Sanding Off the Scars on an Old Door

Day #3 of 31 Days of Writing Challenge!!

If you’ve read my blog before, you may have heard me talk about my long road to recovery from an illness. It started with a blood clot on the brain. #Ugh. One quiet Tuesday morning in November of 2011 I was at the desk in my home office working on plans for a surprise 40th anniversary party for my parents that weekend. 125 guests confirmed and RSVPs still coming. In hindsight, the timing was a blessing. Had we not been planning that party, I would probably have been on a plane headed for Boston for work. Probably wouldn’t be here typing this today. Instead, I was in my house just a few miles from our local first responders and a regional hospital.

It hit without warning. No risk factors. No health problems. Healthy, fast-moving, happy girl. Blurry vision was the first symptom. Within minutes, I was pretty out of it. Could hardly get to a phone to call for help. Because I was upstairs alone and all of the downstairs doors were locked, the first responders had to break the glass on the side door to get in. It cracked the frame and all. Totally necessary. Not complaining.

Even though the glass was repaired and we tried to touch up the blue paint, it was still a constant reminder of that awful day. Since it’s the door we use most often, I decided it was time for a change. After all, that color had been up there five years. I don’t leave anything the same color five years except my hair! #Kidding #NotReally

Sanding Off the Bad Stuff

I headed on over to my favorite paint store. This is THE best one in all of Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio. Like me, John from Color Concepts  knows and loves color.

Living an artful life comes in many forms, especially when you live in a historic home. My current home improvement project started with that  old blue door. We have a 100-year old house with a detached garage. It has a lot of exterior doors. Five to be exact. And I am a girl who LOVES to paint. I’m fairly confident I keep the paint stores in business between my frequent color changes and the ones I help my family and friends with… #YourWelcomeBenjaminMoore #YouTooSherwinWilliams

My typical MO on exterior doors is to find a a Benjamin Moore color I like, and then call the fine folks at Monarch Paint in D.C. to have them recreate it in Hollandlac paint. Its a pricey paint though, and a mess to try to work with. But all those old house doors in Georgetown, Foggy Bottom and the Palisades area of D.C. (my old stomping grounds) that totally rock? Yep. That super glossy, lovely lacquer from Holland.

This trip around the paint store, however, John had good news for me. Benjamin Moore had come out with two different paints to compete with that. While they are still pricey, they aren’t as much as the paint that comes from Tulip land. I settled on the exterior version of the Advance Paint. He whipped up a few trial colors. After testing them out on my sunroom door, I settled on Blushing Red.

Which actually looks a little more rosy in person in high gloss.

So here’s the messy, gritty, dirty project in process… And the After shots on a few!

Before and After on my Potting Bench

(hint: more makeover madness in store for this bench next spring!)

The Sunroom Door After and the Side Garage Door After

So two doors down… three to go before Fall becomes Winter. I better get back to painting…

Shelley

p.s. In case you are wondering about the surprise anniversary party for my parents that I mentioned? We still pulled it off! It wasn’t the surprise we planned, but I was out of ICU and able to attend. I think we all appreciated having family and friends to celebrate with even more that night…