Painting Again

My hairstylist is right about more than just my hair color… Pinterest is the devil.

While she was referring to hair color and styles, I found it to be true for those cute farmhouse motifs and do-it-yourself recommendations. We live in a small farmhouse that is celebrating its 71st or 75th birthday.

Over the past few years, we made a few improvements. Okay, a lot of repairs including windows, siding, and HVAC. A few weeks ago, I removed a board in the kitchen and the paint peeled off the wall in sheets. The decades-old chalky yellow paint screamed to be covered so I painted it “Paris Mint”. In the morning sunlight, it reflected the green grass from the pasture, but at night, the kitchen dialed-up the 1970s decade and demanded their color back. And then, it bubbled and peeled from the wall.

I headed back to the chain building supply store and asked the paint guy for recommendations. The first guy recommended new sheetrock and walls. I responded that it sounded like he actually recommended demolition. He did not respond. Luckily, the second paint-mixologist recommended a heavy-duty cleaner and primer.

Armed with a lighter “Filmy Green” paint, primer and rollers, I spent most of Labor Day weekend priming, painting and moving furniture.

Those DIY shows make it look easy, but that is editing. While it took longer than a 30-minute segment on television, with help from my dad and brother, the kitchen looked great after a layer of primer. They left anf something caught my eye in the hallway. Peeling paint? Surely not.

Four hours later, I sat in the hallway littered with sheets of multicolored decades-old paint. How did I get to this point? I began to question every decision for the past 4 years. The animals still needed to be fed, and I sat surrounded by a crumpled dried paint.

There was no great epiphany, no camera crew… just me and a mound of paint. So, I turned off the audio book, cleaned up the trash, fed the animals and went to a cookout in my old neighborhood. I had paint stains on my arms, legs and the bottoms of my feet. I did not care.

Sunday afternoon, my dad and I finished painting the kitchen and hallway. I came to realize a few things to keep in mind if you ever dream of owning an older home:

1. There are always things to paint. The local store selling paint is glad to have customers like me. Unless you have an unlimited budget, be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get dirty.

2. There are always things to fix. The local hardware store likes for customers like me to visit. Agaim, unless you win the lottery or find a pot of gold, you will need to fix things or pray that someone you know can do it. I am forever thankful for my husband.

3. My house will never look like one on television, nor is it a rambling estate. It does, however sit under a rainbow when the storm clouds roll the right way. I keep looking for the leprechaun.