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One of the great things about restoring an older home is that you get to bring life into something that so many others have let go over the years. It is a very rewarding process. So far the biggest drawback has been that there are a lot of decisions to make, both big and small. And for someone who struggles with decisions from time to time, this can be difficult. I know, you are probably rolling your eyes at this one. Yes, I knew going into this that there would be a lot of decisions. I had great role models in this area as my grandparents completely renovated a historic home in Fredericksburg beginning when I was 10 years old. Over the course of a few years, they took what was a complete dump and turned it into a gem that gave us years of enjoyment when we visited them! There wasn’t much they couldn’t do and they have been great resources when I struggle with decisions. The best advice they often give, just enjoy the process.
I will admit that I am a pretty handy person, and with the help from my parents there really isn’t much we can’t build, repair, refinish or think through. And thanks to YouTube, we have had a few moments of proud success on our work!
I have found a few products that have made my life a little easier with some of the painting projects that we have tackled. One being the Wooster paint brush. This is my all time favorite brush to use! Unfortunately when I popped in a small hardware store and opted not to purchase the Wooster because it was twice the price as the big box store, I was the one that paid the price for buying a cheaper brush! The cheaper one I tried to use was, well useless. Disaster. I’m talking streaks, bristles coming out almost immediately when I used it, paint flicking in places I didn’t want it to, and the list goes on. I cannot say enough good things about the Wooster brand. It has a good feel in your hand, it doesn’t get heavy, it cleans up very well and can be used for a variety of paint jobs. I will not make this mistake again. I will either pay double (cringe) or make sure I have one on hand when I need it. To be honest, I now keep two new ones on hand at all times. So if I use one, I buy another on my next trip to the store.
Here is a peek at some of the painting that we have done lately in the tie-dye room. No one could sleep in this room with this obnoxious paint scheme. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I am not sure what the previous owner was thinking with some of these color selections. If the neighbors thought the mint green garage was bad, they would really think the inside paint colors were bad!
For this room we used the high-end Valspar paint from Lowes, think good, better, best and we went with the best for maximum coverage for this room. The color is Polished Silver and we selected an eggshell finish for the walls and Ultra White in a semi-gloss finish for the trim. Note, you have to ask them to actually add the color Ultra White to their base paint even though they’re off the shelf base paint is called Ultra White. Lesson learned the hard way, but dealing with Valspar directly we were able to quickly solve the mystery and I can only say good things about their customer service! In fact, I will be a Valspar customer for life because of how quickly and easily they replaced my paint.
Although this room is far from finished, at least the walls are one solid color!
Inspiration I used: