Yesterday I conducted a test to see how much effort will be necessary to repaint the trim in the farmhouse. We could just slap an additional layer of paint onto the countless other layers that are already present, but as usual I choose the more difficult route.
It may not look that bad in the photo (other than the obvious scar), but in real life the paint was obviously slathered on top of many other slathered layers of paint. To avoid getting my gear bag from the -10 degree garage and donning the appropriate PPE to protect myself from 200 years of lead paint. I instead decided to use the "green" chemical paint stripper that I painstakingly drove across the country with. The results are this photo.
Beneath the layer of stark white paint, that probably wasn't cleaned since it was painted, was a succession of cream, tan, brown, and chocolate paints. I'm guessing that each one was lightened in an effort to "modernize" the home. Then came the surprise. A bright teal like color. However, I was on a quest for wood and no matter how many applications of stripper I applied, the wood would not show. Feeling defeated, I put the stripper down for the day. I guess the next step will be the appropriate PPE and some sandpaper.
Wowza, three updates in one day - I'm lovin' it! That teal paint must be some kinda tough stuff! Is this an original part of the house or an addition?
ReplyDeleteIt's in the original part. This is the bedroom in the bottom right of the floor plan I posted. I'm wondering if the teal is putty used to fill in the grain of the wood before painting it.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it, but when Donna did the old house next to us she could not get down to the wood because it had been painted from the get go and the pigment of the paint was in the grain of the wood. So you might be right about the teal. Her old trim was poplar which is a wood that they most often painted because it has a greenish tinge. When you go to Bob and Janna's check out the paneling beneath the windows in their front two rooms. That's the woodwork Donna couldn't get stripped.
ReplyDeleteAh, bummer. Well, we planned on repainting it anyway. I'll check out the trim at Bob and Janna's.
ReplyDelete