While They Were Out!

Hubby and I have returned from a "While You Were Out" weekend. No, we did not get the makeover; we did the makeover.

SIL has been wanting to re-do her living room. It's hasn't seen change in 25 years. BIL is not a fan of change, and has been reluctant to take that first step. But, in spite of BILs reluctance, SIL and I found a paint color for her walls. It's a beautiful plum color; quite a change from the stripey-cream wallpaper that has graced the walls for a very long time.

They had a vacation planned, and it seemed a good idea for us to come out while the house was empty, and make the transformation! We would be steaming off wallpaper, patching holes, washing the walls, priming, and finally, painting. They also have a small bathroom which needed patched, primed, and painted.

I was a little concerned about how someone who didn't like change would like coming home to a completely different living room. I was also concerned about getting finished in the alloted time. They planned to be home Sunday afternoon, and we couldn't get started until Friday morning. My biggest concern was that the wallpaper would not come off easily.  The wallpaper cooperated, and came off like a breeze. Hubby followed behind me, washing down walls and filling holes.

We decided to save time by having the primer tinted a dark color, hoping we would only need one coat of wall color. Unfortunately, the primer did not cooperate. Apparently, there was still some glue residue on the walls which kept the primer from sticking properly. YIKES!! This required putting on two coats of primer--not saving any time at all. And, to make it more stressful, the paint was not drying quickly. We had to locate every fan we could find to hurry up the process.

Understandably, SIL kept calling to see how we were progressing, then called to say they would be arriving Saturday evening and not Sunday. They couldn't wait to see it. "Ummm, we may not be done if you get here too early!"  Panic is setting in.

When they arrived home, the paint was barely dry, and the furniture was just moved back. I was just painting the final strokes in the bathroom when they walked in.

SIL loved it and is ready to re-do the kitchen. BIL was less enthusiastic, but appeared to like it. He needs time to adjust.  I think it looks nice. Here's some before and after pictures. I have to say that the pictures make the walls look a lot more purple than they really are.

My pictures refuse to line up the way I want them, and it's getting late, but, you get the idea.

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