This has been one of those projects that I put off, and put off, and put off. But what really got me to do it, was to put this job on my public August to-do list. There's a certain sense of accountability when you broadcast to anyone who will listen, or in this case "read", that you intend to do something. It's like joining Weight Watchers. You know there are others, who will be there, to see if you stick to your resolve or not. Well, I can say this worked for me. My garden bench is painted!!!
I really did not enjoy this job at all. It was most definitely work. I still need to paint the two matching chairs (but only one to do this month, as Mr Hubs still has to repair the other). I learned quite a bit from this job that will help me with the other two chairs.
- Clean the surface very well first, with soap and water, plus a scratch-less kitchen scrubby, such as a bundled up onion bag.
- Prime all surfaces. Here I made an error in judgement. I only primed the bare wood repairs, and not the previous paint. This bench was a sage green. I thought it would be light enough in color that the white paint would provide good coverage. Not so. I put several coats of paint on this bench, when I could've probably gotten by with 2 coats paint, 1 coat primer. Oh well, I know better for the other two pieces.
- Use good quality paint. Here again, an error in judgement. I used what was leftover from another project. It just didn't go on smoothly, or cover well. Finally, today I bought a quart of good paint. And guess what? It was smooooooth as silk going on. And in just one coat, it completed the bench. I'm hoping to really save myself some time and work on the chair next week.
So, the bench is painted. I also learned some things about our weather, how to winter store this sort of piece, and where in the yard it's suitable to have a wood bench.
It's wet here 9 months of the year. This quality (read "not" quality) of wood furniture needs to be under cover for the wet months. I'll pick up a tarp or a proper cover in September. This quality bench should not reside on soil. It had been in the garden itself, sitting on soil. If I want to put it in the garden in the future, it should be on a concrete, stone or brick base. For now, the bench is destined for our deck. And that's why I've chosen to paint it white, to go with the other white furniture on the deck.
I need to admit, this is far from a perfect paint job! There are the odd runs here and there. But they don't matter. I'm not selling the bench, just sitting on it. And any little goofs in the paint job will go unnoticed once I get some cushions on it.
A lot of our house is like that. Not perfect, but no one notices. Striving for perfection would intimidate me from doing the job, as well as take double or triple the amount of time to complete. In my mind, I'd rather be perfect at loving God and my family, than perfect at doing chores. And even there, I'm still not so perfect : )
I think I need a new folder in my Labels, Things I'm Not So Perfect At. So, what do you do not so perfectly?
