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| Move away from the paintbrush. You are not ready. |
The spectrum of painting and decorating is a very broad one. At one end there are people like my ex-flatmate, Sally - who once painted her bedroom orange, but only to her short arm's reach (no step-ladder or desire to stand on a chair) and only one thin, scanty coat with lots of show-through (lack of commitment plus cheap paint).
At the other end there are people like Jim and Brian, who do things properly. That means sanding down, filling, more sanding down, then and only then undercoating (more sanding), then two top coats. Which must dry perfect. Any spots of rain will mean slight pitting in the gloss surface. This will mean more sanding, and a re-application of the top coat. Their quote - which initially seemed rather high - now seems almost embarrassingly low, when ranged against the number of man hours they've put in.
It is a brilliant thing to see a job being done well. Whatever it is. No skimping. No corner-cutting. When talking to Brian it is quite clear that he gets an immense sense of satisfaction from what he does. Is that why he does such a good job? Or does the fulfilment come from the effort invested? The knowledge that he could not have done any more?
Hard to separate the two. Note to self.
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