I like to try to believe I’m a low-key mellow type, but I’ve been told ‘intense’ is actually a better descriptor for me. I don’t think this is a negative thing, it just means I care a lot, even in times when caring a little would be sufficient. This project made this particular character trait of mine very identifiable.
Landlords of low-end rentals know how to keep the expenses on their investments to a bare minimum. A safe rental with working utilities is the goal. Even though a modern faucet or more trendy light fixture is only a bit more than the less-expensive version, experienced landlords know their property is going to be treated like a rental. They spend less money on items for their rentals than they would on ones intended for their own homes. In the world of painting, this means that rental properties are granted the cheaper paints in the colors that take the least amount of thought & effort. I’ve said all of this to say that this paint project taught me that my passion for aesthetics would be my achilles’ heel as a proprietor.
“Smoker Walls to White-ish’ was a small 3 bedroom/1 bathroom rental that needed cleaned up from past tenants to be available for new ones. The walls were stained yellow from smoke and were very scratched up. It was my first entire-house project. The landlord, having less artistic taste (and more profit knowledge) bought the lowest grade white paint in 2 huge 10 gallon buckets. My heart hurt because, in my opinion, white walls are boring. There are so many hues and shades of even the most neutral colors that it seems a shame to not use any of them.
I could tell as coat #1 dried that coat #2 would be necessary. After the 2nd coat, I still saw streaks. And after coat #3…still streaks. The silver lining to this job is that I was fired from my 9 to 5 the day after I started painting bedroom 1. In other words, time was on my side and the pay was going to be more important than ever. This project dragged me through the school of hard knocks and I appreciate all of the lessons it provided:
- I am still working on the craft of pouring paint from a heavy 10 gallon bucket into a tray.
- I will ask what color a paint project is before accepting it. If the person says “white” I will run in another direction. As a less intense way to say this, moving forward, I know that white paint projects are just not for me.
- Realizing I need a taller ladder is better to do in foresight vs. hindsight.
- Appreciate the timing in everything.
Let me save you some time about the gallery below. There are pictures of yellow, grimy walls that progress from less yellow to more white-ish. The walls admittedly looked cleaner and the property was re-rented within 2 weeks, but I still would have chosen another neutral. (Word has it that it is the era for gray.)