Picking Finishes
Picking finishes was a group effort. Lots of helpers also means lots of opinions : ) Dad, Michael and I headed into town to Grants Foam and Fabric to get fabric samples for the couch and banquet. Once we wrapped things up there, we met up with Mom at Floor City USA. Really enjoyed working with the people at both stores. They really knew their products and were extremely helpful.
For the flooring, we initially had our sights set on wood. We picked about six color variations just to get an idea of how they would look in the space. Color can be funny. Could look one way in one type of light and totally different in another. Also time of day can make colors look completely different. Needless to say we were really going to put these samples to the test.
Exhibit A, our wonderfully organized finish board. I have constructed plenty of finish boards in my day, whether it be from design school at the University of Florida to my former work at corporate design firms. Over my design career I have acquired many skills which I will always treasure but I have also learned that I hate constructing finish boards. Short story long, Lenny was not getting a finish board.
We ended up selecting Sunbrella's Canvas Navy to cover the couch and banquet seats. Navy is not an obvious neutral but its a great base and since its a darker color, we felt it would be a better option to hide dirt and use over time. Although I don't think much, if anything, can damage Sunbrella fabric.
Although we tried to pick a range of wood flooring samples, none of us were completely satisfied with any of our samples. On another visit from Atlanta to Pensacola to see Mom and Dad (and Lenny) we took a second trip to Floor City USA, at which time we made the decision to switch from wood to LVT (luxury vinyl tile). Because of the issues we came across with rot and leaks, this was our main deciding factor in switching from wood to LVT.
When it came to picking a paint color for the walls and cabinets, we knew we wanted to go white. Well, some of us knew, Dad wasn't quite sold. I have to thank the wonderfully talented Lynne Knowlton for this one. Once Dad saw the beautiful pictures of Lynne's Airstream renovation, he was sold.
If you have ever looked at white paint options, the list is never ending. We tried to keep it simple and just wanted to match the white my parents used in their house for the base boards and trim. They used Sherwin Williams -7006 Extra White.
I will post more about the painting process of Lenny soon but here is a quick overview. To start out I must say, Dad is a man of many talents, many of which we have been so very grateful for in the renovation of Lenny. From single handedly rebuilding the floors where they needed to be patched to painstakingly stopping what felt like hundreds of leaks in Lenny, Dad really took charge on this renovation. One thing that Dad doesn't deal well with emotionally is painting. We tease that it gives the man mad anxiety. Dad tells stories of when he was a boy and would help his dad paint houses. Dad was responsible for the tedious task of painting the trim. Needless to say, we were very pleased with the group consensus to hire painters in order to relieve Dad of the stress.
To maximize their efficiency the painters used PPG Break-Through: Ultra Durable Water-Borne Acrylic Interior/Exterior paint. This paint is an all in one paint and primer. The cabinet fronts and drawers were taken outside to be sprayed and the rest of the interior was rolled. Gloss was used on the cabinets and satin on the walls.
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