The Stress of Painting the House
It was time to finish painting the interior of the house. Last year we had the exterior re-painted. Four weeks ago we had the downstairs painted, last week we had the upstairs painted. The interior hadn’t been painted since the house was built 13 years ago.
We had quotes from painter decorators to paint the ceiling, doors and door frames, skirting boards window sills and walls. We settled on a painter who had been recommended by a neighbour.
The first stress in this lengthy process is the cost! Our painter has done a very good job and taken care in every aspect of the job. His quote compared well, he worked hard and we’re pleased with the painting, but it is still a lot of money.
It’s stressful having someone in the house from 7AM every morning and hoping he’d make sure the dog didn’t wander out the gate because the front door was open, so that was another worry, too.
The third enormous stress was readying the house for painting. We realised just how much stuff we have but hadn’t allowed time for a good cull. All the furniture had to be moved, and everything else had to be packed and stacked. In theory, it should have been unpacked soon after the painting was finished, but that hasn’t really happened, yet. There’s so much to sort and decide if it stays.
Interestingly, the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, a list indicating the degree of stress created by specific activities, doesn’t list House Painting. These are the first 10 major stressors on their scale:
- Death of a spouse or child: 100
- Divorce: 73
- Marital separation: 65
- Imprisonment: 63
- Death of a close family member: 63
- Personal injury or illness: 53
- Marriage: 50
- Dismissal from work: 47
- Marital reconciliation: 45
- Retirement:43
We had decided to have the downstairs painted then three weeks later, have the upstairs done. Moving, sorting and boxing things was a major stress. And very hard work.
One of the reasons we arranged to do the painting in two parts was so we could stay in the house. This was less disruptive but the smell of the paint, especially the gloss enamel used on the the timber bits, was very, very strong. I had a slight headache for days.
Unpacking, sorting, finding things needed repairs and getting them done all added to the tension and stress. We had discussions about what could go to the charity bins or the rubbish bin. Most of it stayed.
We changed the paint colour. The bathrooms were painted a warmer white called Creamy White, the least imaginatively named colour on the paint chart. It has a warm glow about it which looks really lovely. The rest of the house was painted in Subiaco Sand, a more “bleached” or watered down version of the original colour. The colour changes depending on the light. It looks really good and I’m glad we did it, but I am moving house before it needs painting again!
Considering the Holmes and Rahe list, it would be interesting to know what causes the most stress for other people. Do you agree with their ratings? Have you re-painted recently?
SPRING THINGS
This part of the spring garden looks pretty and is finally almost free of weeds. After a wet winter we had SO many weeds.
Thinking about spring, now it is the Spring Racing season in Australia. The highlight is the Melbourne Cup, run on the first Tuesday in November. First run in 1861 it is now a public holiday in Melbourne and known “the race that stops the nation”. It is televised across Australia and known for fashion parades, champagne lunches, glamorous parties and a huge spike in betting!