Wednesday 27 November 2013

The Forth Bridge...

I expect you're all dying to hear what exciting new makeovers I've been up to. No? Well, not many. With the impending arrival of the in laws next month I became gripped with the need to have a freshen up of the white walls in the hall, stairwell, landing, ceiling and stairs. Lest they think I sit on my arse all day watching Homes under the Hammer. My aim was to achieve it in one day and I so nearly did apart from the downstairs hall and the toppermost landing.

The trouble with houses is that once they are all done, they're still not done. Hence my post title. (By the way, that's a complete myth. It's not true that once they'd finished painting the bridge they had to start again. Who knew?)


My new love in the world of paint is 'Soft Sheen' so I've mercilessly dumped ' Matt'. I was never happy with  him, if you gazed up the long stairwell wall it looked patchy and you could see where one row of painting ended and the next began. With soft sheen you don't get that, and it's a lot more resilient to cleaning off the grubby little fingermarks that led to the whole paint job in the first place.

I have a long handled roller which is great for the high bits you couldn't normally reach. But what to do about the parts that cannot be rollered. The edges? The bits where wall meets ceiling? This led to what I think you'll agree is a damn fine invention.


I call it 'Brush-on-a-Stick'. (Patent pending.)
Look at this span...


Hurrah! I'll have to go into mass production and sell them on QVC. I'll make millions.

The day before all this activity, I talked my husband into allowing me to paint an old Edwardian wardrobe, so that remains in four parts all over the kitchen. I promised I could do it in two days. But by day two I just had to paint the entire stairwell. The kitchen is an obstacle course, that has to be fun right? Well, the cats are enjoying it.

It struck me that the pursuit of calm, tranquil, white interiors lead to mess and total chaos. We are ALWAYS in chaos. My husband is very patient most of the time and as for the wardrobe, I didn't specify which two days so that buys me some time.

Let's look at that stairwell again...

Soft sheen, I love you.

The white stairs needed a freshen up too. I asked my husband if he needed the loo, hoovered all the way down, then wiped down every step and board to remove the last specks of dust and airborne cat hair in preparation for painting. Then my husband decided he wanted the loo. I told him no but he went anyway. This led to me screaming at him that I would no longer be doing ANY housework from now on. ''You don't anyway!'' he shouted back. I saw red, burst into the office and threw something at him. It was a cushion, which in hindsight was not the deadliest weapon but it was there. And I missed. But hopefully that was a serious warning to him.

And hopefully those walls will stay white for a little bit longer this time. 



18 comments:

  1. Blimey EK, you only painted those stairs five minutes ago...surely they dont need a touch up already. I last painted my hall and stairwell six years ago, I know aren't I a terrible slattern. Whatever.
    X

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    1. It does feel like five minutes ago but the walls were seriously minging and the stairs got scraped when wer carried the wardrobe down! I blame the seven year old for the walls. The grossness is suspiciosly at her level. x

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  2. Yes soft sheen is so much prettier and more practical. We have it in our kitchen and bathrooms, easier to wipe off and it reflects the light better too. Sounds as if you have been really busy.

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    1. Stupidly busy! It's lovely isn't it? A hazy white. Might have to start wearing shades on the stairs now!

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  3. Have you gone snow blind yet? That's what I felt like when painting white walls and ceilings in KL's bedroom and the lounge. I love Wickes white kitchen and bathroom paint - a lovely sheen and hard wearing/ scrubbable. I've used it on a lot of furniture lately and it's been great for that too. I've just blogged about some of it - thanks for the encouragement to ignore the idiots a few posts back!

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    1. Hooray, glad you're back! I'll pop over to see your furniture... x

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  4. You would keel over in a faint if you set foot in our house, Emma Kate - we don't decorate/paint at ALL, never mind "freshening up"! Once it gets to a certain level of lived-in, bashed-up-ness, you stop noticing... Hope you and your husband are on speaking terms after the attack of the killer cushion! xxxx

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    1. All better now thanks. He's obviously very apologetic for his dreadful behaviour and cruel words about my cleaning. And afraid of what else I might find to throw at him. xxxx

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  5. I hope you'll still remember all of your original fans when you're a QVC millionaire! The part about the unspecified two days made me snort laugh. I am DEFINITELY phrasing my craft projects like that in future. xxx

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    1. Sure, I'll send you a brush-on-a-stick for free. Think of all the craft projects you could do from very far away! xxx

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  6. Thank GOD somebody else is obsessed with painting the house white like me. We moved to this house in Aug after just completing painting our last home completely in Dulux Designer White -it was gorgeous!!!(the house sold to the first people who walked in and interestingly the pics are the most viewed on my blog) This house is pink and latte brown and the dulux cans of white are still sitting in the hall because hubs is obsessed with the garden.....SIGHHHHHHH
    My bedroom at least is completed......the power of nagging xxxx

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    1. I love the white! The rooms that we have with colour on the walls, (pale grey or stone) I always wonder if I should do them white too. EVERYTHING was green when we moved in, walls, doors, floors... so anything is better than that! xxxx

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  7. I'm another one amazed that you've repainted the stairs, it does seem like five minutes since the great staircase debate! Your creation is genius, I'd be telling Jon about that but there's probably as much chance of us redecorating as there is hell freezing over.
    I like white walls but that's what Trechikoffs and freaky children pictures are for! xxx

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    1. I think I need a few pictures but I don't want to put holes in my spotless white walls! xxx

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  8. Bless you, blimey I don't know how you find the time to do it all. The white walls look lovely and so fresh, dee x

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  9. It has taken me a year to finish our hall, stairs and landing so hoping they don't need freshening up for a long while! I too taped a paintbrush onto a mop handle haha genius!! :)
    I always use matt but may have a look at soft sheen too, sounds much better for little messy fingers xx

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  10. Great minds think alike eh? I think the Soft Sheen is much more forgiving and difuses the light very nicely. xx

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