Either Way Its Bad

I’ve come to the conclusion that working with paint is no fun, regardless of whether you are stripping it off, or brushing it on. They are both laborious, tedious, and time consuming tasks that make any project seem to come to a grinding halt.

They also happen to both be, not only necessary jobs, but jobs that can make a dramatic impact on the project. Stripping off layers of drippy paint can make almost any piece of wood look great again, and nothing makes a whole room look better than a fresh coat of paint. It is an odd paradox that painting is both improving room, while at the same time adding to its slow degradation.

That new coat of paint may only be a tiny fraction of an inch thick, but it reduces some of the profile just a hair. Over time, with many more successive coats, the excessive build-up of paint make a room look old and dingy. There will come a point when the benefits of a fresh coat of paint will be marginal at best, and may even do more harm than good in the long run. It will become something like painting over an old dented and rusted car with a can of spray paint. It may look OK from across the parking lot, but when you get up close it is easy to see someone wasted their time and money on quick-fix, spray paint job.

It’s a never ending cycle and I spent several hours both today, yesterday, and the day before renewing that cycle. I always apply one coat of primer and two top coats, and apply one coat per day for three days. In that time, there is little else that can be done in the room. And even if there were, painting takes so long, there isn’t really much time left to do anything else.

The best part is its done. I got all of the trim installed in the mudroom and painted, with the exception of the last two pieces that will go in after the marble counter is installed on the corner cabinet. If the Universe is willing, that will happen tomorrow, and pictures will follow.