The Cure Is Taken

Today we ventured to Bourges and the Tissues Du Monde outlet in the eastern part of town. Kelly was looking for a bold cloth with pink and perhaps black or violet as an addition to the current curtains in the dining room that we have hung over the two front windows. We both hunted high and low in this quite large stock of raw cotton, linen and polyamid cloth. They have a wonderful array of material from intricate brocades to common canvas and oil cloths. We have spent much time in the store going back several years, and always seem to find something that will be either superb or fantastic and that happened again today when Kelly spied a rather bright pink material with large dark flowers, at 50% off. It was only 18 Euros for 4 meters. She bought some other yardage for projects yet to come. Then we drove back through the recently harvested wheat and colza fields to the Maison Blanche to tackle the painting of the insulating paint on the water heater in the grenier (attic).
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The Water Heater

Kelly washed it and dried the heater thoroughly and then I tackled the Nansulate application chore. I measured with a precision digital thermometer I use for my wine making activities. I took the temperature of of the attic adjacent to the heater, 77 degrees it was and then on a spot midway across the top of the heater and it indicated 86.3 degrees. I will retake these some days from now and see how the application is doing. They say full effect isn't met until 30 - 60 days of cure time has gone by so my expectations are less than immediate. I used a very short nap roller of the small variety, only about 5 inches in length. I stirred the translucent grey-looking Nansulate for a bit over 5 minutes and finally deposited a few ounces in the small plastic roller tray and rollered it on careful to cover the top evenly and without thick areas or drips. It is similar in viscosity to regular paint, it is NOT overly thin and doesn't drip everywhere or spray from the roller either. Very well behaved in fact. It is a milky translucent material and goes on absolutely transparent. The first coat on, I retired to my computer for the requisite 1 hour drying time before the next coat, to chronicle the start of this quite amazing project.

A Red Letter Day and 108 Euros!

Fed Ex recieved the paint on the 14th and as of last night it was in Paris getting duty assessed by French Customs before leaving for Bourges (St. Doulchard). 5 US gallons of the ever more precious nano paint are, at last, in the country of France and subject to whatever duty Customs can figure out. There is no estimate of additional charges on the Fed Ex site at this time, and there probably won't be anyway as by the time they process all the fancy and expensive paperwork the stuff will be on the truck speeding down the heart of France to our anxious little hands. We will pay by check whatever amount is necessary to get the paint into our house, rest assured. And I did, and slept like a baby.
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Up at 7am, coffee, potty and check the Fed Ex web site...it's IN Bourges! Arrived there this morning, terrific! Now to another truck (probably a local expeditier) and then to us sometime today! Whoopee! Guests gone one day and The Paint arrives the next! Great timing! Another cup of java at 8am and read the emails, start writing the blog to explain all of this. Recheck the Fed Ex site and l'viola! It's on a deliver van already! Cool! Or HOT depending on which side is one or the other (It IS insulating paint after all!) Wondering where we start the application and if we have the right roller(s). Kelly wants her sewing room finished and so that is where the action will start so that we can paint and wallpaper and get it back into useable condition ASAP. I walk downstairs and go to my kitchen to assess the days activities in that arena. Wash a couple of pots left over from last night, put away the now cooled thoroughly roasted (overdone actually) chicken and on my way back to the sitting room...the truck of our dreams (nightmare?!) arrives in front of the house.




I openned the front door and the driver handed me the small box with 1 gallon of the ever more rare and precious paint inside, he then returned to the truck for the other 4 gallon box. $108.68 duty is indicated on the shipping receipt. Wow...$657 for 5 gallons of the stuff. We must be mad or terribly convinced. Check out their website...http://www.nansulate.com/