Thursday, July 28, 2011

Corinthian White

Since we've lived here for the past five-years, I've wanted to put color on the walls. I'd been renting for so long that color seemed like a luxury you get when you're a homeowner. The white walls in the living room have been taunting me endlessly over the years and I really wanted to change things up. The house we rented before this one had white gloss on the living room walls, ostensibly for easy clean up, but it made the experience all the more ick, increasing the desire for color here. 

Painting the living room, however, was low on the priority list behind painting the girls' rooms - one first pink then lavender, and the other pink. And the bathroom - blue, the color of an over-cast sky. And new siding on one side of the house, which we painted - yellow, the color of happiness. 3/8ths of our exterior is now yellow, one side is shingled with cedar, and the rest is the original brown, the color of cat food.

I wrote about deciding on a color for the living room here.  And after almost two-months of sitting on those cans of paint, purchased for Memorial Day weekend, I finally cracked them open. Monday was spent prepping for painting, which included moving furniture, cleaning and wiping down the walls and baseboards, and procrastinating. I didn't get started until late in the day. I painted two walls and only one coat because it looked really good just like that. On Day 2, I worked and didn't do anything related to painting at all. Day 3, I painted 7/8ths of the final wall and left to go play. Last night after getting home from dinner, I cleaned up a bit and moved some furniture around while I had some help. 

That makes today Day 4. I need to finish up the project so it doesn't end up like the back deck where I painted 95% of everything and stopped. I'm ashamed to admit that when I needed my painting supplies, they were stacked back there still behind the beautiful swing that made me want the house in the first place. 

The color might be very close to the one that was there before, but I absolutely LOVE the paint-job. The house looks clean and bright and done. I'm going to need to rest from the strain of patting myself on the back, too. I did a really good job. I never paint the ceiling and I don't tape it off, either, with perfect free-hand edging. And I didn't paint it accidentally like I usually do! I think that I should become a professional painter, perhaps in my free time. (Whatever that is.) 

I love it. That's all I care about. I wonder why I didn't do it sooner since it was relatively painless. It would have taken me only a day if I had my act together better and started sooner on Day 1. Truth be told, however, that I stared at it a lot which took up much of my time. My husband can't really tell the difference, and that's too bad. It looks great and I'm happy with it. 

I used Benjamin Moore Regal Select in Corinthian White. I don't remember if it's low VOC, but it didn't smell at all, so it must have been. I recommend it. Highly.

Before on the right and after on the left.

After at corner.

Finished piano wall (aka violin holder).



No comments:

Post a Comment

Go ahead and tell me what you think!