Matt Fox and Shari Hiller 2/18/2002

HGTV: Welcome to HGTV's hosted chat room. Tonight's chat is with Matt Fox and Shari Hiller, hosts of Room by Room. They are here to answer your interior design and home improvement questions. Good evening, Matt and Shari!

Matt Fox: Good evening. I hope everyone's wide-awake, and West Coasters, hope you're enjoying dinner.
Shari Hiller: Hi -- Just got done shooting a great kitchen show on decorating a kitchen three ways. Can't wait to hear if you love it. Let's roll...

Q: Matt and Shari, maybe your paint expertise can help with this. My husband's home office has textured paint on one wall. We'd like to remove it to put up a custom bookshelf. Any ideas on how to remove it?
Matt: If it's textured paint, about the only way to remove it is by sanding, but 3M has developed a sandpaper that's made for latex paint, meaning that it doesn't gum up while sanding. Get yourself a pull sander, put a sheet of that on the sanding block and sand away. Sounds like a "rough" job, but actually it's smooth sanding.

Q: Will Matt and Shari be at the House and Home show in Toledo on February 23???
Matt: Yea -- I have to say that Toledo is close to my hometown of Findlay, Ohio, so this is a homecoming. The show times for Toledo on Sat. are 11, 3 and 6. We're also there Fri. 2/22 and Sun. 2/24. All you Ohioans, come out and see us!

Q: Are you still re-doing homes in the Cleveland area, if so how do I audition? Also, where can I email you outside this chat, I've been trying for 2 years???
Matt: The only way to get hold of us is through comments@hgtv.com, and to find out how you can get your home on our show, check the "Be on HGTV" page on hgtv.com.

Q: I have a 6x8 bathroom with no window. It has white walls and countertop with 3 white cabinets, a big mirror above the countertop and a tub/shower. What color should I paint it? I like to bring the outdoors inside this bathroom-floral/garden theme. Love your show! :)
Matt: If you're looking to bring the outdoors inside, soft sage green would be pretty with the white.
Shari: However, let me add that bathrooms have a tendency to reflect their color onto your skin. So, no matter what, you always look healthier in a peach-colored bathroom. Try bringing your nature colors in through a border, towels, and accessories. Thanks for watching!

Q: Thank you, Matt and Shari, for all the inspiration you provide to all of us! I can't get the "Toy Kitchen" out of my mind; I think I'd like to try that concept in my basement family room and put shelves all around to display my toys from the 1950s and 60s. I have a concern about two things, though. One is the lack of windows in the room, and the other is the flooring. Matt, you had mentioned on an earlier show that self-stick tile was not the best choice. Have you changed your mind?
Matt: Thanks for watching that show. It was a lot of fun for us. And for a basement, self-stick tiles aren't the best choice, due mainly to moisture rising through the flooring. Unless you consider putting in a new underlayment, I'd either use a full sheet of linoleum, or consider just painting the basement floor with a concrete stain. Sorry...

Q:: I have one of those great rooms with 24' ceilings. One wall is all windows and parallel to that wall is an open balcony with vaulted entry on the other side. How can I warm up this ski lodge feeling and bring in/down the walls?
Shari: To make walls seem "shorter," or feeling lower, you need to create an imaginary line that you designate as the top or "end" of the wall. This can be done with borders, wood trim... If you paint the lower wall a darker color, and the upper wall a lighter color, it will fool your eyes into thinking things are much lower. I know how you feel -- it's a difficult problem. Good luck!

Q: My 1972 split-level home has a large foyer. The casual salmon/sage/ivory family room and the formal gold/plum/hunter living room can both been seen from the foyer. How can I best bridge the "gap"?
Shari: When you're trying to bridge the gap between two separate and distinct color schemes, it's best to stay neutral. Use beige or a taupe to create a neutral division between the two. There may be other possibilities, but without seeing true color samples, it's difficult to give good advice. Thanks for watching, and good luck with this project.

Q: Please settle a debate. Are Matt and Shari married? Love your show.
Matt: Well, Shari is married, but not to me...

Q: Hi Matt and Sheri -- Congratulations to Matt on his Super Bowl prediction!! I am from Massachusetts, and Matt was one of the only celebs to correctly pick New England.
Matt: I always root for the underdog, but, knowing that Brady was going to be the quarterback, I knew there was always hope. Go AFC! (Shari made me say that.)

Q: I have a hot tub and the wet suits/towels get into piles. I at one time used a wood clothes drying rack, and it just made a mess on the floor even with boot drying trays below. The walls are wallpapered, so no hooks... Any suggestions?
Matt: Here's an off-the-wall suggestion (ha, ha), you could buy a hotel-type clothesline that is very attractive. It can be hung on the wall, then strung across to the opposite wall. Hang the suits and towels up to dry. When they're dry, put the line back into its "container." Out of sight, out of mind. P.S. Run the line so it's over the hot tub.

Q: I love your show. I enjoyed your show about decorating the exterior. Any ideas on color to help a very foreboding black roof on a split-level home? The houses surrounding mine are 1970s yellow, gray and pink.
Shari: Generally, black goes with just about any color. To make a dark roof not so foreboding, use a medium to dark shade to paint your home's exterior. How would a taupe or stone-coloration look? Those neutral sage greens can be lovely with black, too. With any of those colors, you should still blend all right with your neighbors. Hope that helps.

Q: I saw some curtains made of fabric that rolled up from the bottom and had a couple of bands of wide ribbon (?) that then seemed to hold the curtains up. Do you have any idea as to how these were made?
Shari: In the past, we've created something similar by stapling a fabric to a roller shade rod at the top, and hot-gluing the bottom edge to a wrapping paper roll. You can then roll the fabric up to your desired height, and hold it in place with ribbons, roping, even belts. It's an interesting treatment -- I hope that helps.

Q: Matt, can you please tell me how to properly measure my room so that I purchase the proper amount of paint for the walls?
Matt: Basically, measure all the way around the perimeter of the room, multiply it by the height, get square footage and then check the paint label for square-footage coverage. Divide the coverage into your dimensions, and you'll know how many gallons to purchase. You can also check the "Calculators" section on hgtv.com. It's in the top nav. bar.

Q: Hi, guys!! Love you both. Please help, I have recently purchased a cream damask sofa and love seat with floral pillow. What would you suggest as far as wallpaper that would not clash with the sofa and loveseat?
Shari: There shouldn't be too much competition going on with your cream damask upholstery. Sounds like the floral pillows might cause the most problems. How about getting away from the floral and curved shapes, and combine them with an elegant stripe in just the right colors?

Q: Oh yikes! The glaze I sponged over the caramel color in my bathroom's too dark! Should I just re-paint with the base then re-glaze with a lighter color?
Shari: No, why don't you try mixing 5 parts glaze -- clear -- with one part of your basecoat color? Now you have a lighter, translucent coating to go over your darker glaze. This should do the trick.

Q: Hello Matt and Shari! I was wondering for some office ideas for my hubby. He is a computer tech and doesn't want anything too cutesy. I am stumped on the window. We have wooden blinds and need something to shade the afternoon sun. Thanks!
Shari: Well, there are all sorts of treatments that can go over wooden blinds that can be "masculine" -- a hard cornice board, even a pleated drapery -- in just the right masculine fabric, can be very nice.

Q: We are beginning to decorate our new home. We know we should have a color theme throughout the house, but is it ok to deviate a little from level to level? Also, should we use 1/4" or 3/8" nap roller for painting sheetrock walls?
Shari: Of course it's ok to deviate from floor to floor. As long as you can't see a room from another, the colors can change. I always like to let everyone choose their own bedroom colors, and sometimes that can get a little wild, but it gives everybody a chance to express themselves.
Matt: Depending on the type of paint you're using -- for a latex satin, go with the thicker nap; if a latex semi-gloss, go with the thinner nap.

Q: Matt and Shari, how did you two get together on TV?
Matt: Shari came up with the idea back in 1990 from a decorating show on TV. We did a local show in Cleveland until 1994, then connected with HGTV and were the very first show that aired on the new network. We've been in the HGTV family ever since.

Q: I painted my spare bedroom blue diamond. I would like to do a wash in lavender. Do I need glaze or can I thin it with water?
Matt: Yes, we've done both. Thinned paint with water -- it dries a little faster and is a bit harder to work with. The glaze is more forgiving.

Q: I've remodeled our home by watching you. We have beautiful wooden bunk beds for our boys, and they also have a particle board dresser. It's sturdy and works fine, but the wood grain look is not good. I would like to paint it. How would I do this?
Matt: All you need to do is use a good bonding primer -- can be a latex -- to seal the wood, and then coat it with two coats of a latex semi-gloss . Tip: bonding primer can be tinted close to the final color.

Q: My son Matt, think Matt Fox is cool. We recently saw your episode of the baseball bedroom. My Matt has a baseball comforter that is blue, white red and gray. What color would you paint the walls?
Matt: First, thanks Matt -- all us cool guys have to stick together!
Shari: I think a soft blue would be a great background for the comforter, but you have to do something else to give the room pizzazz. How about making shelves with baseball bats as supports?
Matt: It would be fun to purchase an old locker, and create a locker-room feel for your big leaguer. Contact a local school to see if they have old lockers that can be either purchased or taken off their hands. Great storage idea, and the kids will think they're in the Major League.

Q: Thank you for your encouragement and "inspiration". How would I gradually change colors in an existing room? I Have blue and "cherry bowl" in my living/ dining/ hall area . I'd like to keep the cherry. I do not know what color to introduce. Any hints?
Shari: Start by finding a fabric that has your blue in it, and one that really makes the cherry color shine. That way you'll have a palette of color to choose from for walls, upholstery pieces and slipcovers. Use your fabric as pillows, placemats, etc., to tie everything together.

Q: I am having trouble picking out colors for my bedroom. My comforter is a light gray color with lilac flowers and green ivy. Could you recommend any colors that I could use for my walls and also for the curtains.
Shari: If your comforter is a traditional style, you'll probably want to add additional pattern or texture to the room. You can do this with coordinating wall coverings or patterns, or painting techniques that will add texture. If you can find a stripe or checked or mini-print to match your bedspread, use it in curtains and accessories, and pillows to tie everything together.

Q: Did you already celebrate Mardi Gras?
Shari: Do we look like it? Did you? If so, why weren't we invited?

Q: I want new counter tops but I'm on a very tight budget, do I have any other options besides replacing them? Thank-you. :-)
Matt: Laminating -- doing your own -- is fairly inexpensive and most home center stores have Saturday classes on how to install. It's basically laying a sheet of laminate on top of the old.

Q: Hi. I'm painting my daughter's room sky blue. We want to faux paint some clouds. What is the best technique to do this?
Shari: There are several techniques...I'd practice them on cardboard or newspaper before going to the wall. You can try a sponging technique with paints or glazes. We've even washed on clouds with paints and glazes. I think the trick is to combine a little pink and a little silver lining to make the clouds look realistic. Have fun! By the way, we're going to be in the Columbus, OH area on Sat. 3/2, at the Columbus Dispatch Charities show, and then 3/16 and 3/17 we'll be in Rochester, NY at the Chase Pitkin Home Show. We hope all you locals come out to see us!

Q: Shari, how often do you decorate your own home?
Shari: As often as my husband will allow me... It makes it tough, because every time we do something new in a room, I want to try it at home!

Q: What's the best way to build a custom home entertainment center for a 55 big screen TV?
Shari: We've had quite a bit of luck purchasing unfinished furniture for the side cabinets, and building a bridge between the two for over the big screen TV. This works pretty well and is much less expensive than a finished, store-bought cabinet.

Q: Any plans on writing a "helpful hints" or suggestions book for all your ideas?
Shari: Actually, we've been planning that for some time. It's funny, though, it's just as hard to get a book published as it is to get your own TV show....You know us, we'll figure out how to do it. Stay tuned....

HGTV: Well, everyone, our chat hour has ended. I apologize for any problems experienced online during the chat. And thank you, Matt and Shari, for sticking with us and answering as many questions as I could get to you.

Shari Hiller: My goodness -- you all had tough questions tonight. I hope we were able to help out, and we look forward to talking with you next time.
Matt Fox: Thanks for spending the evening with us... With all those tough questions, we need to go to bed for a long winter's nap! Thanks for watching Room by Room.