The physical labor of digging ditches and hauling sand in this heat is tiring. We try to stagger the days of hard work with days of easier work – like filling the gaps in flooring with silicone (see "Critter Control" or painting.
Yes, over the last few weeks, I’ve done some small painting projects. I haven’t really written about it because the work hasn’t been that exciting or impactful. I painted the square stilts of Bungalow A1, the columns outside the Villa, and the columns of the terrace overlooking the ocean. I used plain white paint to give these structural elements a fresh, clean look.
This week, however, we launched a larger-scale painting project, “Orange Crush.” The name refers to the dominant color at Uza Beach Resort: bright orange.
The objective of this project was to paint the structure adjacent to the restaurant, which housed three bathrooms. The structure was currently white, but the paint was cracked and peeling. In some sections, black mold had appeared.
It took all six of us one full day to scrape off as much old paint as we could, using a variety of tools we found in the storage area – trowels, wire brush, rusted blade of an old hoe, and even a crow bar. By midday, we were hot, tired, and perhaps a bit frustrated that this work was so slow, tedious, and messy. I wasn’t exactly sure how safe the paint chips and dust were.
After lunch, even though the surface wasn’t as well-prepared as it should have been, we started painting. We had prepped about 75% percent of the building, including the most visible sections. We figured we would try just painting over the remaining old paint. If it didn’t work with two coats, we could always go back to more scraping.
Using rollers and brushes of all shapes and sizes, we attacked the structure and got a full coat of paint on before we stopped for the day.
The next day, I had the day off – but the other Helpers put a second coat on, and the building looks great. The portion that we didn’t scrape seems to look just fine, too. Amazing what two coats of orange paint can hide. :-)
Given the dominance of orange on the property, I think “Orange Crush” will continue on in future updates. I have my brush and roller ready... Stay tuned.
Helpers scraping old paint and mold off the building.
After the first coat of paint.