Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Paint



When we first looked at our new house, we knew that the first order of business would involve lots of paint. The whole exterior needs to be painted, which in itself is a monumental task. 

The other monumental effort is that required to paint the inside of the house - first to remove and then to replace. 


The painted floors that we inherited are a thing of the past thankfully. All that's left to complete the floor restoration is seal them with surface finish (ram board is protecting them for now). 

We also have paint removal for the doors behind us. They were all stripped via steam bath and are ready for primer and fresh coats of paint. 

Left on the list for paint removal were the door surrounds. The surrounds see a lot of friction from doors opening and closing, and are of course prone to nicks and chips. So we wanted to not only clean them up to look nice when we paint them, but also not have to constantly be worrying about chipping lead paint. 


The job isn't easy but Mike is finding the best luck with the Silent Paint Remover. It takes him about two hours to do each doorway. 


Here's the basement door, with both the door and surround stripped. 


It's a beautiful look but we will be re-painting everything that has been stripped. 


Here's the mudroom door with the surround stripped. 


Not the most exciting images I know, but it means something very important to us - that painting the interior of the house is near.  

The west parlor is the first room we've started on. It has been completely primed and some of the walls and trim have been painted with a color we're considering: Cyprus Springs by ECOS paints

Our choice was bolstered by a local historian who specializes in historic home colors. After I presented her with a half dozen color swatches, she was immediately drawn to this one. She was drawn to it as it felt to her to have both cool and warm properties. 

We'll paint the entire room to get a better feel for whether this is indeed the one. 


Mr. Painter. 


42 comments:

  1. I've been very interested the discussion of white paint but didn't feel I had anything very helpful to add since my house is still waiting to be painted. It's exciting that the prep work at your new house is nearly done. I know it will be beautiful. I'm glad you have a cozy place to live in the meantime. How is the weather?

    Jane

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    1. Hi Jane, It's windy and snowing (sideways) here! But we're cozied up in a warm house and fresh baked muffins.
      Best, Catherine

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  2. It is going to be so beautiful! Tons of work, but worth it in the end.

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  3. Looks like progress! Are you going to paint the doors or stain them? I love the look of wood doors in old houses - so warm and natural! I loved your color selection in your Oregon farmhouse (mainly Simply White) and can't wait to see how this house ends up.

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  4. This is a labor of love, to be sure...but it will be beautiful!

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  5. You guys have come so far already! Yay!! Everything is already looking so good - can't wait to see those floors! I feel for Mike, that is quite the process...I feel like I haven't stopped painting for 3 years and I am so ready to but there's still more to be done. We have to tackle the exterior paint of our old home this year. We're going to do it ourselves as the cost was crazy but I am dreading it.

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    1. Dear Tiffany, We are in the same boat - we'll be painting the exterior ourselves for the most part. It was shockingly expensive to have a professional crew do it. Worth it I'm sure, but just so expensive. Best of luck! Catherine

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    2. When we built our new home in Minneapolis, it was sided with cedar, which was painted. (This was really more of a stain) Alas, this paint/stain did not hold up so well for us, and after only five years, it needed to be redone. The paint quotes on this almost new home were close to $10,000, and this was 20 years ago. I cannot imagine the cost of an historic home. Hubby and I ended up doing it ourselves--a huge task but a huge savings!

      Isabella

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    3. Is it terrible that I am kind of happy we're in the same boat...I need some solidarity here :) It would be amazing to have a professional crew do it and I am sure they would do a better job, but it really is just too expensive. Andrew and I keep laughing that by the time we're finished painting our exterior it will be time to just paint it again...good luck to you too!

      Thank you Isabella! Glad to know you've done it yourself and survived ;)

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  6. I'm so excited to be following along on another adventure in restoring a house to its glory. Kudos to you and Mike for the infinite care you take with your projects. Thank you for letting us see the process. And hugs to the Dumplings!

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  7. Painting is indeed monumental, when it involves stripping old paint too. It's so good to realise how much is already done! Your house is a thing of such beauty! I admire lots of great details, such as the relief ornament on the side of the stairs.

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  8. It's a lot of work - but the way to have historic millwork look clean and fresh. You're doing it right (not that that is in any way surprising!)!

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  9. It looks beautiful and I definitely think it's exciting :)

    rue

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  10. I'm so excited to see each new step of making you new house your home. You are incredibly lucky that your husband is so handy! Cannot wait to see each room finished and beautifully decorated in your unique style. The interior color looks great- certainly seems appropriate for a historic home- does it have a grayish tone to it?

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    1. Yes, that's the cooler properties of it. It's astounding how different colors look when compared to other colors - astounding. I think that's the part that makes my head spin. I really appreciated an experienced eye to help narrow it down.

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  11. Congrats on making so much progress and being so close to being able to paint your walls -- how exciting! My husband and I have a lot of molding in our home that needs to be stripped and repainted. He's started the process and it's definitely tedious. I feel your pain!

    I have to admit that I'm a bit of a historic paint nerd. I have a color book from "Historic Colors of America" and I spend way too much time looking at it and considering what colors would work best in our home. Looking forward to seeing how the color in your room turns out!

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  12. This is so exciting! I love, love, love it. I am looking forward to the next series of photos.

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  13. It's beginning to look bright, beautiful and clean. Can't believe how much painting you have to do and how much you have gotten done already. Linda r ( phila burbs)

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  14. It is going to be beautiful!!!

    Velva

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  15. Looking good! I know what a job removing paint is.......done a lot in my lifetime:) it will be so worth it though. Thanks for the update!

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  16. Oh exciting progress Catherine. So enjoying your process and seeing your beautiful work of art, this rejuvenated home, emerge. Xo's Terri

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  17. I'm so excited to find your blog, I'm a new follower

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  18. Oh my, it is going to look so beautiful! Love watching your work.

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  19. Your husband is a gem among gems! Can't wait to see your final choice. Your judgement is always so spot on.

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  20. I love this house and that room, omgosh. Tell Mike Rob will be over to help him. It will only take him 7 hours to get there. Mike might be finished by then. Hee hee. So lovely. So Happy for you. It will be ready for James T. Hee hee.

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  21. Years ago we lived in a shingle house ... the wooden shingles had never been treated or painted and the whole house had this dark dreary look to it .. We had it painted an olive color and that made the most huge difference .. needless to say with all the work inside and out, I never wanted to leave the house that had been made perfect for us. But we did sell .. we made quite a nice profit on it and my husband vowed it was all because of the color lol

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  22. Replies
    1. I know, he paints into the wee hours of the night. I told him to please not blare the music too loud...He's a loud music painter...Just in case it echoes through the village. xo

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  23. I'm so excited to see the paint going on the walls and woodwork!
    I think this color is going to look beautiful in your home!
    Who makes Cypress Springs? I could not find the color on ECOS paints.
    Louise

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    1. Me neither! I ended up finding it through the green hues, which makes sense since that's where it was in the color wheel I have. I tried to save the online swatch but didn't have any luck. I'll try and do a post on the color and hope to find an online image to show.

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  24. Wow. A monumental task, to be sure. I admire your commitment and work ethic. In the end, I can imagine it will be beautiful. Really, beautiful.

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  25. Your painter is adorable! Wow, the amount of work is amazing. I do hope this will be your forever home. LOL

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  26. I love, your love, of old homes and the care you take of them. I think bringing a place like this back to its former glory gives the two of you a common goal to move toward. The wonderful thing is after all the planning and all the grueling tasks, like this one, you're able to have something tangible for your efforts. Having the vision to persevere through hours and aching muscles will manifest themselves in spades as you well know from the farmhouse venture. Now that was a beautiful vision come to life.

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  27. It looks amazing, Catherine. I just love following all of your progress and the transformations as this house becomes your home. Must admit that I'm really happy I'm not doing the painting…

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  28. It's looking soooooo good!!! And how thrilling to have come so far!! We are slowly stripping doors, etc and it is indeed a labor of love. Congrats to y'all and thanks for sharing!

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  29. Catherine,

    What a difference already! Bless Mike for doing the tedious work, though I'm sure you're finding yourself busy with the twins. I'm so excited to see your beautiful things in this space (but not as excited as you'll be, I'm sure).

    Best,

    Tim

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  30. I miss your White House !! Oh well, I suppose we all move on. Farewell Simply White, we'll remember you forever.

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  31. Green paint?? Tell me it isn't so !! We'll I guess it's time to move on. Farewell beautiful White House (yes, capital letters). Farewell Simply White. Things change... People move on but we'll always look back with fondness.xox

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    1. "Green" meaning no-VOC, non-harmful to air quality. We're painting the exterior and interior white. Best, Catherine

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  32. It is all coming together so beautifully. Are your walls plaster throughout the entire house? Also, is Mike removing the old paint from all the millwork, including crown molding and trim around the fireplaces? What a labor of love!

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  33. I believe most of them are, with a few exceptions. He is not removing paint from any areas that don't see a lot of friction. Just scraping the non-friction areas down to prime and paint. It's a lot of work for sure! Best wishes, Catherine

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Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Kind regards, Catherine