Ever have one of those Charlie Brown moments? The kind where you really put yourself out there, you try your best, and then at the last minute someone pulls the football out from under you? Yup. That's how I was feeling on Monday when I repainted the trim of our kitchen window. I'll save the one bright spot in this anecdote for later. For now, lets just concentrate on how I totally tried to F up our kitchen window.
Having successfully painted the kitchen ceiling in one day, I wanted to move onto the trim. I wasn't sure how far I could get in a day (I have a tendency to stretch a single paint job over several months) so I decided to start with the area that was most visible while using the kitchen.
Before...
I don't have a full shot of the window. But you probably get the idea. Peeling paint, discoloration, nail holes and chips.
Not to mention hardware that was carelessly painted over, one of my pet peeves.
I taped off the window and began painting with what was leftover of the ceiling paint (some of you may have spotted one of my mistakes already). As I painted I tried to move the window open and closed, letting it dry in the different positions before moving on. I ended with the window shut, then pulled off the blue painters tape and marveled at another job well done.
After...
Beautiful, right? Look at how the white pops against the grey. Then, about fifteen minutes after finishing, I found out that using flat for a trim is a big No No. Whoops.....
It looks okay, but because flat paint is more porous than any of the glosses, it won't clean up very well and will probably end up showing dirt and scuff marks. It should work for now though. I figure that I can repaint it in the spring along with the rest of the trim and windows.
Now for the really good mistake.
My husband got home from work and I wanted to show him what a good job I had done. I went to display how the window looked open....and to my surprise it wouldn't budge. I climbed up onto the counter to get some leverage...still, not an inch. Insert obscenities of your choice here.
I spent the better part of an hour that night cutting along the seams with my box cutting knife and prying it open with a paint scraper. When I finally got it to open again, the new paint job was ruined. It now has cut marks, scrapes and chips along the edges. It still looks better than it did before, but lets just say its a good thing that it needs repainting in the spring. Lesson learned.
Having successfully painted the kitchen ceiling in one day, I wanted to move onto the trim. I wasn't sure how far I could get in a day (I have a tendency to stretch a single paint job over several months) so I decided to start with the area that was most visible while using the kitchen.
Before...
I don't have a full shot of the window. But you probably get the idea. Peeling paint, discoloration, nail holes and chips.
Not to mention hardware that was carelessly painted over, one of my pet peeves.
I taped off the window and began painting with what was leftover of the ceiling paint (some of you may have spotted one of my mistakes already). As I painted I tried to move the window open and closed, letting it dry in the different positions before moving on. I ended with the window shut, then pulled off the blue painters tape and marveled at another job well done.
Beautiful, right? Look at how the white pops against the grey. Then, about fifteen minutes after finishing, I found out that using flat for a trim is a big No No. Whoops.....
It looks okay, but because flat paint is more porous than any of the glosses, it won't clean up very well and will probably end up showing dirt and scuff marks. It should work for now though. I figure that I can repaint it in the spring along with the rest of the trim and windows.
Now for the really good mistake.
My husband got home from work and I wanted to show him what a good job I had done. I went to display how the window looked open....and to my surprise it wouldn't budge. I climbed up onto the counter to get some leverage...still, not an inch. Insert obscenities of your choice here.
I spent the better part of an hour that night cutting along the seams with my box cutting knife and prying it open with a paint scraper. When I finally got it to open again, the new paint job was ruined. It now has cut marks, scrapes and chips along the edges. It still looks better than it did before, but lets just say its a good thing that it needs repainting in the spring. Lesson learned.
I believe we can apply here the 'it doesn't matter how you get there as long as you do' approach. As long as the window can still serve its purpose well, I think it is good and lovely!
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