Bon Journal

Painting colours

After the second layer of ground paint has dried, use water-based sandpaper to make the surface smooth before applying colour. Water-based sandpaper is finer than normal sandpaper. It also doesn't create flying dust!

I sound like an expert, having only recently gained the confidence to do it alone. My days of damsel in distress in the home renovation department are fading away. Today, I decided to visit the local home improvement store to get the necessary tools to paint the final layer.

Yes, the final layer! This is the layer of colour. I've been instructed to paint the closet doors off-white and the closet floor dark purple.

At the store, I asked for disposable paint rollers for colour paint. I had used the wrong one yesterday for ground paint. The young store clerk was very helpful as usual. However, when I asked for the dark purple paint of the Flexa brand, he was lost. Glancing around, I noticed that the store didn't carry that brand.

I walked to the paint store across the street. There were rows of colour schemes all named after exotic destinations. I had chosen dark blue and light blue for my study to give it a peaceful feel. The Marrakesh theme also reminded me that I'd like to visit there one day. Two of the bedroom walls were painted in Sienna orange, yet another city on my list. Other "Flexa" colour schemes included Havana yellow, Napel yellow, Monaco cream, Java green, Kenyan brown, and Tokyo purple.

Speaking my limited Dutch, I beckoned the sales lady to help me retrieve the right sized can of dark purple paint. I told her it was for woodwork and MDF boards and indicated the approximate surface area. She nodded and said that I had pointed to the correct one.

"Gloss or matt finish?" she asked. I was stumped. I panicked. What if I bought the wrong one?

So I told her what it was for. She smiled and chose matt. It was definitely matt not gloss finish. I asked whether the smallest size was enough. She nodded. Definitely. It was more than enough. I told her that I had already painted two layers of ground paint.

Returning back to the house, I decided to wash up the kitchen and bake a coffee cake before getting my hands dirty upstairs. Secretly, I couldn't wait to get started. But I had to do things in the right order. My hands would soon be covered with paint and it would take another day to get rid of it fully.

Painting the final layer took me exactly two and a half hours. Afterwards, I stood and stared at my finished work. I couldn't stop staring. It felt so good to see it in colour.

There is still one more step - sanding down the inside wall (back of the closet) to prevent the structural paint from scratching my clothes and filling the small gap between the wooden panels and the wall. I would probably need to paint it again.

Whatever the case, I can already imagine my concert dresses hanging in this built-in closet!

10 February 2004 Tuesday

Related Bon Journal entries:

Fill, sand, paint

Builder's apprentice

Builder's assistant

Zen of cleaning

Finishing the house

Le Bon Journal newsletter, volume 2 issue 12: home renovations