Back Home To Stay ....: The Great Paintathon

You know, I started this blog so family and friends could follow along as we transform our house into our home. I admit, I haven't been very good about keeping up with it. It's constantly in the back of my mind; but, by the time I actually have time to do it, I never remember! Or I'm too tired. So, here we go. I'll try to keep the posts coming a little more frequently.

Anyway, a few weeks ago.... see. I told you I haven't been good about keeping up. Again, a few weeks ago we finally painted a few of our rooms. The entry, kitchen and dining room all got the royal treatment with a fresh coat of paint. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we are so fortunate to have such wonderful friends. The day before we started to paint Kyle stopped by and helped Grant do the mudding so there wouldn't be any knicks or holes in the walls when it was time to paint. He stopped by again the night we primed to help sand down his mud work and get the walls ready for the coat of prime. Word on the street was that he wasn't real excited to come back, but I'm glad he did. Without him the process never would have gotten started. He's such a wonderful almost-brother!!

Kyle sanding down one of the dining room walls.

It was pretty dusty in the house during the sanding! Everything was covered!!

Our dear friends Mike and Marci came down again to help us prime, paint and put on new framing. They're the best! I can't wait for them to move here so we can repay them. And have them living in town finally!

Mike taking down the old trim.

Marci taping of the boarder in the kitchen.

It's the only piece of wallpapering that will be left in the house from the originally stuff. Mostly because the rest of the stuff has been such a pain to take down and we're tired of doing it and partly because I don't hate it. I'd prefer it was something else as I'm not much of a coffee drinker. Wine bottles would suit me well.

Marci started the priming in the kitchen.

We decided to get a five gallon pail of primer. That's a lot of primer!

Old Cool Whip tubs make great paint buckets.

Kyle is a professional painter so he took on the trim in the dining room.

Mike brought a couple extendable paint rollers. They were a huge help. Grant and I are tall, but not that tall!

Some of the edging in the kitchen. Doesn't it look better already!

The dining room is coming together. The grey primer is soooo much better looking than the old wall paper and pink walls.

The entry all primed and ready to go! It looks so clean compared to the dingy, dirty white that had been in there.

Dining room all primed and ready to go. I was happy with this and we probably could have just quit here. I'm glad we didn't, but we could have.

Kitchen is ready too. Looking good.

Zoey wanted to help. She did later. She painted the floor black and her butt red. She ended up going to the neighbor's.

This is were we put everything that was in the way.

The next day it was finally time to get started with the actual painting. While the guys left to go find trim at Grant's old farm place, us girls stayed behind and started to paint. Marci started in the entry and I started in the kitchen.

Marci starting with the trim in the entry. The color is a delicious brown called Wine Barrel. Fitting, right?

It looks so good! And it's soooo warm and inviting when you first come in the door.

I started in the kitchen. I had picked a red color called Spanish Door. When I finally put it on the wall, though, it was PINK!!!! I freaked out!! Marci convinced me that it would dry darked so I wouldn't have a complete break down.

So, I soldiered on and trimmed out the kitchen.

I'm glad Marci told me to keep going and thankfully it the paint did dry darker. I love my new red kitchen!

Doesn't it look good! Now, if only someone would come clean all the crap off the counters...

Once Marci finished with the second coat in the entry (it's so pretty!), Mike was able to start putting the trim up.

Measure twice.

After Marci and I traced the line for the chair rail, we were able to start painting in the dining room. Yes, it's black and white.

We actually ran out of white paint, so it's not quite finished yet. We've bought the paint, but we've been so busy doing other things that we haven't finished it yet. It needs to be made a priority. At least I keep telling myself that.

Entry is done!! Doesn't it look amazing!!!

This wall actually has paintable textured wall paper. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it looks really good.

Painting the trim for the chair rails. I think I did four coats of black.

Again, this is where everything ended up that was in the way. Gross.

The red looks so good next to the black and white. Oh, and we finished out the doorway with wood so now it matches the other doorway in the dining room.

Putting up the chair rail adds a finish touch to the dining room and really brings the room together. I can't wait to finish painting in there, put up the wainscoting and rip out the carpet for the wood floors. Then the room will really be complete!

So, there was our paintathon weekend. It turned out so well and we never would have been able to do it without our friends.

Here are the before and afters:

Kitchen