Some Basement Progress!

We've been in the middle of 9,000 DIY projects around the house. Some of them were planned, like painting the smurf bedroom a different color, but one, the basement flooding, was totally unexpected. And because it was water, we kind of had to drop everything and deal with it. We ripped up the carpet, discovered some floor cracks, then found out we had a foundation crack (super!), and then had to rip out a section of drywall to get it fixed. So while the room was in complete disarray, I thought I might as well get that pesky entertainment center painted.

Hello, beautiful. I've been waiting for you:

LOVE IT.

To jog your memory, this is where we were a few weeks ago, right after we ripped up the carpet:

Oh my god, it's like night and day. I have to tell you, I took the before picture while it was sunny, turned all of the lights on, and it was still that dark on the shelves. The new white paint just bounces all of the light around, which is excellent because there are only two small-ish windows down there. We haven't painted the trim or the support pole yet, but I tackled The Beast. It was a relatively cheap project, around $100 for everything, plus we have enough paint and primer left to do the kitchen, but it was expensive in hours spent. I started losing track at the end, but it was around 21 hours for the whole shebang.

It was so worth all of the sore muscles, though. Look at how these placeholder items pop against the white!

I think the basement is about to give the dining room a run for its money. There might be a new favorite space in town.

As for the supplies, we used Benjamin Moore Advance paint (which is low VOC) in a satin finish. I went with the plain, un-tinted stuff because when I say I want white cabinets, I mean WHITE. Our house is dark with its teensy windows, so the brighter the better. The primer was Aqua Lock, and it was recommended for painting over wood. I think it worked really well, though you will definitely need two coats.

I can't wait until the rest of the room is together. We were planning to get the floor started over the weekend, but I got sick. Here's a preview of what's to come:

Have you been sprucing up the house now that the weather is warmer? Do you have anything on deck for the coming months?