A Never Ending Tub Of Paint

Being confined to barracks during this lockdown has made me become a very busy person!

Summer Is Here

I’m not complaining, well, I am sort of complaining, but mainly from the aches and pains of DIY. Thankfully, the weather has been gorgeous, one of those English summers that seem to last forever, although I’m in Wales. It has allowed me to get in the garden and get those jobs done, weeding, erecting a new fence, painting the fence and paint the stone wall. This is where it gets a little awkward.

The Wall

The wall is only a couple of feet high and about 12 feet in length. Painting it white would certainly brighten things up in the garden. It just so happens, the local hardware shop which has remained open during lockdown has a special offer on 7.5L tubs of white masonry paint. Just the ticket, so my dear wife (who isn’t restricted to the house at this time) set off to collect this tub of pure white joy. “Is one tub enough?” she asked as I nodded my head in agreement.

Heavy Stuff

She wasn’t gone long and as I greeted her safe return, all I could hear were mumbles of “….bloody heavy thing, I had to carry it down the High Street, bloody ton weight, my arms aching, pins and needles in my hand!” When I asked where the tub of paint was, there was more mumbling, “…. it’s in the boot, too heavy for me to carry, you’ll have to get it yourself.” There were more words than that, but I got the gist of it. To be fair, I was surprised how heavy this tub of paint was.

Reflected Light

I spent the day painting the garden wall, two coats, being very careful not to spill a drop. It did look nice when it was finished and it makes the garden feel bigger. It also reflects a lot of light into the kitchen like when it snows and you get that nice white reflected light in a room. Looking at the tub of paint, I had barely used a drop. What on earth could I do with it? Our house is an old stone cottage and the walls just happened to be painted white! You know what’s coming next, don’t you?

A Bigger Job!

Yep, after touching in a few bits and pieces of house wall that had chipped away and looking at how much paint was still in the tub, I had to get the ladders out and start painting. It’s taken most of the week, but eventually, I have managed to paint the whole house. Some parts I have given it two coats or even more. The strange thing is, there’s still half a tub of paint left. It’s got to the point where I’m painting walls over and over just to use up the paint, but it still doesn’t seem to be going down.

Plenty Of Paint

After much consideration, I have decided to keep the remainder of the paint and store it in the cupboard under the stairs. It will come in handy for any emergency touch-ups that may arise over the next twelve months. I am pleased with my efforts although a little fed up of the colour white. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could have a colourful front to the house, like a ‘Banksy’ type painting of John Lennon? I haven’t the skill set for that kind of thing. Maybe one day.

I do like Graffiti artwork when it’s done properly and here’s a website that has a few favourites.