Friday, August 08, 2008

Garden Shed - Part Two

It continues to rain and rain and rain here. There isn't a gardener or farmer around who remembers so much rain in June, July and August. My veggie and cutting garden has grown like crazy. There are so many leaves that the mulch is practically invisible. The mulch really helped cut down the number of hours I have to spend weeding. It has back-fired slightly because of the wet weather though. I've got way more slugs and some of the plants are rotting. But we've been eating lots of delicious fresh veggies.


I've been fitting in my garden shed exterior rehab in bits and pieces. Haven't had a lot of extra time to spend on it. I painted the door a fabulous pumpkin orange color - the name of which escapes me. I used Benjamin Moore's High Gloss Metal and Wood Enamel. I am in love with this paint. It goes on like a dream - smooth and luxuriously - and dries to a fabulous high gloss. It is oil based. I know a lot of folks don't like to use oil based paints -- but me - I love them and until they stop making oil based paints, I will keep using them for certain high traffic areas where I want the paint to be very durable and washable. (The other favorite oil based paint of mine is Benjamin Moore's Satin Impervo - the interior woodwork of our house is covered in it. It is so darn durable and again, goes on like a dream.)

The wicker chairs that were a rescue from my sister's porch about ten years ago are now bright orange. I discovered a wonderful spray paint at the hardware store and took a chance on it. It is an enamel designed for painting tractors so it comes in a limited color range. I chose "Rustoleum's Allis Chalmers Orange" and boy is it pretty. I've used a lot of spray paint in my day and this stuff covered quickly and has a great shine. I can tell it is really durable. My sister Nancy can't believe I still have these chairs - they really are in awful shape - leaning this way and that with bits of wicker breaking off every time you sit in them. I think the paint will help me squeeze a couple more years out of them.


The project continues - and there's more to come if I can just fit it all in to the busy days of August.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I live in New England also. Hasn't this been the strangest summer ever? So much rain, tornadoes, hail - I expect locusts and the plague any day now!!
I have been a long time reader of your blog and thought that today was the right day to let you know that it is one of my favorites. I appreciate all that you say.
Have a very nice day. They say tomorrow may be totally sunny!!

Grace Marie

ellen said...

My goodness, I just want to move in. It's strange, but the older I get, the more I long for smaller spaces!

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous color! I want to use it to paint everything!

I can't believe this weather we've been having- at least it's not supposed to rain tomorrow up here in Salem.

Anonymous said...

Those orange paints really glow against the gray sky. Reminds me of the Golden Gate Bridge in the fog.
--Gretchen

Leslie said...

I'm really hopeful this rain doesn't continue as snow in the winter. Don't they say that 1" of rain is equal to 1' of snow? Oh gosh, if that's true we're in for an awful time.

antique quilter said...

Oh this looks wonderful
I love that color of your door!
wow the chairs look great too,
I can't wait till you show more of the make over!
I am in NJ and yes our weather is crazy this summer too.
Do you plant enough to feed your family for the year?
Kathie

Anonymous said...

Hi Kristin,
I'd be willing to bet the color of your door is, Benjamin Moore's "Pumpkin Spice", I renovated an old home last summer and opened a B&B. I gave my painter the name of the color I wanted in our entry way and hall, which was "Spiced Pumpkin". Imagine my surprise when I came in and he had done a sample section in your bright orange, "pumpkin spice !!! Don't get my wrong, I love your door! However, I wanted my entry to be more of a burnt, orangey red. Thank goodness he had only purchased a quart and was able to make to correction. Pheeeeew! Love your blog also and equally dislike all this rain we're having.
Cheers, Jennifer

Lindy said...

I live in the Sonoran Desert of AZ and we have had just a tad more than twice as much rain here as last year at this same time. I can just picture aquifers happily filling. I have some friends in Ireland and they too are having enormous amounts of rain. We must thank the Rain Goddesses and remain most thankful for all this greatly needed water.

Your garden shed door looks fantastic. I don't even like orange but I love that door - will wonders never cease :-D Against the weathered gray/silver of the garden shed wood siding it looks great.

And finally I must say that I totally agree with Ellen who said, "My goodness, I just want to move in. It's strange, but the older I get, the more I long for smaller spaces!" :-D

Lindy in hot humid/muggy/buggy AZ

Anonymous said...

I loooove it! Is there room for me and my stash?
Sara

Sojourner Design said...

So...
What's inside the shed?

mascanlon said...

I find I am seeing orange everywhere lately and being drawn in more and more...wonder what my husband would say if we brighten up the deck!

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