Saturday, February 18, 2017

The Big Painting Project Will Be Happening In April


In July we'll be celebrating 5 years since the excruciating day we backed the U-Haul Truck to the front porch. Over the years, most of the rooms have gone through several transformations. We've moved the bedroom to the front room and then, a year later, to the back room again. We've rearranged the furniture in the living room. The home office has seen its fair share of various arrangements. Last year, we purchased new curtains for the kitchen, living room, and home office. And, we have filled each room with decor that ranges from flea market finds and antiques to new book shelves and DIY Dog Mom Projects. Throughout the many transformations, there is one thing we've never tackled...

Repainting the walls.

I've thought about. A lot. Prior to us moving in, all of the walls were given a fresh coat of almost-white paint. I've always hated it. Although I prefer neutral hues on the wall, the current shade is too white. To make matters worse, it's cheap flat paint.

I hate flat paint. 

Flat paint is the least durable and it doesn't wash well. Every time something touches the wall, it leaves a mark. Flat paint also absorbs food and drink splatters.

For the longest time, I used Magic Erasers to get rid of the stains and other marks. I probably went through several cases. They worked great on some areas, but not others. Several times a week I'd get out my Magic Eraser and make the rounds to each room, scanning the walls for marks.

Eventually, I just gave up. 

I knew it was time to repaint the walls, but it's a big project to tackle and, with 3 kids, it would be challenging. Our kids don't do well when we move furniture around. They bark incessantly. Coco gets nervous because he doesn't like change. Sophie tries to hide. Lobo...well, he's just Lobo.

After much thought and a few discussions, Lisa and I decided to go for it. It needs to be done. The walls look like shit. The marks and stains on the wall are showing up in photos. It's slightly embarrassing. Regardless of how often we clean, which is every single day, or how tidy we are, the current condition of the walls takes away from that.

The big painting project will begin the 2nd week of April. We have tentative dates. Those will become etched in granite once Lisa puts in for a few vacations days.

We're not painting the biscuit room or the bedroom. There's a decorative wood panel that frames the bedroom from the floor to the halfway point. We like it. The biscuit room is unscathed.

We'll be tackling the bathroom and kitchen on day 1. That's on one side of our home. The kids will have the front rooms to reside in. On day 2, we'll paint the living room and home office. On that day, the kids will have the back rooms.

It works out. That's a relief. 

I have mixed feelings about our Big Painting Project. I'm excited because it's going to look incredible once we're finished. It'll be a much needed makeover. On the flip side, I dread the amount of work involved. Blocking off 3 days in a single week to clear rooms, paint, and get everything back in order is difficult for me. That means I'll have to get a week's worth of work done in 4 days.

My saving grace is knowing that once it's done, I'll be able to exhale. And I know in the days following our Big Painting Project, I'll mutter, "I'm so glad we did this" at least 431 times.

We've got this.




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