life in a tiny apartment.

April 30, 2014

yolo
Tip #102: Buy a quart of white paint. See what you can’t cover with it.

Over the weekend, James and I tackled bébé’s closet—er, bedroom…er, changing area—oh, let’s just call it the baby’s space. It’s going to be a squatters kind of situation over here. Each of us just trying to stake out a little corner to call our own. But this post isn’t about the (lack of) space, it’s about the sheer joy of opening a can of white paint and seeing what you can do with it. The Wite-Out pen of adulthood.

Last week we bought a quart of white paint and over the weekend we painted:

  • a dresser
  • the inside of a door frame
  • two picture frames
  • the underbelly of our bathroom sink
  • AND the ghastly silver heat pipe in the bathroom

And there’s still some bisque .01 to spare!

And everything looks so much better.

So the moral of the story is, once again, to just tackle the little projects. Not the big ones. Not the ones that will have you searching your pockets for extra pennies and wondering how you got yourself into this mess in the first place.

That weird gap between the baseboard and the floor? Figure out a way to fill it. The blob of grout you’ve been meaning to scrape off the tile floor? Razor that sucker. The tile that sticks to your foot in the bathroom and comes clean out of its hole? Haul out the craft glue and hope for the best. But mostly, buy a quart of white paint and do some patch work.

Nobody solves a problem like white paint, trust me on this one.

More on painting a tiny apartment, here.

Tiny apartment survival tips #1 – 101, right here.

{Psst: If you’re curious about VOCs in paint, my colleague Meredith gives some deets right here}.

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12 Comments

  • Reply laura April 30, 2014 at 1:49 pm

    i too am a white paint fanatic. quiet home paints are a lovely mother/daughter duo that make non-toxic paints right in new hampshire. you should check them out should you need another coat.

    • Reply Erin May 2, 2014 at 11:48 am

      oh! thanks for the tip!

  • Reply Jana Miller @ 333 Days of Hand Lettering April 30, 2014 at 2:07 pm

    Perfectly said-those little annoyances become the big annoyances over time 🙂 I love white paint too!

  • Reply Julia April 30, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    Great advice! I'm curious about how you manage paint jobs in the city? do you take things outside to the sidewalk or fire escape? or do you just lay down tarp and do it all indoors? I've come across this challenge residing in San Francisco. Thank you!

  • Reply Kari April 30, 2014 at 5:21 pm

    Love, love, love white paint!

  • Reply Shelly Hardage-Wilkerson April 30, 2014 at 6:41 pm

    Funny that the can says "YOLO" on it, but it's white. Haha…..make me chuckle.

    White paint is the best! I wasn't sure what to paint my bathroom when we first moved into our house, so I went with an antique white until I could decide. It's been the same color ever since. Just brightens the room up so much, I don't want to change it.

  • Reply Carol on Carroll April 30, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    i'm going to go tackle a tiny project right now, thanks for the push. 🙂 (it's putting up hooks by the door.)

  • Reply Elizabeth April 30, 2014 at 9:46 pm

    Love this suggestion! Homes/apartments/houses can feel like a daunting impossibility of maintenance and projects sometimes, but once you pick something and do it, it feels so much less impossible!

  • Reply Kirsty May 1, 2014 at 12:10 am

    White paint is just magic! (Although I'm also partial to blackboard paint!) I'm also doing the finishing touches on a 'bebe space' (corner) so I'm so interested to see yours!

  • Reply BostonGemmie May 1, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    So how does it feel to have a bit more space and not having to climb to your bed?? I think it would have been very difficult as the months proceed.

    What a wonderful wonderful blessing! 🙂

    Boston Gemmie 🙂

    • Reply Erin May 2, 2014 at 11:47 am

      It feels *lovely*! thank goodness we're all on one level these days!

  • Reply Amanda May 2, 2014 at 6:56 pm

    I WISH I'd bought a quart for a kitchen project I did last year. Instead I bought two gallons (!!) and still have one and three quarters leftover… Ooops.

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