Saturday, April 30, 2011

Practical problems with prepositions

I'm working on a new venture these days - wall murals. It's going to be a fun project and I'm very excited to see the finished results but today at the paint store I ran into a misunderstanding over a couple small words.

Part of the challenge came about because paint companies no longer seem to feel the need to print those "progressing" chips that have a range of intensities of the same color available. I wanted specifically to use Olympic's new lo-odor, VOC-free paint (*quick review below) but they simply had nothing acceptable on the paint chip display. So I had to take in a competitor's paint chip and have a custom blend done. I started small (1 quart) and while the color was right on, it did prove too intense for the large scale we will be using it. So, I needed to lighten it somewhat.

The helpful man at the paint store informed me that he could enter the mix colors from my quart and the computer would let him scale it in terms of percentages - 50% lighter, 75% lighter, etc. This was exactly what I was hoping for so I asked for 5 gallons at 75% OF the current tint. He mixed me 5 gallons lightened BY 75%. And I looked at the sample dot on the lid and thought "Hmmm, that's really light" but didn't think through the process until I got it out to my van.

So I'll take it to the job site and try it. In my defense, paint does darken quite a bit on the wall as it dries, right? I'm pretty sure it will be too light and I'll take it back and ask them to add 50% of the tint mix and try again. (I've checked with a couple math whizzes and they assure me this will make the 75% I originally intended. ) And we'll carry on.

And next time I'll watch my prepositions a little more carefully.

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Quick review: LOVE IT!

The new Olympic No VOC latex paint goes on smooth, has (as they claim) virtually no odor (there's a very faint puddingesque smell if you get your nose right into it), and is definitely comparable in price to many paints. I've definitely needed two coats for good coverage but that's not a big deal compared to all the benefits. A review I found reminded that once standard tints are added it is not truly VOC-free (although even with my math I can figure out the VOC levels would be greatly reduced) so don't think I'm touting it as completely non-toxic but the no-odor factor has made me a fan.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Writer's Life

A friend pointed me to this video and it is too funny not to share. (I'm also a little envious of the beautiful bookshelves in the background.)