Saturday, March 3, 2012

RECIPE FOR PAINTING A DINING ROOM

Spackle, sand, prep and prime the walls.

Stare at the paint chips day and at night, move them around the room, so that you see it in different light, and stare at them some more.  Then go buy that paint.

Tape the walls and paint the crown molding, baseboards and windows, using a couple of coats, and let it dry thoroughly. Then tape the trim and cut the paint in along the edges and corners. You could also paint the walls and then the trim, but I like to do it this way because it is more of a hassle to deal with accidental drips on a freshly painted wall.


Second doubt the color: Will it be too yellow? 


Hold your breath and roll the color out. 


Don't forget to paint the switch and plug plates.




Pull the tape off right away, and then go around and touch up any uneven or misaligned areas with a small flat brush. Check every inch of it. This is really important! Remember this is the dining room, where you'll be sitting with your family and guests, after spending many hours making some fabulous meal,  and while they're talking and telling hysterical jokes all you'll be thinking about is that little spot in the corner above the china cabinet where the wall paint doesn't meet the trim paint just right.


Stumble off of the ladder and go clean your brushes before you do anything else.


Go back, have another look at it. Panic. Second, third, or fourth doubt the color again.  Remind yourself that the color will change as it dries. Tell yourself that it will look great tomorrow.


When you go to bed, don't forget to lose some sleep over it, as there's nothing like a little middle of the night fretting.


Get up in the morning and look at it and think about it, and try to decide if you want to try another color before you move all of the furniture back in its place. 

So, is it oo yellow? How about the ceiling? It will need a fresh coat, too. Should it be lighter? I'm inclined to keep it; it's  Valspar Laura Ashley Deep Cowslip 2, and is different with the new wall color, Deep Cowslip 3.
What do you think? 















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