The Only Thing “Green” About Our Renovation Is…

the paint color in the den.

I haven’t blogged about the ongoing home renovation for a couple of reasons, primarily because it has been a costly, messy, over-budget, deadline-missing nightmare that I don’t want to think about anymore than necessary.

In an effort to keep costs down, I volunteered (was volunteered?) to do all the painting. Admittedly this is something I rather enjoy, if the prep work is kept to a minimum. It is remarkable how inexpensively a room can be transformed with paint. Also, a couple of days of physical toil is always a good reminder about how easy sitting at a desk can be. It’s an Irish work ethic thing, I think…

As a working artist, I thoroughly enjoy the act of opening a gallon of pure color, free from the challenges of perspective, form, light and shade, and composition.

The pleasure is diminished exponentially whenever I paint the same room again. My estimates are every twenty-four months a room is deemed to be in need of re-painting.

I don’t care to “run the math”, but the equation would go something like:
(((three homes/thirteen years of home ownership) x number of rooms) / 24 months)

Don’t even get me started about staining outdoor decks, this only pertains to interior painting.

Suffice it to say, I have long since lost the energy to fight the fight about color choice. Early on I stood my ground, flaunting my role as the artiste, and occasionally was permitted to choose colors of bold hues. My better half, a city girl who would dress in all black every day if she could, likes any color as long as it’s neutral. The first suggested paint color presented to me was met with a resounding “perfect, great, let’s go”.

Regarding the room I spent the weekend toiling in, the former paint was a stylish kind of Butterscotch-Caramel color. Overlaying a lighter pale green (Terrarium, by FreshAire) required not one, but two coats of primer.

I won the battle then, but it’s clear now that I’ve lost the war.

At least we did something green.

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