neeroc (neeroc) wrote,
neeroc
neeroc

The trouble with being impulsive...

is that it is a lot of work. I appear to be cursed with more than one brand of impulsiveness. There is the fun stuff, like driving 15 hrs to Raleigh to a friend's dog's birthday party, and not fun things like having no plans on the weekend, and not ending up doing anything, but I don't know how many people realize that there is a DIY brand of impulsiveness. This is the one that causes the work. This is the same one that started me picking at the kitchen wallpaper one day last year, and turned it into the first half of the kitchen reno (the second half is still pending). Back to this year - Saturday morning I walked out the front door and realized it was the last time I could stand doing that in the condition it was in.
This was just driving me nuts. It had been eight years since it was painted, so I can't complain that much. Before I knew what I was doing I started chipping the paint off the panel beside the door. In short order I recruited my unwilling assistant and after a few quick measurements we were off to Home Depot.

Now, a less impulsive person would have given this some thought, you know, decided what they wanted the end result to look like or maybe check the weather reports! I on the other hand was trying to match paint chips as hubby was starting the car. On the way we decided that we should replace the side panel which has slowly been damaged by rain splashing on the front step. (As an aside, if anyone has a fool-proof way to keep their gutters clear please do share - our oak and pines clog the gutters almost monthly)

The damage can be seen here. It also appears that the previous owners had some water issues around the top of the panel, but that was old so we aren't worried. Hubby cut and fit the new panel, and then got the undercoat applied to it. The 'pot paint guy recommended an oil-based base, which we found surprising, but decided to go with it. We did not realize that it would take over eight hours to dry! The delay allowed me to get more sanding done. I'm now painting the window above the door, and maybe looking at the wall around it too. That's the tricky bit about unplanned work, it can quickly spiral into something much bigger. Anywho, before I decided to re-face the entire house, hubby distracted me with dinner. Once I sat down I didn't feel like getting back up, so end of day one.

Late Sunday morning, after a four-hour Corrie marathon I got back at it. Hubby had to head in to the college to get his class prep ready so I was on my own. Before he left he installed the new panel (I knew he'd hog the air nailer *g*). I then sanded it and primed it. Just as I got the inside of the door finished the weather changed completely. You can see it in the picture, it looked like it was going to pour.

I figured that was a sign to end day two. Hubby finished priming the door today, and again we're having issues with it drying. I wish it would storm and get it over with so we could finish painting but I'm guessing we're going to have a white door for the next couple of days, we're supposed to get thundershowers tomorrow!

Once I have the front door done, I noticed the garage door was looking a little rough, and all of the brick needs to be repainted. By all, I mean *all* oh, and it's not some smooth type brick, the fancy-pants builder decided to squish the grout out between all the bricks. Sometimes when I look at it I picture ripping it all off and replacing it with something that's easier to maintain.

I'm not even going to bother with a note to self for next time, I'm a lost cause.
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