I’m Feelin’ TRIM!!! PROJECT 1: FINALE

Oh yes, I do feel pride when I run my fingers along the smooth surface of my newly refurbished railing.  As I stand across the street and view the improved curb appeal of my home, I can’t help but compare this experience to how people react to my personal appearance on the rare occasion I actually style my hair, wear something other than yoga clothes and UGGS and put a little paint on my own trim.  With a little effort, this Baby cleans up well.

I’ll make sure not to use my zoom lens to reveal where I didn’t sand well enough and painted over old, chipped paint. Or the spots where I got ‘caulk happy’ with the clear silicone, just to learn that it is quite obvious once covered in glossy white paint!  And that’s just my face!!!!!

 

Seriously, the project is finally over.  I stopped for side trips, many days of rain, and some days of pondering (not to mention the time I had to dedicate to my business, family, FB, Twitter and reality TV!!!)  I will do better with the second project and be diligent to actually track time to complete the project.  My best guess with this one is 17 hours, not including the side trips. 

 

This last leg of the journey was more familiar to me.  Once all of the repairs were done, I used my palm sander with a medium paper to clear off the rough surfaces of paint that remained after the power wash.  The sanding was also necessary to repair some of the wood surface where light shredding occurred when I did get too close with the pressured water.

 

A clear silicone barrier at each wood seam is my insurance to avoid more rotted wood replacement in the near future.  That precaution took a great deal more time than anticipated, since the front porch alone has 110 spindles, in addition to the railings and pillars.  I found it easiest to use the squeeze applicator to apply and then my gloved finger to smooth the silicone in place. 

 
I applied one coat of water/stain resistant base, but the appearance of that product is milky and partially translucent so I did the second and third coats in a semi-gloss outdoor paint without the bells and whistles for wood protection.  I decided the caulking and single coat of special paint are more than the builders used 13 years ago so it should stand up reasonably well.
 

While painting, I wore gloves to protect my hands and each time I had to stop for a break, I used a little trick to protect the brush.  I held the brush in the palm of my hand as I removed that same glove, causing the glove to become a protective cover over the brush, until I picked it up again.  When painting around the house, I use the same strategy as painting my nails; first coat light but close attention to detail for coverage, and subsequent with a small roller using more paint to create a smoother, and glossy final product.  By the way, I highly recommend the new microfiber rollers.  The advertising is true – they use less paint and don’t drip, while providing more than adequate coverage.

 

What did I learn from this experience?  It is much more fun to do a boring maintenance project when you have others cheering you on. Thank you to all of my new Blog fans, FB friends and Twitter followers for your support, ideas and assistance.

 

On to the next job – out of necessity, husband and I need to do that toilet repair.  Every hour or so it sounds like our Master Bath toilet is flushing itself … join me back in a few days for my telling of that adventure.