The Storm Before The Calm

Ok, the red-painted ceiling mystery has been solved. The problem doesn't lie with Tom, the painter. Nor is the problem with the type of roller we used. The problem is the paint itself. Not that we bought a cheap paint or defective paint. The problem is that the less-than-intelligent employees at our local hardware store mixed the paint improperly. Not one employee but TWO different employees on two different days. I'll try to explain.

Yesterday when I went to buy my THIRD gallon of red paint, I thankfully met an employee who knew what she was doing. I asked for the exact paint and sheen that I'd bought twice previously. She said it doesn't come in the sheen I asked for. I told her (stupidly thinking that she didn't know what she was talking about) that I had already bought two gallons. She said that this color of red only comes in Satin and Semi-gloss. I, again, told her about my previous purchases. She said that the other employees had apparently ignored what the computer told them. They shouldn't have mixed the paint with the sheen I asked for. Seems when you try to get the color red mixed with the base paint, it takes a lot of color added. Something about the fact that only so much amount of red is able to be added to the base paint and for that reason only Satin and Semi-gloss sheens are able to be Quite Red. Not sure I really understand. And when I left there I thought "Great, now we're gonna really have a mess on our hands." However, I now sing the praises of that employee. Tom painted the fifth coat of paint yesterday afternoon. Almost immediately, we could see that it was drying smoothly and not patchy. What a relief!!!!! So, what that means is that I bought two gallons of red paint that was improperly mixed by two employees who ignored what the computer told them. Stupid, huh? In just a minute, I'm off to the hardware store with receipts in hand wanting my money back! I'll keep you informed, as I know you are sitting on the edge of your seat.

It is not coincidental that the first four letters of the word paint spell PAIN!

P.S. I just returned from the hardware store. It took longer for me to explain the problem than to get my money back. Hip, hip, hooray!