Paint me a room as fast as you can.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Last weekend I decided to crack open the paint sample I've had sitting on my desk for the last 18 months. I figured that once the swatches were applied I would have to finish the room. I thought about putting them in places that could be covered by art in the event I came down with a case of the lazies, but instead stiffened my resolve and went all in.


A little about how we came to own our home: We were living in St. Louis when Mario's company offered him a job in New England. We decided on the region we would live in and flew up. With one weekend to find a new house, our backs were against a wall. Our realtor showed us dud after dud and things weren't looking good. At the last minute, he decided to see if he could show us a house in his neighborhood that was going into foreclosure and therefore not technically for sale. We looked. I said no. Mario said pleeeease. I caved. Miraculously, our St. Louis house sold after a mere 6 weeks on the market and we closed on this house one week before it was due to be foreclosed on. We moved and Mario soon went back on the road. It was rough to say the least, and most of the sprucing up fell on my shoulders. In the end, it has been a great property for us and we will be sad when the time comes to move on.

When we moved in, Kiddo's room and Mario's office were in the roughest shape and needed immediate attention. Over the last 5 years I have tackled the remaining rooms one at a time. Except for the master bedroom. It was in the best shape and therefore easier to put off. 

With Mario leaving Saturday morning, I gave myself one week to complete the project. I bought the paint and supplies. We moved all the furniture to the center of the room. Art and photos came down and the holes spackled. And then life happened. As it always does.


There was a long, fine crack between two sheets of drywall on one wall that had been there since we moved in. At first we were just going to spackle it. Then Mario read a bit about it and decided to fully repair it, which took two days. I'm glad we took the extra effort, but that section of wall couldn't be painted until the project was complete.


I got an email from my professor and mentor asking if I would attend a conference on microbiomes with her on Wednesday. We left at 8a and didn't get back until after 7p. I hadn't anticipated a last minute field trip over the break. Needless to say, zero painting got done that day (hey, that rhymes!). Although the content of the meeting was way over my head, I understood a number of highly technical words: the, at, when, to, lunch...


The previous owners had installed crown moulding in the master bedroom. I love crown moulding, however, they did a rather half-hazard job. The gap between the moulding and the ceiling wasn't filled in and the wood hadn't been primed before they threw on one scant coat of paint. Mario filled in the gaps, which was so worth it, but that project took even more time out of our already tight schedule. 

I put the last coat on the crown moulding Friday night and we got the furniture put back into place right before dinner. Just in the nick of time. I needed Mario's help, so I would have been living in our furniture labyrinth another week if I didn't finish by the time he left.

A little "dorm room on the first day" at the moment...

In the end, it was all worth the effort. I love our brighter, cleaner new room. It's a beautiful blank canvas that I'm looking forward to decorating. Although there were a couple stressful moments, and I briefly doubted my ability to finish on time, it just goes to show that I can do what I set my mind to. As long as I set my mind to do it. 

I could have let that paint sample collect dust for another 18 months, but I made a goal this year to make my house my own, no matter how much longer we will live here. I often live in the what's next rather than the right now, and I'm go glad to be changing that tendancy. I can't wait to show you the finished product!

Note: I used Cream Yellow by Behr in a semi-gloss finish. It's neutral but still has the buttery yellow color I was craving. Mario and I marveled at how dark the previous paint was...although it didn't seem like it at the time. I have never used Behr paint before and am so happy with the results. It looks a little peachy in the pictures, but chalk that up to my novice photography skills.




5 comments :

  1. Oh wow I really like that new color and the owl print too! Enjoy your new room :)

    Meg @ http://myborrowedheaven.blogspot.com

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  2. I just painted our chalkboard wall...but this makes me want to go tackle the guest room next!

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  3. Hey, just wanted to say that I love your blog and I've nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award. I would love if you can come and accept at http://andwhosaysyoucant.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/liebster-blogger-award.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. BEAUTY! Way to paint woman! You can't see me, but I'm bowing down to you ;)
    Kaylynn
    colbkayandtrae.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. The new color is wonderful!! :)

    ReplyDelete

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