manual labor...

Ugh. We've been out in the heat all week (me during the day between my AM and PM classes, him at night after work) painting this monster of a pergola in our backyard (our new 34 foot by 15 foot patio shade structure..pictures to come once it's completed). Because it's pressure treated wood we're priming it first. And because we are impatient and hasty type people, we built it without pre-painting the boards (which of course I hear is the smart way to do it). To say that this thing is difficult to paint what with all it's nooks and crannies is putting it mildly. It's a HUGE mondo pain in the butt. Every board of course has 4 sides and then junctions of boards, rafter ties, decorative end pieces..all at or above 10 feet high? Up and down the ladder, roller in one hand, balancing act with the other, jutting your head between boards, knocking your head on other boards, staring up into the bright sun all day? It was nightmarish. And all the while, the thought of having to do the exact same procedure AGAIN but with real paint? I was almost in tears.

So last night we broke down, paid the $129 (after an awesome $50 rebate) and bought the "Wagner Paint Crew" airless paint sprayer (heh, too bad it doesn't come with an actual "crew"). OMG. It shot the remaining 2 gallons of primer on in less than one hour. Every surface coated, evenly and smooth, no horrible drips or roller/brush marks, and every last nook and cranny too. The first two gallons of primer? Done by hand? THAT took approximately 4 days and 24 wo(man) hours. It took longer to cover the patio and house with plastic and make sure it wouldn't get oversprayed than it did to prime half of the darn pergola.

Now with the sprayer (my new best friend) we figure we should be able to paint the whole thing on Friday. It will be the same color as our house trim, a nice creamy white. And with it being a 3 day weekend we might even be able to enjoy sitting under it this weekend. Helps to have the right tools for the job. :)