BREE + BRY DIY: PAINTING EDITION

 

The time has come for my first home reno post! We’ve been in the new house since the end of June, and we decided to take the summer to just enjoy the space with no pressure to do any major projects. We also wanted a chance to feel the space out before making any drastic changes. Alas, it is now fall, and time to roll up our sleeves.

The quickest way to transform a space is through a fresh coat of paint, so that’s what we tackled first. When it comes to important decisions like what colour to paint your house for the rest of your life (ok fine, you can change it whenever you want, but if feels that dramatic to me), I usually clam up and stutter and can’t commit. Luckily Bryan doesn’t have that problem, and he quickly chose Benjamin Moore’s ‘Balboa Mist’, which I was completely on board with. 

Now since I’m self-employed, I can rejig my schedule around a big painting session easily. But with Bryan working full time, he had to take time off work to tackle this daunting job (talk about commitment). Bryan took a week off of work to paint the main areas and hallways in our house, as well as do baseboards and door trims (more on that later).

 

I love a good challenge, but my nature is to get really gung-ho about a project, finish it up to about 90%, and then say “well, that’s good enough”. Let me tell you – Bryan is the EXACT opposite. This was a make-or-break project. Could we survive this week together filled with sweatpants all day, everyday, paint fumes, cutting edges, and a distinct difference in quality control?

Well, let me tell you – we both passed with flying colours! Bryan put up with my painting “quirks” and had a good sense of humour about it all. And I upped my game, and put a solid 75% more effort into the work than I ever did that one time I painted my bedroom when I was 20 years old living in a run down apartment building in downtown Toronto, choosing a horrid teal colour and unable to reach the top of the ceiling (it was not my finest moment).

Now to the details – In the family room, we had to prime the walls because it was a dark mauve colour that needed a base before transitioning to the grey we wanted. All of the hallways as well as the living/dining room was a pea green that we could get away without using a primer, as it wasn’t quite dark enough to warrant one. Bryan is a paint cutter extraordinaire; as I mentioned earlier his attention to detail is bar none, so it was the perfect task for him. Bryan’s Dad John and I were on roller duty. I could put all of my might into a job that didn’t need fine tuned skills, only a will to get it done – PERFECT!

The primer in the family room, plus two coats of paint in the hallways (downstairs and upstairs), living room, dining room and family room took 3.5 days (and some nights). While I’m happy that we have a break before painting the bathrooms, bedrooms and basement for a while, I must admit – it was kind of fun!! Bryan would likely have a different response if you asked him about the process, but that’s what keeps it interesting; different perspectives.

We look forward to keeping you updated on our next paint series – but for now, we’re prepping for some more fun creative projects (hello dining room barn wood accent wall!) Check out the video below for some fun behind the scenes!