Jun 10 2008
Painting Pair
In the past week we painted several walls in our house without calling 911.
That’s more than my wife can say about the last time she undertook a major painting project.
You see, Shannon and her mother were painting Benjamin’s nursery prior to his birth. Colors carefully chosen to match the Whirlygigs theme, they masked the trim, stirred the paint and got underway.
I was at work for the day and deny any involvement.
At some point Shannon’s mom fell off a ladder with only a gallon can of paint between her and the floor. Her mother lying on the floor in pain amid blue paint splattered on carpet and bookshelves, Shannon dialed 911 and a few minutes later opened the door for the EMT’s. They checked her mom and she decided to go to her doctor when she returned to Texas.
Turns out she drove about six hours with at least one broken rib. The paint can that broke her fall was smashed in on one side and the inside of Benjamin’s bookshelf’s rear panel still bears a colorful hint of its contents.
Needless to say, while we painted the past week, I kept a watchful eye on Shannon any time I had to ascend even a step stool, not to mention the eagle eye I had on her when I used the actual ladder. All went well as we completed the kitchen, dining nook, and living room in only two nights of work. By the time we moved furniture, removed A/C outlet and light switch cover plates, and spread out the drop cloths, we started painting at about 10 p.m. each night. We masked as we went along, and even cleaned a few baseboards while we were at it.
I’m here to tell you that the more expensive masking tape works better than the cheap stuff. If you skimp in this area and rely solely on the masking tape to save you, your baseboards will never forgive you.
Does anyone know why popcorn ceilings were invented, and why they’re still in use today? Are they supposed to dampen sound? We have them in our house, so instead of trying to use masking tape, I used a paint shield. It was annoying, but very handy, and it worked much better than tape. In short, however, I hate popcorn ceilings. If I look up and roll my eyes upon entering your house, you’ll know why.
Okay, as a reward for your sticking with me this long, here are the only “before and after” shots I have. I used old pictures from Shannon’s camera for the “before” looks.
For imaginary bonus points, can you tell the differences between each pair?
I love to paint and I have a similar story to Shannon’s but there really is no need for me to get into that here….this is about your painting ventures not mine!
;)
I love the new colors. I am not sure if you get this yet or not Mark but I LOVE color! I don’t have a white wall in my house and when I get done doing every room….(when my husband sighs that I am finally done and his wallet can take a breather)…I just start over!
*Another eye rolling moment can be taken here*
Also, I love the black in your kitchen. I love black accents and have done the same in my kitchen. Very nice!
Wow… beautiful job and I love the colors!!!
Hey Mark, it’s going to be hotter here today than yesterday! *frown*
Much better, Mark. I, like Anna, detest white walls. I attack them with gusto as quickly as I can…although I try to restrain myself when it’s not my house ;) The new color just makes the space feel so much warmer and cozier.
I think the ceiling popcorn is suppose to dampen sound and also makes it easier to hide sheetrock joints. But yeah, nasty stuff. We’re looking at moving and I am saddened that I will most likely not regain my plaster ceilings in the new place. Alas.
Popcorn? WTF? We call it “stipple” up here, you silly southerners.
As for differences:
In the kitchen you swapped out the kleenex for a pic of Ben (nice choice), as well as a digital clock in place of the dirty pans on the counter. The “stuff” on the fridge is different, too, but that ALWAYS changes.
In the breakfast nook there’s a painting in place of the wreath, and a candle centrepiece in lieu of the purple flower thingies. Also, on the bottom left shelf behind the table there’s a framed photo of two people instead of that green plant. You put up new candle holders around the middle window that weren’t there before, and there’s a tall four-picture photo stand to the left of the shelves where there used to be a low, shrubby-plant-thing.
In the living room you totally redecorated above the mantle piece and also added new candle holders on the wall to the left of the TV. You swapped the leather rocker and the sofa, and there’s a low table where you had a two-door cabinet under the first window. The tall photo frame is missing from the left of the TV, so I assume that’s the one you moved into the breakfast nook (after updating the photos of Ben).
And oh yeah… you painted.
Thanks, everybody, for the comments, and especially the compliments. Those always feel good.
Simon is the only one (so far) who guessed what was different in each of the before-after pictures. I think you nailed pretty much everything. Nice job! Too bad none of my fellow Americans tried it.
Canada - 1, USA - 0
Fine, I’ll take a point for mentioning that Ben no longer needs his little blue booster seat and can now be trusted not to yank on a table runner. I’ll call it Canada -1 , USA - 1…but if this were Family Fued I’d have just taken all the marbels.
The new colors add so much warmth. I know they say that houses with neutrals are easier to sell, but I would MUCH rather buy a house with classy, inviting colors than to have to dread painting it myself.
Of course, when/if you decide to sell that house, the first thing any “sell it yourself” book is going to say is that painting neutral colors throughout will increase the appeal to a broader mass of buyers, and likely increase your selling price.
So…go figure. Either way, you live there, and now you can enjoy it more. That’s the important part.
Moksha - Whoo-hoo! Go USA! There are still some scoring opportunities, everybody. Let’s break that tie.
Charles - I can see it from both angles. Houses that aren’t vacant show better, but like you said, a lot of people see colored walls as just one more thing they have to change about a new purchase.
From our angle, though, we’ve sold three houses by owner, and in the last two we had painted the kitchen exactly that green color. ;-)
Plus, you know what they say — if Momma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy. Gimme another gallon of paint!
I love that last comment Mark…that is always a good thing to remember! :) Keep Mama happy!
You took the “after” pictures on a sunny day. Just like before and after plastic surgery pictures, a little change in lighting can make everything look better!
You mean the before pics? The after pics were actually taken late at night, waaaaay after dark. So you think it’s the lighting and not the new colors, huh?
Love the green. Not as bright as our green, but I still like it :)
Miss you guys!
Love the green! Not as bright as bright as our green, but I still like it :)
Girl, were you hitting the Cuervo when you left these comments? We miss you, too!