Monday, January 26, 2009

Friends Don't Let Friends Strip Knotty Pine...

I've put another four hours into the five feet of knotty pine paneling stripping. We've gone to using toxic stripper, and it is still just barely moving the gummy paint around. Apparently when the can says "works best at between 65-85 degrees" it really means "this stuff DOESN'T work when it is colder than that, so don't even think about trying to use it in winter!"
The suggestion to use a heat gun is a good one, and I have used those to strip wood in the past. My hands are not as young as they were when I last used a heat gun; I'm positive I would be nearly crippled if I attempted the project using that option.

After removing the chair railing and seeing the original unpainted knotty pine beneath it I was convinced that I would rather not have the rather orangy bare wood anyway, since the fireplace bricks are pinky red with almost orchid colored mortar (those wacky 50's folk and their colorful choices of mortar!)

I've picked out a nice neutral/slightly gray greenish white paint color for the panelling if we can ever get the gloppy stuck paint off the five feet in the one corner. I suppose we could just paint the rest of the room and frame the glop...and refer to it as modern art. I've seen worse sold at six figure prices in art galleries.

At least the green tea paint job looks great in the living room. I'll post a picture of it was soon as a second coat goes on.

I'm wandering around the house with a color sample fan book, trying to imagine what colors to use in the master bedroom, guest room and office. Currently they are painted vivid lime, avocado and taxi yellow, in that order. Hard to imagine other colors when surrounded by those shades.
My interior decorator came and dropped a handful of color swatches in my hand and a list of rooms and numbers to match up.
Not exactly how I was taught to present decorating suggestions when I took interior design in college.
She favored gray: deep blue gray for the living room, dark grayish blue for the master bedroom, deep purple gray for the guest room, gray with a bit of brown for the hallway...most of the rooms are north facing rooms with small windows under deep eaves.
Oh and deep deep gray with a hint of sage for the kitchen. To balance all the woodwork...

In the initial interview with her the only color that I had said we did not like was gray.
At that time I told her that both B. and I work in windowless offices that are painted gray. No gray, please!

Apparently I will soon receive a bill for the two hours of work that were put into grabbing every shade of gray color swatch and handing them over to me. At $75 per hour.

It amazes me that selecting an assortment of gray is billable at such a rate. Needless to say, I won't be using her expertise any further.
Right now we're thinking a midtone coral pink for the master bedroom, lavender blue for the guest room and soft yellow for the office. Or maybe lobster red.
Anything but gray.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Vivid lime in the master bedroom? How were they able to sleep?

Oh, I am feeling so bad about that gloppy paint mess on the paneling. Who would imagine that it would take that kind of time and make that type of mess? What's beneath the paneling? If there's drywall, would you consider just removing the wood? Patching drywall is easier than stripping old, thick, gloppy paint.

I like the idea of a deep, rich red for the office.

Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said...

Vicki-
No dry wall behind the pine. B. has suggested flipping the panelling, but it is only milled on one side. He is also ready to drywall if we can resolve this mess.

Lovella ♥ said...

I could live with lavendar blue. ..thank you. .
Oh the knotty pine does seem like such an ardous (not sure what that words means but I like the sound of it). . and I was going to protest but you sounded so delighted with the idea of stripping. .next time I'm going with my gut instinct and causing a kafuffle and saying don't do it.

Anonymous said...

I'd be calling the interior designer and asking for other color suggestions at no further charge, since the one thing "I" did make clear was that grey was not an option. She mixed up her directions or just plain did not listen. It happens, but that is her error.

Green, just about any shade, is my favorite color, so I have to say that it is a good choice. Looking forward to pictures.

Debbie

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Are you having fun yet? No?

Wish I was closer, I'd come help and bring a bottle or two of wine for the evenings to have with our pizza as we ease our mmmmph-year-old bodies down to the floor for a picnic in the middle of the room and enjoy our handiwork.

I tend to favor warmish or earthy colors (have I said this before?) but your tea green and lavender blue do sound cool and soothing and lovely. Not so sure about lobster red - hahaha!

I'm eager to see the sealed fireplace...and your new paint.

Sara

Unknown said...

...and not Smurf blue with palm trees and clouds. Just my 2 cents!

Julie said...

Hmmmm...sounds like your interior decorator has a good memory - she DID hear you say 'grey', right?
You do wonder sometimes how people keep their jobs !
Your color choices sound great.. can't wait for the before and after pictures of each room.

I do wish there was an easy way to clean the paint off the paneling. I think I would seriously consider the drywalling idea!

Kate said...

Yeeeeeee gods!! Better you than me, Darlin'. I don't envy you the stripping job. Love that idea of framing the "art" (tee hee hee)!
K Q:-)

P.S. Views are FABULOUS tho' so worth the effort.

Kathy said...

The picture of reluctantly peeling paint is incredible. That thick goop. Probably not worth it. Good luck with framing what's left!

Your story of the samples of grey remind me of a time I was looking for a new house and I told the realtor I would only view houses with well treed lots - mature trees. On one tour, we pulled up to a house with not one tree and I said I would not look at this home. Where are the trees? He got a little panicky as the owner was expecting us. OK for a favor for him, I would do a quick look. But no more! What? Did he think I was fooling? I now live on a lot with lovely trees. And I found it myself while riding a bicycle!

Your colors will be just lovely I’m sure. Green tea – I can see it – so fresh.