Monday, April 2, 2012

Boring, but Necessary

Yesterday I spent all day painting doors and switching out hardware. I know, it makes for a very boring Monday post.. but it's SO necessary!

The dirty (literally) little secret about our house is that all our trim is NASTY. Seriously, guys. I'd bet good money that all the trim and doors have not been cleaned since the 90's. It's amazing what a good cleaning and two fresh coat of paints can do.

It costs a lot to have trim and doors painted (much more than walls), so I am slowly going around the entire house and doing it myself. It's a pain, but when I step back and see the fresh, shiny new door or trim I feel SO much better.

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Ahh... so pretty. (I still need to do the door surrounds.. look closely you can see how gross it is!)

I'm also replacing all the old brass doorknobs with new oil rubbed bronze. I love the contrast of black hardware on white doors.

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I got all my new hardware on eBay via this seller. The price was really good and they are good quality. I'm happy with them!



In case you are curious, I paint the doors while they are still on the hinges. I've found this is the easiest way to do it. I use a small foam roller with two coats. The paint I used is Benjamin Moore Advance.. the best! Sorry the pictures are so bad.. it's rainy today and very dark.

It feels sooo good to be out with the old and in with the new, even if it's something as boring as doorknobs and fresh paint.

Here is my current status of painting trim... still so much to do :-/

Living Room Trim
Office Trim
Bedroom Doors
Downstairs Doors
Powder Room Trim
Dining Room Trim (luckily this was done before we moved in, the previous owners updated the dining room)
Kitchen Trim (next)
Upstairs Hallway Trim (next)
Upstairs Bathrooms Trim
Family Room Trim
Bedrooms Trim (3 of them)

I'm actually glad this house doesn't have crown moulding!

19 comments:

  1. Oh gosh I know our house could definitely use fresh paint on the trim.  Our house was updated in parts as welll, so those places are good, but there are parts that look terrible.  I know it's boring, but I agree it can make such a big difference.  Good for you for actually tackling this project!  I need to get motivated to do it. 

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  2. Jessica@HomewithbaxterApril 2, 2012 at 10:42 AM

    Hi Bryn, I can totally feel your pain!  I have to paint the trim and doors in every room of our house as well. Every room has a different color trim, and we want everything to be white.  It's a big job and takes a lot of time, but you're right it's so worth it!  I just wish the "after" pics seemed as amazing to others as they do to me. :)

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  3. I am sure it feels so great to be getting this done.  Your post title "boring but necessary" is spot on.  Good luck.

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  4. Loving the updates!  It really can make a room look so much more fresh!

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  5. Bryn, did you also change out the door hinges? In the photo, they look dark so I can't tell if the finish is rubbed bronze or still brass. These are details but to me they are not boring but the most exciting of all.

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  6.  Yes, I replaced all the hinges as well.

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  7. Painting trim is such a nightmare but totally worth it! Love the hardware you chose!

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  8. I recently repainted the trim in our house (which i dont think had been cleaned or touched since 1940 - seriously!) and it made all of the difference in the world! Made our house look like new :)  But I keep having a problem with the paint chipping off of the windowsills... I didn't prime - just painted - and now I think I'm going to have to go back and resand them, prime and paint again! So tedious... but like you said - saves soo much money to yourself!

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  9. Good for you!  Smart girl to tackle such a tedious but ultimately rewarding task.

    jbhat

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  10. I totally understand. I have so much cream trim to paint it uninspires me.  I am doing it one room at time. But it is slow going.

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  11. I'm trying to get the motivation to do mine someday soon. It really will make a difference at my house too. Good for you! Cannot wait to see all the progress!

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  12. Bryn,

    Do you find you can paint the doors with just the roller and not have to use a brush?  Does the roller get into the crevices?  Were you going over oil?  I would love to try the new BM paint on my oil painted doors but I would have to prime.  

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  13. I recently discovered your blog and I really enjoy reading your posts!  It is one of the 3 I check as soon as I drop my kids off at school these days! 

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  14. Annie @ house on reneApril 2, 2012 at 5:39 PM

    Love the update. Amazing what a difference new hardware and paint makes! Great job!

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  15. Do you think spray painting hinges ORB would work? Our landlord is replacing our door knobs because our toddler can open the current lever style ones, and I was wondering if I could get away with not replacing the hinges.

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  16. Great job. Those little jobs can be the worst to actually do but they make a big difference. We've changed out doorknobs in our house too and it is a slow job, worth it though!

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  17. I too am curious about whether you are painting over oil-based paint.  Do you prime them first?  I have some BM Advance paint I'd like to use but don't know what the correct process is to go over the existing oil-based paint to avoid flaking.

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  18.  I am pretty sure the doors were latex, not oil. But I have heard that you can paint Advance over oil as long as you sand first. hth!

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  19. Hi Bryn, I am getting ready to paint all my interior doors and switch out the hardware to ORB! I was curious what "white" you used for your doors and time. Same as your baseboards, BM Cloud White? I am having such a hard time picking a white that won't look too stark, but not too yellowy either. Thank you!

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THANK YOU for taking the time to share your thoughts. I appreciate each and every comment.

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