To Paint or not to Paint

It all began five years ago when we bought three acres on the edge of town. We were going to build our dream house and live there till we die. No more stupid layouts, no more tiny closets - or worse lack of closets, no more dark rooms, tiny dining rooms, ugly tile, steep staircases, basement laundry rooms, nasty carpet, 7 ft. ceilings, backpacks in my living room… and best of all, no more packing or moving. Ever. Again.

I spent 29 years collecting ideas - things I liked, things I didn’t, things that worked, and things that didn’t. I clipped pictures from magazines and as technology advanced, saved more ideas in folders on my computer. Eventually I discovered Pinterest - what a glorious invention - and I started pinning and pinning, also saving ideas on Houzz, and I read blogs. I designed it myself, inside and out, refining it over the years. I learned about construction, how to draft, and I drew up the plans. I put it in my TapGlance app and arranged the furniture and hung curtains so I could walk through it in 3D and admire it. I lived in it virtually for years, tweaking it here and there. I finally had the plans for the perfect house. We planted trees, we had a contractor, we had sewer, we were getting ready to put in a driveway.

But things don’t always work out exactly like we plan, do they? Instead of getting to build my dream house, we bought a house. I won’t bore everyone with the details. It’s a beautiful house, with a great layout, and I only had to sacrifice a few things - my mudroom separate from the laundry room, a main floor guest room, an office for my husband in the house, 9’ ceilings, and my walk-in pantry. Instead my mudroom is in the laundry room, my guest room is upstairs, we built Karry’s office in the heated detached garage, and I’ll just turn an extra half-bath in the laundry room into an extra pantry. In exchange I got the open layout, main floor laundry room, walk-in closets, master bathroom, and fenced in yard I’ve never had. And bonus - an awesome yard with mature trees and all the landscaping already done for me.

What’s the catch, you say? Wood. And shiny brass. Everywhere. This house was built in 1992 and is firmly stuck in the 90’s. Wood-stained trim, wood-stained doors and windows, oak fireplace mantels, oak banisters and balusters, oak floors, and oak kitchen cabinets, 90’s style. My dreams of light, open spaces with 9’ foot ceilings, white windows, white trim and doors, white french doors, white fireplace surrounds, a white staircase, and light wood floors, dashed. I’m now immersed in wood and 8’ popcorn ceilings.

Before we moved in the first thing I did was paint. I guess I should say I hired someone to paint. After painting our last house so we could sell it, I vowed never to pick up another paintbrush - or roller. I got rid of the beige walls and brightened up the interior - I’ll save paint colors for another post. I then planned out what to paint white and what to leave wood. Then I broke my vow never to pick up another paintbrush and painted the fireplace. I could feel my father-in-law turning over in his grave with every brush stroke. I could also feel the judgment coming from my husband and other family members when I announced that I was going to paint over a solid oak fireplace mantel. I called a friend who had done the same thing for some emotional support and went for it.

Said friend also mentioned that she wished she had used oil-based paint instead of latex because she was painting over wood stain and she had trouble with scuffing and peeling. I took her advice and started with Zinsser Cover Stain oil-based primer. This gave me a base coat for the paint to stick to without having to sand it first. Then I painted it with Behr Oil-base Semi-gloss Enamel in Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White. Home Depot carries it. I had to buy it in quart size because of restrictions in the state where I live. Behr is always my go-to paint just because it has great coverage and I don’t have to paint a second coat. It costs more per gallon, but I spend less in the end. I sometimes have to do a few touch ups, but never a full second coat, even when covering red paint with a light color. The oil-based paint takes about a week to cure, but it hardens into a nice hard finish that is easy to clean.

Before

After

The white mantel against the brick of the fireplace really pops, and completely changes the room. It’s like someone turned on the lights. My husband and mom both admitted it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately I can’t ask my father-in-law for his opinion.