Winter

[jal_ut]

Nice day here today. 34 degrees and sunny. Winter is just around the bend. What do you folks do to pass winter? I guess I will go through my seed box and make a list of what I need to buy for next season. The seed store will likely have its new stock in by first of the year. I like to shop early to avoid the long line come spring. I don't grow in the house. So I guess I will just lurk around the internet and watch it snow then go shovel snow?

[rainbowgardener]

Winter (although here we hardly have very much and I can be out in the garden a lot of the time) is the time for indoor projects. Sharpen and oil the garden tools. Clean out the garage. Paint things.


This winter I want to paint all our kitchen cabinets to lighten them up:




Our kitchen cabinets aren't as pretty as those and are considerably darker, which is why I want to lighten them. I wouldn't go with a stark white though, more like some kind of eggshell- off white.

[jal_ut]

Oh Wow! Sounds like a project. Want to lighten things up? Try some larger light bulbs, or a different chandelier. ...... I am sorry, Get on with your project. Have fun!

[Gary350]

Eggshell paint is a very good choice.

I would go crazy if I had to be a prisoner in the house for 8 months every winter. In another month after it gets colder I need to work on the roof where there are wasps. No need to worry about getting stung if temperature is below 50.

I ride my bicycle a lot in winter 17 degrees is better riding than 100 degrees just have to watch out don't wreck on ice and slick places. 20 mile bike ride along the river not many birds or animals to see or hear in winter. I don't let weather bother me unless it gets above 90 by then the garden is in auto pilot.

My garden has been tilled and ready for spring planting. I need a winter project. Last year I rebuilt a camper trailer.

[gumbo2176]

Winter (although here we hardly have very much and I can be out in the garden a lot of the time) is the time for indoor projects. Sharpen and oil the garden tools. Clean out the garage. Paint things.


This winter I want to paint all our kitchen cabinets to lighten them up:




Our kitchen cabinets aren't as pretty as those and are considerably darker, which is why I want to lighten them. I wouldn't go with a stark white though, more like some kind of eggshell- off white.

That is quite a job and one I've done many times over the years working on people's houses or rental units. Very tedious with removing the hardware, degreasing the woodwork, sanding, priming, caulking and top coating.

Are you planning on spraying them or simply brushing them? Spraying is so much faster and makes for a nicer, more even coat without brush strokes for the do-it-yourselfer. I've brushed them but use a very good natural hair brush and they leave almost no brush strokes, but spraying is much faster.

I've found that 1 primer coat and 2 top coats is what it takes, especially if going over dark wood. Good luck and post some pics when you've finished.

[rainbowgardener]

I was planning on brushing. I have a lot more experience with brushing than spraying. The one shelving unit I did with spray paint, I found it difficult to keep it even thickness and not sag. Also I think the brush paint is a lot cheaper. I went through several cans of spray paint for a very small shelving unit.

[gumbo2176]

I was planning on brushing. I have a lot more experience with brushing than spraying. The one shelving unit I did with spray paint, I found it difficult to keep it even thickness and not sag. Also I think the brush paint is a lot cheaper. I went through several cans of spray paint for a very small shelving unit.

Oh no, I was referring to getting an electric spray rig and load paint out of the gallon can into the canister and spray it like that. And to keep sags away, lay the stuff like doors flat if you're worried about sags. I'll hang them and use light coats as I go so sags are not as easy to get. Then again you have to consider the type of paint you plan on using. I'm a big proponent of using oil base on things like woodwork, doors, cabinets, etc. as I feel it holds up much better.

Far too many times I've come behind homeowners that tried to paint things themselves and used latex, but failed to prep the surfaces right and when I went to sand to even things out, the latex simply rolls off since it didn't adhere to the surface.

Brushing does a good job, IF you have a good brush to begin with. Those cheap nylon brushes the big box stores sell are garbage for finish work. I own several Purdy brushes in both latex and oil base configurations and those brushes are very good.

The only issue I have with oil base is the cost of clean-up with having to use mineral spirits to thoroughly clean your brushes at the end of the day. Mineral around my parts is between $12-14 a gallon, but the good thing is, once you're done with it, put it in another container like an old bleach bottle and let it just sit for a while and the paint will settle to the bottom and the mineral will be able to be used again. This won't happen overnight though. It usually takes a couple weeks for it to settle.

[rainbowgardener]

Your way is probably the way to do it right, but I'm just your average homeowner. I can't stand the fumes from oil base paint and mineral spirits and it is so much harder to work with.

But I agree with you that the secret is in the prep. Degrease, sand, clean the dust off, prime,and really good quality paint. And thanks for the tip that good quality paint brushes also make a difference.

[Gary350]

Your way is probably the way to do it right, but I'm just your average homeowner. I can't stand the fumes from oil base paint and mineral spirits and it is so much harder to work with.

But I agree with you that the secret is in the prep. Degrease, sand, clean the dust off, prime,and really good quality paint. And thanks for the tip that good quality paint brushes also make a difference.

I would brush paint it too. Prep for spray paint seems like it is more work than brushing it. I think it would probably take me 2 days to tape and cover everything with paper and tarps to block over spray from getting on every thing in the kitchen and spreading to other rooms of the house. I hate that type prep work anyway. Water base paint has gotten so much better than it use to be, it is much better than oil base paint. You need a special spray gun to stray water base paint. I bought a $200 paint sprayer 2 years ago to spray a rental house the nozzle plugged up every 10 minute and it took 45 minutes to clean the spray gun to spray again. After 2 days I had only done 2 hours of spraying and 14 hours of cleaning the spray gun. I hand painted the kitchen in the rental house. Remove the doors, drawers and hardware it makes them a lot easier to paint laying flat on a table top. I bought 1 gallon of Lacquer thinner, 1 gallon of acetone, 1 gallon of naphtha, to clean the cabinets, $9 each gallon at Walmart. Lacquer thinner seemed to work best to clean the kitchen cabinets. Paint does not stick well to varnish so all the cabinets needed to be sanded enough to make surface scratched in the varnish so paint will stick. Cabinets needed to be painted with primer first, to avoid painting the kitchen cabinets 2 times I cheated and bought water base KILZ primer to paint the cabinets white. Kilz is already white color. It turned out good. If it had not been a rental house Egg Shell paint would have been a nicer choice of paint.

[thanrose]

Brr, it's getting cold in here. Ready to get out my winter flip-flops. Might be a beach day today, but I wouldn't be surprised if Florida surfers are wearing swim skins.

I've given nearly every plant in a pot that I had away. Only crop plant is a creeping mint. Once the loquat and hibiscus went to a neighbor it opened a flood gate and every aloe and begonia and crinum lily et al found a home. I couldn't bear to see who took my finally lush basils.

Moving is ultimately good, though. I'm still in limbo, living at my sister's where my brother-in-law cubes his azaleas and crops the crepe myrtles. My sister has not eaten a single mulberry from the now thirty year old tree and she thinks there is something wrong with her cannas because they die back every winter. They have a garage cabinet full of dusty chemical bottles and bags, and my sister thinks her dessicated christmas cacti will revive. She also refrigerates all her fruit including tomatoes. But, hey, how about them 'Noles?

Because of Hurricane Irma, storage, moving companies, and any available rentals or quick sale properties were very difficult to contract. I had to get rid of about half my belongings including bed and dressers and clothes. I think it's funny that I'm considering an apartment while I still have yard tools and machinery, power tools and 16 lb sledges, anvils, and enough fabric to upholster a small commune. Of course all that was mostly in storage by the time the 'cane hit, because I would have gladly given up the sledge to keep my pressure cooker. Traded the all the fabric for the old maple dresser, etc.

This winter, I hope to reestablish a home here in Jacksonville Florida, and dream of picking my own figs and persimmons yet again.