Painting: Round One

You've heard the expression that the cheapest way to transform a room is with paint and I'm here to tell you that this is 100% true. If you've never had the chance to experience it for yourself and you have a room you're looking to change, head to your nearest paint store and pick up a can (or two!) of paint. 
When we first moved into the house, we knew that painting was in our future - and lots of it! We moved into the house knowing that we wanted to paint every single room and that at 8 rooms (counting the hallway as a room) it would take a little bit of time. Fortunately, shortly after we moved in, my wonderful Aunt Joan offered to head up to the Boston area for 3 and a 1/2 long days of painting.

This photo was taken after the first full day when we were still super cheery. Our spirits stayed up, but by the end of the third 16 hour day, we were a bit exhausted.
When Aunt Joan first got to Boston, the first thing we did was prep the area. First up, the dining room! Josh and I chose Gray Horse by Benjamin Moore. We actually never put the color up on the wall (which is typically a huge mistake) and the colors that you see tested are Horizon and Revere Pewter (both also by Benjamin Moore). We ruled out Revere Pewter right away, and Josh decided that he didn't like Horizon - it appeared very light in the living room. And so, only using the color palette, we decided on Gray Horse.
To prep the area, we covered the floor with rosin paper (that we had leftover from protecting the newly polyurethaned floors when we moved), bagged the light fixture, removed the shades and electrical covers, and speckled any holes.


After we had fully prepped the room, we started by painting the ceiling with a fresh coat of white ceiling paint! Aunt Joan was in charge of rolling, and I was in charge of cutting in around the edges.



While we were waiting for the ceiling to dry in the dining room, we moved into the living room where we prepped the room - covering everything that stayed with plastic - and began to paint the ceiling in there as well. 

Then, as the ceiling was drying in the living room, we were able to move back and paint the dining room. We did wash the walls first and taped absolutely everything off to get clean lines. Two coats of paint later - again with Aunt Joan rolling and me cutting in - for the dining room and the living room, and things were looking a bit different!


We also used the same methods to paint the hallway - ceiling first then washing the walls then taping and then painting two coats.


And then, with less than 24 hours to go, we made a mad dash to paint our master bedroom. Originally an interesting shade of purple, Josh and I decided to go darker and to use the Benjamin Moore color Sparrow. We started again by painting the ceiling, then taping off the windows and trim and painting two coats of paint - with my Aunt rolling and me cutting in. 


And so, with about an hour left to spare until my aunt needed to be at the train station to go back home, we finished the bedroom! 
It was a whirlwind painting adventure but we got into an awesome rhythm that made it go quickly and smoothly. I have since painted three rooms on my own - my office, the kitchen and the bathroom - and I can, without hesitation, tell you that it is much faster with two people instead of just one.
Have you done any painting lately? Is there painting on the horizon for you in the new year? Do you prefer to paint solo or with a partner? I still just can't get over how much paint changes a room!