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Monday, September 24, 2012

Misadventures in Painting

My husband was out of town this past weekend, so I decided it would be a great opportunity to repaint his office and the attached sitting room.  This space used to be an apartment.  The second floor was expanded during the Depression to add on this space which, when you take out the bathroom (I showed its renovation last February), is a kind of funky L-shape.  The section that is now an office used to be a wee kitchen.

Right after the tenant moved out in 1996.  The door beside the sink leads to the tiny bathroom.
After the tenant moved out, we took out the kitchen, stripped some of the woodwork, changed the light fixtures, replaced the linoleum with cork flooring, and put in new (now old) carpet.  For some time, I've been wanting to replace the carpet again, but can't do that until after repainting.  Anyway, this seemed like the time.

Part of the trouble is there is way too much heavy furniture in that room -- a set of three wood lockers we use to store DVDs and tapes, three antique armchairs, two bookcases, a heavy oak desk, an oak filing cabinet, a TV, and a couple of small side tables.  Since I couldn't move all this by myself, especially through the narrow doorway into the hall, I dragged it all to the center and covered it with plastic.  That seemed like a clever idea until I found that there were areas along the perimeter that were too tight to set up a ladder, so I had to paint some parts of the ceiling perched on a ladder unsteadily propped against the wall.

Another way I was being clever was by using paint we already had.  I'm all about saving money when I can.  I had almost a gallon of ceiling paint, which I managed to eke out to cover the whole ceiling.  I thought.  Then Saturday evening as I was taping the woodwork in preparation for Sunday's wall painting, I noticed a good sized area I had missed.  So I scurried off to Lowe's to buy another gallon of the exact same Valspar ceiling paint.  I'll just touch up the missed area and some other "thin" areas, I thought.  The gosh darn ceiling paint isn't the same!  Can you see it in the picture below?  It depends on the light and the angle, but I can clearly see the areas I touched up.  Sigh.  So there is more ceiling painting to be done.


For the walls, well, I found an almost full gallon of Sherwin Williams paint in the basement clearly marked "office."  It looked a little different to me, but I figured it must dry a bit darker.  After seeing how the ceiling needed more than a gallon, I knew I'd need more paint, so on that trip to Lowe's, I also stopped at Sherwin Williams, paint in hand, to ask for another gallon of the same thing.  They no longer make the EverClean paint the young man said.  He was amazed that the paint was still good.  In fact, all three employees (it was dead in the store) came over to look at the paint and discuss the options.  I asked for a comparable paint in the same color.  No problem, and the paint was 40% off, my lucky day -- until he rang it up.  $44 dollars for one gallon of paint (at 40% off!) and an edger.  So Sunday, I cracked open my extremely valuable Dover White paint from Sherwin Williams and, after edging, realized it was the color from two paintings ago.  I'm thinking the paint was from 1996.  No wonder the guys had been amazed that it was still good; they were hardly more than toddlers when that paint was mixed.  So the paint is now not the warm, pale-butter-white I wanted, but a generic white-white.  Oh well, at least it will be clean and fresh.  If I ever get the room completed, I'll show the end result.

16 comments:

  1. Oh my, bless your heart! Dover white is the color from SW that I have been using on all of my trim, doors, etc, but.....I only buy it when it is 40% off, and I get a brand that is a little less expensive. Their paint has become just waaaayyyyy too expensive! Can't wait to see the finished product.

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  2. So...you're making me think I really should paint the hallway and upstairs bedroom using that paint I purchased at 40 percent off at Sherwin Williams last summer. I bought white and will get it tinted to whatever color I choose. But I, oh, so do NOT like to paint.

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  3. Oh gosh, you have the patience of a saint!!! All that would be enough to throw me over an edge, I'm sure!

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  4. I'm glad I'm not the only one that keeps paint to use again. I usually end up buying more.... or mixing several pots together and seeing what I get. Its fun if you aren't too bothered and as I generally decorate in shades of cream, beige or white its a fairly bland mix. Have fun

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  5. Oh my! Painting is not my favorite thing and seems like you have had an especially difficult time with this area. I admire your patience and I know it will be nice when you complete it all.

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  6. Now this is why I really don't like decorating, so much potential for disaster! Good luck in overcoming all the obstacles!

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  7. I am sure that it will look lovely when it is done! So glad you have joined as a follower - have given you a mention today!

    Pomona x

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  8. I admire you tackling this ambitious project on your own! It's so funny how fast the time can pass. I have plenty of ancient paint too! But whites blend nicely. It's almost better to mix them up!

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  9. The last painting I did was about 6 months ago and it liked to have put out my back; getting too old to do that, I guess. Anyway, yours will be great once all the paint is on!

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  10. It's very game of you to take on that kind of a project. Well done. Yes, that's a shame about the ceiling paint but I find when you take on a project you always seem to create more work for the task than you thought there was going to be xx

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  11. Oh I can SO identify with your tale! I have found myself in some very precarious painting positions because of not being able to move furniture out of the room!!
    Thanks for visiting me at Gilly Makes... too :-)
    I look forward to following you and seeing the results of your painting prowess in the office!
    Have a great day,
    xx

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  12. We have also been able to make use out of never been used paint in our current house that the previous owners purchased but never used. Win-win! Best of luck with this project.

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  13. I think picking paint colors, or rather matching an existing paint color, is next to impossible. I've tried and even when the paint store says it's the exact same thing it is never perfect. You know...when it's finished and everything is back in place you won't know the difference! Good luck with the rest of the project!

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  14. I always have the worst time picking out a paint color. You definitely did a lot of work by yourself. can't wait to see it all completed :)

    Hugs,
    Laura

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  15. You are a brave and ambitious woman! Painting has never turned out well for me so I leave that to the husband. He hates it, but he's good at it.

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  16. Best of luck with your project. I know you will be so happy when it's done.
    I hate to paint, however I love the finished product.

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