Firewood Man was not able to come this weekend, nor today, which were two days he had planned. So, I girded my loins and set about painting the fascia on the airing porch.
I was terrified the entire time.
So was Amos, but he faithfully remained beneath the ladder the entire time since he promised to catch me if I fell.
I couldn't figure out how to get the ladder on each side of the airing porch, so I actually ended up climbing off the ladder and just walking on the edge of the roof. Terrified. But I got the painting done. I then walked around the very much shorter front edge of the roof to paint the other side. Thinking that the nice weather and strong breeze were enough to speedy dry the first coat, I walked back around the front of the airing porch, holding on to the railing for dear life, painted a second coat on the first side, walked back around to the other side and painted a second coat on it, and then walked back to the ladder and carefully made my way back down.
You see, to get it in place here, one leg was perched on a rock. GULP.
Even with the ladder in front, I had a really, really, really hard time making myself climb back up the ladder for the second coat on the front.
I had painted from left to right on the first coat, but I discovered that I can do a better job of cutting-in with my beloved Purdy brush if I paint from the right to the left. There is not a single smudge of red on the underside of the airing porch deck!
While I was giving the front a chance to dry, I painted the bottom board that Tim attached to the new facia (the doubled framing). I did not paint the facia itself because Tim is bringing a thin covering for it so the bolts are hidden the next time he comes.
Hopefully, that will be Wednesday.
Hopefully.
I really, really, really like how the airing porch looks. For such a drastic change to the back of the house, the end result (next Spring once all the porch railing is painted) will be rather seamless. At least, to me it will.
You cannot really see it, but the underside of the fascia is not painted on the sides. I figured out that I could stand lower on a ladder and use my 1 inch angled Purdy brush to paint it. I actually had my chin resting on the edge of the roof and found the slow, steady work a bit peaceful. But since I was squatting and bending over to paint the two sides (something I should not have been doing), I could not figure out a way to get that bottom painted. I am hoping that Tim has an idea of how to get the ladder on either side on Wednesday, when I paint the top coat. The top coat will be, as with the other boards, painted with my precious, dwindling supply of the original house red.
After taking a nap, I made a Double Chocolate Dr Pepper Cake. You see, Mary's husband has a proper appreciation for Dr Pepper. I thought that it would be nice to eat a slice (huge slab) of cake with someone whom I am sure will find it most tasty. After all, Ned, at my request, brought me some tostada shells since I have not been able to find them in the store for the past few months. Soon, I will be having chalupas again!!
Climbing up and down the ladder was terrifying, for it really squeaks and creaks and bends when extended like that. Moving it was almost impossible for me. I had to huff and puff and rest each time I did. The actual painting was rather easy. On Wednesday, if Tim is able to come and finish the stair railing, he will be moving the ladder each time, so the painting should go even faster. Plus, I just know he will hold it for me whilst I am climbing.
Tim really wanted to do the painting for me, since even he did not realized we had left that part out of our plan and agreed it would have been ever so much easier had we done it before the railing went up. But he is really busy and my priority is the railing on the stairs. Now, the paint has to go on when the temperature is high enough. The railing could happen any time. However, the weather will be warm again on Wednesday and Tim is planning on coming so I will at least have help.
Hopefully.
What do you think my neighbors thought seeing me walk around the outside of the railing on the airing porch??
2 comments:
In the last photo, is it the light or does the red on the house on the second floor brighter than the red around the windows in the dining room? The red you painted looks like it matches the red upstairs but not the red around the dining room windows.
Either way everything is continuing to be awesome.
Thank, Becky, for the praise!
When I say house red, I mean the read of all of the trim on the house. The upper red siding has clearly oxidized and I don't think about that because it is the color of the siding itself, not something that was painted on. Rather than have two colors of trim, I want all the trim to match the original house red. Otherwise, I'd find myself re-painting all the trim. I am hoping with a paint sample on cardstock, I will be able to get someone to do a better paint match.
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