I’m getting so excited because we’re nearly finished with the workroom. If you’ve been following my progress you know it’s been a lot of sorting, donating and rearranging. See part one and part two for the dirty details and the progress thus far.
One last trip to IKEA to purchase the long table for my sewing machine and the small cabinet to anchor one end of that table (that’s the cabinet right up there). I also got a few more drawer dividers as they prove to be great for sorting and giving everything its own place.
I went to the paint store and picked out a light grey. I chose Miller Paint in Cool Elegance (#0517). I wanted to have the sewing area defined with a different color than the rest of the room, yet I want it neutral. White would be too much with all the cabinets, tables, drawers and shelving being white. I love the way white looks against grey so I went with my feelings.
Choosing a grey was tricky. Grey can lean towards brown, green, blue or lavender and one thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t want it to look like concrete or a nasty rainy day. I compared and asked questions of the staff until I came up with ‘cool elegance’. Fresh, clean and a nice contrast against the white of everything else.
I’m a pretty good painter if I do say so myself and the biggest suggestion I have is one I learned long ago: Preparation is the key! After patching, priming, sanding, texturing and wiping down the walls I was ready to paint. Taking the time to prep really pays off with a nicely finished wall.
We’ve been pulling up carpet as we go and actually I don’t completely hate the 50 year old linoleum that’s underneath. It’s been covered much of its life so is in pretty good shape, at least for now. I like the way my chair rolls across the floor so smoothly and if I make a mess with glue or paint it will prove an easy clean up.
I’m almost done with the room but before the final unveiling I thought I’d throw out a few paint tips:
- If your not sure about the color, take the time to purchase samples or even a quart. Let it dry and view it in day and evening light.
- As I said above, preparation is key! At the very least, take the time to wash the walls.
- Spackle, dry then always use primer over the patched area or you’ll end up with dull spots.
- Retexture your patched areas (if the wall is textured). You can purchase texture in a can with various splatter but I like to use an old towel scrap and pat the primer to help blend it with the original wall texture.
- Always wear paint clothes. I have a certain t-shirt and pants that I keep with the painting supplies. Otherwise whatever I wear becomes the next set of paint clothes.
- Keep a damp rag for wiping off the inevitable ceiling smear.
- Always check the bottom of your shoes before you leave the room. (learned the hard way)
- Always apply 2 coats if you’re painting over color and at least wait until it’s dry before you decide if you like the color or not.
- We are tearing out the carpet so didn’t need a drop cloth. If you want your rug or flooring intact use a big canvas drop cloth. You’ll be glad you did.
- Mark the top of the paint can with the room you painted and the date.
- I like to save a small jar of the paint for touch ups. If the jar is small there won’t be any air for rust or crust to collect. Usually you only need a dab to touch up a nail hole. Plastic lid if you’ve got it.
Check back next week for the unveiling!
Thanks for following Turkey Creek Lavender. So glad to be meet you. Love your workroom progress! Inspires me to reorganize the soap shop today! :)
Posted by: Cathy | 02/01/2012 at 04:55 AM