It's Just Paint!

I can't tell you how many times my husband and I have watched House Hunters on TV, and rolled our eyes when they complained about cosmetic things. You don't like the paint color? Really?? I mean, it's just paint. Paint is relatively cheap! You have to look at the big picture when you buy a home.

Which is what we did, since the walls in our house were hideous, haha! And, as I am now nearly two years into (leisurely) repainting every square inch of wall and trim, I would like to say just one thing. Painting SUCKS! No, really, it's horrible. It's not hard, per se, but it's a giant pain in the booty. Now I look at those people complaining about the paint colors and think, "AMEN TO THAT! Don't buy the house with the pink bathroom! Find a house that already has great colors! YES!! DO THAT!!!"

Alas, it is too late for us. I am almost two years deep in this thing. I'm committed to finishing now. SIGH.

As a non-expert, I would like to say a few things. One is that it is worth. every. penny. to buy the paint that has the primer already mixed in (I've been using Valspar Signature paint from Lowe's). The coverage is infinitely better than regular old paint! Another observation: you have to do the prep work. You just have to. If you paint over a bumpy wall, it will still be bumpy. And then you have to do it all over again, which is NOT FUN AT ALL. So get some sandpaper, a paint scraper, and some putty, and really spend time getting the walls pretty BEFORE you paint them.

I've also gained some wisdom, and have learned that it's best (for my sanity) to do the painting on a separate day, because the prep work generally sucks the life out of me. Once the surface is clean and smooth, cover your edges with painter's tape and pour yourself a drink. Because that's the worst part. Painting itself really isn't SO terrible. Except for cleaning up. But really, cleaning in general isn't the most exciting thing on the face of the earth!

Another tip: Watch out for humidity. As a native Californian, it didn't occur to me just how humid New England would get in the summer. It makes painting much, much, MUCH more challenging and unpleasant. So... Don't do it! Do it in the winter, when you're trapped inside. Get a latex paint with low fumes, and you will be just fine. And you'll have something to do!

And now, since I have suffered through painting room after room for almost two years... you will be forced to look at them! Hahaha! These aren't all the rooms, but maybe someone, somewhere, will like my paint colors? If you don't, I don't want to hear it! lalalalala

By the way, I let the kids (then ages 3 and 4) choose the paint colors for their rooms. The boy chose DARK BROWN. It actually looks pretty cool, and he loves it, but it took like EIGHT COATS of paint (fine, maybe three). And one day, when I go to paint over it, I will be cursing this decision, haha! Oh well. Life is short. And hey, it's just paint! ;)