Log Cabin Paint and Color Choices

One major benefit to a log home is all the beautiful natural wood, inside and out. The rough-hewn logs in their natural state have a great aesthetic appeal. The problem is both the cost and the maintenance. Those logs need to be constantly finished, sealed and maintained. A great choice to get that log home look without all the maintenance is TruLog Steel Log Siding, and that’s fantastic for the outside. Looks great, is durable, but what about the inside? How do we bring that rustic home look and feel to our drywalled interior?

Paint Finishes for Rustic Interiors

Log cabin paint comes in multiple finishes or sheens. If you have ever bought paint, you are probably familiar with these. They start at Gloss then Semi-gloss, satin/eggshell and finally matte/flat. What do these names mean? They refer to how much light the paint reflects, but this isn’t the whole story. The more gloss paint has, the smoother it is when it dries. This means a higher gloss paint won’t collect as much dirt and grime, and what does accumulate will be easy to clean. The dirt won’t absorb into the paint, it’s just on the surface and is easy to clean up.

Paint with more gloss (a higher sheen) is preferred in bathrooms and kitchens where it may get splashed with water or just handled frequently. Matte paint is warmer, diffuses more light and hides imperfections. If you want a warm rustic look you want a matte paint. If you have high traffic areas or maybe little children in the home that make a habit of touching everything you might look at painting trim or ceilings with a matte paint to give that warm touch and go with satin or eggshell on the walls.

Paint Color for Rustic Homes

We’ve discussed finish, but what about colors?

The theme with rustic decorating is to bring natural, earthy things into the living space. Natural wood, warm colors, brick, stone, etc… A deep, warm red color is always good. Golds, warm browns and pale neutrals are also good choices.

Sherwin Williams has named their Cavern Clay the 2019 color of the year. This deep terracotta paint is a great example of an earthy, warm color that really brings the outdoors inside.

Make a Focal Point

One big thing about these deep warm colors, be sure not to overdo it. These colors can be powerful and dominating, you want to balance the darker colors with the pale neutrals that keep the room feeling open and large. All the dark browns and wood tones are great in a massive mountain lodge, but in an average home, they can be overwhelming. Use color to create focal points and draw the eye to interesting architectural features or to just make things more interesting.