What is Contractor’s Beige?
Contractor’s Beige is the color that the Builder uses as a generic wall color. Sometimes you see it beige like in this photo and sometimes it’s white, Contractor’s white.
Is Contractor’s Beige a bad thing?
Yes and no. The builder has to put some type of “paint” on the wall but yes, there is sooooooo much that I don’t like about this “paint” and I’ll get to that in a minute.
The homes where I work (and live) in South Charlotte are very large. For the most part, the majority of the the homes have this beige color in them. Can you imagine walking into 4,000 square feet of white walls? Hello hospital!
Anyway, it’s at least nice to see that there is a neutral yellow beige on the wall. Once in a while, you see it a pinky beige which is a total nightmare and very difficult to tie in the rest of a color scheme with. The entire home will need to be painted.
Gross? Why is it bad to keep Contractor’s Beige in your home?
Well, in defense of CB, it is a good basic beige to put in your home for the people who are pigmently challenged. But the thing that I really don’t like about CB is the way it feels. Run your hand across a home that just has CB on it and tell me it doesn’t feel like an emery board.
When I first moved into my home five years ago this week, it too had CB on the walls. Of course I had it painted within the first week of moving in but let me tell you what happen before I painted it.
Since it was Spring time and the doors were open most of the day from the move, some undesirable flying insects had gotten in the house. I was able to smash a few flies that were slow enough for me to swat. Here’s the problem. Like I just said a minute ago, CB feels like an emery board.
What makes it so rough? I guess because they spray it on and it’s really just a contractors level of paint, doesn’t have a sheen and contains a fair amount of primer in it. What does this all mean? It feels like sandpaper, looks like a sponge and it’s a bear to clean! Needless to say, I was unable to get all the bug smash out of the nooks and crannies of the surface and wound up just painting right over it, sealing in its fate forever.
Tell me again why I don’t want Contractor’s Beige on my walls?
- It’s not really a paint. It’s a sprayed on primer based pigment just to cover the walls.
- It’s VERY porous making it impossible to keep clean.
- It’s VERY porous and feels really gross to the touch.
- It’s boring to keep your 4000 square foot home all the same color.
- When you do decide to paint your home, CB will suck up the entire first coat of paint that you apply. It’s imperative that you use a primer first to seal the wall before you apply your paint.
I don’t want to paint my large home. Contractor’s Beige looks fine.
Ok. So you want to live with a beige home – that’s fine. I had clients that really like the neutral, monochromatic look of just beige. However – think about this. It may change your mind.
For your bathroom: Do you really want a porous, non cleanable surface by your toilet area? Think about that for a minute.
For your kitchen: Cook a lot? Not every home has a back splash. Try getting oil based sauces off your wall. Now if you try to paint over it, your latex paint may not stick to the oily sections of your wall.
For the kids rooms: I almost don’t want to go here but I need to finish my point. We all know what kids put on their walls. From nose contents to other stinky stains that may be lurking behind that chair in the room.
Have pets?: Mud. Dirt. Fur. Slobber. These are all everyday assurances for those of us who have pets. It you have CB beige on your walls, these “grossities” will NOT come off your walls!
Isn’t flat paint the same surface as Contractor’s Beige?
Good point! It can be – somewhat. If you use a poor quality flat or matte paint, yes – it will be similar. However, there are washable flat/matte paints that will be sheen less but you will be able to wash or scrub the surface. Just about every paint company will have this type of paint.