Week one of the Gigantic Painting Project

Well, I have started on my epic house painting job. The first to come under attack was the hallway. I emptied it of all the junk and clutter that seems to get deposited in there. Then, I was really naughty and I ripped up the carpet and took the coat hook thing off the wall, I've always hated the coat hook. I'm very happy, although I am going to have to find somewhere else to hang the coats ..... and buy a new coat rack ..... and a new carpet ...... hey ho :-) 

Before Photo ... during the clearing out process.

Then I set to with a gigantic bucket full of industrial strength, high opacity, white trade paint and if it didn't move it got painted. I painted the hideous brown doors, the skirting boards, the walls and the beams with coat of white emulsion. 

After I emulsion-ed everything and ripped up the carpet and trashed the coat hooks.

I'm a very messy painter and I seem to end up wearing more paint than goes onto the walls but it's progressing nicely. I am now moving onto the top coat of satinwood paint on the doors, skirting boards and beams. Not a job I enjoy but it has to be done and I'm sure it will look lovely once it's done. I have ordered some floor covering for the bit inside the front door and I will nip off to my local awesome shop Trago Mill and buy a carpet remnant for the bit that is down the step and then I need 4 new door handles, some window latches and a new door curtain.

Well, here is a bit of an update. I'm still tackling the hall, the doors took much more covering than I  anticipated but it's gradually getting there. I cleared out the hall cupboard which hadn't been opened for at least a year. It was gross! full of mouse droppings. This is because the hallway is directly linked to the outside and despite stuffing every hole that I could find with wire wool, they still manage to find their way in. Luckily, they never make it past the hall because although it's linked to the outside, it's a later addition and was a separate building put up about 25 years ago and all the walls are solid so there is nowhere for them to hide inside the walls. The hall cupboard is my tool and paint storage, but lately things just got stuffed in there and it was an absolute disgrace. Now it's tidy, mouse free and everything is neatly stored away in plastic boxes with lids.

I also ordered so gorgeous new light shades for the hall and downstairs loo. Metal dome shaped things that were such a bargain that I just couldn't pass them up. They were reduced to £8.22 each!

I popped one up to see what they looked like ...... I think they look lovely. 

Anyway, that's the progress so far. Today, I'm having a day off from painting. I don;t know why but no matter how hard I try, the house always looks like a total disaster area when I decorate so I'm going to give it a bit of a clean and a tidy before I finish off the hall. There is only so much mess I can live with before it drives me insane!