Paint and other Mistakes
So last night, as it was raining out I walked home. I usually walk home in the rain. Mostly because I always have an umbrella and also because I like walking in the city in the rain. My clothes aren't usually that ruined, except that one time when it was a hurricane and my gray pants (the ones I'm wearing today) were completely saturated in water and subsequentially extremely disgusting. Anyway...as I was walking, an idea popped into my head. I wanted to paint my bathroom. See, I've been wanting to paint my bathroom for a while now, it was just a matter of time until I actually buckled down and actually DID. I thought that now was a good a time as ever, so I stopped in Home Depot and headed down to the paint department.
For those of you that know me, know that I'm not a white paint kind of girl. When I lived in Philly with Kim I painted one of our living room walls this really pretty blue. I decided that I want to paint my bathroom red. Not pink, not ugly burnt sienna or brick red---but red: apple red. I told the guy at home depot this and he said that I need a primer. I've technically never used a primer before. When I painted the wall in Philly with Mark we just straight up started to paint blue all over the wall. And it worked just fine. So----I was shocked/annoyed that I would have to use some sort of primer for the bathroom. Luckily, there isn't a lot of actual paintable wall space in my bathroom, just above the bathtub wall, over the tiled area and then over the sink and in the window ledge thingie where all the pigeons like to congregate outside. I thought this whole thing would be an easy task. Of course I was wrong.
I headed in to start taping all the places I could reach. I really couldn't reach the ceiling area so I just decieded that I'd "be careful" when I was painting the edges up there. "Being careful" is much easier said than done. It also was complicated by the fact that I had to stand on my tippie toes on the edge of the slippery bathtup to even remotely reach the upper echelons of the wall. It was a bit of a disaster. Needless to say, that part doesn't look very good. So, I bring a chair in and paint with the mini-roller all around in the areas I can reach and that I can actually do with the roller as opposed to the brush. Then I use the brush and try and get all the edges and not get paint on anything I'm not supposed to, etc. That worked pretty well. I decided I wanted to paint the pole where my christmas lights are in my bathroom as well. That didn't turn out as well as I'd have liked cause there are parts where I just physically can't reach and it's just going to have to be OK, because I can't do jack shit about it. Also---the christmas lights burned out and I don't know where I'm going to get more before the xmas season actually starts.
The primer is like a dark salmon color. I've decided that I HATE the dark salmon color. It repulses me to go into the bathroom right now. However, the real bathroom paint is awesome red and I can't wait to paint with that. I am thinking about doing it today although the thought of doing everything I did yesterday again today gives me a stress headache. Partly b/c I it was a strain on my reaching capacity and also because I am remembering the smell of the paint causing the headache. Anyway----it was a mini SimplyLauren adventure that I'd thought I'd share with you.
So let's review:
1. Painting as an idea is great.
2. Actual painting is horrid.
3. Needing a primer is stupid.
4. Painting the top edges is very hard and for losers.
5. It's ok if you get paint on the ceiling, it means your room has character.
6. Paint stinks.
7. Be careful standing on the toliet when painting the upper edges of the wall.
8. Don't paint alone, you could die.
9. Salmon is an ugly color.
10. Christmas lights are hard to find out of season.
I'm sure there will be more adventures tomorrow in dealing with this new bathroom endeavor. If anyone wants to come over and help a poor girl out---I'd be much obliged to feed you dinner.
Love,
Lauren
P.S I'm reading a really great book at the moment, "Running with Scissors". You should read it. I highly recommend it. :)
For those of you that know me, know that I'm not a white paint kind of girl. When I lived in Philly with Kim I painted one of our living room walls this really pretty blue. I decided that I want to paint my bathroom red. Not pink, not ugly burnt sienna or brick red---but red: apple red. I told the guy at home depot this and he said that I need a primer. I've technically never used a primer before. When I painted the wall in Philly with Mark we just straight up started to paint blue all over the wall. And it worked just fine. So----I was shocked/annoyed that I would have to use some sort of primer for the bathroom. Luckily, there isn't a lot of actual paintable wall space in my bathroom, just above the bathtub wall, over the tiled area and then over the sink and in the window ledge thingie where all the pigeons like to congregate outside. I thought this whole thing would be an easy task. Of course I was wrong.
I headed in to start taping all the places I could reach. I really couldn't reach the ceiling area so I just decieded that I'd "be careful" when I was painting the edges up there. "Being careful" is much easier said than done. It also was complicated by the fact that I had to stand on my tippie toes on the edge of the slippery bathtup to even remotely reach the upper echelons of the wall. It was a bit of a disaster. Needless to say, that part doesn't look very good. So, I bring a chair in and paint with the mini-roller all around in the areas I can reach and that I can actually do with the roller as opposed to the brush. Then I use the brush and try and get all the edges and not get paint on anything I'm not supposed to, etc. That worked pretty well. I decided I wanted to paint the pole where my christmas lights are in my bathroom as well. That didn't turn out as well as I'd have liked cause there are parts where I just physically can't reach and it's just going to have to be OK, because I can't do jack shit about it. Also---the christmas lights burned out and I don't know where I'm going to get more before the xmas season actually starts.
The primer is like a dark salmon color. I've decided that I HATE the dark salmon color. It repulses me to go into the bathroom right now. However, the real bathroom paint is awesome red and I can't wait to paint with that. I am thinking about doing it today although the thought of doing everything I did yesterday again today gives me a stress headache. Partly b/c I it was a strain on my reaching capacity and also because I am remembering the smell of the paint causing the headache. Anyway----it was a mini SimplyLauren adventure that I'd thought I'd share with you.
So let's review:
1. Painting as an idea is great.
2. Actual painting is horrid.
3. Needing a primer is stupid.
4. Painting the top edges is very hard and for losers.
5. It's ok if you get paint on the ceiling, it means your room has character.
6. Paint stinks.
7. Be careful standing on the toliet when painting the upper edges of the wall.
8. Don't paint alone, you could die.
9. Salmon is an ugly color.
10. Christmas lights are hard to find out of season.
I'm sure there will be more adventures tomorrow in dealing with this new bathroom endeavor. If anyone wants to come over and help a poor girl out---I'd be much obliged to feed you dinner.
Love,
Lauren
P.S I'm reading a really great book at the moment, "Running with Scissors". You should read it. I highly recommend it. :)
posted by Simply Lauren. @ 6:24 AM
1 Comments:
At Thursday, September 07, 2006,
caroserey said…
I need to paint my basement. You in?
I also read that book and did enjoy it although that kids life is pretty f-ed up but definitely interesting. The family who the characters were based on sued him because they said all that s*** didn't happen.
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