“The RoseBouquet”

Last Wednesday afternoon we were in the city and made nine different stops - one busy, BUSY afternoon. One of my goals was to find some cheap white paint to add to the peach/flesh coloured paint I had left from the kitchen, so I could do the one long wall in the living room and the entrance hallway. I found a litre tin (nearly a quart) of a creamy white at the Restore where Habitat for Humanity sells off their excess stuff real cheap. I got it for $3 and went off a happy camper.

Saturday morning I took things off the walls, washed them, and did a test mix in a yogurt cup to see what shade I would get. Looked satisfactory, so I stirred most of that creamy white into the larger pail, and went to work.

Or was about to - Oops! I’d forgotten to tape up the door frames so I wouldn’t paint where I shouldn’t. I stopped to do the taping first.

Then I began with as much energy as I could muster, and there were times I had to sit down until I stopped panting for breath. But when I was done I was pleased. Looked great!

The paint dried quickly, so I was able to put things back, and pull off the tape well before supper time. Only in some places the fresh paint came with it. Oh-well, I told myself, I’ve got enough paint left for touch ups.

On Monday Dad’s friend Jona came around, and helped us put the wall mirror back up. That’s when we noticed. If we scratched the walls my new coat of paint came off - way too easily! Jona figures I should have done a primer coat first, because the old paint was a high gloss varathane.

Primer? Maybe. But the dining room walls look fine. I’ve been hanging my head in shame. It’s the fault of that cheap $3 paint I mixed in. Sometimes cheap is NOT such a good deal after all. Especially if you don’t know if it has been stored at wrong temperatures, or where it has been.

I’m expecting company yet this month, so I’m just going to do the touch ups, and then leave the re-painting until later in the summer. Right now I’ve lost my enthusiasm to paint.