I left work early on a Friday to head to Home Depot. Grabbed myself about 25 paint chips and came home and taped them up to the wall. Now, this is probably the time to tell you that I picked about 15 different colors of purple, 4 colors of turquoise, 4 colors of yellow, and a random looking orange. So, you know this is going to be interesting.
I immediately x-nay most of them. But I'm really tossing between 10 purples. Who knew so many shades of the same color could really look the same? Rob comes home from work... only to find 40 shades of color taped to wall... and we sit & deliberate. In the end, we decide on "Purple Academy." Yep, a nice, deep dark purple that has a hint of grey. I mean, don't kid yourself... Rob wouldn't let me put up a bright purple... no matter how much I wanted to. And there are just some boundaries I don't cross.
Rob asks.. are we going to paint tonight? See! Look how gung-ho he is!!! I tell him, no, no... we will do it tomorrow (Saturday).
I guess this is where I should throw in... I was also getting my brakes changed on my car on Saturday.
So... to start the day right on Saturday I follow Rob to the brake place who has indeed promised us "...only for a $99.95." Then, we head to Home Depot (insert hick voice here "...to get us a gallon of paint. Purple Academy paint that is."
We pull in to Home Depot, take them our paint chip and politely tell them we need some paint to paint a 9 x 17' wall. I'm really thinking... he's just gonna tell us we need a quart. Surely, we don't need a gallon. The salesman ponders this for a moment.. he's pretty sure we will need a gallon. I said "well, what about two quarts?" He responds with "well two quarts is the price a gallon" Then I ask Rob... "does two quarts equal a gallon?" He looks at me all weird and says "4 quarts equals a gallon, dear." So, then I make the executive decision "Well, I guess since we can get more paint for the same price... let's just go with the gallon."
That's me. I'm all for quantity. More bang for your buck, that's my philosophy. I even look over at the paint hardening stuff and tell Rob, "look, we can even buy stuff harden the paint if we don't use it all so we can throw it away." Then I think to myself: you can't just throw paint away? I didn't know that. I think it is at this point Rob realizes what he is getting himself into. But I regress, moving forward...
Then I calmly ask the paint man, "What things do we need to paint?" Because, kid yourself not, we live in an apartment and own nothing in the way of painting supplies. That's the beauty of apartment living-- people do stuff for you. Other than a hammer, couple of screw drivers, an electronic drill (I'm sure once Rob reads this he will correct me on all the correct terms here, some nails, and a tape measure. It all fits into this one tiny little bin. It's really quite perfect. 'Rob's little garage.' Again, I regress...
Rob goes into search for painting supplies with our little paint helper.. and comes back with well... one roller. With no handle. I think it's at this point I realize what I'm getting myself into. Even I know we need more than that. So, we choose a handle, edger tool, and paint pan. Amazingly, we leave the store having only spent $42. (He wouldn't let me buy the paint hardening stuff)
I won't bore you with the entire trip home... and tell you that the brake people called and well, they just can't do it for $99.95. I knew this was coming you see, because my sister had hers done and she has the same car as me (fully loaded however, with 4-wheel drive and leather heated seats... to be the youngest child *sigh*) and hers cost way more than that. The brake guy wanted us to pay $450! Heck, my car is probably only worth $450! So, I tell Rob.. tell him we will pay $300 cash .. take it or leave it. Well, he took it. My first big bargaining win! What What!
So, now I'm pumped... I just saved ourselves $150!!! Time to paint!! We bring all the stuff in, move the couch, lonely picture on the wall, and a bookshelf. Only then do I realize.. hmm.. maybe I should have bought that drop cloth after all. I only have this twin sized sheet. (The fitted sheet goes over the chair that we are using as a stool) Oops!! So, I lay out a twin size sheet, and four towels instead. It'll do the trick.
Rob tapes up the wall.. I do a few warm up stretches.. just kidding! I follow Rob while he is taping & really seal the tape to the trim & the adjacent wall. Then I bring the paint can & container to pour it in to Rob. Hmm... as he is prying off the lid (with one of our handy flat screwdrivers no less!) we suddenly realize.... we forgot to get a paint stirrer (is stirrer even a word, I can't be sure?). Never fear... the Meier's can improvise. Enter clothes hanger. Yep, we stirred the paint with a coat hanger.
Uhhh Rob, quick I made a boo boo." Picture Jessica jumping up & down holding her paint roller screaming, hurry.. there's purple where its not supposed to be.
Then, enter Robert... he runs like a lightening bolt to the sink. Dampens a towel & heads to the wall that is NOT supposed to be purple. He starts scrubbing.. and I'm like "wow, it's coming off!" Rob keeps scrubbing. "Uhh... Rob, I think its gone now you can stop scrubbing." Rob keeps scrubbing. "Seriously Rob, you need to stop." Rob keeps scrubbing. "I want it to be gone, no traces of purple." Me: "There's no trace of tan color either." Then Rob stops scrubbing. Yep, definitely so. Rob has scrubbed so hard he took the original paint color off. No trace of purple though. Only big white splotch where tan used to be. Go figure.
We continue on our merry business. Rob finishes edging, and I've only rolled ooohh.... maybe a quarter of the wall. This painting business is hard work!! I tell Rob.. "You know Holmes says to take the tape off when the paint is wet." Score HGTV (show Holmes on Homes if you still aren't following on HGTV)!!!!! The things you can learn while watching TV is insane. Rob's like.. "Are you sure? I thought you were supposed to wait?" Me: "Nope, Holmes definitely said to take the tape off when it's wet. I was secretly keeping my fingers crossed that I didn't just make it up.
At this point, I beg Rob, you have to take over for me. I can't feel my fingers. I think I'm getting arthritis at a early age, you know. Rob takes over for me. I take the tape off. Of which, yes.. it did come off nicely. However, the paint on the tape is STILL WET. Which, coincidentally, means you will get paint all over yourself.
Rob and I continue to take turns painting. We finish... Rob dumps "a little extra paint to cover our missed spots" which means... BABE LET ME DUMP A GOOD QUARTER OF OUR PAINT INTO THE PAN & COVER OUR MISSED SPOTS & LET EXTRA PAINT GO TO WASTE.
Okay, we're done painting. It's time to go get the car and the cold hard cash. News flash: the guy did accept our cash. Only, Rob gave him an extra $20 on accident. Bahaha. Oh well. Then.. I'm like..I'm going to garden ridge. I need something to hang on my wall that gives it a little sparkle. After all, I did paint my wall purple.
Head back to apartment: Uh, oh.. "Rob.. is our wall supposed to look all splotchy like that?" We both decide it's just because some places are dry and others are wet. We decide to head to dinner. Come back from dinner: "Crap, we gotta fix this... it looks bad." Rob: "Alright, we'll do a quick, light second coat." Me. "Deal." It's like 8 o'clock at night by this time. Run to Home Depot to get another roller because kid yourself not, I'm not going to be the main roller here.
Begin round two of painting. Accept, remember how Rob dumped out an extraordinarily large amount of paint above? Turns out we didn't quite have enough paint. Good thing I bought a gallon & not the two quarts!!! More bang for your buck you see. The purple is great, but well.. we weren't really aiming for a pattern to appear as well. :-) To give Rob credit, his edges are quite nice.
So, end of story: Wall looks a good bit splotchy. But only when direct light hits it. Love the thing I bought at Garden Ridge. Really works with the purple! I go to work on Monday and proceed to tell my co-worker who used to own a painting business in his prior life about our experience. I begin with "So, Rob and I painted a wall purple this weekend. He immediately says "So, did you use gray primer and two gallons of paint for two coats?" Crap, I think.. so that was the trick.
Lesson learned. Good thing we don't own the wall. Hallelujah! So.. to take a phrase from Sugarland, Rob.... "You & Me Baby, we're stuck like glue."
 |
| The finished product (don't look too closely!) |
I think it looks great!
ReplyDelete