PAGE 6 • HERMISTON HERALD/EAST OREGONIAN
SPRING HOME & GARDEN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016
DIY: To paint or not to paint
nthusiastic ¿rst-time
homeowners back in
the early 1990s, my
husband and I decided we
wanted to paint our house.
I say “we” rather loose-
ly — John is a teacher, so he
was off for the summer and
the bulk of the job was left to
him and our friends Dave and
Chris Altened-
er.
We want-
ed to put our
personal ¿n-
gerprint
on
the house by
choosing new
Tammy
colors.
John
Malgesini
envisioned
a
INSIDE MY
SHOES
black
house
with red trim.
Dave suggested black may
not be the best color, so we
went with gray.
The Alteneders, friends we
met back in our college days,
traveled from Newberg to
help us. Dave, who also was
an educator, supplemented
the family income by painting
houses during the summer
months, so he had spraying
gear and other supplies.
We discovered that the
tiny paint strips that show the
color doesn’t always translate
the same once it’s up on the
siding or trim. Unfortunately,
we learned this too late. Ge-
ranium, the trim color, was
hot pink rather than a deeper
red. I guess we could have
re-painted it, but by that time
everyone was pretty much
spent on the project.
Fast forward 15 years
later when John thought the
house needed to be painted
again. He suggested we forgo
our regular summer vacation
plans and use the time and
E
WATER:
continued from Page C3
ery. “You still have to water
stuff, just not as much.”
If you really want to “go
native,” visit the CTUIR
Tribal Native Plant Nurs-
ery on the Umatilla Indian
Reservation. While much
STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST
A fresh coat of paint can liven up the inside or outside of your house. But if you do it yourself, and you only paint every 15-plus years, there may be some
pitfalls you encounter along the way.
money to paint the house. I
quickly put the brakes on that
silly talk — I look forward to
our summer trips together and
wasn’t up for painting in the
sweltering heat.
Because of the way vaca-
tion accrued when I started at
the East Oregonian in April
2006, I wasn’t eligible to take
time off for an entire year.
That meant no summer vaca-
tion that year — so I revived
John’s idea about painting
the house that summer. Well,
that didn’t happen — instead,
John packed up and hit the
road without me.
As the years went on, it be-
came clear the house needed
a new coat. In 2013, I became
motivated to take action after
a crew knocked on the door
and asked if we wanted an
estimate to have our house
painted.
I ¿gured we would save
money if we just did it our-
selves. So, I pitched the idea
to John and off to the store we
went to get paint. We chose
“deep space,” which is pretty
close to black, for the main
part of the house. In addition,
we got gray for the trim and
red (NOT pink this time) for
the shutters and doors.
We started the project in
late July and I ¿nished the
front door on August 31.
Yup, the hottest time of year
in Hermiston and we were
out there painting. I’m not
a morning person, so I truly
was painting in the heat of the
day. I sported a “Karate Kid”
headband that I kept dipping
in water. In addition, I ¿nally
talked John into a little pool.
Those two things probably
saved me from heatstroke.
Although, John used a
sprayer when climbing on
scaffolding to get the highest
part of the split-level, we used
brushes and paint pads for
most of the project.
In retrospect, I wish I
had said yes when the paint
crew asked if I wanted an
estimate.
of the stock they produce
goes to restoring native
Inland Northwest habitats,
they also sell locally col-
lected, locally adapted na-
tive plants on a limited ba-
sis. For more information
on plant availability and
operating hours, call 541-
278-8525 or email info@
tribalnativeplants.com.
But don’t forget the
mulch. Xeric species can
withstand heat and drought,
but even the hardiest plant
can use a little help. In hot
conditions, drought-toler-
ant plants mulched with 4
inches of rock, pea gravel
or bark can reduce water
consumption by as much as
50 percent over Kentucky
bluegrass.
Resources abound for
information on plants that
will thrive in Eastern Or-
egon conditions. To get
you started, a great list of
native plants suited to our
region can be found on the
Plant Native website, www.
plantnative.org.
Local
nurseries like Westwinds
in Hermiston, Schichtel’s
in Milton-Freewater and
the garden center at D&B
Supply in Pendleton have
knowledgeable staff that
can guide you in plant se-
lection for your particular
situation. And many com-
panies online have search-
able catalogs that can be
narrowed down by planting
zone, water requirements,
light requirements, soil
type and more.
Last, but not least, your
local Master Gardeners are
a wealth of information.
Contact OSU Extension at
541-278-5403 or visit the
Master Gardeners online
at http://extension.oregon-
state.edu/umatilla/mg.
———
Tammy Malgesini is
the community editor. Her
column, Inside my Shoes,
includes general musings
about life. Contact her at
tmalgesini@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4539.