More Painting (I promise I won’t sing)

This is day of 2 of painting the top half of The Frankenstein Hutch, and the interior will need a final coat tomorrow. The outside is the same color as the trim in the kitchen. It is Sherwin Williams’ Honied White. I decided to paint the interior dark green for three reasons. First, I thought it would be a nice accent to the green walls. Second, I read someplace that the interior of cabinets should be dark because it will help hide stains. And third - and this is the most important reason - I had ¾ of a gallon of dark green paint left over from another project. Waste not, want not – right?

The dark green paint is Sherwin Williams’ Hunter Green. It is very dark, and maybe a little too dark. I’ve decided to paint the undersides of the shelves white in hopes that it will throw some light down on to what ever is in the cabinet. The paint itself is kind of tough to work with. It is a water based, enamel floor paint. The finished product is a durable, high-gloss surface that is oil and chemical resistant. I think it is designed for like factory floors or something. The problem with it is that it is very watery. It is about the constancy of tomato soup and the coverage is terrible. It takes a minimum of 3 coats to cover the old color. When I bought this product a year ago I had to go back and buy a second gallon. I mentioned to the salesmen how watery it was and he said, in a deep, authoritative voice, “Yes, we’re not really happy with the consistency of the dark base”. He did give me a big discount on the second gallon because the coverage is so bad. I guess that’s something.

To complicate matters, the shelves have been nailed in so I have to paint everything in place. I think they nailed them in to give the cabinet stability when it was last moved 80 or 90 years ago. Because it was a built-in in it’s first incarnation, and because it has doors on the front and back, it is not a real stable cabinet. With the shelves nailed in place it does OK, but I don’t think it is wise to pull out the nails. Painting the interior is awkward, and there is a lot of surface area to paint.

Work on the e-solution hutch has stalled for the time being. It is stripped and ready to be sanded. The trouble is, it is in the same room as The Frankenstein Hutch, which is being painted. I didn’t think that one through very well. I was too eager to start painting because I wanted to see what it looked with the crown molding on it. The last thing I need for this is a 16X26 piece of glass for one of the doors. With any luck I can put the doors and hardware on this weekend. I’ll try and post a photo after that. The room is too crowded to get a good shot. I did find out that when assembled it will be 9’ 3” tall. Perfect for the 10.5-foot ceilings.