Painting (and Lots of Prep)

When we started, I really didn't think painting seemed like it should be a big deal. But there is a LOT of painting to do. In fact, the entire house needs to be painted.

And what is a big deal is the prep. Caulking, patching, sanding, and taping. Lots and lots of it.

For the two weeks before Christmas, I came over after work to prep. All of the new trim that Nik had put up needed to be caulked. And primed.

I also had to paint the kitchen cabinets that we decided to save. (It took two coats of primer to cover 70 years of grime.)

Then the cabinets got a regular coat of paint.

Looks easy, right?

Then Nik put the trim on; it needed to be taped, caulked, primed, and painted. After it dries, that will also need to be taped so we can paint the walls. And that's just the kitchen. The same thing will need to happen in the dining room, living room, hallway, and bedrooms. (We've already, thankfully, painted the bathroom.)

I have been painting every day for the past two weeks. We are supposed to be moving in a month, and it feels like there is no end to the amount of painting that still needs doing.

Every once in a while, however, this endless morass of tedious physical labor is punctuated by a welcome burst of decision-making. Last weekend, for instance, I had to choose a color for the backdoor.

The winner: Benjamin Moore's Claret Rose.