It depends on the species of wood (I.e. How hard or soft) and whether or not the ambient temperature can remain as stable as possible. What you caulk and paint in warmer weather may look great now, but when it begins to get colder, the wood begins to shrink, and the caulk will begin to pull away. This will look worse than if you didn't caulk at all. My suggestion is to use a caulk like the brand called "Big Stretch " in an attempt to avoid this.

Depends on which room it is! If you're spending a lot of time in there, a lighter colour is best because with warmer colours, it tends to bring down the roof a bit if that makes sense - what did you end up doing?

What is the best kind of lighting for a large living/dining room with a gabled/vaulted ceiling? I am thinking of lights at the top of the walls facing up flooding the ceiling so as to reflect downwards?

I have a high ceiling about 20 feet. all audio sounds terrible, Netflix audio is muffled or echos. What can i do to improve sound quality? i have a sound bar as well and that does not help.