never again

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For my next house, if I ever say anything about wanting to renovate or remodel or paint ANYTHING myself, you may take a dull knife, stick it into my gut and wiggle it around nice and good.

I hate you HGTV, HomeDepot, and all you others who try to make it look so easy. I never want to hear the words DIY, sweat equity, or weekend project ever again. I’m never going to be able to finish this in a reasonable amount of time. So far, I have only been able to finish painting the baseboards in the living room and dining room white, from their ugly wood origins.

Original ugly wood color

Original ugly colored wood that I have to paint over

Original dining room

Before and after dining room

Painted dining room baseboardsDining room baseboards painted

I have been painting all weekend, trying to finish the edges where two different colors meet, trying to make very straight and perfect edges. Maybe I will win the lotto in 2008 and then pay someone to finish all this work.

Related posts:

  1. painting the dining room
  2. painting the living room
  3. Aqua mailbox and other home improvements
  4. painting as exercise
  5. starting the renovations

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 18th, 2007 at 2:47 pm and is filed under our house, photos.

16 Responses to “never again”

  1. emila yusof
    3:03 pm on November 18th, 2007

    Aww pity you! I wish I could help you finish the painting job but I’m so far away! I’ve painted a whole house before and I know exactly how you feel. That was the only one time! I paid for the painting services to repaint my house couple of years after that! You should too! Wall painting is a tiring job!

  2. distracted spunk
    5:24 pm on November 18th, 2007

    I painted my old apartment in Brooklyn – it was hellacious. It wasn’t perfect, but the quirks were perfectly aligned to me and my roommate at the time. But painting…is a bitch. I’d offer to help you out if I could! (I kinda like it. Even when I end up splattered in paint.)

  3. rachel
    6:03 pm on November 18th, 2007

    I haaaate doing this kind of stuff, and yet love it at the same time. everyone’s like “ohhh just touch it up, just paint!”… its so much more than that. I can definitely relate.

  4. The Lisa Show
    1:10 pm on November 19th, 2007

    I’ve sworn of ALL things DIY a long, long time ago. I think it was DS that said something about drunk painting. I think that’s the only way anyone would get me to try it again.

  5. michelle
    3:20 pm on November 19th, 2007

    i hear you my friend, i do. it sucks, but it’s going to look awesome and you will feel so proud that you did it yourself. and think about all the money you’re saving!

  6. Tina Poe Illustration
    4:00 pm on November 19th, 2007

    Thanks for feeling me, guys. I felt a lot better after venting and got a lot more done.

  7. amy
    8:35 pm on November 19th, 2007

    your house is looking totally gorgeous tina, it will be so worth it when it is finished!!!

  8. ana
    8:57 pm on November 19th, 2007

    That’s discouraging…I just found myself a house, and was plannin on picking up the pain brush and paint some magic before I move in…Is DIY actually DIE?

  9. Tina Poe Illustration
    9:31 pm on November 19th, 2007

    ana, aw no! Don’t let me discourage you. I just needed to vent my frustration. A billion people paint and renovate their home themselves and do it without any problems. I’m just prone to freak outs.

    You can do it, you’ll do it easily, and it will be beautiful. Then you will take pictures and show us your awesome work!

  10. Andrea
    8:32 am on November 20th, 2007

    Call Ginger and I when we get back. I’d be more than happy to help you!

  11. nicoleantoinette
    10:53 am on November 20th, 2007

    I TOTALLY AGREE. After many a try it myself nightmare, I quit. Good luck getting everything fixed up and finished!

  12. Princess Extraoridinaire
    7:19 pm on November 20th, 2007

    Oh do I have empathy for you we watched so much HGTV and so forth then took on our home – it was overwhelming! At least we hired good people though and that was the smartest thing we did!

  13. Andrea
    8:30 pm on November 20th, 2007

    Aww man that sucks! I am lucky and get to pull the pregnancy card and say “sorry… I can’t paint. You know.. the fumes” ;-)

  14. Clink
    9:37 pm on November 20th, 2007

    Oh, you poor thing…I used to work on a home makeover show. Trust me, it is not as easy as it looks. As soon as the camera is turned off, there are swarms of people working to get everything done in “just forty-eight hours!!”

  15. Tina Poe Illustration
    10:17 pm on November 20th, 2007

    So, Clink, how about you get that swarm you knew to come over to my place. Hmm? How about it? Yes? Yes, okay cool.

  16. Ashlie
    11:58 pm on November 20th, 2007

    I freakin’ feel your pain girl. Try living in a 100 year old house that “crafty” lesbians remodeled (nothing against lesbians)with duck tape and spit. Or at least it seems like it.

    Oh I forgot. This is about your pain…. :)