We won’t be able to firm up everything until tomorrow since Iggy is at work today and 6176 won’t have computer access until tomorrow, but we can make most of the plans!
Let’s make sure we have the necessary supplies. We can get free paint at the place David told us about, so let’s talk about that and see whether that is the route to go, at least for the primer. Ladders? Brushes? Sprayer? Drop cloths? Caulk? Sanding equipment? What else? Who will the crew consist of?
So much to discuss! I’m getting excited! Anytime I can get together with the bunch of you and help someone we all love is a good time! Let’s do it!
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
Here’s what DavidB posted several days ago:
This is where free, recycled paint can be picked up.
One 5 gallon container per ‘car’ – so a few cars could pick up a few.
801 Stillwell
Wichita, KS 67213
(316) 660-7464
South of Kellogg off of Seneca (at the corner of Osage and Stillwell)
South of West High School, Southwest of the football field
What are the HHW Facility’s hours?
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday to Friday
9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays
CLOSED SUNDAYS AND MONDAYS
I say two or three of us volunteer to go get some of this free paint.
PrairiePond, we need to know if you have access to the big equipment, like ladders, there?
If someone tells me what kinds of caulk and other supplies need to be bought I can go get them. Maybe someone would like to accompany me on this buying excursion?
Biker, do you still want to go earlier in the week?
Is everybody sleeping in?
Closed Sundays and Mondays means no access to the free paint until Tuesday.
I may be wrong. I had HEARD that the free paint is an off white color. A result of mixing the leftovers the facility collects. We need to know and ask pond if that matters.
I will be a passenger but would be glad to help drive. Being a single parent, I need more specifics on when we are leaving and coming back.
I am good to go on Wednesday morning. I can pick up paint also.
And yes, Fnord, I’ll help you pick up supplies.
Great!
PrairiePond will be gone from home Wednesday from noon to 7 or later in the evening. She has waited a long time for this medical appointment and rescheduling would put her waiting months again so that isn’t an option!
We’ll coordinate with her on how this works!
Progress! Ah, sweet progress! 🙂
Ah, my daughter tells me that the paint in $20 for 5 gallons, first come, first served, not always available.
Can someone check on that?
Probably not before Tuesday morning since they’re closed today and tomorrow. Still, $20 is a great price for 5 gallons!
I’ll buy five gallons………
I will check on Tuesday and report, I will get a 5 gallon tub as well. If it is off white, it is at least a primer coat. It could also be colored with pigment.
Ladders – I have one 20 ft aluminum extension ladder and one 6 foot step ladder. I also have a big plank that can make a scaffold between two ladders.
I have a big paint stirrer that fits on my big electric drill.
I have no way to transport them, however.
What say we surprise the community:
?? http://www.countryjoycrafts.com/houses/RAINBOW%20house-1.jpg ???
I have a sander and drill. I have a Wagner power painter that I will have to relearn how to use. I MAY have some glazing compound and glazier tacks to fix the windows. Is glass readily available out there or do we need to get it here and transport it? If so, we need dimensions.
Will someone have a cell phone that I can use very briefly to touch base back here? And how long is the expedition staying? I am comfortable leaving my 15 year old alone for a little bit. I think. We are still negotiating.
Um. How big IS this house? Five gallons of paint goes a long way.
I have sanding devices and power cords…
I splash a lot of paint!
The transporting big stuff is a problem so far.
The house is about the size of an average house. 🙂 Like you’re gonna trust me on dimensions?
I have a cell phone and of course you may use it whenever.
I don’t necessarily think everyone is going up there at the same time. Actually I don’t know as we haven’t had everyone weigh in, have we?
Better check that Wagner out soon…
Hi Guys–Gosh, this is overwhelming.
The house is off white now. The window trim is siding material, and it is white, but it doesnt need painting. For the rest of the house, it doesnt matter if it is off white, or any other color for that matter. Beggars cant be choosey 🙂 And on the garage, the color certainly doesnt matter. I dont have any painting supplies like brushes or rollers or pans. Nadda.
I do have some money for supplies and materials, and we have a lumber yard here and a hardware store where I have credit.
I have glass for the garage windows, but there may be other problems with them. They are four pane, but the cross members are rotted. We’ll see what they need when the experts get here 🙂 The house windows are fine, and dont need anything.
The caulking needs to go around the bottom of the house, between the siding and the stucco that passes for foundation.
I have ladders, but I dont know if they are tall enough. I think I can borrow one that’s taller, and I think I have an extention ladder in the garage. I cant open the door though to check. I need someone stronger than I to open it.
And Fnord, my medical appt is on THURSDAY, not Wednesday 🙂 I have to work on Wednesday afteroon, but it’s Thursday that I’ll be gone most of the day.
I have a cell phone too that folks can borrow. You guys are too much. I love you all for this extreme generosity.
Oh yeah, and as for size…
I’m about as measurement challenged as Fnord, but I think the inside is about 900-1000 sq ft if that gives you any idea about the outside dimensions. It’s one story with lots of windows. Actually, I’d call it a small house. The garage is smaller still.
And the garage is optional, I just thought it might be easier to paint if time is short and you want to assess the house on this trip.
That’s about all I know. Sorry I’m so building challenged. Home improvement just isnt my thing, as you will quickly see. I miss my Dad. He used to take care of all this…
Hee hee hee. I think the rainbow house is sweeeeeet. It would, however, not be a surprise to my neighbors. What WILL be a surprise is ANY paint on the house!
If it takes two trips is that a problem?
Not that you would be left in a lurch, just that I don’t know for sure if we can get it done in one. Of course I am also house maintenance challenged. I do note that in my lifetime if the work on the house or the car is estimated to be one period of time it usually takes longer. 🙂
Fnord, two trips or however many is fine with me.
Heck, I’m game if you all just want to come out and play and do NO work. You know me. Hard work is not my long suit!
Like I always say, I love you all for who you are, not what you can do for me. Just come and be you!
It doesn’t sound like a big house.
When I used the power painter to do mine, it took maybe a couple hours each side. I will find time tomorrow to get the power painter out and get it operational. Even if I am not able to go, I will see that it makes the trip with instructions.
It sounds like little prep. (scraping and sanding) work. That helps. But bare wood needs primer to do a good job painting. I will check on the coverage of the average gallon of paint. We don’t want to take too much paint and no primer. You can get primer that dries in an hour.
“The caulking needs to go around the bottom of the house, between the siding and the stucco that passes for foundation.” This will take less than a day and can be done the same day.
How big is the gap? Caulking is not recommended for large gaps. There is foam for that.
I’ll estimate that a crew of 4-6 can do this job (the house or the garage not both) in 6 to 8 hours. The prep work will go quickly before the priming and a quick dry primer will allow painting the same day. The workers can switch off jobs to keep it interesting. Don”t worry. The power painter is super easy to use. This will be faster than when I did it myself as there will be a helper behind the painter to brush out the occasional run.
So we need to know whether to get caulk or foam? PrairiePond, do you know?
So there is a difference in paint and primer? Who’d a guessed? Not me, obviously! Can paint be thinned to make primer?
“Can paint be thinned to make primer?”
Don’t know. I only ever primed and painted one house. Bare wood drinks a LOT of paint. This dries and looks for an uneven job. A primer acts like a sealer.
Be aware also of different paints. There is latex and oil. Latex cleans up with water. Oil based you need mineral spirits, paint thinner or in a pinch gasoline. There are conflicts with latex and oil. But there are primers suitable for both I think.
Caulk is ok for gaps up to….
I’ll find out and get back to you.
Last time we had our house painted there was a place on the west side that had bubbled and peeled so required a lot of sanding — down to bare wood in spots. So the guy used an oil-based primer there as he said it would be better on the bare wood, latex primer was used everywhere else. He painted the entire house with a latex paint.
Me thinks we have no trained or highly qualified and efficient paint technicians. Bunch of damn libaruhls!
You just have to make sure the primer and paint are ok working together. As to whether latex or oil is better, I don’t know. I used latex as it cleans up easier.
“According to manufacturers, primers and paints have very different jobs. Primers are designed to adhere to the substrate and create a uniform surface for the top coat. Primers penetrate and adhere to raw surfaces, evening up porosity so that the final paint film doesn’t look blotchy. Primers for wood, whether they are latex or oil-based, contain specialized ingredients that top coats don’t necessarily have, or have in lesser amounts.
Paints, on the other hand, have an entirely different job. They add color, sheen and surface protection. As a result, paints are likely to be made from different resins and contain different additives than primers.
it’s important to choose the primer best suited to the surface you’re coating. Latex primers, for instance, are the best choice for unfinished drywall, he says, because an oil-based primer can make the top paper layer fuzzy. On raw interior wood, oil-based primers may be a better choice because of their surface penetration. Outside, latex primer lasts longer because it’s more flexible.”
I’ve read half a dozen articles and another main function of a primer is to seal stains (i.e. water stains, rust stains…).
“Me thinks we have no trained or highly qualified and efficient paint technicians. “‘
Seems like we are training one. The internet is grand that way, learning us things we didn’t know.
I painted something once. I don’t remember when. But it was bare wood and just soaked up one coat of paint after another and kept looking blotchy, faded and uneven. If you think about it, this is the nature of wood in a tree moving water from the roots to the leaves.
We are T minus three days and counting to this project. Can we get everyone there with one vehicle? We can get it done but first we have to get there. I wish I could be more certain my own participation. But I am dealing with a teenager who I would be leaving alone for the first time. I am thinking I am good for Wednesday away and overnight. But I need to know when we, or some of us would be coming back.
I don’t weigh in as much as I should here I know. Too busy picking fights over on the other blog.
Am I correct? This trip is planned for Wednesday and pond is going to Salina Thursday? I seem to remember reading that.
Well, IF I’m right, that is perfect for me. My mother’s sister recently moved to Ellsworth and she has been wanting to visit her. I could ride to Salina with pond and meet Mom to go to Ellsworth. Mom could use a drive to Salina on her own. There would still be plenty of time for a visit and getting her and me home.
Let me work on this….
There is my Dad”s f150 truck. I could get mom to Ellsworth Wednesday, go on to the farm carrying passengers and supplies, and return to Ellsworth Thursday…..
I have an aluminum extension ladder, but no truck to haul it around – it lives in my garage,mostly.
The soonest that I could leave would be after 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday – my kids have guitar lessons on Wednesday afternoon. There is no way to change that or impose on someone else. My daughter plays bass and was in the middle school jazz band last year. She is wanting to start an all girl rock band this year. My son plays a regular six string electric guitar and is starting to sound pretty good. I wish I had started at his age. I heard an neuroscientist from the U. of MN a couple of summers ago and he said that adolescence is the perfect readiness time to learn an instrument – one’s brain is going thru a process of “pruning”.
Sorry, I am digressing as I often do.
How many hours is it from Wichita to Sandra’s house? I am trying to decide if I should prevail upon my boss to let me off on Saturday so I could work thru Friday.
I am thinking the garage first, house second might be a good idea – as our hostess suggested – we’ll have a better idea what we’re up against. I can bring my ladder the second time if I borrow my dad’s pick up truck.
I wish there was more of a real time way to process this. I don’t do skype (my misspelling probably confirms that), what does that involve?
I want to propose two possible scenarios to discuss.
First scenario — I could drive both Biker and Thunderchild up on Wednesday morning. I wouldn’t stay and this would put Thunderchild in his position of, “I could ride to Salina with pond and meet Mom to go to Ellsworth.”
This would also put the burden of work on Biker who would be all alone at Pond’s for much of Thursday.
I and whoever else would return to Pond’s on Friday to continue working a couple of days — all returning later Saturday or early Sunday.
Second scenario is we all wait until Friday to go up and do what work we can Friday and Saturday, returning late Saturday or Sunday.
We do what we can, we put actual eyes on what the equipment and materials needs are and plan to return. Either way we’re together, we’re doing some (even if not all).
What say ye?
I can do the second.
The first scenario is fine with me – I work alone without supervision fairly well.
Given the time of year – warm weather is slipping away – I think we should plan to do both the garage and house.
TC is correct, if the house is mostly bare wood, we will have to prime. With a power painter, it shouldn’t take too long.
Fnord, Lowes is calling when do you want to go?
On thing to consider when we crazy liberals plan this (mis) adventure is that the paint has to be dry before the temp drops below 40 degrees.
Friday’s low for Wa Keeney is 34, Saturday 36. There is also rain in the forecast.
I know that liberals generally sleep ’til noon, then smoke their first joint of the day, but for this application, painting probably need to start at ten am to avoid rain and lower temps.
Anyway, I am up for working alone on Thursday so that prime can start on Friday, finish coats Saturday, maybe finish for the garage Friday if prime is not needed. We could do miscellaneous chores on Saturday while a crew does applies the finishing touches to the paint.
Plan on returning Sunday AM?
“Not that you would be left in a lurch, just that I don’t know for sure if we can get it done in one.”
Not to be an a$$, but this is going to get done in one trip, even if I have to stay for ten days and walk back home.
We can use a second trip for serious partying.
Here’s the way this is shaping up (subject to change 😉 since we are a bunch of stewpid libaruhls):
Iggy and Biker are going together on Wednesday evening after Iggy finishes his obligations to his kids. They’ll get there after dark that night. Those two will work Thursday on the prep stuff. Iggy doesn’t yet know how soon he will need to return. He may have to come home Friday morning to start his weekend shift.
I plan to leave Friday morning. jammer plans to leave Friday morning. We’ll go in two cars. So who is going with us?
See, this is headway!
Tomorrow, Biker and I are going to Lowe’s.
That’s all I know right now.
I need a headcount for Saturday – the Biker is going to barbecue some ribs and make baked beans for a celebratory feast on Saturday afternoon.
Ribs and beans should be incentive enough to get all of the libs to show up at Sandra’s.
So, who’s in?
I plan on picking up some home made tamales to bring along.
I will be out on Saturday. I will either be back in town working or preparing to go to work on Sunday, depending upon what my boss (a very lovely woman, who she is kind of zen, but available) says.
It looks like Sunday for me… I’ll have to check for possible Monday work
You guys are so great 🙂
The garage has almost NO paint and needs some repairs. If you all measure when you get here, I can go get the door and maybe windows for the garage. Or we can just put plastic over the garage windows.
The house has paint on 2.5 sides. The west side has almost no paint, and the south side has about half it’s paint. The north and east side still have lots of paint on them, but it is peeling. Scraping and such is needed.
So maybe that gives you some idea of the primer and time needed?
Sorry this has been such a logistical nightmare. I guess I’ll just worry about food and run to the store when everyone gets here. It may not be my usual gourmet fare, but I’ll try to make it worth your while(s). 🙂
Those planning to stay here might want to bring a sleeping bag. I’ve got two beds, two couches, two cots and floor space. Heh. It’s sort of like indoor camping!
fnord,
what time are you going to lowes tomorrow ? What location.Would like to tag along. Still don’t know if I’m going to make it out west.
Early afternoon, I think (Biker has a 10 a.m. appointment). Call me or send me your phone number in an email and when Biker calls me I will call you. 🙂
It’s like herding cats…
Be aware of the threat of rain tomorrow and Thursday. It may be that the painting may have to wait. Painting a wet house is a job that won’t last.
The backup option should be garage and other work.
I plan to stay in a motel in Wakeeny. After work, I will watch cable news, listen to Glen Beck and appreciate why I don’t have cable.
I would love to stay at the Downer Creek Domicile, but will defer that to others.
Jay’s correct, the weather may suck pretty badly the next few days.
Is this a must work event, or there alternatives available, given the overtaking of mother nature?
Flexibility is not always a bad thing, unless you are a conservative republican.
Well, we may be confronted by what we want to do at odds with what we can do. The weather is gonna govern this. But that doesn’ t mean we can’t get anything done.
True, enough…
The alternatives are having fun! Iggy, did you forget what eviill stewpid libaruhls do best? Not only best, but most of the time! I think that’s why we’re such a miserable drain on society! 🙂