The Paint Boss - The Paint!

Ok, so I'm no Herve Villechaise.

We decided to try a few colors of milk paint to see which colors we liked for all of the interior stucco walls. It's hard to choose because it's an open concept and the stucco will be meeting several different colored walls which have already been done. We would like to find a color that will work with everthing, as this is not something we want to have to do very often.

Milk paint is a powder so it gets mixed in the blender which I knew I kept for 31 years for a reason!! Ha! But I think I will check out the flea markets for a second one, to maybe speed up the process. Andre had the paint on the wall before I could mix up the next color. So here is our test wall, of which we are not liking any of our choices. I ordered different colors today, so we will have another go at it on another wall next week.

Our conundrum is we like rich dark colors, but with the milk paint, it would be easier to use a light color. We wouldn't require as much product or effort to get complete coverage, as if you miss spot with a light color it doesn't show as much as it would with the richer shades. But we don't want the place to feel like a cave on dark days. And we need a color that won't clash with the pine ceilings, which while fairly light now, will darken over the years. Can you see how this would contribute to indecision??

Should be easier to pick a color for the outside. Our only concern there is to not choose something garish that would upset the neighborhood.

It's not all its cracked up to be

So the dreaded day arrived where I would experiment with the crack filling process. Not having done this before on such tiny cracks I wasn't certain which route to choose. In the end, I used sanded tile grout, in a color close to the original stucco color. Not that it matters as the repair should disappear after the paint goes on, but if that takes us a while, I think these repairs will be easier to live with than if I had chosen a bright white grout.

I dug out my modified grout tools, consisting of paint stir sticks, potato masher for mixing, and artists palette knives for application.

This is the size of the crack which is fairly typical. They are stress cracks in the stucco caused by the slightest settling, the drying process and any wood movement, of which if one thinks about, cement and wood probably shouldn't mix. I mean, we ensure there is sill gasket under all the boards that frame the walls and then we installed wooden window sills and plastered right up the to them. So these cracks appeared at the sills and in the corners above the rounded openings. Some are small hairline cracks that we won't fill.

The process was to wet the crack, apply to the best of ones ability the grout, then texture it the same way we did the walls, using foam insulation rubbed over the fix.

This is the end result, about 20 minutes later. Pretty sure once it's painted it won't be seen. Just not sure how they won't reappear. This is not a process I want to be continually working at. Some day, we'll just have to call it done!

The Counters Are In

Well, it's been a while since we last blogged, and have kinda taken a month or so of rest and relaxation. With visits from both of the kids and a quick trip out west for Andre, there is still a lot that needs to be done, but we needed a break from the pace.

We finally received our counter-tops and the sinks were installed shortly thereafter. So we are pretty much functioning like a normal household. No more utility room dishes for us. The undercabinet lighting and stove-hood have been installed and the crown moulding above the cabinets will be installed next time we set up the saw.

I did the measuring, ordering and scribing of the counter-tops to fit the undulations of the bale wall, and it actually all went pretty smoothly. We are pleased with the outcome.

The bathroom vanity counter-top arrived the same time and the mirror we ended up using is one we recycled from the old bedroom suite. It works for now. Some day those trim pieces in the corner will be installed rather than leaning against the wall.