Watching Paint Dry

Do you like watching paint dry?

Actually, I do. That expression usually refers to something boring, but when you’ve been dreaming of having a new laundry room for years, it’s far from it.

When the time finally came, I got to think through all of the different tasks I’d want to use the room for and plan everything accordingly. Actually, I’d been doing that all along, so it was pretty well designed in my mind.

Of course, I’d be doing laundry, but I also wanted to start seeds, dehydrate, wrap gifts, sew and do crafts, store cleaning supplies, and hang clothes to air dry. I planned “zones” for each of those things. Along the right side of the room I’d have a long countertop with plenty of electrical outlets for plugging in grow lights, my dehydrator, and whatever else I might want to use.

I even knew the colors and feel that I wanted it to have. My washer and dryer are gray so I chose a wall color that complemented them. When the room had been framed and the walls put up, painting them was exciting to me. Scott and I worked together, and I loved watching the effect that the paint had, and yes, watching it dry to see if the final color was what I’d envisioned.

When the cabinetmaker came to consult with us, I had that planned out, too, and even had him measure my big Excalibur dehydrator because I wanted it to fit easily within the lower cabinet.

I’d had visions of painting fairies coming and the cabinetry being done seemingly overnight, but after getting bids from several different sources my husband said he thought we could do it ourselves. My first thoughts were of streaky cabinet doors and hardened drips, but after having a little time to process that idea, I started to think that maybe we could handle it. 

A salesman at the paint store recommended a paint that had some ingredient which made the paint “flow” and create a smooth surface when dry. It was more expensive, but it proved to be a good investment.

I actually enjoyed “bonding” with my new room, and mentally started planning how I’d organize everything in there while I worked.

One afternoon, as I sat there tediously painting drawers, my mind wandered back to an incident that had happened over twenty years before…

Our son was about three and my husband and I had left him with a sitter to have an evening out. When we returned, we were asking her how the evening had gone. She asked us if we knew that we had water in our drawers? Scott and I looked at each other, simultaneously wondering what she was talking about.

“What water?”

Our babysitter turned and led us to our son’s bathroom and proceeded to pull out all of the drawers. Each of them was filled to the brim with water!

Did I mention that this was a brand new custom-built home? We hadn’t lived in it very long and I was afraid all of this water was going to make the paint peel off and ruin the cabinets, but thankfully it was a really good paint because after we cleaned up that mess, it all dried and no harm was done.

It was easy to laugh about that then as I sat painting these new ones. I wondered if my paint job would hold up as well.

After several days of painting, I joyfully watched the last coat of paint on those cabinets dry!

We actually did a pretty good job and it feels good to have some sweat equity in my new laundry room. Here is how it looked when we got it (mostly) put together.

If you enjoy reading about remodeling then you may also like No More Broken Windows or A Gardener Gets Her House Painted.

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