I love you, Ben.

It has long been my opinion that the very hardest part of painting a house is the very first step- picking the paint. I might be touting a very different story later in the life of this blog, but so far I still hold that if it is not THE hardest part, it is certainly AMONG the hardest.

First, let me say that I am a believer in the power of paint. I think it is a relatively easy way to make a vast difference in any space, regardless of the brand or color used. But now that I've been nice and admitted any paint is better than no paint, it is a distinct truth that not all paint is created equal. I've tried Lowe's paint. I've tried Sherwin Williams' paint. I've tried Home Depot's paint... and even the ritzy lines they carry. Yeah. They're alright. Some are more 'alright' than others. But I noted today, while passing through my friendly neighborhood ACE Hardware, that I positively swoon just by reading the words Benjamin Moore. *sigh*

To me, there is no better paint. Now, maybe I'm tainted by my upbringing. Mom and Dad sang praises to Benjamin Moore when they bought me my first paintbrush, but I have tried a lot of different brands, and I still stand by Benjamin Moore. It was a hard brand to come by in Colorado Springs before ACE starting carrying it. Oh, thank HEAVENS ACE started carrying it!!

So, If you're looking for my recommendation, that was it.

As for color recommendations, you're on your own. If it takes me less than two weeks to pick colors, divinity has intervened. Now, it just so happens, with this task, I decided on Benjamin Moore's Aura Affinity line almost instantly. I painted my house a rainbow of sample shades.




From there, it took maybe four days to come up with
The Gospel according to Benjamin:

House Body Color: AURA Affinity SPARROW
House Trim Color: AURA Affinity FRENCH PRESS

Want to know which of these many shades are, in fact, SPARROW and FRENCH PRESS?!?

Which ones do you think they are?

A very good place to start

This is my house. I have lived in this house for almost exactly five years. It has needed painting for not less than exactly five years, and likely more. Painting a house exterior is neither a quick nor an inexpensive project. There are many things to consider, and there are always many home projects on the 'to do' list. It's easy to take something that is time consuming, pricey, and labor intensive and throw it to the bottom of the priority list.

The thing is.... they come. Always this time of year, they seem to march through the neighborhood- the college students looking to paint houses. It just so happens my home precisely fits the profile that these college students seek for their top marketing campaigns... ugly and weather battered. They are a constant reminder to me of the upkeep required.

It just so happened that the unkind message of their fliers sank in this year. In addition, I attended a homeowners association meeting where i saw the influx of approval requests for spring home projects. It lit a fire under my tail. As a final straw, I began noticing the recently painted homes in my neighborhood, and the truth took hold... I could choose to ignore this project for another year, let other projects continue to take priority, but there will be no clean and easy time to do the painting. I needed to simply buckle down and do it.

So, here I am. Buckling down and doing it. Myself. Well, and with the help of family, where available. Having two small kids whom I care for full time adds some complexity, but I can't afford to pay thousands of dollars for someone else to spill primer on my roof. So, I have decided to make it work. I share my adventures in house painting at the suggestion and encouragement of a couple of friends who also have considered painting their own homes. They claim that a positive outcome might be the weight that tips them into this same hot pot. I think they just want me to spill the beans on the blood, the laughter, and the tears for their personal amusement... but you know... either way....

Here, then, begins the journey of a mom, a house, and a paintbrush...

(... and paint samples, and a homeowners association, and power washers, and scrapers, and a wire brush, and primer, and paint buckets, and ladders, and drop cloths, and masking tape, and....)