The Steen Style

The painting has begun in the dining room! I took a little break from it all, just to soak up the prettiness of our renovation, but now it is go time. My shoulders and arms are tired but there is more to come…I better have arms o’ steel after this is all said and done. I started with the dining room and have almost finished all of the priming.

Here is how I started – lots of drop cloths, a huge tub of Kilz, a (very annoying) cut-in tool and a paint brush. I wanted to start with the baseboards and trim since I knew it would take the longest. We aren’t able to put paint tape down on the floors so that (very annoying) cut-in tool is supposed to replace it. Yeah, right.

I was actually starting out all right until I remembered the little buggers shown next to the arrows in the picture above. Stupid, ridiculous nail holes. Of, course! I am going to have to putty and sand those before I can paint the trim that was ripped off and then re-installed. Perfect! (sarcasm font definitely needed here)

This is how I left the room tonight – two coats of primer on the ceiling and one coat on the walls. I still need to cut in on the corners and above the baseboards but am so happy I only had to do one coat of primer on the walls! I am using a paint + primer for the grey but I wanted to make sure there was at least one coat of real primer to help blend the old wall and the new sheet rock.

Even better than only having to do one coat on the walls? I don’t have to cut in on the ceiling! My parents have agreed to help me install crown molding in this room, it needs it desperately. They are coming down Saturday to help so this is a perfect pressure inducer to get the painting finished before they show up to our house, bright and early with their air compressor nail gun and miter box/saw in tow. I’m hoping to get the nail holes puttied and all of the primer finished tomorrow night after work so pending no interruptions, it should all get finished before Saturday!