Friday, July 8, 2011

DIY project day 4

Although this is technically day 4 of my bedroom remodel project, I didn't actually work on it day 2 and day 3 due to the depression hole I fell into once I figured out that I was going to be over my head on this project but was committed to forging ahead on it anyway.

Things got better once my brother-in-law came over and showed me how to open the stupid bucket of joint compound. As it turned out, I didn't need it anyway, at least not so early in the project. As so often happens with old houses, one thing leads to another leads to another etc etc. The easy fix that I expected to be doing on my walls by skim-coating over the rough and uneven surfaces didn't work. I discovered that under the top layer of wallpaper was at least one more layer of wallpaper, plus three separate layers of old plaster. Brittle, decades-old plaster. After consulting by phone with my son about the state of the walls, he and I both agreed that I was going to have to do a demolition job on the walls down to the strips of lath, the original 1910 wall surface.

I spent a couple hours this morning moving my bed and everything else that I could physically move out of my bedroom and into various places around the house. I set up my bed and the dogs' beds in the sewing room. The dogs, by the way, are having nothing to do with this whole thing. In one week's time their world has been turned upside down. First I got rid of my queen size bed and downsized to a twin bed. Suddenly they were expected to sleep on the floor! Although to be fair to me, I did invest in two really top of the line dog beds. They want their old life back though. Molly is stretched out on her mattress next to my bed, but Sammie is evidently on strike and refuses to enter the sewing room. Period.

Anyway, I bought myself a small crowbar at Ace Hardware and went to work ripping down the walls. And you know what?? I enjoyed every minute of it. I didn't get too far, although I felt like I made good progress. I'm back to feeling that this is do-able after all. It's not going to be a weekend project though. Probably more like a couple of weeks. But I can do it. All I have to do is convince Molly and Sammie to hang in there with me.

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