A Life, Lived: Painting Adventures

We finally got around to painting the garage and the porch yesterday. We've been here 4 years and the paint was flaking off (even more when I cleaned the surface with the power washer). We hadn't even started with the taping of the windows and stuff and the neighbours were out checking up on what we were doing - probably concerned that we were using a gaudy colour (none of us will forget the lavender colour used by the guy 3 houses down last spring JUST prior to his moving - the two were related we think).

Actually they were most likely just curious. We live on a large crescent so it is perfect for kids, impromptu gatherings, and checking into the activities of your neighbours. Everyone seems to gather in clumps to talk about their kids, school, work, the mayor, the hockey game, etc. I can't stand it. We just like to do our thing . . . we didn't move to make friends, we have a bunch that keep us busy already darnit! LOL It is great for when you are on vacation though because they watch your house like a hawk!

I have digressed.

Anyway, the neighbours were ready to come over and offer advice i.e. that's the wrong tape to use; those aren't the right brushes, I'd use a roller there, and so on.

I wanted a grey green colour, not that far from the colour originally selected by the builders. I presume that you get used to a 'look' and that is what you want over and over again.

We had bought reptilian which seemed to be a nice grey green on the chip.

ARGH

It went on like green cotton candy. I know paint dries a bit darker but this would have to dry a whole lot darker before I'd be interested in looking at it for more than 30 seconds.

Back to the store I went and this time I had the guy dry some on the chip so I could see the match. It wasn't that the previous can hadn't been mixed well, it was just that I despised the colour. Funny how what looks good on a little card just looks dreadful splashed on the entire garage door.

When I returned Paul had almost finished the porch and then we got started on the garage. I still wasn't sure I was happy with the colour but I could live with it.

By now the neighbours had broken out the BBQ and were having an impromptu BBQ next door. They invited us over the burgers, chips, and salad but i said Paul was making dinner. They wondered what - stuffed flank steak I replied . . . two of them invited themselves to our house for dinner!

We finished up, cleaned up, and went to eat dinner.

Later we thought we'd put everything away inside the garage over night (we still needed to paint the outdoor furniture today) except . . . the garage wouldn't open.

Yes, we had painted it shut!

Of course we didn't want to bring the entire neighbourhood over to offer advice in the dark about how to get in, so Paul quietly went inside and got a knife which I used to break ' the hold' of the paint in a few areas.

We decided to leave the garage door open to allow the paint to dry properly in an way that was unobstructed (and wouldn't stop the flipping door from ever being opened again).

This morning when I went out to get the paper I noticed a trail of trash from the garage to the foot of the driveway. You guessed it, we had a nocturnal visitor who really enjoyed the trash. I tell you, there are few things that are better first thing in the morning then having to shovel week-old trash back into a garbage can! ARGH Thank goodness it is supposed to rain so the mess can get washed away.

This morning we ripped off the tape and noticed that there were spots which would need to be touched up. I wasn't sure if I liked the colour or not but my neighbour came over and RAVED about it - apparently he and the neighbours approve.

His daughter came over and said 'you need to paint the front door'. Actually, she said this two or three times.

I can only imagine the discussion about that. I guess the neighbours like the colour but were talking about how the front door needs the same treatment! Now we have a job for next weekend.

It is funny really, how a little job can become an adventure.