Prime-time

At long last, Scotty and I took a break from scrapping off wallpaper adhesive, and began priming some rooms last weekend. Due to the fact that the walls formerly had wallpaper on them, we are using oil-based primer as a sealer, in case we missed any of the glue (I have learned a TON about wall treatment in the past month).

The thing with oil-based primer is that it smells. It smells because it has very powerful chemicals, and, um, you need to make sure you get some fresh air from time to time or else you may start feeling a little different...

Scotty and I were up late on Thursday night trimming 5 closets, a hallway and 2 bedrooms with primer, so that we could roll the walls and ceilings the next night. Our primer of choice did have a potent smell to it (similar to wite-out), but we felt fine when it was all said and done.

Friday night was a different story...

Scotty and I got to work on Friday night, hoping to finish the whole area we had trim-primed the night before, possibly pulling an all-nighter. Let me tell you, everything about getting this house in order has taken a whole lot longer than anticipated (for example, it had taken me over two hours to tape off those 5 closets, hallway and 2 bedrooms to even begin priming). Needless to say, Scotty and I were spending a lot of time in one particular room, which had two of the closets, four walls and a ceiling to prime. Once the closets and walls were done, I headed over to the next room to get started. Scott stayed in the first room and primed the ceiling.

I left Scotty in a room with a LOT of oil-based primer still drying, which meant that the fumes were pretty intense. The thing is, when you're in it, you kinda get used to it...I think that fact, coupled with the fact that Scotty just wanted to knock that room out, pushed him to stay in there until he got the ceiling primed.

About 20 minutes later or so Scotty came into the room I was in, informing me that the ceiling was done, but that, well "I think I may've gotten high off the fumes..." he said with a goofy grin "and I'm not joking" (and I could tell he wasn't kidding around)! I quickly told him to go outside and get some fresh air! We were calling this all-nighter quits, and I began to clean-up.

The more Scotty and I talked about it, the more we laughed. When I went into the room he had primed, I was nearly knocked over by the powerful smell - how on earth had Scotty managed?! Ha! He later informed me that it wasn't likely that he had actually gotten "high," but he was indeed starting to feel SUPER light-headed towards the end of it. I mean, seriously, he was in a room with primer ALL around him (open can on the floor, fresh on the walls on every side of him, above him on the ceiling, etc).

It was too funny.

The next day we woke up still tasting and smelling primer in our nostrils and throat - we picked up some respirators at Menard's, as we still have the upstairs to complete priming as well as 3 more closets, a living room, dinning room/kitchen area, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, another hallway, and all the ceilings. Oh yes, and then we'll need to actually paint them - TWICE. I'm resigned to fact that it's likely that we won't be in our home until October...that's alright - at least all the walls will be pretty. :-)