Two Sides of a Hallway

I have been saying for two years that I am going to paint the hallway.  Two years of fussing about it, avoiding it, talking about it. Frowning at it. Finally last week, I just did it.

And yes, I've been talking about painting the bedroom but let's focus on the hallway right now.

The hallway had become my white whale.  I kept looking at it during the day (because I'm always home now) and thinking about it when I can't sleep.   It was the last part of the house that everyone sees to be painted.  Yadda Yadda Yadda.

Then, kind of impulsively, I just started. (I'm super fun to live with, by the way)  

Fifty nails in one wall.  FIFTY.  I have issues.   I took all the photographs down in sequential order and stacked them in the bathtub of the common folk bathroom.  There's a lot to unpack in that sentence, I realize.  Let me be more specific:

I took photos of how they were arranged.

Took them down vertical row by row

Stacked them in the bathtub (Because I can't deal with clutter and I know how clumsy I can be)

Common Folk Bathroom is what Kevin calls the guest bathroom

                        This was only half of the photos. I didn't think to take a photo sooner.

Just taking down all of the photographs was exhausting. Because: FIFTY of them.  Of course, they were dusty because there are few more frustrating tasks than dusting frames on walls.  You would think that would give me pause on replacing all fifty photos once done.  It did not.

Then I did the responsible thing and put plastic down on the floors and taped it so me or the puppy didn't trip or drag it around the house.  As I was banned from painting ever again for tens of years, I had to be extra diligent about this project if I wanted to retain my painting "privileges".  (another story for another day)

There was a discussion of painting over the nails versus removing them, by the way.  Painting them was overwhelmingly the decision.  I'm not even sure why it was a discussion.  So that was next.  It looked like the wall had chicken pox.   This is where I have that moment of panic that I've made a big mistake.  But I am committed now.

It took about three hours-ish.  I mean, it's a tall wall and long.  This also isn't to imply that I worked the Entire Time, just that I looked at the clock when I started and kind of paid attention when I finished.  It took one and a half viewings of Bohemian Rhapsody to paint the living room so my measurement of time is unusual.

Oh, and this was a Let Kevin Know Afterward project.  His anxiety tends to ping if he knows I'm doing something like this.  So that added a zippy This HAS to get done energy to the project as well.

The paint I buy is low fume and dries super fast.  I started at the floor and worked up to the ceiling (don't apply logic, there is none) and by the time I was finished painting, I could rehang all fifty photographs.

THIS WAS MORE DIFFICULT THAN THE PAINTING. Oh.My.Dog.

Even with photos of the photos, it was like a puzzle putting it back together.  Even then, I rearranged because I liked different photos better than others.  This then created new space for New Photos!  Because I like challenges!

So. That was Day One.  Yep, there's more.  

The hallway has a funky...alcove? buffet? bookcase? right outside of my office.  It hold games, movies, music.  Stuff that we use but not regularly.  I had dithered about painting it the mocha color or leaving it white.  Kevin looked at it and agreed that it looked unfinished so we decided that it needed to be the mocha color also.  

The next morning finds me painting that section, which didn't take very long once I concentrated on it.  And had enough paint to finish, but whatever.  The challenge of this space was more of a decorative one.  The cupboard doesn't go to the ceiling so there is a dead space.  When we moved in, I tossed our wedding flower arrangement up there and moved on with my life.  Taking it down, I learned that it wasn't a good idea.  So much dust.    Now I not only have to decide what to do with those flowers, but what to put up there, if anything.  We'll put a pin in that.

Because, you see, there is the other side of the hallway.  I know, right, Two Sides of a Hallway.  I just painted the main wall that everyone can see. And then the alcove thingy.  I really couldn't say that I painted the hallway if I only painted one wall.  

I'd like to say that there were less nails in the other wall because it was smaller.  And there were: ONLY 35 nails.  Psh, piece of cake.  So, rinse and repeat the day before: take photos of the photos, take them down and store them in the tub, paint and put everything back.

This wall didn't go as smoothly because the wall was absolutely sucking up the cream paint.  Upon closer inspection, it looks like perhaps the upper part of the wall was still in primer.  Because it's a hallway with tall walls, it's not something anyone would notice.

Also, when you paint a mocha color, it is OBVIOUS what hasn't been painted.  When you go from flat white to a cream color in poorly lit hallway, it is Challenge Level 1000.  Yes, I know: I needed work lights.  They were all the way out in the shop and I didn't want to go out there.  Eventually I finished though, just ironically not as quickly as the larger wall.

Putting the photos back up on this wall was more challenging.  I will save The Why for a different post. (CLIFFHANGER!)  It's been a few days and I just hung the last three photos.  

It did create the what to put on top of the cupboard issue and I solved it today.  Books, of course.  My bookshelf has been stacked with Unread Books so I rearranged it.Then put about twenty books up there.  I started to think about stacking them vertically or horizontally or sorting them by color but made myself put them up there right now.  I'll worry about those details later.

Finally, in last stroke of HGTV touches, I replaced the outlet and switch covers in the hallway to match the new ones in the bathrooms.  We had the standard, white, plastic covers and replaced them with bronze, metal ones.  It's a little thing but it's surprising how it changes how everything looks.  So, of course, I bought more for the rest of the house.

Now the hallway is done and it feels happier.  I'm glad that I finally did it.  Kevin likes it and he's Captain Skeptical about these kinds of things so that's a win.  

Now, for real, it's time for the bedroom.  Just not yet.