Al's Daughter

Desert Lily · ‎06-24-2011

My dad Al (Albert) was not a handy guy. He fixed things around the house with gray electrical tape.

Since our high today was 75 degrees & the spring bugs weren't all awake yet, I decided today was the day I'd refinish/paint 2 pieces of furniture. I went outside with my plastic tarp, a desk, a small cabinet, liquid sander, rags, paint, etc. at 9:30 this morning.

The liquid sanding stuff seemed like it was working, but idk. Next I wiped the furniture with a damp rag & waited 10 minutes for them to dry.

Both items were painted off-white. The desk started out white, but after the 1st coat I could see it needed a 2nd & applied it. The cabinet started out mint green & definitely needed multiple coats.

After a couple hours, the wind started to pick up a little. I used small rocks in the back yard to hold the plastic tarp down on the paver patio. Minutes later, I stepped on 1 of the rocks I used & dropped the container I was using for the paint, face down ... then I stepped in the spilled paint.

I had to stay on the tarp with my sneakers now filled with paint. There are sneaker prints on the tarp. But, I wouldn't & couldn't quit.

I added the extra coats of paint on both pieces and tip-toed on the tarp because my sneakers were starting to stick to the tarp as the thick paint was drying on their bottoms. ... Like the few tiny bugs that were out were beginning to land on & stick to the wet painted furniture. I painted over them.

Then my next door neighbor came outside with his toddler boy to say hello and watch me paint. omg.

At about 12:30, a stronger wind came up & slammed the cabinet door on my head as I was bent over, painting the shelves inside of it. My head is okay, but the hair on the top of my head & the hair on the right side of my head are off-white with paint.

I surrendered at 2:30ish this afternoon. My painting shirt is in the trash. I wore pants I wear when I color my hair, and they're in the trash now too. I've washed my hair 3 times, and it's still speckled with off-white paint.

I am not handy. I am Al's daughter.

BlueFinch · ‎08-31-2019

Your crazy day sounds a lot like several I've experienced, too. I just was never as good at telling the stories.

Yours had me giggling throughout. It was as if I was watching it play out. You're a clever writer.

Don't feel too bad about Al's fix it tape. The maintenance guy at the hospital where I worked used tape to fix everything. I told him that one day all the tape was going to dry out and we were going to have an internal disaster.

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

@Desert Lily I strongly suggest you forego further DIY for the rest of the day. I'm not sure the world is ready for more. Sorry things didn't work out better. FYI, my dad was extremely handy but I can be a klutz too.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

Mz iMac · ‎07-26-2014

" Like the few tiny bugs that were out were beginning to land on & stick to the wet painted furniture,

I painted over them."

"Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."

occasionalrain · ‎03-10-2010

At the first mishap, look on it as a warning from AL who is still looking out for you. Quit while you still have the option to cut your loses. That's what I do.

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

Oh my @Desert Lily ...what a mess. I have stripped a lot of wood pieces in my day, never had such a bad experience like you descibed...tomorrow is another day.!

Jacie · ‎01-09-2011

LOL! Your story is EXACTLY why my husband will NOT let me paint anything. I am really good at any number of things, but any kind of paint project is off limits for me!

Kudos to you for the great attempt! You have my admiration! Hope your day got better!

"Cats are poetry in motion. Dogs are gibberish in neutral." -Garfield

elated · ‎06-09-2010

It sounded similar to an I Love Lucy comedy. I guess painting isn't your forte. Thanks for the laugh.

luvzchiz · ‎03-09-2010

@Desert Lily Painting may not be your forte; however, relaying your story certainly is.

I, too, loved that you painted over the tiny bugs. I would have too!

Thanks for the giggles.

“If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.”- Jimmy Buffet

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Desert Lily - You came through everything with humor! What more can you ask for?

My mom refinished furniture as a hobby. My parents' first house was in Williamsburg. It was furnished with antique pieces my mom had refinished and reupholstered. When she died I saw she was working on two pieces in the basement.

For our first house she gave us their patio table to use as our dining table. We had nothing at the time. I had gone with her to a store in Savannah to get it when I was around 11 or 12. It was new, white wrought iron with a glass top. Now after a lot of years outside it needed work. She said I could do it and gave me directions. I started with the table. We wanted black. So I sanded and sanded. I thought I would take a short cut and use spray paint. It wasn't pretty, but we could use it. I covered it with a tablecloth. I never got around to the chairs. So we bought 4 others.

Eventually we got our own wood dining room set. The table went in the garage. About 15 years ago we had both the table and chairs professionally refinished in dark green. We have it in our sun room and use it constantly.

My mom really had a gift. She did a lot of antique pieces for us. I'm afraid I didn't inherit her skill.