Wednesday 19 August 2015

The joys of new paint...



Mrs Scroblene and I have restarted our quest to paint the whole of The Turrets.

For quite a few years, we've let the task hang in there, and not kept up with the job, and of course, this means that it's twice as hard to do, the longer you leave it all...

But now, there's much more time, even with the allotment gushing vegetables and the greenhouse bulging with tomatoes, and it took a gargantuan effort even now to realise that YD's room was really in need of a damn good shake-up, so this started yesterday.

Years ago, we borrowed millions of shillings to pay for proper windows, and they're hardwood, with a permanent coating, which looks rather like ordinary undercoat, but which is in fact a great wood sealer. But they get dirty, and no amount of washing will help them, so a splunge of new sealer is needed, especially on the inside, funnily enough. (The dreaded condensation causes a lot of the problem, but with plenty of ventilation now, that has gone, just leaving the scars...)!

So, back to the paint job...

Emulsion painting is dead easy, and we can knock that off in an hour or so, but I - sadly - actually like painting windows. There's a job which needs quite a lot of concentration, grunting and squinting, and while Thud and I may differ on painting acres of weatherboarding, I reckon we would both agree that a well-painted window is up there with the Sistine Chapel!

So a quick trip to a reputable paint grocers, makes us realise that things have moved on from the old lead paint and Magicote, and the new genre of water-based paints is such a revelation, that the job of tackling a few square metres of windows and doors is much, much easier! The stuff just goes exactly where you want it to, and with some decent brushes, and maybe a flitch for the corners, the job is a breeze!

So after a couple of days of this, I'll be making a carpet stretcher, and starting yet another whole new trade...

6 comments:

rvi said...

Jolly good show!

One trusts that Elias Sagtrouser and his illustrious missus gave you a suitable discount on his wares?

One good thing about repainting skirting boards (at which I have an "A" level) is that the task can be performed lying down.

A K Haart said...

I quite like painting but I'm not so keen on windows - far too fiddly. uPVC is my choice.

A K Haart said...

Mind you I've just remembered a problem with uPVC windows - spotty herberts knocking on the door to ask if I want new ones.

Thud said...

Isn't retirement fun!

Scrobs. said...

Job done!

I made my own carpet stretcher from a few bits of firewood, and some decking screws, and away we went!

Silly old git really...

Electro-Kevin said...

I don't concentrate. I just do it all slap-dash and scrape the panes with a razor blade afterwards.