Home improvement is challenging and I think it takes sharing about it with others makes the process less difficult. I've never before embarked on such a home improvement project and out of great trepidation, I've tried to educate myself as much as I can. I think I've checked out the entire LA County Library home improvement collection. I've reviewed books on remodeling bathrooms, repairing and painting walls, how to patch drywall, how to install tile, the list goes on. I've watched tons of YouTube videos on countless DIY topics. I've gone to a couple of Home Depot classes, which were educational (but not well organized). My head is swirling with info.
So I demo'ed the guest bathroom-tore out the vanity, the toilet and the old vinyl flooring. That was pretty easy. I just followed the instructions laid out in one of the Black & Decker books.
Next, we discovered the old paint job was poorly executed. Allison and I were working on it one night, repairing and filling in old nail holes and other blemishes on the walls when she discovered the paint was chipping and peeling in various places throughout the bathroom. Much of it occurring behind the toilet. The problem with this is if we were to paint over this unstable existing paint job, there's a chance the new paint will peel right off with the old stuff. Needless to say, that would become a huge waste of time, energy and money.
This got me down because I hadn't read anything about problem paint jobs and how to address them. I'd been reading and reading and reading preparing myself and now this! I got discouraged.
Normally, I'd just hold it in, not talk about my discouragement or the challenges that I'm facing. But I'm learning this isn't healthy. Instead, it's good to get stuff out. So I talked about it with Allison, I shared about my frustrations with others and I started to feel better-like it wasn't the end of the world like I'd been thinking.
As a result, I regrouped, got back online and discovered a workable approach through a Home Depot forum on how to use oil-based paints. One person suggested to wash down the walls, sand the surfaces, wash and then sand again. This person said in doing so, you'll have already gone above and beyond what most painters would do. I felt most comfortable with this approach because before I was considering using paint stripper. However, paint stripping instructions seems like more of a hassle to me. I feel more comfortable with the wash and sand approach.
So now, with the support of others and the ever-knowing Internet, I'm going to try and tackle this chipping/peeling paint problem.
So I demo'ed the guest bathroom-tore out the vanity, the toilet and the old vinyl flooring. That was pretty easy. I just followed the instructions laid out in one of the Black & Decker books.
Next, we discovered the old paint job was poorly executed. Allison and I were working on it one night, repairing and filling in old nail holes and other blemishes on the walls when she discovered the paint was chipping and peeling in various places throughout the bathroom. Much of it occurring behind the toilet. The problem with this is if we were to paint over this unstable existing paint job, there's a chance the new paint will peel right off with the old stuff. Needless to say, that would become a huge waste of time, energy and money.
This got me down because I hadn't read anything about problem paint jobs and how to address them. I'd been reading and reading and reading preparing myself and now this! I got discouraged.
Normally, I'd just hold it in, not talk about my discouragement or the challenges that I'm facing. But I'm learning this isn't healthy. Instead, it's good to get stuff out. So I talked about it with Allison, I shared about my frustrations with others and I started to feel better-like it wasn't the end of the world like I'd been thinking.
As a result, I regrouped, got back online and discovered a workable approach through a Home Depot forum on how to use oil-based paints. One person suggested to wash down the walls, sand the surfaces, wash and then sand again. This person said in doing so, you'll have already gone above and beyond what most painters would do. I felt most comfortable with this approach because before I was considering using paint stripper. However, paint stripping instructions seems like more of a hassle to me. I feel more comfortable with the wash and sand approach.
So now, with the support of others and the ever-knowing Internet, I'm going to try and tackle this chipping/peeling paint problem.
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