Pretty Work

Nearing the finish line!!!

05/04/14

My thinking about my job as painter is changing as I am experiencing the results, and nearing the end. It's hard to be enthusiastic about priming, and even painting when you have the gargantuan task of a whole house and what feels like 137 walls, and a million corners and angles to do. Even when you are half way through, it's a challenge as it's hard to feel accomplished because the floors are still plywood, and there are piles of tools, and holes, and missing light fixtures etc. It takes a lot of imagination to feel confident that it will all come together in the end. It can be hard physically too, which I wasn't expecting at all. In my case, I've developed a soreness in my hands from (presumably) holding a paint roller for days on end, that has caused them to go numb when I sleep and thus very uncomfortable. Also my middle finger and pinky on my right hand often go into spasms which make it appear that I am simultaneously flipping someone the bird, while holding a dainty cup of tea. But I digress.

The point I am trying to get at now, is that I am feeling better about all of it than I did, say a month ago. I am so very glad I took the time to prime everything. I am glad we got the best primer on the market too. The walls look great, and I haven't had any unwanted color, or staining come through. That is very satisfying. Especially when I think back on how terrible they were when I first began. Also, with the new method of leaving a little gap at the top to look like trim has added a design element that looks really professional, and really high end. And it feels worth the effort to re-do it all. And now, am I starting to really see the whole thing come together. If I block off the unfinished parts with my hands and squint through the space between I can see it. I can see it as it will be when everything is done. And it's so awesome! And that is so rewarding I can hardly put it into words.

For much of the time I have felt like the guys have been doing all the important stuff (and they certainly are!) and contributing much more than I am, but now I am starting to feel like what I am doing is really making an impact as well, and will help in the over all final product of the house, as well as it's re-sellability. They are up to their eyeballs in the "dirty work", that while clearly more important than any aesthetic thing, most often doesn't get noticed.

Most of us don't go over to someones house and use their restroom say, and come out and compliment the homeowner on the fact that their toilet flushes, or that water doesn't come cascading out the bottom of the vanity when they wash their hands. Potential home buyers don't comment on the sturdiness of the ceiling fan mount, or ooh and aah over the tight window installation, or the fact that the doorwalls close properly. They don't see the wall that was painstakingly constructed and all the wiring that had to be done to fit an outlet, or a TV cable in. It's sad but true. They just expect all those things to work and be there. It's really not fair.

But as soon as they walk in the door they will notice the paint, and the lines, and the contrasts and the color scheme and pretty much all the things it's been my task to decide and do. You see, I got most of the pretty work. Almost no part of what I am doing will go unnoticed. I get to do most of the stuff that people will see, that homebuyers will love (or hate), and if it wasn't for the fact that they guys will get to enjoy the same accolades once the tile is done, I'd actually feel really guilty.

But as it stands now, I am feeling really good about the fact that even though I have had a much easier job than they have had, it is still an important part of the whole. And I am so glad now that I took the time to do it right, and as well as I possibly could. Feeling: satisfied;)