Interior Complications and Potential Resolutions

Ah, the problems that arise from thinking too much. If I were more impulsive I would have simply left things well enough alone, but of course I had to investigate some more, and now the situation is more complicated. Then again, it doesn't have to be.

We had RH come over and give some advice about how to tackle the interior decorating. The wainscotting is just too darn dark, and we want to lighten the place up a bit. Our initial plan was to have RH come over and paint the stuff a lighter color, and he mentioned that he'd need to put on an oil primer because the wood was stained with oil. Because oil is so volatile, he would wear a mask and air out the room with open windows. The work would therefore begin in Spring.

Since there would be a long lag period, naturally I investigated into whether I could do it myself over the duration, and like most things involving home improvement, that possibility was there. The woman at Woodstock H&H said you could simply put a latex primer over the wood and then paint it. She mentioned nothing about the oil seeping through, but instead focused on the texture of the wood and recommended this stuff called Stix.

I went to Lebanon Paint and the guy confirmed what RH said, that the oil was a potential seepage problem, and that we could either use an oil based primer, or cover it with a polyurethane top coat and then paint that, with Stix.

Now I have to decide, to do it or not to do it. Naturally I'd like to tackle it, but there are so many things going on, do I need another?

Of course I do, especially if it saves us money, and furthers my real man training.

We'll see where this one goes. Until then, thanks for reading.