Sunday 15 April 2007

Power Tools Have Entered the Picture...



Years ago we bought a bed. We did not pay a lot for this bed and it was my first lesson in 'You Get What You Pay For 101'. The workmanship was fairly shoddy, although it has held together pretty well with a little help from R. The stain job however, was atrocious. With a little inspiration from Martha, I decided to paint it 'antique style'. It was sanded, primed and painted - first with a tan colour, followed by a white colour. It looked pretty good white and I was tempted to leave it way but on closer inspection I realized if I did that, I would need to put on another coat of paint. That idea was vetoed and the delicate hand sanding (that Martha recommended) began. Slowly. I would do a small patch here and there. Then my arm would be sore and I would move onto something else. I was feeling discouraged - until I remembered my mouse sander! I knew this would get the job done quickly so out she came and two days later the job was done! I am very pleased with how it turned out. Now I just have to get the walls painted...

This is also turning into quite the time consuming job. The filling and sanding is going well, but I have to let it dry before I can sand it which takes time. I've been washing the walls and finding drips, bumps, etc left by the last people who painted. Although tempted to just paint over them, growing up with a perfectionist mother means this can't be done. I am sanding them down, even the ones that will be behind the bed. Like a wise (muscular, tank-top wearing) man once said, "Make it right!" And that is what I plan to do.

3 comments:

Heather said...

Looks nice Samantha. You will be happy to know that I spent most of yesterday sanding, scaping and patching...I too am "doing it right the first time"! I think the people who used to live here painted the walls using a cat for a paintbrush so there should be a big improvement.

Did L follow you around, looking at the walls and saying, "dumb buggers, didn't do anything right...unacceptable"? That was the soundtrack going through my mind.

RJDK said...

Good job my dear.

I can't wait to get a close look at it with my back on the mattress.

Soon enough.

Love and more love from me.

P.S. Go easy on my tools. :)

Katherine said...

You should be proud of how well this looks, Samantha! Just think - you're getting projects crossed off your to-do-list!!! Good job, girl.