Hello everybody, and welcome back to OnVallartaTime! I hope everyone is getting into the Holiday spirit! We are, even though the daytime temps are in the 80´s. Our apartment is all decorated, at least as decorated as it´s going to get. We don´t go all out here, just a tiny artificial tree, a little crèche scene, our outside lights and a few other little decorations. Also, some Christmas carols are beginning to make it into our Spotify playlists. It has been pouring rain for the last few days, which cuts into our beach time but gives me an opportunity to bring you up to date!

We haven´t been doing much of note since the last post, just hanging out, going to the beach, sometimes walking around the neighborhood to go shopping. Just the usual. But one thing has been different — we got the whole inside of our house painted!

It really needed it. The walls, painted a dark cream, were getting pretty dingy. And after five rainy seasons, there were a few stained places from the inevitable leaks. The whole place needed to be freshened up, to clean it up, and to get rid of stains and mildew.

These spots are stains and mold on the ceiling from rainy season leaks from above. We didn’t take any “before” pictures, but besides the stains this picture also shows the unevenness of the paint from stains, dust and dirt.

We were also tired of the sameness of the neutral color throughout the house, so we decided to add a little color. Mexico is, after all, a land of vibrant colors. We had seen a particular combination of colors in various places, of gold and dark red with a line partway up the wall. We thought it would make a good color scheme for an accent wall, and decided to go with it, a big risk for us. We decided to carry the accent colors all the way down one side of the front room and the hall, highlighting our decorative arches. The rest of the house would remain a neutral cream, a little lighter than the original, to brighten it up.

We hired Juan Carlos to do the work, who usually does general maintenance, mostly for bars and restaurants in the neighborhood. But he came to us highly recommended as a painter. He had painted the apartment of our friends Pat and Vic, and the walls of a restaurant we know. He is much in demand, but told us he could have the painting done in a few days. He doesn’t use a roller, only a brush, because he told us that rollers are messy, and the heavy texture of the cement walls come out better painted with a brush. Peggy and I went with him to buy the paint.

Choosing the accent colors.

The big bucket for the neutral color. We actually ended up having to buy another one of these. It’s a big place (1700 sq. ft.) and the rough walls really soaked up the paint.

The project has started! Everything is down off the walls, and furniture is moved out along what is to become our accent wall. The pile of debris is from scraping off the stained places, and we are waiting for a coat of sealer over the problem spots to dry. This is also kind of a “before” picture of the wall without the colors.

On the other wall, the cushions are all off the built-in cement couches.

Juan Carlos at work; ceilings first, of course.

Testing out the gold color. Darn, it’s going to take two coats, which wasn’t anticipated. Another trip to the paint store for Greg!

Making progress on the accent wall.

Upper color just about complete.

Carrying it through, down the hall.

Juan Carlos at work on the red part of the wall. No tape, just a pencil line to guide him.

Not only the couches are cement — so is our bed! Juan Carlos took off the mattress and painted it. It was dry enough that night for us to sleep there.

A picture of general bedroom disruption, at least the bed is painted.

Now for the big reveal!

Accent wall, complete.

Another angle. 

Arch at the entrance.

Arch detail down the hall.

Juan Carlos painted the fronts of the kitchen shelves with the same red color.  It works perfectly with the existing red tiles.

Another view of the kitchen.

We are very happy with the result. We were worried at first that the accent colors would be too much, but we found that having the pop of color really livens up the space. Our next project is to get the couch cushions recovered and get some pillows for it to complement the accent wall. Stay tuned for pictures of that!

We are looking forward to the first of the year, when many of our beach friends come back to town, and to other friends and family visiting in the next couple of months. It’s going to be a very busy time!

So, that’s the saga of the paint job. I’d say we’re ready — bring on the Holidays! May you all have a very merry time, and a happy New Year! Feliz Navidad, and prospero año nuevo!