August 24, 2012 - House Painting Day One

I'll count today as being day one of house painting, even though I actually painted the garage entry door on Wednesday.

The day didn't start too well.  The window replacement guy came at 8:00 AM to double check measurements and pick up the first half of the money for the job.  They won't be able to install the new windows and sliding glass doors until around the third week in September.  As soon as he left, I headed for Lowe's to get the paint.  One gallon for the front doorway, and one gallon as a trial color for the siding.  I was the only person at the paint counter, and handed the guy my paint samples, both of which had to be custom mixed.  He said it would take about 30 minutes to mix it up.  I asked why so long, and he said "It's not easy mixing up these custom colors".  I informed him I wasn't born yesterday, and knew the computer would print out the formulas in a couple of minutes.  He informed me it takes much longer than that, and I informed him I'd bought many gallons of custom mixed paint in my lifetime, and knew exactly how long it took.  He informed me I wasn't the only customer he had to wait on, and I informed him he didn't have to worry, because I was not going to be his customer.  So much for Lowe's customer service.  I went across the street to Walmart, but of course there was nobody in their paint department, so I headed into town and went into Ace Hardware, where the very nice paint man was happy to mix up the custom colors, and had both gallons done and shaken in less than 10 minutes.

So I got a late start on painting the house.  Mr. Granny and the youngest son had been busy tearing off the old rain gutters, so the front of the house was ready for a good hosing down by the time I returned.  I began scraping old caulk from where the gutters had been removed, and found the facia boards had a lot of dry rot from the leaky gutters.  Those will have to be replaced.  I also found a bit of rot at the bottom of the front entry trim, so I gouged the soft wood out and will let it dry really well then fill it with wood filler and sand it down before painting that bottom six inches or so.  Ugh.  If it isn't one thing, it's another!

At least I got the entire front entry (sans the door itself) painted, except for the small area that is awaiting repairs.  It now matches the color of the storm door, where before it was a couple of shades darker.  It looks much, much better.  Then I tackled the siding above the brick, and managed to get two coats of paint on that before I pooped out.  I still have to dismantle and wash the porch lights, then Mr. Granny can put those back up in the morning.

 With the exception of tearing down these facia boards and replacing and painting them, and some repair to the trim on the bottom left side of the doorway, and screwing the porch lights back up, this part is finished.  You don't even want to know what those three large windows are costing.  Because they are so close to the floor, they have to be tempered glass, which is very $$$.


The new windows will be the same almond color as the doorway, and I'll probably paint the molding around them the same beige as the siding.  The porch overhang won't need to be painted, as it's never in the weather and hasn't faded.  Only the beam and facia boards and the black iron porch supports will need to be done.

Tomorrow I'll tackle the garage.  Not much painting needs to be done here, as the garage doors and entry door won't need it.  Just the siding, the dark trim around the garage doors, and the facia board (luckily this one wasn't rotted).  I should easily finish this in one day.


25 comments:

  1. I was at Lowes today getting paint samples myself.

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    1. Texan, I hope you got better customer service than I did! I've had problems in their paint department before, but always with kids who would rather horse around with each other than wait on customers. This guy was probably in his late fifties, and should have known what he was doing.

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  2. You continue to amaze me. Seriously.

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  3. That sound you hear is me clapping! I applaud your energy and I applaud your spirit! Sales people should learn not to fuss with "women of a certain age!" We have been around the block a few times and we know reality. The house is lovely.

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    1. Thank you, Patricia. Old Granny can get testy when pushed!

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  4. Customer service certainly seems to be lacking at larger superstores. We love the folks at our local Ace Hardware. Not sure how they operate across the country, but ours are locally owned and operated and are always very helpful.

    I hope the rest of the house painting and the window installation goes smoothly.

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    1. Rachel, that's for sure! Yes, our Ace is locally owned. It's out of the way for me, Lowe's being much closer, but I should have known from past experience that I'd get good service and good paint (Ace Royal). That's all I could buy at our AZ place, so I knew it was good paint.

      The window place has been in business here for many years, and has an excellent reputation.

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  5. Spiffy! Isn't it nice when everything is crisp and fresh. I don't know about where you live, but I'm sure with those high temps , stuff dries out and fades pretty fast. We have a SHORT , but extremely dry summer here and stuff FADES in no time at all. Hubby has had to redo our trellis above the garage every year--it just fades to nothing. And yes, I'm busy making cookies for him as he paints!!! LOL!
    You are one amazing lady-a bundle of energy.

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    1. Sue, only one side of our garage fades, the south end. The porch keeps the south facing wall of the house (the one I just painted) from fading, and the east and west are well shaded by big trees. This morning it's only 50 degrees outside! In fact, The Weather Channel widget says it's only 44! That's cold for August. I would expect night temps to stay around 60.

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  6. Our local hardware store is wonderful. Tags has a great paint department. I've bought a lot of paint from them over time. We also have a paint store that is just a quarter mile from the house. I've never tried it though. My handyman uses it a lot though. Oh and the best thing about Tags. It has lots of canning equipment of all sizes. And I can't get it cheaper anywhere else, so I love them. Their hardware however is a lot more expensive than the big lot stores.

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    1. Daphne, I've never heard of Tags. Is it a chain store or just local? I really don't like our Ace Hardware here in town, I usually go to the one in the next town over, but this one does have the best guys in their paint department. I only go there for paint, potting mix and fertilizer. This store is not just a hardware store, it has everything else from clothing to candy to a complete sporting goods store.

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    2. I think they are local. I've never seen another one.

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  7. Although I don't wish any of the stress on you, you always put a smile on my face in the way you describe your "adventures"! You are as busy as a bee and your energy puts me to shame! The house looks great and will soon look even better!

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    1. Nutmeg, home renovation is always an "adventure" isn't it?

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  8. I hate to paint! But it looks so nice when it's done as is a sort of "instant gratification". Looks good, Granny.

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    1. Langela, I don't mind interior painting, but this siding has a deep wood grain texture, and it's really hard to brush the paint on and into all the little grooves. It has to have two coats to catch all those little spots missed on the first coat. It doesn't help that my hands are arthritic, so I'm using a 3" paint brush! I'm going to try the 4" today. Since I don't have to worry about getting it on the windows, I might soon wish I'd bought myself a paint sprayer :-)

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  9. You go girl! I've quit going to more than one place because of the customer support. Or lack of. There was one older guy at a place in town that sells and repairs Honda motors. He tried to treat me like I was a "good ol' boy". I'm not! I was ticked when I left, and it didn't take too long before I found a very nice small engine repair shop to replace them.
    Our local Ace Hardware is also locally owned, and has a very good paint guy. They are a little pricey compared to the big box stores, but so convenient not to drive the 20 miles to the other places. They seem appreciative of our business, too.
    Your house is looking pretty spiffy!
    ~~Lori

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    1. Lori, I've found several car dealers that didn't know I'm the one who writes the checks. They find out real quick when they lose the sale. Even the window replacement people were unreliable. I called four local long-time installers for estimates. Two came right away, but one took over a week to get the written estimate to me. The second one did the estimate right on the spot. One of the other two failed to show up, the other was supposed to call me back to set a time and never called. I wrote the check to the one that came right away and gave me the estimate at the time of measuring the windows. When we're talking replacement of every single window (except the laundry room garden window) and two large sliding glass doors, that's a good chunk of money to lose out on.

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  10. What a cute house! I really am starting to hate big box stores, luckily I am done with most of the projects around here so i can stay away!

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    1. Thank you, Erin. I'm beginning to hate the big box stores too, but it seems like I always have a project going!

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  11. I always seem to have trouble at Lowes and I have to drive 30 mins to get to it. So I use Ace all the time. It is right down the street and sometimes they are almost too happy to help! :) You still amaze me. Not only with your garden, but now you are painting your house!

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    1. Christy, keep your fingers crossed. I'm finding it difficult to finish my coffee this morning and get that paint brush in my hand! My motor just doesn't want to start today, LOL!

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  12. Fiesty! And wow do you have a lot of energy!

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    1. David, I think some people try to take advantage of the elderly. They seem to think, as we age, we lose the use of our brains. Yes, I can be fiesty at times!

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