one step forward, two steps back

So as you know we try to salvage anything we can and here you see the 80s- or maybe 70s-style light fixture over the sink in the bathroom (where everything was finished except this small detail) all masked and ready to spray paint a stainless steel/nickel tone. Better than the old gold finish! But one light spay and the finish "beads" rather than levels nicely. Can you see that in the second picture? Not acceptable. So I am going to buy a little can of paint, lightly sand and then hand paint it and hope it turns out OK. Disappointing.

How many coats??

I've run out of paint and am losing track of how many coats of paint I have applied to the bathroom walls. I think it is 4, plus primer and still I don't have that great looking saturated white. With the skylight there is lots of natural light coming in this time of year so I can really notice the lack of color depth. I got a new paint pad thinking that was part of the problem. The best coverage is the hand-painted areas. I'll buy another quart,apply one more coat and be satisfied. But isn't the new teak countertop beautiful!

choosing a white paint isn't easy....

I painted some color samples on the bathroom walls. I want fresh, clean white to go with the brown tiles and (as yet uninstalled) teak countertop. "Linen white" which I thought I'd want (in the center left) was instantly eliminated as too tan. I decided to go with "White Opulence" from Benjamin Moore. The little sample bottles are great--no need to buy a whole quart of paint and then decide it's all wrong.

I have tsp'ed the walls, this weekend I will prime them and then hopefully it will cover in 1 coat?

bathroom countertop demo

Today was a happy day--the herringbone countertop in the bathroom began being demolished. How pleased I am to get rid of this busy, brown and carmel colored tile countertop from the 70s. We are having a new top made out of teak, a wood that is a good choice for wet places (it is often used in boats). We still will have the brown tile shower and floor but plan to give the bathroom a modern look by painting the walls white and adding new chrome elements in towel bars and sink and shower fixtures. I went to the paint store today and grabbed lots of Benjamin Moore white paint chips. This is very fun!