Closet Case (Part 2)

Part two of the Master Closet Renovation! (If you missed part one, you can find it here.)
- Popcorn ceiling is removed? Check!  (Thank goodness!)
- Walls and ceiling spackled? Check!
- Walls and ceiling cleaned? Check!

Next steps:
- Tape off baseboards and trim
- Cover floor with drop-cloths and plastic
- Prime! Finally!

Here is Dear Husband (DH) doing a fantastic job with the trim work. Since we are priming both the ceiling and walls, we didn't need to tape off the ceiling.
Buying quality paint and tools may be more expensive up front, but in the end it saves time, money, hassle, and gives you a much better result. Worth it! I use Sherwin Williams paints, but only buy it when they are having a 30-40% off sale. At that price it is the best paint you can buy, at a comparable price.

Because the sales are so short (2 or 3 days) and you don't get much head's up... the key is to have everything planned. If I'm not currently painting a room, I plan which room is next, what the color will be, and how much paint I will need. Then I can just pop in and pick it all up. The only problem is your paint might sit around for a while before it is used. I think our closet paint was idle for a month and a half or so. Just stir before use, and it is as good as new.

As long as we were priming the closet, we also took care of the "surprise" left by the previous owners...
When we toured the house, inside the garage they had large free-standing office shelves up against the wall. The realtor noted that these would not be sold, and would be moved out once the house sold. No big deal, no problem.
Before we signed the papers, the realtor did a walk-through to make sure nothing was damaged or removed. She left a voice-mail saying that everything looked good, except the previous owners had left us a surprise in the garage.
After signing the papers and getting the keys, we headed over to our new house. Sure enough, the shelves inside the garage were gone, but on the wall behind where they had been, was this: an old children's "painting".

I just started cracking up! I was annoyed, but because it was in the garage I didn't think it was that big of a deal. DH was a little more peeved, but because I didn't care that much he let it go. For a whole year, every time I went out the garage, the ugly purple smiley face laughed at me.

But no more! After quite a bit of sanding and a quick wash, I used the rest of the primer in the tray to cover it up. Being in the garage, it was pretty cold and the paint started to get really thick. It was like trying to roll glue on the wall! It probably took a whole week to dry, but now we don't have to be taunted by the purple smiley face. Whew!