I am officially entering the "regret" stage of my dining room trim painting project.
It was inevitable, as I tend to paint first and think later (it's a useful philosophy if you're among the many who want to paint rooms but can never bring yourself to actually do it). I'm all too familiar with the pangs of frustration as you remember just how long painting can take, and then the sad creep of resignation to keep going since half a teal room doesn't really work in your world. (or your marriage, if you're like my husband. He sees paint swatches up and he's all, "again?!" Ha. Yeah, again, honey.)
So, picture it: 2012, Sicily my dining room. I was super excited to get started even though I knew I was going to be slightly miserable for a few days since I had like a marathon's mileage worth of painters' tape to put up. I choose to cut in walls by hand when I paint, and I can even cut in trim by hand (although I prefer to paint trim first so I don't have to worry about a nice line).
... but this?
... but this?
This was bananas. Window trim, but not windows... Ceiling panels, but not beams... it was time for some tape. And then some more tape. And a text to my husband pleading with him to pick up even more tape on his way home from work. You get it, I taped a lot. On a ladder. Off the ground (me + heights = Jerry Springer worthy fights). It was dumb.
By the end of the taping, it was time for bed and some therapy.
This morning I woke bright eyed and with a renewed sense of project naiveté.
Priming! It's been a little slow as I'm doing most of it free hand (tops of baseboards, sides of casing) and I'm a little freakish about my new floors, but as of this very moment I am 100% done priming all the trim in this room (which is an accomplishment in and of itself) and I'm ready to prime the ceiling. First coat of paint up tonight sometime?? We'll see, that might be the primer fumes talking (I taped the windows closed! Curses!)
Back on the ladder we go...
P.S. I already love the white(ish, streaky, primed) trim. The room feels so much brighter and it makes me happy and lightheaded. Unless that's the primer fumes again.
P.S. I already love the white(ish, streaky, primed) trim. The room feels so much brighter and it makes me happy and lightheaded. Unless that's the primer fumes again.
Keep it up! It looks so much better already, and will be well worth it in the end.
ReplyDeleteI love the new look too! Bright is better. :) xo
ReplyDeleteIt looks brighter already! You're going to love it! What primer are you using? I have a few miles of trim that is 80's and unpainted - that must change (hear the sound of my hubby sighing with frustration?).
ReplyDeleteExcited to see the final result! And I hate to say this, after all that taping, but I would have totally done the ceiling AND the beams (I am assuming you are going white?) because I think it looks AH-MAZING....and I am lazy like that ;-) But I am excited to see it with the dark beams too and since YOU are ah-mazing and no better than moi, I am sure it will be fantabulous!
ReplyDeleteGosh, that ceiling and all those windows...your house is gorgeous. Can't wait to see what you do!
ReplyDeleteBobi
http://westernwarmth.blogspot.com
OMG, I reread it and I see a big old spelling error....I meant to say 'and KNOW better than moi' (clearly, I need more sleep)...also, I don't want to be 'anonymous' but I always forget my google password, so it's 'Tracey from Calgary' :-))
ReplyDeleteThe priming is always the worst. Drudgery with very little feeling of reward. Blah.
ReplyDeleteThe fun part is the painting! It might be kind of hard, being that it's the ceiling and all, but the results will be fab!
You get all the pity you want from me! That is one big project to tackle. Good for you for sticking with it, I don't know if I could of. It is going to be so worth all the tape and time on the ladder, you go girl!
ReplyDeleteThat ceiling is amazing! It's going to look so so so great!
ReplyDeleteI have seen all your projects and they all look great. I think that white or something around that colour will look great next to the pine. The room is going to look bigger and will go well with the other rooms.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the results.
Have you ever read Hyperbole and a Half? Sometimes the way you write your posts reminds me of that author and almost expect little stick figure drawings in MS paint to show up on your blog.
ReplyDeleteAnywho, I totally understand the paint regret. I have a weird obsession (my husband calls it a sickness) with painting - as in I *have* to paint something every 6 months. It drives him crazy. I get all excited, with my paint and brushes. Sometimes I ask for help from him and then I immediately regret it (he's not much of a painter) so I always do it alone (for my own sanity to know it's done correctly). Halfway through I think "why on Earth did I think this was a good idea?" but at the end of the 16-hour marathon painting event I feel a lot better and then a few months later I do it all over again with the same amount of excitement as I had the time before. Crazy.
It will be awesome dear, and completely worth it.
And yes, those are the fumes talking. :)