Dr. X and I both agree: the paint color is gorgeous. It's rich, it's warm... it harkens back to the age of leather bound books and men in smoking jackets... it's everything that we could want! The finish, however... well. Flat paint is never practical on the walls of a high traffic area, and you NEVER use a semi-gloss on a wall (unless you've got a pair of sunglasses for everyone who enters the room... and all your taste happens to be in your mouth)... so "satin" seemed the appropriate choice. You hear the word "satin" and you think, "Mmmmm... soft, supple... ever so beautiful." What fails to come to mind, however, is the word "shiny."
Sherwin-Williams makes some great paint. I am happy with the coverage and with the quality... don't get me wrong. What I'm currently having a problem with is my inability to visualize their final product. I paint things as I think of them, not as I see them, just like Picasso said. I paint a room, see the color and think, "This is going to be perfect! Just what I want!" all while failing to see what is right in front of me: a shiny coat of paint that shows off EVERY. SINGLE. FLAW.
I stopped by the Sherwin-Williams store again today and talked with my friend, Joelle, about what could be done to rectify the problem (she's kind of becoming my Yoda of wall finishing). First of all, I learned I need to paint CORRECTLY. Edge in the wall, then paint it... one wall at a time... don't go to the crazy place and paint the ENTIRE room without even edging it in. This leads to bad, bad things. Second, learn the meaning of the different paint finishes for the company you are buying from. What I was looking for was the "Matte" finish... slight luster, but not DEAD FLAT... which is, as discussed previously, highly impractical. Finally... and this is important... it's just paint. It can be painted over... And while this may be a pain in the neck, it's not the end of the world.
I'm going to edge in the room, do a rough sanding of the paint that is there, and apply a second coat to see if it is any better. I know it won't be any less shiny (paint gets shinier the more coats you add), but... maybe it will help hide some of the flaws in the room. And in the meantime, I will keep telling myself, "This can be fixed. It's just paint."
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