The Walls from Hell (Construction 2020 Part III)

So now that the hard part was over, two months of stripping and refinishing the floor, I finally got to paint the walls. I thought I had gotten to the easy part. No such luck.

First, I was tormented. I normally don't have problems picking colors, but I could not decide. Maybe it was because I knew I had so many choices...I could do anything. I waffled back and forth making samples, doubting my choices, and asking friends for advice. The problem was I didn't want to prime the walls. Primer is incredibly toxic in small amounts, but a whole room of it would be risky. I needed and wanted to find a color dark enough to cover the dark olive, but not too dark which would defy the whole purpose of the remodel. I wanted bright, but do I want to be surrounded by brightness? If the color was too light, I would need two coats or two cans of expensive paint. I don't want wimpy baby colors even if they are more popular. I even considered white or a neutral beige. Eeewww...although neutrals wouldn't take away from the floor, they are so bland, boring and NOT cheerful. I want cheerful. How can this be so difficult? 

I did about fifteen tests of different colors and different shades. I finally settled on a beautiful, medium-toned turquoise color which is a complementary color to the amber orange of the wood and matches the rest of the house in tone. So cheerful, bright and happy. I even doubted this choice then decided I can either be paralyzed by indecision and not get my living room livable again, or take a risk and just to get it done. Just do it!

I used a paint from Rodda Paints called Horizon. The same paint I used in all the other rooms for the last fifteen years. It normally dries in about two hours with no smell. I bought a gallon of white first and redid the closet. 

I bought a small sample container. The first thing I noticed is the first test of the turquoise sample and the second test of the turquoise sample didn't match. The second test seemed darker and brighter. How can this be if they came from the same container? Maybe it was the light? Then after doing a second wall I questioned this, took a brush full of paint and painted a line over the first sample. It IS brighter and darker! How did that happen? Why is the same sample of paint changing shades? I wondered if I did something wrong? Did I not mix the paint well enough?

I already bought the gallon and since it matched the darker brighter shade and I wanted the lighter turquoise, I mixed some white into the gallon until it matched perfectly and then I added some blue-green! I could help myself. I repainted that wall.

Then I noticed on another wall where I painted the edges and corners was darker than the surface where I used a roller. Clearly the sample and the gallon are different shades. Maybe the two brands of paint are different? Or paint brush and roller cause different shades? I've never experienced this with any other paint and I paint a lot! I repainted that wall.

THEN I noticed where yesterday's rolled painted surface and today's rolled painted surface overlapped, both from the same one gallon of paint. They are DIFFERENT SHADES OF TURQUOISE! GOD DAMN IT! I don't understand how paint from the same container can be two different colors!

By that time I was out of paint so I couldn't repaint ALL the walls and if I attempted to buy more paint, I wasn't convinced it wouldn't be a totally different color and I'd have to repaint the whole room! I thought maybe it just needs time to cure since the first painting session was 24 hours old. I waited until the next morning...no, it still two different tones. DAMN. 

I did not prime the walls first. Primer is incredibly toxic so I like to avoid it if I can. I do wonder if that caused the darker olive underneath to mess with the colors causing different tones. I also think the sample color was incorrect due to previous experiences with that store. I have no idea. It also says on the can that two coats is required. I didn't do two coats except for the re-painted walls. The variations are so subtle it's hardly noticeable, but I did use what was left of the can to try to repaint the wall most obvious. It looks fine.

The paint took DAYS not hours to stop stinking. Was it the color that was toxic? I know adding color to low-VOC paints makes them more toxic. Maybe turquoise is just toxic? Or does Horizon have a new formula? The white stunk, too. I don't know. I hesitate to recommend it now since it used to be very non-toxic. I think I'll name the living room "Toxic Turquoise."

THEN I noticed I dripped drops of paint ON MY NEW FLOOR! I had at least 99% of the floor protected with cardboard, sheets and plastic, but the tiny part not covered gets drops of paint on it! I don't even know where that white paint came from as I painted the closet before the floor was done. So I sanded it off and refinished those spots.

DONE! I LOVE THESE WALLS!!

Its former self.

The Happiness Room

Bright and cheerful. Even when the lights are all off, the walls glow and I love having the brightness. At night the lamp light makes the floor glow gold. It makes me so incredibly happy to look at it. I've renamed it "The Happiness Room." 

Then to tackle the floors in the closet and at the front door. They are covered in linoleum. The front door area seems to have only subfloor and not fir. I don't know about the closet. I did not want to struggle removing the linoleum and the glue so I left it, it's the closet after all. Who cares? I considered laying tile over the front door floor, but having run out of money long ago I decided the next best thing...paint! This might be fun?

I started by testing ideas on the closet floor. No one is going to see it unless I decide to vacuum with guests in the house. (This is where I store my vacuum.)

I thought the design might need browns to match the fir floor. I hate brown. What was I thinking? But I liked the design idea.

After much consideration, I chose rock painting designs in colors I enjoy: in three shades of turquoise, green, purple, aqua, pink, white and red (to match the door). I used all my sample paints. I covered it with the floor finish and I hope this works. It's says on the can it can be used on paint, but it also says it shouldn't be used on linoleum. I did worry as I applied it would start bubbling or peeling the paint but no such drama occurred. Well, if it doesn't work, I can always tile over the whole thing. It's fun (and scary) to be adventurous!

This was the design I had hoped to paint the porch, but I did the porch just after the virus so I didn't feel I had the energy. So joyful. 

Then the molding...Ten years ago I removed an old wall heater from this area and they had cut out the molding so I've had a hole in the molding for the last ten years. I patiently looked in architecture reclamation stores for antique molding but there was never anything I could use that would match. So I got a bright idea, better late than never but I'm not sure why it too me so long to think out of the box: find a piece of wood that is the right size and sand the beveled edge to match. That proved to be a challenge as it seems most wood is 1/4" or 3/4ths " smaller than what old houses have. I finally found wood! Sanded the beveled edge and painted. Hooray!

I was so happy with that I bought a bunch more wood and added molding to the whole closet!

ALL DONE! Well, sort of...

Of course, now all my old furniture looks dull and lifeless next to the floor and wall. All my decorations, pillows, painted objects, wall paintings, and accessories don't match. I knew this would happen which is why I put off this remodeling project for so long. I removed almost everything, shoved it all in a closet until the next garage sale, and kept just the bare minimum. I plan to design a table, paint a lamp, recover a footstool and find things that match, slowly and inexpensively. What I didn't expect is I have no desire to put anything on the walls! I don't want to cover them! I do plan to paint some paintings for the room. Eventually. Maybe. Does this mean I get to go shopping?

I'm looking forward to the next lockdown now that I have a happiness space. And maybe I'll paint my office a bright shade of purple next?