There were a lot of things that I fell in love with when I first saw this house. There’s a wall that curves in to the living room from the front entrance and another in the upstairs hallway (which, in turn, means one of Oliver’s bedroom walls is curved, too). There’s a sweet little sun porch off of the den and the kitchen was redone recently; it’s got more cupboards than I ever dreamed of AND a breakfast bar AND it overlooks the den AND the dishwasher has a water saving “smart wash” button AND the window is over the sink, looking in to the backyard, which is big. The layout is open and the storage is ample. In short, there are a lot of reasons why we knew right off that this house was The One.
There was a lot that it needed, too, which fell in line with what we were looking for: a house with good bones that we could make our own. The shortlist included starting the window replacing and giving the downstairs bathroom a serious facelift. The sun porch needed a new roof; we guessed its frame and sections of its wood floor would last a year at most…and then there was the living room/dining room.
Two words about that room: absolute disaster.
The walls. Half were plaster, painted off-white. The other half sported wood paneling. Dark wood paneling. Dark wood paneling that the previous owners, it appeared, had treated over the years with oil. The paneling completely ate up the fairly simple, yet quite regal oak fireplace (the green and white faux marble tiles around the gas insert, though rather unfortunate, are bearable). The wood trim around the large front window was badly scratched, no doubt by a dog, and the carpet…well, to each is own, but as soon as I laid eyes on the vast expanse of royal blue wall-to-wall (and by “vast expanse” I mean all through the living/dining room, up the stairs and down the hall), I knew it HAD TO GO.
The first thing we wanted to do was paint, and over the last several months we’ve gotten quotes from various painters. We decided that, given the size of the project and the fact that two bright-eyed, bushy-tailed children also live here, we’d have it painted professionally. The prices were discouraging: the highest came in at $1,500 and by the time the spring rolled around and yard sale season was upon us, the lowest was $1,100 (though I was also asked to write a college-level final term paper in exchange for painting services. I respectfully declined.)
And then it got nice out and once again, yard sales were abloom. On many Saturdays Dave and the kids were on the road by 8.30a.m. in search of an incredible fifty-cent find while I drooled on my pillow in bed (don’t get me wrong – I love yard sales just as much as the next guy, but at this point in my life? I like sleeping in better), and it was at a yard sale that Dave happened upon a local painter who agreed to stop by and give us a quote. He came in much lower than any of the others: $850.
SOLD.
It pained Dave – PAINED THE MAN – to pay that much for a paint job but the fact was, painting that room was too much work (and we are lazy). The wood paneling needed to be cleaned first and then painted with a special primer. All of the trim needed to be painted, including going up the (carpeted) stairs and the railing, and the ceiling needed a fresh coat, too – it would have taken us days to finish. Hiring painters was, for me, priceless, in terms of convenience. So we booked this guy and his partner, and the week before they were set to start they dropped by with sample rings. Although they came unannounced I had a good idea of what Dave and I wanted for the room, so I picked two colours that I thought went well together.
I just want to, at this point, pause and express how excited I was to have the room painted. I hated that room with a passion – hated the wood paneling and the way it drowned out all of our other wood pieces, hated the fugly blue carpet, the bulky, ugly sheers…I hated it all. The room wasn’t an expression of our tastes at all; we’d put up very little art, there was nothing out, no personality. The room was bland, yet there was so much potential, so much to highlight. I couldn’t wait to get going on the transformation.
The painters came and for two days our lives were somewhat disrupted but the guys were friendly. They did a good job, and quickly. But about halfway in to the project I got this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, a feeling that only intensified with time.
I hated the colour. Correction: one of the colours. The green I’d picked, to go alongside the buttery-cream colour on the plaster walls, I hated it. It had looked really great on the paint sample – really fucking great, truly – but up on those walls, in a fairly large room with lots of natural light, and in stark contrast with the deep blue carpeting? It was hospital ward green.
I had chosen hospital ward green for my living/dining room.
FUCK. Fuckity-fuckity-fuck fuck.
I knew before it had dried that it would have to go; there was no way in hell I could live with that colour on my walls. NO WAY IN HELL. I mean, you stood in that room and you either felt like you were in an aquarium, a hospital or a cottage circa 1950. Dave tried to convince me that he liked it at first but after about twelve hours he broke and agreed that it HAD TO GO, the sooner the better. He called the painters and explained the situation; they all had a good laugh – at my expense, I think, but whatever, it’s expected – and agreed to come back and re-paint the green walls for a small fee.
But the small fee turned out to be not-so-small. Half of the original price, $850, was mentioned initially, but the firm price was $375.
To put two coats on half of a living/dining room.
Three hundred and seventy-five dollars.
We may be lazy, but we’re not suckers.
So. Guess what I’m doing tomorrow? I’m painting the living/dining room. We picked a new colour, a strong, sage-ish green, and while I’m excited, very, about covering up the hideous colour that’s on the walls now, I am dreading, completely dreading, painting that room. Because?
I HATE PAINTING.
*sigh* Wish me luck, yo.
54 Comments, Comment or Ping
Oh no! That’s terrible all that money and you’re still doing it yourself! Good luck!
KayTar’s room is in desperate need of painting, but I can never choose a good time for it.
August 11th, 2008
I am so with you on hating painting, we are currently painting everything in sight before baby arrives or i get too big to help.
I hate it hate it hate it lol
But the results ARE worth it…
Good luck!
Pol x
August 11th, 2008
Good luck … it’s a big job but you’ll be SO PLEASED when it’s all done and you don’t live in a hosptial ward anymore ;)
August 11th, 2008
Ugh. I hate painting too. And my living room NEEDS to get painted. Right now it’s just white. And that white contains scratches, stains, marks, big nails holes, etc. But I’m just too lazy to do it. So I feel for you girl. I really, really do.
(Make sure to take before and after shots!!!)
August 11th, 2008
dude that totally sucks. Send me pictures when you have it finished…i can’t wait to see it.
We’re trying to figure out what colors to paint our living/dining/kitchen/hallway….i really don’t want them to be all the same color but since you can literally see each of those areas from the living room i’m not sure what to do….damn open concept
August 11th, 2008
Oh, that sucks. I hate painting, too – I’ve had a “sample color” on part of a bathroom wall for 4 years, if that gives you any idea… Sending you speedy easy painting thoughts…
August 11th, 2008
I’ve painted most places I’ve lived in and I HATE painting too. Good luck with it.
And why are swatches one inch by one inch? Who can tell anything by that size sample?
August 11th, 2008
I LOVE painting – we should move closer to each other!
August 11th, 2008
Oh I am so sorry! I have learned, like you the hard way, to always ALWAYS paint a big ol’ sample patch on the wall. The funny? I do the white on white thing but who would of known there were so many, many, many shades of white. Yellowish white, pinkish white, greyish white, bluish white, brownish white, greenish tealy white … (thats my forest gump impersonation).
Have fun tomorrow, bleh!
a.
August 11th, 2008
Dude, all that would have taken you WEEKS by the sound of it. And I’m guessing they lost money on the job, that’s why they upped the fee. Because it sounds like the DEAL OF THE CENTURY!
And really, they’ve done all the hard work, all the prep, so your job isn’t nearly so bad. Can you tell I don’t hate painting at all? I find it very satisfying and soothing (as long as no toddlers are nearby). But I hate all the prep work, the sanding and the priming and the filling of holes and sanding and all that… anyways, good luck! It’ll be over soon and then you’ll love the room. (I hope!)
August 11th, 2008
You’re not alone. A post from before we “met”:
http://talesfromthedadside.blogspot.com/2007/02/tws-painting-our-apartment.html
August 11th, 2008
oh,…i have a room like that. what i thought was going to be eggshell…creamy…looking like a yellow/greenish mix of crap. HATE.
good luck, my dear! at least this time the color will be better!
August 11th, 2008
I ditto your last sentence.
August 11th, 2008
Oh that sounds so frustrating! Sorry, Mama!
I hope that the sage green works out better, and that painting is nice and easy and quick for you!
August 11th, 2008
All that money! But I am sure it’ll look fabulous when it’s done! Good Luck!
August 11th, 2008
Aww, suck it up!! lol! The pay off will be awesome. Two walls? Shit. I painted three big rooms by myself last year. And guess what? I hate the color we used the most of, too. LOL! But, this is a rental, and I am not doing it over. But I will be more careful when we FINALLY buy OUR house (pft) when I choose. Your butter color sounds like more of what I wanted. *sigh* I just hope they don’t ask us to paint over them when we leave. I might just choose to lose the down paymeny if they do.
Luck. :)
August 11th, 2008
Oh, that sucks! I hope the painting goes quickly for you!
We got this inspired idea to do some swirly red/yellow mixture one one of the walls of our living room. Red and yellow together make some weird pinky orange, and I am so not a fan. My husband says it’s grown on him, but it’s only grown on me like a fungus. That was the last wall we painted after re-painting four rooms, and we still, five years later, haven’t re-done it. I, too, hate painting.
August 11th, 2008
I actually love interior painting – did a lot of it when I couldn’t afford to hire anyone to do it for me. It’s such a quick transformation.
That being said, it’s ALL in the preparation. The actual painting is the easy part.
I too picked wrong colours in our old place downtown – the old colour was a hundred times better than its replacement. I just lived with it til we moved.
August 11th, 2008
They say that hospital ward green is supposed to be nice and calming or something.
Yeah, I don’t get it either.
August 11th, 2008
my husband will not allow anyone else to do the painting which, while he is very good at it, it makes me cringe a little because a) i know it will take him forever to do it and b) it means i will be the sole caregiver for the kids on the “painting” weekend.
good luck!
August 11th, 2008
Oh, that SUCKS. Painting is a crappy job, no matter how you slice it. We’re looking to hire professionals this time, too. Which – heaven!
August 11th, 2008
Is it just me or does anyone else find it supremely hot when you write ‘u’ in color.
Yankee Greta
;)
August 11th, 2008
I have an aunt, who wanted her kitchen redone. So my uncle took a weeks leave and rebuilt the kitchen, floor, cupboards, tiles, everything. My aunt then decided that she did not like the tiles….
This is the same aunt who spent 18 months choosing tiles for the downstairs bathroom, which was out of use until it was tiled.
Oh and the same aunt bought a new car, decided she did not like it and had to have it changed at a massive loss.
Your paintjob is nothing I tell you.
August 11th, 2008
hahahahah…. I’m only laughing because I’ve SEEN it and yes, it definitely needs to go. I wish you oodles of luck painting that sucker, but once it’s done you will feel so much better (and also be up $375!). Good luck!!
August 11th, 2008
I feel your pain. I hope you manage to get it all sorted out ok.
We considered buying one of those paint pod things to see if that would make painting things easier but we’re not convinced they are as good as the adverts make out.
August 11th, 2008
Its gonna be an easy paint though! All the prep and sanding was done. easy peasy pudding and pie.
hah. easy for me to say. I’m not doing it.
August 11th, 2008
Come ON! What were the colours called? The old green and the new green and the buttercream? Pleeeeease?
August 11th, 2008
I did the exact same thing! We had the perfect beige (so bland but what do you do with an all brown house with purple floors? yeah.) in the kitchen that was neutral and rich looking. We decided to carry it through to the front room (which has 18 foot ceilings and a ton of light), sadly in that room it is a cross between orange and pink. It is the facking ugliest color I have ever seen.
My mom has a terrible shade of “crest mint toothpaste” on her walls. Some stoopid designer actually thought it would be nice and FRESH.
Minty fresh.
August 11th, 2008
Samples and paint chips LIE.
It is the only explanation for many of our rooms that I can come up with.
August 11th, 2008
i love painting. i don’t get to do it enough.
August 11th, 2008
I actually love to paint, it’s the interference from the short and loud people that bothers me the most :-)
Good luck getting your buttery walls in.
August 11th, 2008
If I had no help under three feet tall, I would love painting. The last room I did was the baby’s room, in January – I was six months pregnant and nesting, and damn it, NO BABY OF MINE was coming home to a room still painted the sell-my-house beige that the previous owners had thoughtfully used on every fucking wall in the house.
If I were there, I would help you. Good luck.
August 11th, 2008
Ew. I hate painting too. I had a similar experience, except it was a powder room (thank god!), and I was the one who did the first paint job. We paid someone else to re-do it a year later. Thankfully, I LOVE it now!
I hope yours turns out the way you want it!
August 11th, 2008
UGH! Swatches, swatches, swatches…It is so impossible to know what paint is actually going to look like ON EVERY WALL by that little tiny swatch. And even painting a small section doesn’t do it. It’s EVIL!
August 11th, 2008
I’m on painting strike right now. Since we’ve moved into our house we have had to strip and paint everything inside and out. But colours, GAWD, who in there right mind would expect you to choose so quickly. HA. It’s there fault clearly, not yours.
It’ll be therapeutic painting, truly. Just think how much money you’re, ah, saving…
August 11th, 2008
It’ll be worth it!
Maybe ask them to label that card hospital green so no one else fucks up?
August 12th, 2008
I don’t actually mind painting, but it’s the colour decisions beforehand…. I’m SO not confident. You have lived one of my worst nightmares….
August 12th, 2008
dude, that sucks. really sucks. we made the same mistake with our bedroom when we first moved in three years ago…it turned out paint sale blue, like the arena in some armpit town…but luckily my MIL had done the first few coats so at least we hadn’t paid for labour. you have my great sympathies, and i hope the new colour is gorgeous!
August 12th, 2008
Painting, ugh. We painted the whole interior of our house last summer and I swore up and down, left and right, that I’d never paint again. At least you’re only painting half the walls. And just think, you’ll be covering up the bad color.
It’s so hard to pick with just samples.
August 12th, 2008
I’ve been rather lucky in the paint swatch department only because I Hmmm and Haw for the better part of six months before I decide. I panic and I can’t make up my mind, then I say fuck it and so far it’s been a winner.
I hope it goes rather smoothly for you! I’d hate to see you have to paint again!
August 12th, 2008
Oh that truly sucks! Both the color disaster and having to do it yourself. I painted in one of my apartments, back when I was living with my ex. After we nearly broke up just because of the way painting turned me into a raging bitch, I swore I’d never paint again.
Too bad we live too far away – George would have given you an excellent quote!
August 12th, 2008
Shit. That would TOTALLY happen to me!
Bummer. :(
August 12th, 2008
Doooode, right there w/ ya. Mike (the getmyassoffthecoucher/slave labor) to my “complainer/Project Manager”- we have painted every room in the house save for 2 baths and the kitchen. I do not like painting. The kitchen we paid for b/c man, I had had enough. Well worth it.
The v. first room we painted when we bought the house was the dining room. About 3, possibly 4 cans of paint later, I found the yellow I wanted. tres expessivo. Since then, we have done the sample size can, and done a test runs for all subsequent rooms. I believe it has saved my marriage.
August 12th, 2008
Just think of the money and at least they did the priming for you. And oh my holy heck, I had a friend paint her front entry hall (two storey walls) with this colour that looked like PetoBismal when it dried – NIGHTMARE. At least your paint job is reachable (I’m trying to find the positive sister friend).
August 12th, 2008
enter the reason my aunt and uncle’s house is, after FOURTEEN YEARS, still white everywhere in the house except for one room. that room is my cousin’s bedroom and is a very very very light purple(because allegedly, if you pick a dark color, it gets three shades darker? so they picked a practically white one, and it’s practically white, surprise surprise)
it’s pathetic, but they’re deathly afraid of picking the wrong color. and they’re cheapskates, so if they screw up the color, i can guarantee they will adamantly REFUSE to repaint the horrible color because they’d have to buy a few gallons of paint, and they wouldn’t want to spend the money.
Good on you for taking the initiative to at least TRY.
August 12th, 2008
I. HATE. PAINTING.
May the force be with you, love.
August 12th, 2008
I love painting…feed me some vino and I’ll come and do it.
make sure you use plenty of primer to get rid of the green first (sorry)
August 13th, 2008
Ugh! I hate painting!!!
Our family room is green and it took buying many small paint cans and lathering them all over the place before I found the perfect one! Green is such a difficult colour to pick–don’t be too hard on yourself! Just sucks YOU have to paint it :(
August 13th, 2008
LOVE to paint. read the email is sent you in FB, fool
: )xoxo
August 13th, 2008
…the email *I* sent you……
August 13th, 2008
Oh, dood. I so feel your pain. We are moving this weekend and my living room? Teal. Dining room? Mauve. It’s sort of an 80s craptaculooza in there. The kitchen is orange and the office is bright, bright lavender. That’s a whole butt load of painting. and the lovely sage green I had wanted for the living room instead resembles baby-poop green. Sick baby baby poop. Good thing I only got a tester pot….
I hope yours came out well.
August 13th, 2008
Ugh. I sympathize. We hate painting too.
A friend once painted our bedroom for us while we were out of town. The color on the swatch looked lovely and dramatic. On the walls, it looked utterly institutional.
August 13th, 2008
once again your tags are making me lose my shit. painting suuuuuucks big time, even if it does make for good blog fodder.
August 13th, 2008
I hate painting. Absofuckinglutely *HATE IT*. But, I guess you do what you gotta do. And most importantly, if you hated it that much, it had to go. It’s your house, you need to be happy with it.
August 22nd, 2008
Reply to “When colour swatches lie”