Well, onnnnn Sunday I finished a coat of paint on the buffet and focused my attention on the painting the wall. My goal was to have the wall stencilled by today Wednesday June 17th so I could write all about that process. So, for starters, we went to the local hardware shop- we have great rapport with a girl in the paint department just from going in time and time again for different projects.
The last 6 weeks since the ORC started have been insanely busy for me. Aside from the ongoing projects I’ve been working on, I also had a huge increase in project inquiries, both online and in-home design. So, between in-person and virtual consultations, my regular workload, AND, the One Room Challenge, well, there hasn’t been much of a between all those ha! Long days, early mornings, late nights. But, I love what I do so it’s been fun and gratifying along the way.
Well… here’s where things got interesting this last week…. Since it would be inappropriate to curse, I’ll be using the word Avocado and you are welcome to replace it as you see fit.
The floor lamp finally arrived, I was concerned because I got an email saying it had been delivered 2 weeks ago but apparently the tracking number was only valid until it hit the US/CAD border. I kept my hopes high anyways and had a back up plan in mind just in case. Anyway, it arrived and was the last item I ordered which means that nothing was going to miss the deadline even with the currently unpredictable logistics industry – YAY!
I also found some amazingly cute little décor pieces to splash into the dining room during the install – just in case. (BTW, everything I found was under $4, if you follow me on insta, watch my highlighted story called ‘Steals’ – if you reply to any photo, I’ll tell you where you can pick up the items in it). So, my excitement is growing all that’s left now is:
Paint a couple coats on the buffet and attach the new hardware
Paint the wall then stencil it
Clean the chandelier
Install everything for the big reveal
Photo Shoot
Well, onnnnn Sunday I finished a coat of paint on the buffet and focused my attention on the painting the wall. My goal was to have the wall stencilled by today Wednesday June 17th so I could write all about that process. So, for starters, we went to the local hardware shop- we have great rapport with a girl in the paint department just from going in time and time again for different projects.
So, as usual, I tell her exactly what I’m planning:
1.) Metallic Silver paint for the background
2.) Then, stencilling over it in a darker shade of flat grey
Perfect she says, they only carry the one brand of latex metallic indoor paint. She leads us down and as the three of us start looking on the shelf for Silver, it’s not in stock. Avocado
I consider for a moment using Pewter (a much darker tone) but decide I really want to stick to my original plan. The problem is, Mack has to be at a clients house in an hour to tile a small wall for her so we really don’t have the time to go to another shop. I say thinking out loud.
She turns to the other side of the isle and pulls a different can of Metallic Silver which is an oil based paint. We run through the regular questions:
What’s the difference for prep?
Do I need to prime?
Clean-up?
Will it damage the floors?
Dry Time?
Honestly, I was a little concerned because I haven’t personally painted with oil based before but I figure, what the heck, time to learn something new.
We get back home, off he goes and I get changed and set up. Wash the wall down once again. Get all my tools ready, drop pad laid, step ladder in position. Ready to go. OH, I should mention that Mack sanded and taped off the wall while I painted the buffet – teamwork at it’s finest.
So, I cut my corners with a brush. Now that I see the paint on the wall I have butterflies. My excitement is bubbling up, I can hardly wait to finish.
Some time later, Mack is back and he LOVES the colour. Don’t you just love that!?! It reinforces your decisions. Anyways, I’m about halfway through the wall, when I start to notice the metallic part of the paint separating around a little crack on the wall. No problem at all, I’ll just touch it up once it’s dry. Continuing on my marry little way!
Then…. I notice this odd little area on the far left where I started painting has totally absorbed the paint and is shining through the paint in an incredibly obvious fashion. Avocado.
So, I stop and think for a sec, aww that must have been a patch from the previous tenants or landlord. No problem-o, the second coat will get that sorted out. Onward and upwards.
Now, I’m in the dead center of the wall, rolling up and down, up and down. Holy avocado, WHERE DID , THIS CRACK COME FROM? Guys, this thing is HUGE almost from ceiling to floor…OH MY GOSH, WHOEVER FILLED THIS LEFT A HUGE HUMP SANDED SMOOTH IN THE CENTER OF THE WALL!
AVOCADO!!!!!
I’m a little panicked at this point but I’m a firm believer that if you stay calm and think clearly everything will be fine. I’ll finish this coat and then when it’s dry, I’ll fill all of those now highly visible cracks in and take the orbital sander to the hump. Everything is going to be fine. So, I finish up and stand back. But, wait…
a..v..o..c..a..d..o..
The wall is actually in shambles start to finish. I swear we checked it!!!! DAMN THAT MATTE WHITE PAINT THAT WAS ON HERE!!! HIDING ALL THESE SECRET IMPERFECTIONS. IT EVEN HID THE TEXTURAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PATCHES AND THE STIPPLING FROM THE ROLLER!!!!
At this point it’s shocking but so bad it’s humorous in a sick way. Now keep in mind, the final reveal is June 25th so at this point I have 11 days to fix this.
Anyways, Mack and I decide that we will let it dry over night and then I’ll test if a second coat will fix the patch problems in the morning.
10 days left in the ORC… Avocado
I wake up, first thing I do is whip that roller out and reapply over one of the patches on the wall. The paint sticks this time, relief washes over me as I continue going over all the patches. I’ll let this dry while Mack is at work and then when he’s home with the Orbital, I’ll go to town on the hump & cracks and get it sorted.
Mack comes home with a BIG bucket of All-Purpose Drywall Compound talking about how he has to chip out all of the cracks in the wall and then fill them in before I can continue. I’m not going to lie, I was super hesitant about this idea…. Super hesitant..
Anyway, Mack starts chipping away toward the bottom of the hump – which would be covered by the buffet if things went terribly wrong. I come over and notice scratches in the paint, but not all the way through the paint. Almost as if, just the metallic portion of the paint was being scratched off but the grey tone was remaining on the wall. Weird right?!? This can’t be a good sign since it’s now been 24 hours since I put the coat in that area on.
Avocado.
I suggest we run to the hardware shop and talk to them because something is wrong here.
We get to the shop, wait our turn and start talking to a fella behind the counter about what has gone on. I show him the paint we bought to confirm it’s the right product to be using. The look on his face said it all. “That paint is meant for metal applications only.”
Avocado.
(I’ll try and speed this story up now) They refund the paint, discount new supplies, explain how to back track and then move forward properly. Finally, they direct us to a competitor’s store for the proper paint. So, everything is groovy again now.
Mack volunteers to chip every area on the wall that needs it and patch it for me so I can keep working on client projects and painting the last coat on the buffet. So, off he goes.
9 Days left…
The next morning, the cracks swallowed a lot of the Drywall compound, so being the hero he is, Mack re-applies it before work.
After work, he brings home some extensions poles and plastic barrier so we can set up a dust barrier.
Avocado is about to get real.
He gets at it with the Orbital Sander. Guys, he came out looking like Jack Frost. I could not stop laughing and snapping photos.
He’s going to kill me when he reads this, but it’s worth it…
Clean up done, a few little areas need another coat of compound --> done --> Bed.
8 Days left…(today)
Final stage of sanding done, clean up done, primer going on as I write this, bless his little Irish heart. I could not have fixed this hiccup on my own.
Anyways, I don’t have many wins to share with from the project this week (except that it's now back on the right track), but sometimes things happen in design projects that you can’t control. It’s how they are handled that is important. There is always a solution, stay calm, think clearly and ask an expert.
Plus, I can’t wait to tell this gripping, dramatic and thrilling story to all our guests (once social distancing ends).
The wall is looking great now, tomorrow I’ll be putting the first coat of the new silver paint on and over the weekend, I'll be stencilling. YAY!
That's all for now!
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