Sunday, November 15, 2009

Priming: What a Project!

We are still plugging along at the house in Hooterville, making progress, little by little.
This past week, we’ve been busy priming.
And priming.
And priming some more!  
I think we went through 6 GALLONS of  Zinsser Bullseye 123 primer!  And 2 gallons of Gripper.
But the priming is finally DONE!
And boy, what a different just one  coat of primer has made in lightening, brightening and changing the atmosphere in some of the rooms!
Would you like to see?
The dining room wall went from this…IMG_0450
to this.IMG_0665
 
The “teal room” went from this…IMG_0455

to this!  (Wow, that carpet actually doesn’t look half bad when it’s not fighting with aqua walls, does it?  But it will still be replaced with something more neutral.)IMG_0701
 
The blah brown master bedroom before…IMG_0538
is already looking a little less dreary with just primer on the walls and baseboards.IMG_0703 
 
The wallpapered office before…IMG_0488
and after wallpaper removal.IMG_0699
 
There are 13 wood doors in this house. Each and every one of  those doors and all of the 5,000 miles of wood baseboards and door moldings needed priming. 
Well…I’ll admit 5,000 miles of molding might be a slight exaggeration but, at my age, it sure FEELS like 5,000 miles when I am sitting on the floor with my legs curled up underneath me as  I paint…and paint…and paint.  

IMG_0593

 

IMG_0700

Now that the priming is done,  I get to scoot around the house  on my hands and knees a second time, applying crisp, white semi-gloss paint to all the  baseboards and moldings. 

IMG_0697

IMG_0704

After we got all the doors and moldings primed,  I started to  feel like we have finally turned a huge corner.  In reality, there is  a lot more painting ahead  but now I can actually see we’ve made progress!
If all goes according to schedule, I hope to  start putting color on the walls the day after Thanksgiving!  I’m really looking forward to seeing how much “my” colors change the look and feel of each room.
At some point this week, I will try to take a break from working inside so I can take a few photos of all the progress outside. 

12 comments:

Lottie said...

Shari, the walls look so much lighter and brighter! I love what you have done by priming the woodwork. It really looks great!

Adrienne said...

Wow! What a difference already! You've worked hard and it's paying off. Great job - can't wait to see more. You are making such a difference with your new home. ~Adrienne~

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

Shari that DR looks huge now...I never did understand why people paint DR red...When it also and angry color...This is really looking awesome my dear friend...Many Blessings to you this week my friend....Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

Anonymous said...

It looks great and so bright and cheerful. I am going to paint next year. Did some this year, but not everything. We got new doors and had to paint 7 of them. They look great, but I hate doors now.

Willow

Elizabeth and Gary said...

You are so right, what a good coat of primer will do!. You are really coming along, soon it will behind you and you can just decorate and nest.I can't wait to see all your progress.
Take care and enjoy your week,
Elizabeth

Mary said...

Oh, my gosh, Shari...what a tremendous difference! When you get your new carpet...have you decided on a color yet?...it will be gorgeous! Believe me, I know what you mean about the doors, trims and baseboards...I did the same thing here, and yes, it IS 5,000 miles! Just ask my knees!!! But you're younger than me, so I know you can do it!

Happy 37th Anniversary early! You are so right...its nothing to sneeze at, with divorce being so rampant these days. But it does take two...I remember telling my mom when I got married that I would do my part, but if he didn't, there wouldn't be anything I could do about it. We really do have to trust that our new husbands keep their vows and continue to love us, because we don't really know for sure, we just hope and trust.

Glad to see you're making some real progress. I can't wait to see the kitchen!

Bless you, Shari...don't work too hard!

Mary

Pink Roses and Teacups said...

Hey girlfriend! Wow, you're really making progress! Looks great! Can't wait to see how the paint colors are going to look.

Debbie

Anonymous said...

Oh, bless your heart! You've been painting your tiny hands off! But just with the primer on everything looks so crisp and neat! Your new home will be beautiful!
Look! I'm waving right back at you! :)
Be a sweetie,
shelia ;)

Maureen said...

I can't believe your progress! Just the primer alone has changed to whole feel. Gives you inspiration to carry on.

Anonymous said...

What an incredible change. Everything is so bright and fresh looking already. You're making it look like a new home. My hat's off to you.

Cindy said...

It is already looking so much better, dear lady. I hope you are keeping the lantern light in the entry way, you could paint it another color and you are styling! You see them everywhere now. Can you tell I have been light shopping? Bless your heart, though. All that painting and you are doing it yourself. Still wish I lived close enough to pop by and help. Hugs, Cindy S.

Unknown said...

Oh wow....that's a lot of primer but it's going to look so good with your personalized colors. I have dark walls in my house like your first photo (red) and I'm ready to re-do and go for more beachy blue colors. I'm gonna be very familiar with primer by the time my project is done. :)