apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My wife and I have ended up with 2 extra gallons of paint--Ralph Lauren Interior Flat, in Polaris, to be exact. We have a few other projects coming up, one of which includes using another RL paint that's darker, but in the same family (specifically, it's called "loft"). What are the chances we can have the right colors added to the Polaris to make the Loft? Or are we going to have to eat the two gallons (paint calculators be damned!).

Is anyone familiar with the quality of Adesso products? They have some nice-looking stuff that I'm considering (link in my name). Since it's so cheap I'm not expecting top-grade quality, but if there was a scale that went from Ikea to DWR, where would you rate it?

dave--
Chances are good you could use those two gallons and get them tinted. But it depends on "number of shots" of pigment necessary (for example, Polaris may have 3 shots of yellow added, and if loft needs five, you're in luck... but if Loft needs only one, maybe then not so much).

This is also assuming there is a published formula, and the paint mixers are not relying on a computer program that does not reveal the actual formula.

Go to the paint place, but on a non-weekend, not-rush-hour kind of time and see if you can't get a sympathetic paint mixer to try your case.

In the very least, you could use the Polaris as a base coater/primer. Or get it tinted *close* to Loft and use it as the first coat.

dave (and p2) - As someone who used to spend moments between floor installations mixing paint at a flooring, etc., store, I have one additional picky point --- the paint would also have to have the same base (bright, dark, etc.) to work out.

That said, an experienced paint person (typically found at the smaller, older stores) can work wonders with these sorts of problems.

marisa - on painting a wall abutting a popcorn ceiling...
I once saw a tip for perfect lines on the show 'moving up' on TLC - the people used painter's tape and silicone sealant. I think you could maybe use white glue also. What you do is spread the stuff along the edge of the tape, with your finger and then paint over it. When you pull off the tape, you get a perfect line. If your paint is thick, you might still want to use a razor blade or utility knife to make sure the paint doesn't peel away with the tape.
I used this method, and I used a latex glove and all-purpose white caulking (approx $2 at Home Depot) with good results.

Dave,

They're right, you could do it with RL under the right conditions. I've phoned the 800 number before and asked for pigment formulas and have the great folks at JC Licht mix them for me as I needed. So, call RL, if your base and pigments match, it's a go.

One tip, if you think you matched, before you paint, take a drip of the new stuff and drop it into the gallon of Loft. If you see a difference, there will be one on the wall. This is a good tip for all jobs that require more than one can of paint as mistakes --however subtle-- can happen.

Thanks, everyone, for the tips--maybe I shouldn't take these gallons back to Home Depot ...

HELP!

I have a squirrel trapped in the ceiling of my laundry room. I removed the drop-ceiling to try to locate the little stinker. Originally, there were two but I got a no-kill trap & a dollop of peanut butter and caught one. The other guy's been in there for a couple of weeks now and I have no idea what he's feeding on! I used the same bait for the second squirrel but it doesn't seem to be working. Does anyone have any advice on squirrel baiting (what kind to use, etc) and/or trapping (ideal spot for a trap, etc)? I'm running out of patience and would like to put my ceiling back up soon! Thanks for any help.

jessica:
we had a raccoon(!) get into the basement of our building and we lured him into the (no-kill) trap with sardines and balls of crinkled up tin foil. Don't ask - I guess they like the shiny-ness of the tin foil and the stinky-ness of the sardines. My husband found these ideas on the internet somewhere and we laughed at first...but it literally worked in an hour!
Not sure if squirrels would have the same reaction. Good Luck.

Interesting Article - My $1,000 Free TV Makeover
A New Couch Discovered in the Den and Pretty Pillows I Never Knew I Had
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/21/AR2006062100519.html

Interesting Article - My $1,000 Free TV Makeover
A New Couch Discovered in the Den and Pretty Pillows I Never Knew I Had
Click my name.

Another one for the thread: Does anyone have any god suggestions for attractive cable management? I know there's a lot out there at IKEA and Radio Shack, but most of what I've seen involve either advanced takes on the twist-tie, or a cheap-looking plastic wrap of some sort.

So I'm looking for something to collect and manage several cables--including cable TV wires, audio/video cables, and possibly power cords--that's attractive and, of course, functional. The whole shebang will be situated vertically from the bottom of the desktop portion of a Crate & Barrel leaning desk, which is where we keep our TV. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Dave: Have a look at this- if installed by an anal individual it can be a beautiful thing.

Wow, that's pretty intense, Dagmar, thanks! I'd need something to cover it up, though, since the bottom part of the leaning desk is exposed ... but that's a great start. Do you use one? How do you keep it hidden (or do you)?

I use one for the home computer--and it just hangs from the bottom of the desk-- good for me my study is so small it is impossible to get far enough away to see all that (organized)cordage.
That having been said--you can mount the kit so that it points up from the desk surface instead of down-- and maybe obscure it from view with the TV or other such large object on the desktop.
It works wonderfully to give every cable and cord a nicley definded (and labled) space so that re-configurations don't result in a return to chaos.

Hey Dave, you should check out the cord management from Room and Board: http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/coll.do?coll=RB1405&dept=RB1276