I hate it but I’m excited hubby is on board with black! Can’t wait to see what else you do to your precious abode and hope we can see some inside pics soon too!
I’m in love with black cabins and so glad they are “hot” today! I love the Scandinavian black cabins with either red or white trim and doors❣️ I sold my little A frame chalet in Colorado which I cherished but am in a more traditional although quirky cabin now and I’m still in CO! ❤️ This little place is mud brown and I hate it but I’m excited hubby is on board with black! Can’t wait to see what else you do to your precious abode and hope we can see some inside pics soon too!
So, we have a house very similar to yours that we are wanting to paint black. You mention two colors Aura and Black Knight. Which one did you use on your exterior? Is the trim the same as house paint? One last question. What color is your deck stained? I like the gray. Thanks so much.
Love your paint color on the house! Is the paint sheen flat black?
It’s just what I want on our home
Lovely Cabin! What type of paint did you use for the trim around the bottom windows/door?
Hi! May I ask how the black paint has held up? I am considering painting my house black, but worried that it will fade after a few years’ time and need to be repainted.
Also wondering how the black has held up.. I have heard it fades quickly. Please update us !!
Hello!
First of all , I love everything you’ve done and your cabin has been my inspiration. We have a similar style cabin and I’m so glad I found you! Painting in my house starts next week. Finally.
I have a question though, in the photos it looks like you didn’t paint the sliders black. I’m wondering why. In my case, the painter is very hesitant about painting the vinyl. Is that why you didn’t paint it black? My issue is we have just installed black windows on three sides of the house but have sliders on one side – all white. Three stories of them actually- we have a basement too. It looks as though you painted the upper window frame.
Do you have any suggestions or tips?
Thanks!!!