Am I neurotic? White walls

I have washable paints which are a godsend. @MissMiami My guest last week managed to take out a three inch chunk on the handrail of the bannisters on my Victorian staircase.

OMG just how do you do that ???

I have regular scuff marks on my hallway and stairs wall area which I wash off and then have a small pot of the paint I keep handy for touch ups.

A suitcase full of bricks? Bummer.

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I know unbelievable :slight_smile: @muddy

I think all paint stores do that. We don’t even have to go in, we just call in the order, pull in later and they bring it out to us.

But it is a 3 family house also with an attic and basement so I do keep a spreadsheet of each area and its woodwork, etc and the formula with pictures of the lid and the front of can.

Unfortunately, the perfect paint is a lot like the perfect bra…they often stop making it. :rofl: However, if I have all of the info, it can usually sortof be recreated.

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Not in Mexico they don’t :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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yes, i think you are in danger of being a little neurotic. :laughing:
this is CODB in hospo.
People turn up with suitcases.
they scuff things.
make a plan to be able to do touch ups on whatever materials are in your place.

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They actually do that for us at the Sherwin-Williams in St Lucia. We also set up a business account with them (our property is held in a registered business) so maybe that’s why they keep the information for us.

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Keep the can of paint close by, I have become really good at light touch ups, feathering it in.

RR

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The paint companies long ago switched to a computer record linked to your purchases…

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Not all places offer washers and dryers and many people over-pack anyway. I have a friend and she and her husband take cruises. She packs like Elizabeth Taylor going away for a year. I don’t understand it, but her husband loves that she’s so stylish … I have another friend who goes to Europe every summer for 6 weeks with 2 carry-on bags…

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Yes, I’m not sure why the OP presumes that her guests might not be staying at other places on their trip that don’t have laundry facilities. And as far as being able to travel with just carry-on, while lots of people try to do that these days with the higher costs of checked baggage, or just because they travel light, there are things you are allowed to pack in checked luggage that isn’t allowed in carry-on.

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My place is the same way. I was at my favorite SW store last weekend, swearing on a stack of bibles that I’d bought Corinthian Blue last time I was in. The two long-time employees, not wanting to tell me I was full of sh*t, looked up my record and there was the Georgian Bay. Georgian, Corinthian, both kind of architectural?

I’ve found it helps to learn to trust your long-time paint store employees. Wanting to paint over the cheap paint I used last year on the bottom half of my big dining room, I wanted a deep, rich red, as my business is named The Cardinal House. I’d looked at a bunch of reds, mentioned it to the lady I always work with. She was like, “I don’t trust those colors online. You want Red Bay.” Three coats later, it looks gorgeous against the 100 year old oak woodwork. I should gift her a few nights to stay there this winter for the great recommendation.

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Toothpaste can be used to seal small blemishes in plaster (especially) or dry wall. Toothpaste comes in a zillion colors in the USA. No frills Colgate would be a first try. If your walls are off white, then other brands might match well.

If you can find it and have really white walls, Liquid Paper is also an old fashioned solution!

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Colgate and Liquid Paper are solutions I think of as “broke 20 something” not “old fashioned.” Not that there’s anything wrong with either.

I have gotten the impression that MissMiami doesn’t do her own cleaning or maintenance so all of the suggestions about keeping spackling and paint around for quick touch ups is not going to solve the problem.

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There was an independent building supply store in the town I used to live in up in Canada that hired very knowledgeable people. The people who worked in the paint dept. were former painters, former electricians and plumbers manned those depts. It made shopping there a really good experience.
Then they got bought out by a chain hardware store that just hires young know-nothing salespeople. It was a real shame.

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@KKC Yes, you are right. I don’t do maintenance and I would only trust myself to unclog drains or change lightbulbs, however, I do clean my two units from time to time because I want to see what the cleaning people ignore. I’ll soon be looking for a new cleaning person as the current one has identified hubby as a “mark” as has been sweet-talking him. :grimacing:

I once went to a local paint store and asked the clerk for a recommendation for the traditional blue for my porch ceiling. She just pointed out the blue paint chips and said that she didn’t know. I walked over pulled out a blue that looked like what I’d seen and low and behold it was called “Porch Ceiling Blue”. She was a little embarrassed when I asked her to mix it up.

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Well, using a putty knife to fill a small wall ding with filler and putting a little paint touch up over it doesn’t require any particular skill or expertise. I’m sure you could do that when you go there anyway occasionally to clean, unclog a drain, or check on things. The only thing to be aware of is to make sure you are using a putty knife that is wide enough to glide along the undamaged part of the wall on both sides so the filled part ends up smooth and level with the rest of the wall.

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I find the average salesperson so lazy these days. You say you looked for an item where those items normally are and don’t see it, and they just walk over to the same aisle and shelves you just spend 5 minutes looking on, stand there staring at it, then say “I guess we’re out.” Instead of saying, “I’ll check if there are more in the back, or if they’ve been moved elsewhere or if it’s on order”.

This is what happens when employers pay minimum wage, with no benefits, incentives, or opportunity for advancement. The employee couldn’t care less whether the customer walks out empty handed and takes their business elsewhere.

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You’ve got this one! Patching holes and doing touch-up painting is like doing makeup for your walls. Spackle it on, smooth it out, then stipple paint over the top so it blends in. Just don’t use the same brushes for both jobs.

I’ve used that analogy with several contractors, and they’ve all been greatly amused.

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