Doing what Steve Craig does for a living and hate it.

[John Bales]

Steve, Now that the wife has retired, she has had more time to figure out what she wants changed inside the house where before, she didn't have the time to notice it. So......... we are now painting which I am finding out how tough your job is. However the difference is you are in the JB series and I am below a 500 series. She has informed me that before the ice is gone, she would like to be done with every room in the house. Got one done and four more to go but our living room is 16 by 36 so long way to go. I love painting jigs but not what we are doing right now. My knowledge is minimal (effort is good but not catching much).......... If the mistakes could have been recorded and put on facebook, we could make some money. I have not ice fished in a couple of years but that's looking pretty good right now. The wife told me to take a break so I am venting hoping for some sympathy. Breaks over. John

[Steve Craig]

LOL!!!!
I had to do a complete remodel a couple years ago, so I know what you mean!

Patience....Painting is lots of patience and then more!
Make sure to use a 3/4 nap roller cover(holds more paint) and goes farther between dips.
Use a 3 inch Angle Sash Brush(holds more paint) and know that you dont have to dunk half that brush in the paint.
Just about a half inch per dip, with NO WIPING THE BRUSH ON THE EDGE OF THE CAN! Dip and spread, dip and spread. Lots of dips with shallow dipping and no wiping. It all goes faster, believe it or not.
Mask off EVERYTHING!
Drop cloth EVERYTHING
Last but no least..... buy high quality paint. No 2 coating that way. Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore and their top of the line will pay you back in less time painting.

Then after day one, you get a sore back and have to get out on the ice to relieve that pain!!

[John Bales]

Trust me, I will comply with everything you said from here on out. Anything to make things easier and get it done. I appreciate the help. John Actually been dealing with the back pain already from pouring a bunch a jigs for a guy. Just took a wrong step and felt it go. It's a couple of times a year thing that goes away eventually. Thanks again and you got you a really nice boat.

[Hal Standish]

I think there is a new Virus in the air. Last night I was told that our living room and dining room need painting. Thanks JB because of Covid we did not fish together last year. We kept to social distancing...Seems that Paintovirus does not need very close contact. Your ears will be burning when that 1st can of Sherwin Williams is cracked open.

Hal

[John Bales]

Hal and Steve, Steve, I had to include you in on this. Deb and I decided to start painting upstairs in the hallway. We have what some people like about our house in a spiral staircase. Not always so cool for a lot of practical usage. Anyways, about halfway through, Deb is working out of a small bucket doing the trim. She is at the top of the staircase and turned and the bucket hit the staircase and came out of her hand. It hit on the second step from the bottom and the result was a pretty long clean up. Some on the carpet, stairs, floor, my new tackle box and then some. Deb said we should cut it short for today. I was all for that. Sorry Hal. John

[Steve Craig]

John
I can relate. Only happened once in 40 years, and it actually wasnt me. An employee, who was probably the most conscience guy anywhere, knocked over a gallon of Milk Chocolate Brown on this ladies white carpet, right in the middle of the room! He had set it there so he wouldnt accidently knock it over. To this day I dont know how he did it.
That one cost me extra dollars to clean after scooping up all that we could.

Only item we ever broke was one lamp in those same 40+ years. Had to be a glass antique multi colored shade too. What was crazy, was I found one identical in an antique shop locally! But.....for $150. The Good Lord was taking good care of me. The lady couldnt believe her eyes when I brought it to her.

I have had a couple Paint Sprayer hoses burst over the years, and spray paint all over yards, sidewalks, and streets!
Painted a dog once! Had just painted an exterior house corner, and the Black dog came by the narrow spot and ended up with white sidewalls!!!

LOL Just be glad it is all water based these days. the old Oil based were much harder to clean up!

[Steve Craig]

Well John,
Did you get it all finished?

[John Bales]

Steve, Oh no!!!!!!!! Mud room, kitchen, living room (biggest room), and upstairs hallway is done. Three bedrooms upstairs and one down left. Yesterday my daughter, son and his family came over and helped Deb put things back on the wall. I was not allowed to do that part. When preparing one room, the stuff that comes off the walls and what ever is in the way can't be around when you are working so one of the bedrooms was a storage place till it was decided what was kept and what had to go. So.......... some is done and other spots are still in shambles. We are not pushing too hard, still plenty of time before the ice is gone and I can get back to what I love to do. My son and his step son(great kid), brought one of those old tv's that are as thick as they are wide down the spiral staircase. The grandson didn't have any shoes on and dropped that big thing on his pinky toe and it is surely broken. Only slowed him down for a second. We replaced our 46 incher with a 75 incher which we mounted on the wall. Its a lot like going from a 5 inch depth finder to a 12. Fishing shows are awesome to watch now. Bottom line is keeping the woman of the house happy. Thanks for asking. We seem to get a little better as we move ahead. Deb did let me put a few of my old mounts back up in my man corner of the living room. Rods and reels that have been tore down and oiled in the corner, boxes of jig waiting to be put back into the boat once the weather breaks. I need more junk. John

[Steve Craig]

LOL....
I LOVE my big screen! Didnt want it at first, but we did the big addition of a Family room and Cathy had to have the 75 as well!
Now MLF or Edwin Evers on Youtube is about as awesome as it gets! Now 1 1/2 pound bass look like 3 pounders!
Bedrooms are usually the easiest to do. You will be glad you saved them for last.
Bathroom is the most expensive room in a house to paint, labor wise. Too much to cut in around and to make look right.
Awesome pic!!
Geez, you have Crown Molding to paint as well! I hate Crown Molding when it comes to painting!

[TN Dave]

Steve and John

Thanks for the postings on the remodel/painting projects. Got to do a major project on wife, Deanie’s, house. Got the roof replaced by an outstanding crew that did the installation correctly and corrected some mistakes done by the previous contractor.

Having to replace the siding on the house with Hardy Plank and replace windows. Project delays due to back order on the windows. The plant in Louisiana that supplies 90%, or so, of the vinyl for the window manufacturers was damaged by a hurricane. Got a notice of yet another delay last week.

Your jobs are a good reminder that patience goes along way in getting problems solved!!

Good Fishing (when everything else is finished)

TN Dave

PS: John, great photo!!! Looks like a Real Spoonplugger’s wall.

[John Bales]

David, Those are old mounts. Have not mounted a fish for many years but some of these are special. State record Tiger Musky, 20lb 9 oz pike, 7 1/2 lb largemouth and a wiper from Monroe that Deb caught. Had a friend who was just getting into mounting fish and had him do it for the practice. Still looks good. The pike and musky was 1987, the first year I lived at the lake. The bass was caught in a private tournament that year also and I wouldn't let them throw it back. Had a 7.4 and a 7.8 and a two pounder the first day of a two day tournament. Got skunked the second day and still came in 2nd which was 500 bucks. I fished that particular tournament four years in a row and got first twice and 2nd once. First was a grand which was pretty good money in the late 80's. Glad I got out of that racket. The learning had stopped for me. The top left bass (6 1/4 ) was caught off of a hump that Mr. Perry sent me a map of. Of course Terry found that spot. We bought a trailer on that lake and fished it for 3 years every weekend and found a lot of our own spots and had some giant stringers of big bass. The lake is a piece of crap right now. Clear as a bell and they spray it to death. Not a lake I would drive an hour to fish. How things change. What are you going to do? They are wrecking the lakes for fishing and those coming behind us will never see their goodness as far as what used to be. It's making me a little bitter. Six of us have a house rented for St. Clair the 21st of April through the 25th. At least I have that to look forward to with my son. Last year we canceled because Detroit was a hot spot for covid. We are going this time. I get my first shot on the 17th so should at least feel a bit better about going. Terry told me Buck sent him to St. Clair for two days when he was working for him. He found the fish at the same area we fish and caught a 6.2 oz smallmouth when he was there. Pretty cool huh? John