Project the First

The only major appliances the house lacked when we bought it were a washer and dryer. We researched and researched and finally chose a lovely "oxide silver" Maytag front loader set. We were able to order at a greatly reduced price due to the generosity of a family member who shared a discount (thank you!) As a result, they won't be arriving until May 16, but we didn't know that when we bought the house, so my first decree was that the color of the laundry room had to change. It's a very small room, with little more space for anything but the machines themselves, and we knew it would be too hard to do after they arrived. So challenge number one was before us already.

Too addled by paper signing to make any serious decisions about color, we chose white – not adventurous, but an improvement. We neglected to take proper before pictures, new bloggers that we are, but trust us when we say that the light peach paint in the room was accurately described by E as "Silly Putty." This combined with some OK-but-dated stenciling made paint one of the first (of many) home improvement purchases.

E was eager to get going and started painting on our second full night in the house. Not sure the color's silliness or puttiness is shining through here. Let's take a closer look – side by-side comparison:

 

Stenciling:

All of this is gone due to the efforts of my now sore-shouldered husband. Oh, let's not forget the lighting:

 

This times two. My parents sold these in our furniture store from the 70s through the 80s. I hadn't seen one in ages.

Things are proceeding excellently. The dogged E has finished the walls and most of the trim. Only the doors remain. We should have new lights by tomorrow evening, after an initial choice that didn't work well. We will have to address the cabinetry too, and would like to do that before the machines arrive, but are at a bit of a loss, so all we've done so far is change the knobs. Baby steps.

Lessons learned so far? Primer is your friend, especially when using white over any color, especially when covering stenciling. We initially skipped that step and realized later how wrong we were. Also, effective tools are extremely helpful. After a coworker recommended that E look into getting a power roller, E found a tool called a Paintstick EZ Twist that is purely mechanical, lacks a motor, and as a result is both cheaper and more appealing to E, who enjoys purely mechanical items like some enjoy pedicures. While, as he is fond of saying, it is no "magic bullet," it has allowed him to decrease his painting time, not too mention his bending-and-tray-fussing time, significantly, as it siphons paint straight from the can. Trim and edging must still be done manually of course, but if shaving seconds can save lives in trauma centers, it can save sanity in home improvement.