Drop cloths, tape (lots of tape), brushes, paint....

[quadman]

Screwdrivers, electrical tape, wire nuts, spackling compound, sand paper, paint pan, roller cage, quality roller covers and plenty of help.... CHECK!

Ahhhh supervising all of this "prep" work is nice. In years past, the kids were too young to actually help. Mind you, they'd rather be playing Play Station, but hell, it's good to "put 'em to work" once in a while. And, the Mrs has even jumped in to lend a helping hand.

This should go really nice. I always enjoyed painting, but this time it should be a real treat.... All the hard stuff is getting done for me. Yipppppeeeee!!!

[quadman]

You know.... it's times just like this when I really miss my dad. I remember how anal he was whenever we went to someones house to paint (he painted and hung wall paper as a side job the whole time I was growing up). I remember him making me tape the carpet edge being sure to stuff the tape under the baseboard. Making me redo it over and over until he was satisfied. While I was doing that, he would meticulously spackle & fill every teeny-tiny dent on the walls.

We would then tape drop cloths to the taped edge I had put down previously. Making sure that nary a single speck of carpet thread showed anywhere. Then the sanding, then taking his wide bladed scraper and scraping the wall top to bottom to knock off bits of dust and "stuff" that got into the previous coat of paint and left little specks sticking out on the wall. Then wiping down the walls with a little TSP mixed with a drop of dish detergent and hot water. The TSP knocks down any remaining sheen and acts like a primer to help the new paint adhere and obviously, the cleaning agent helps remove any dirt,smoke etc. Of course giving the entire surface and molding a final rinse with super hot water.

Next up, painting the ceiling with a nice bright high-hiding flat white then all the baseboard and trim with a high quality semi-gloss. Finally cutting in and painting the walls with a good eggshell or satin. If you did everything right (and my dad always made sure we did, the walls looked as though they were brand new and belonged in a magazine photo.

Well, I couldn't be any PROUDER of my girls. My oldest doing all of the taping of the baseboards then taping down the drop cloths, my youngest being as anal as my dad about teeny-tiny indentations in the wall and spackling them (I think it was so much fun for her since I bought the pink spackle that turns white when dry), the Mrs, washing down and spackling the ceiling, then the walls for the final wash down and rinse.

All dear old dad got to do was supervise the prep work and then paint the ceiling and trim last night, and then cutting in the walls this morning and finishing them up just a couple of minutes ago.

Man.... I gotta tell ya.... the workmanship looks professional as heck if I do say so myself. I just wish Dad was here to see it. I KNOW he would have been proud....

Sorry.... I don't mean to toot my own horn, but to me, this is one of the things "family" is all about. I do feel awfully sorry for any future husbands of my daughters though. I can hear it now.... "You're not doing it right"....

:huge:

[Ajax]

Jeez, John. You just took me on a trip down memory lane. When we moved from Detroit to Cleveland, the entire upstairs (2nd floor) of our house was unfinished: just open rafters. My dad would come home from work (sales for a Tool & Die company), eat dinner, and go to work. He insulated; framed two bedrooms,each with a closet; created 3 attic storage spaces, built a bathroom, made hall bookshelves and a hall closet, finished one of the bedrooms with knotty pine paneling, and wall boarded the other. I was just a little too young to be of any real help (5 years old) so I didn't really learn much. To this day, I still marvel at his abilities. I greatly envy yours.

[ben9732]

Well, I'm about half way through painting my wife's salon (posting from there right now), so if their done you can send them over here John.

[quadman]

I still marvel at his abilities. I greatly envy yours.

Thanks Jack.... Yeah, my Dad could do it all. He removed gravity fed coal fired furnaces on both sides of our double. Installed gas fired hot water boilers, ran all the copper, installed all of the baseboard elements (this was a two story double mind you) when I was around five. The only thing I remember about that was when he opened the water valve for the first time and there wasn't that first leak anywhere.

Or, the time he pulled an entire fuse box and installed a 100 amp breaker box and wired everything up at my first house (while I looked on in amazement holding the flashlight). Then the time he and I completely refurbed my kitchen.... moving walls, running water lines, new lights, replacing cabinets, counter tops, trim molding, wall paper etc.... All I REALLY did that time.... was whatever he told me. I had no real talent or knew what to do. No, HE was the man. I just learned some stuff through sheer osmosis. And, one of them was how to be a picky painter (and pretty good, except I STILL can't cut in a ceiling as fast or as well as my Dad did) and wall paper hanger. I wish I had paid attention more and really learned something, but alas I didn't really.

[quadman]

Well, I'm about half way through painting my wife's salon (posting from there right now), so if their done you can send them over here John.

LOL Jack.... somehow I can't see Amy taping the floor of your salon. But, now Sarah.... give her that pink spackle and she'll go to town on your walls. :D

[ben9732]

Preaching to the choir

Of course the most important thing is the time you've spent with your girls. I've sure 20-30 years from now they will be telling their offspring or friends about the time they painted with their Dad and what a special time it was.

[quadman]

Of course the most important thing is the time you've spent with your girls. I've sure 20-30 years from now they will be telling their offspring or friends about the time they painted with their Dad and what a special time it was.

Thanks Jack.... That was kind of my whole point. Thinking back to all the painting/paper hanging I did with my Dad and how is "picky-ness" rubbed off on me. Which made me an excellent painter and wall paper hanger today. Maybe not as fast as a pro, but the end results are normally as good (or better).

And, I really don't think my girls ever understood how much "work" daddy put into painting or why I got upset when they did something to mess up the finished project (like the time my oldest daughter - much younger at the time, started pulling paper off the wall of her recently papered bedroom.... I used four different coordinating papers and two borders.... looked right out of a magazine photo). This time however, thanks to some very bad knees, I required some help in all of the prep work.

They grumbled at first, but really got into it because we had the music blaring and Sarah really got into the "pink" spackle (pink and purple are "her" colors). What was really cool to her dear OLD dad.... was she actually mastered the technique of using the taping knife and spackling without leaving too much to sand after it dried. As you know, it's all a "feel" thing to get the edges feathered and still leave the spackle where you want it. And she had it down in just a few attempts. All in all you are correct.... it was a BLAST and I hope they want to jump in next time without too much prodding because they actually had some fun.

Now, if I could only get them to understand and master the technique of painting six panel doors.... :scratchchin:

[Jed M]

Hey, don't we need some before and after pictures? :yes:

I would have used the "this thread is worthless without pics" icon but your story about your dad and your girls made the thread worth it already. Family stuff is as good as it gets.

[quadman]

Hey, don't we need some before and after pictures? :yes:

I would have used the "this thread is worthless without pics" icon but your story about your dad and your girls made the thread worth it already. Family stuff is as good as it gets.

Thanks Jed.... but pics??? LOL, it's "JUST" painting a beedroom. Now granted, it looks awesome with the nice deep eggshell taupe with the bright white semi-gloss trim and six panel doors, but pics would be pretty boring. Kind of like watching grass grow or ummm.... paint dry. :D

[scc135]

Glad to hear about spending some quality time with the girls John.