1. Yes, we are using brushes. We contemplated spraying, but decided this was better for us. For one thing, this paint is sooooo thick, we aren’t sure what it would take to actually spray it. For another, we weren’t thrilled about the overspray and wasted paint, or the prep work. Maybe we’ll ultimately regret that decision, but…here we are.

2. We did get a quote from a professional painter, and after we picked our jaws up off the ground, we decided we needed to try doing it ourselves. He’s probably worth every penny, but because this is something we CAN do ourselves, we thought we’d better try. Cause his quote was A LOT of pennies.

3. Oddly, the painter said he could spray, brush, or roll, whatever we wanted. We kept trying to pin him down as to which he thought was better, him being the expert and all — or maybe not better, but preferred? Up to us, he said. And his quote was good for whichever method we chose.

4. I did a 2nd coat on the west section this morning and it was almost like the paint did jump out of the can onto the wall. I’ll take some pictures later after it dries.

5. I’m such a messy painter: I look like I’ve just been in a very bad accident and am covered with blood.

6. Vicki, I never though I’d paint the outside of a house, but here I am.

7. We’ve always thought this house looked a bit like a barn, so that’s our inspiration for the final look. The trim is going to stay white, and we’re still debating about the doors. The windows didn’t have trim to begin with, and we didn’t think about adding trim during the re-siding process. I think it will look OK without, but now wish we’d had the carpenter add the trim boards to the windows. This morning Mark informed me that he thinks he knows how we could (somewhat) easily add trim. I think I’m going to take him up on it, because I think it will look really sharp to have the white trim around all of the windows, too.

Well, I’m waiting for the sun to move so that the east side of the house is shady before I go work on the rest of my painting goal for the day. I might actually sew! But maybe I should clean the paint off my leg first…

This is a one-time engagement, please do not ask me to come paint your house.

Mark took the edges, and the top boards.  I took the middle, and on this wall, the boys took the bottom boards.

On this side, I actually did middle and bottom.  After 2 hours of painting the boys were done.

After 4 hours of painting, I was REALLY done.  I’m going to be so sore tomorrow, and guess what?  I get to do it all over again, since we obviously need a 2nd coat.

Paint color is Crabby Apple, paint is Duration from Sherwin Williams.  It’s their top of the line exterior paint.  At $55/gallon I was sort of hoping it was going to fly out of the paint can and paint the house itself.

Isn’t that a great color name?  I’m totally in love with it.  Crabby Apple.  Love the name, love the color.  It is totally what I’ve had in mind for 3 years since we started this residing/rewindowing project.

Of course, by the time we are done painting this monster of a house, I may hate the sight of it.  We’ve got a lot of house to go, and unfortunately, a lot of it will require scaffolding/ladders, and I’m not real find of either of those.

Time to take my achy body to bed.  I also washed the front deck this morning, and sewed a bit, and wow, I’m kinda tired.  I managed to go through almost an entire gallon of paint by myself.  I’m not sure how much of the 2nd gallon Mark got through:  I bailed on him and went to see a movie (The Proposal:  funny, predictable, but enjoyable).

TTFN-

Suzanne