House Update: Painting- What I’ve Learned
I’m so excited to introduce everyone to our new home! Brian and I bought our first house together last November and we’ve been on a home ownership roller coaster ever since! Before the move we discussed renting versus buying immediately. Ultimately we decided with the dogs it would be best to go ahead and buy so we didn’t have to worry about the pups damaging someone else’s property (Loki was pretty destructive at our house in Illinois). Also- finding decent rental homes with fenced in backyards is not easy. Our house search finally came down to 2 very different homes. One was an older, slightly outdated, larger house in an established neighborhood, with a fenced yard, centrally located in town, and an easy commute for Brian to all his hospitals. The second house was a little smaller, fully updated, had a large unfenced yard, was a little outside of the “city” and farther away from restaurants, shopping, and the hospitals. I liked the colors and updates of the second house better but our decision really came down to location. And honestly, I LOVE where our house is! It’s so convenient to get ANYWHERE in town quickly. On the downside, the house is much larger than we need right now (but has SOOOOO much storage) and needs some updates.
When we first moved in, we both had some SERIOUS buyer’s remorse. The colors (walls, trim, cabinets, everything) were all wrong for us and made the house look dingy and dirty. The master bath is super outdated and the layout is way weird. The kitchen cabinets look outdated. And we don’t have enough furniture to fill all the space so the house just feels empty and cold. We knew we didn’t like the master bath when we bought the house and our plan was to get it renovated and updated ASAP. …but plans change. Getting the house repainted took priority because the colors were just making us sooo sad!
Have you ever considered repainting a room in your house? What about the trim? Or cabinets? I have! We knew when we picked this house that the whole thing would need to be repainted. Everything from the walls to the trim to the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and all the built-ins. So being the ambitious, unemployed, financially responsible individual that I am, I decided I would do all the painting!! I knew it was going to be a huge undertaking, but I was definitely up to the task. But then we started planning and prepping for the big project and I got a little overwhelmed. And yet, we plunged ahead! We picked our colors and sheens and bought all the necessary supplies. We were ready.
We started with the most obnoxiously colored room in the house. The Pink Room (it was previously a little girl’s bedroom, which is totally understandable and reasonable, but NOT what we want right now). It’s been repainted, and we still call it the Pink Room ha. So we prepped (spackled and sanded the holes in the walls) and primed. And it sucked! It took us an entire weekend. And it looked so messy. And we made a mess. And we were so sad and felt very defeated by the process. It was definitely a learning experience.
Here’s what I learned:
- There is an actual legitimate reason people recommend testing color swatches.
- Take the time to tape off the trim and cover all the floors.
- Hire professionals.
Lets break down those tips a little and I’ll explain my reasoning.
Number 1.
Test swatches matter because no matter how much you love the color on the little card, it will likely transfer to walls slightly differently. I spent hours stalking paint color schemes on Pinterest in preparation for painting our house. I knew exactly the palate I was going for- gray with blue undertones. So I made Brian take me over to Sherwin Williams, I gathered up about 20 paint chips, brought them home and spread them out on the counter, picked the 5 colors I wanted (6 including the white for the trim), and went around the house assigning each room a color. For the most part this actually worked out just fine, but there was one color that was supposed to come down the stair and wrap into the kitchen that turned out to be wayyyy bluer than what I had in mind for the kitchen. I still liked the color in the hallway (luckily) so there was no need to repaint anything. But I did end up changing a couple of colors. So while it’s annoying, and another cost, just go get a small can of the color, paint your little square and see how the color actually transfers to your walls and how it looks in different lighting throughout the day. It will be less sad to not use the $5 can of test paint than to buy 5 gallons of a color and then hate it.
Number 2.
So you think you are going to save time by getting those cute handy little edge painting tools and skip the taping? Bad idea. Very bad idea. If you are going to paint a room or every room in your house, just do it right. Tape everything off. Yes it takes more time, but no matter how careful you are or how cool your little gadget is, you will likely make a mess and get paint on the trim or wherever you don’t want it. Also, cover your floors, all of the floor and furniture. Because again, drips, spills and splatters are going to happen regardless of how careful you are.
Number 3.
Painting is actually just the worst. So let the pros handle it. Brian and I really wanted to save money and do it ourselves. Like a fun together project. Two days in and we were not having fun. And we were doing a pretty terrible job. And it’s not a small house. It took a team of two guys eight days to paint our entire house; walls, trim, built-ins, and cabinets. That blows my mind still. And it looks great! It’s basically a completely new house. I’m not saying you absolutely can’t complete your own painting project. For us, it came down to the magnitude of the project, how long it would take us, and how it would look at the end. We decided the cost to hire professionals was well worth the time and stress it would save us.
I am definitely not saying no one should undertake a home repainting project. I do recommend being very honest and realistic with yourself about the project, your expectations, and your skill and ability. Also, if you are going to do-it-yourself, do it properly and don’t take shortcuts. For us, having the house professionally painted just made the most sense and we’re so glad we did. The fresh colors make the house look new, clean and our furniture looks way better in the rooms now. Our buyer’s remorse has been erased and we are so much happier with our house now! But I’m not giving up on being a DIYer yet. I have a table I am planning to refinish! We’ll see how that goes….
Any tips? What projects are you working on?
XOXO Jaye