We got our house painted. Ugh! We did the interior. Not only did we get the rooms painted, we also had all the closets painted. Ever since we had this house built five years ago, I did not like the color of the walls. I wanted gray, and they looked beige to me. I started looking at the walls of friends homes to see if they had a gray I liked. The first place I liked the gray walls, I asked what color they were. I was told “Agreeable Gray.” So odd. That was the color on our walls, but because our floors have some tan in with the gray, the walls took on the hue of beige. Another of my friend’s home also had a beautiful gray wall. I asked her the color, and it was “Silverplate Gray.” I went to the paint store and got a sample, and sure enough, that was my color.
I never realized how hard it is to get a whole house painted once moved in. The first room I unloaded was my sewing room. I needed to get the tables into the garage so we could load boxes and miscellaneous items on them. That meant my car would be parked in the driveway for a bit.
It is a lot of work when there is a walk-in pantry in the kitchen and a walk-in closet in our bedroom, not counting regular closets and linen closets. All of them had to be completely emptied out. It was a great time to pull things not worn or used and donate.
The last closet cleared was the bedroom closet because we had to lay all our hanging clothes on the bed. Things on shelves went into boxes in the garage. The kitchen pantry was quite a task. It was in need of rearranging anyway. We loaded everything into big boxes and set them on the the kitchen counters. Since we have a backsplash, the items didn’t block any wall needing painting. My sewing machines were put into their carriers, and put under the kitchen table. We did not trust any electronics to the garage, since Arizona heat is still over 100 degrees during the day.
The painting company told us it would take three days to complete the job—actually, it took four. The first day was their prep day. All furniture was moved to the middle of the room. Everything, and I mean everything was covered and sealed in plastic.
We moved to a friend’s home for the three days—the friend whose paint color I was copying. The first afternoon I decided I wanted to get something I forgot. Instead of walking in through the front door or the garage, we chose to come through he back patio door. We didn’t want to knock anyone off a ladder! When we got to the patio door and looked in, we realized everything was covered and sealed in plastic. I guess I didn’t need that item after all.
On the fourth day, we came home early afternoon to find they were frantically trying to complete the job. We sat outside for a while, and then proceeded to the living room because of the heat. The plastic was no longer on anything, but they were doing the final small stuff, such as putting on switch plates and other things reattached to the wall. We were hot and tired.
The painters helped move the furniture back. Dennis reconnected the television to all the other electronics while I was rehanging all the clothes on our bed. All I wanted was a bed to sleep on. Nothing else got put away that evening. We were in bed by 9:00, which not normal for us at all. We were exhausted.
My sewing room is rearranged. The purchase of a tool cabinet was perfect for the room. I also brought my desk/bookcase in the room. Now all my books, including my sewing/embroidery books have a home. All the sewing accessories have a home. I can’t wait to start working in there.
I absolutely love my tool cabinet for my sewing supplies. It is counter height so cutting with my rotary cutting on the mat is better for my back than bending over a table height area. The drawers are perfect for all my sewing/embroidery accessories.
In making the room a dedicated sewing room, we moved the sofa-bed out to the living room. Yes, we replaced the large sectional sofa. Although I hated to get rid of it, it was not a comfortable couch to sit on. Actually the sofa-bed gives me better back protection and is comfortable. We purchased a new side chair which will be delivered in 8 to 16 weeks because we special ordered the fabric. The room might need one more small chair, and will definitely need a new area rug. We still have a lot of thing to hang on the walls, and we are slowly getting to them.
The bookcase/desk was moved from a cubby area to my sewing room, so I had to find something to fit that area. My desk looks better in the my sewing room and gives me a great workspace as I design quilts and embroidery designs, plus hold all my sewing and other books.
Because I keep the most of what we have in the bathroom closet in bins, moving those items out and back in was very simple. The hall linen closet got a nice reorganization along with the kitchen pantry.
I am not sure I ever want to live through a interior house painting project again. On the positive side, all closets are clean and rearranged! The 3-4 days paint job really is about a two week job, when there is a lot to put back and rearrange.
Will I do this again? I hope not. It is a great disruption of routine. Am I glad I did it? Absolutely! Everything feels and looks clean and fresh just like a new home.
Andrea Unsinkable 