Kilz It All

Getting started on the “heartbeat monitor” master bathroom.

One of the things my younger sister has quite a talent for is ebonics.  A sweet, mother of three can string together language any gangster could understand (minus the unsavory swear words, of course).  So, when I told her my first line of business was priming the entire house, she busted out with:

Getting a good start on the girls’ room–the walls, trim, windows, doors–everything!

That about sums it up.  Between the previous owner’s choice of dark colors, their five hairy dogs, smoking indoors and the rodents that took up residence while the home was vacant, every inch of the house will be primed multiple times before it’s painted.

Of course, first I filled in the thousands (literally THOUSANDS) of nail holes, staple holes, gouges and chips in the walls.

And a word of advice: if you won’t stop smoking for your own health or even to save money, do it for the sake of your real estate value.  The ceilings look so much cleaner and brighter when they’re bright white rather than a sickly nicotine-yellow.

Can you spot the nicotine patch on the ceiling?

Priming is just the beginning, but it’s already feeling (and smelling and looking) more like our own home.