Paint Me A Father's Day!
I think we have all stumbled when it comes to the issue of what to give Dad for Father’s Day at least once in our lives. I know I certainly have. The usual golf balls and neck ties get pretty old after a while, so this year my Mom and I did something a little different to show Dad just how much he means to us!
One of the rental houses we own needed to be prepped for the next tenant. Part of this prep included re-painting the entire interior of the house, quite a job! My Dad, a jack-of-all-trades, (a veteran home inspector, Regional Manager at U.S. Inspect and a frequent blogger) has always been the type of man who doesn’t see the need to hire someone else to do the job if he can do it himself. So, instead of hiring a professional painter for this project, Dad hired the family, but for free! It’s okay though, because helping him paint is just giving back a small part of what he has done for me my whole life and although I figured it would be a boring task, as the day went on, I learned yet another skill that I'll use in the future, painting!
With three people on the job, it was a little messy! Paint was flying off the rollers, Mom was knocking us in the head with the roller's extension handle, and clumsy me laid in the paint top and got beige paint all in my dark hair. Luckily it was latex, so it came out easily! We had a few laughs over the messy, amateur-like start.
As we tackled the first room, the second-floor master bedroom, I was responsible for painting the lower part of the wall. I guess the folks thought my youthful back could handle it better! At first, I used the hand roller to paint. This tool is used for covering larger areas than just a brush. My dad instructed me to roll slowly or else paint would fly everywhere. I also learned the importantance of using a tarp or some sort of ground covering to protect the floors from paint drops. Dad is always prepared!
As we moved onto the next bedroom, we faced the challenge of covering a dark wall without primer. The paint would cover the previous color adequately, but it had to be laid on thick. This is a case when either a primer before-hand, or two coats of paint should be used. I was getting slightly tired, and a bit bored at this point. So, I decided to switch up my task with the hope that I would enjoy painting more, while Dad was anticipating a more efficient overall process. I started working on painting around the trim, which Dad told me is referred to as “cutting in.” This was more my style of work and I began to enjoy the painting process more. We got a good system going, Dad and I “cutting in” the room, and Mom rolling the paint on the rest of the wall. Once we nailed the efficiency aspect, we were “rolling,” literally!
The hallway and stairwell presented another challenge. Picture three of us maneuvering in a relatively small area while attempting to continue utilizing the system we had going. This was difficult, but we made our way through the hall and down the stairs to the living room. At this point, my hand began to hurt from the tedious job of “cutting in.” We were sharing stories and listening to non-stop bluegrass music (Dad's favorite) as we proceeded. Once we had finished the living room, we called it quits since it was late-afternoon and the next room was going to be a different color, it was a good stopping point.
Painting all day made me confident that I could do this in my own home in the future if necessary. It really isn’t hard to do and can actually be fun. I was amazed that something like painting that seems like such a large task, really wasn’t when working together. After some doubt about how the day would go, it ended up being very pleasant, and together we painted our way through a large part of the house, which Dad was pleased with. We completed 3 large rooms as well as the hallway and stairwell. By the end of the day, I was covered in paint from head to toe and learned the hard way that painting can be messy and the paintbrush handles need to be kept clean.
The fact that my Mom and I had gotten Father’s Day cards and gifts didn’t matter. Helping Dad paint on Father’s Day and learning those valuable tips to use in my future home was priceless for me and for him. Even more, it made me realize how lucky I am to have parents who instill in me that hard work reaps rewards in the end. My reward for the day was quality family time with valuable life lessons learned. That’s what Father’s Day and other celebratory holidays should be about, not just the golf balls and neck ties.
If I can successfully paint, anyone can. It’s important to have skills such as painting the interior of a house to save money and time, and who isn’t looking to do that? Well, I guess I still have the dining room, kitchen, and bathrooms to look forward to painting now!
Here are a few simple and helpful DIY paint tips:
- Always use something to cover the floor. An old sheet works fine!
- When using a roller, use smooth slow strokes to prevent paint splatter.
- Painting can be messy, so keep your brush handles and hands clean to avoid a big mess.
- For a neater paint job, it is best to start at the ceiling and work your way down.
- Usually it’s best to paint the trim before the walls.
- Don’t leave the paint bucket sitting on top of the ladder when you move it!
- Wipe up any drips or spills quickly with a damp rag.
- If you happen to drip paint somewhere and are unable to catch it in time, you can remove it with latex paint remover which can be found at your local hardware store.
- The paint may look different on the color chip than it will when you are painting so be aware of this and don’t judge a wall color until it’s dry!
- Tackling a paint job can seem intimidating, but don’t let it discourage you. Take your time and correct any mistakes made.
Believe me, if I can paint, anyone can!
