A common thought after almost any creative project I take on.
Yesterday was a gorgeous introduction to the month of October, so I took my bike Trudy out to Lowe's and starting going down the list of things I needed for this weekend's big project. It's amazing how things can add up---two quarts of different colored paint, brushes, rollers, a drop cloth, gloves, TSP, one of those little paint can opener things (well, that was only 35 cents). But still. I knew I would have to do some convincing to husby that all of the items were absolutely necessary.
Unfortunately Lowe's didn't have the paint stripper I needed, so I pedaled a few blocks down to Pleasants Hardware. An older employee helped me get it down off the top shelf when I asked him if he liked the product. To make a long story a bit shorter, he started explaining that I shouldn't strip the paint like I had originally intended.
Fine. I'm flexible.
Then he started cautioning me about my window sash project: the potential for lead paint, old contractors dying of lead poisoning because they weren't careful, how I should get paint thinner, why I should buy a $45 sanding tool, exactly how to make my simple projects WAY more complex than I ever imagined, etc etc etc. Overwhelmed! I just wanted to copy what someone did on a blog post, not become a professional handywoman with one trip to the hardware store!
I left with only some primer and sand paper. And a DIY lead test kit, so I wouldn't end up dead like those old contractors. Let's hope the rest of the project is smoother from here on out.
Buying tools for new projects seems like a lot of money for one little project, but nearly all the stuff you bought is reusuable and will last a long time. Brushes and paint rollers can be reused as long as you clean them well after using. The next time you a have a like project you will be ready to go except for the paint! You are just in the starting phase of collecting all the tools you will use for a lifetime!
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