Painting the fireplace, plus hidden TV!

We went for matching the fireplace to the trim after considering matching the wall paint or going with a dark gray the will (eventually) match the exterior if the house bit ended up calming the fireplace down a lot and giving the room more continuity. We like it!

After just a couple of trips to the hardware store, the flatscreen is incognito above the fireplace. Now, what to do about the cords?




And I installed locks on the windows that had none(?).
5pm quitting time. It's Sunday, after all.

Plumbing bookshelf rebuild

Bookshelves!

But first, a floor update: that 40 year old glue was no match for a heat gun. We are Marmoleum-ready.




Long before the bungalow was even a glimmer in our eyes, I built a custom bookshelf inspired by The Brick House. I loved it far too much to leave it behind.

I decided to change a couple of measurements and install it in the bungalow, which has 12" shorter wall space to work with. Here are (most of) the parts ready for assembly.




It's all 1/2" black iron plumbing pipe and fittings. Very dirty, greasy stuff. Even after trying to clean it with a citrus cleaner, I still wore rubber gloves that got filthy. The rubber gloves do help in twisting everything together though.

The wood is 3/4" maple plywood with holes cut using a forstener bit, which leaves a nice clean cut. If you go slow and flip the board when the tip of the bit comes through, you'll get a clean cut in both sides of the plank.
It went much faster than the first time I built it. Each if the three leftmost columns is anchored in a stud.




For design purposes the right doesn't have a stud, so I used plaster anchors and hope no one tries to grab onto it should they trip while taking their shoes off, in which case we might have a problem. I'm considering a "this is not a handle" sign.


soundtrack highlights for today include:
Dusted - Total Dust
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
St. Vincent - Actor (album, but the video is just so weird)
The National - Trouble Will Find Me (this one's on heavy rotation

Oiling the butcher block, continued.

Well, after several days of oiling twice per day, the counter tops were still drinking up all of the oil, with none to wipe off later. I decided to change my approach.

New method:

1) dump mineral oil over counter,
2) spread with bare hands,
3) stand there with oily (and later, very soft) hands waiting for oil to absorb and then reapplying more oil immediately until I can look at the butcher block from every angle and see no dry spots, then...
4) once no more oil is being absorbed, let sit for 4-6 hours;
5) return and wipe off excess.

This new method supposedly gets to a completely oiled and protected surface in 5-10 coats. I'm hoping that since we have been oiling already for a few days (albeit using much less oil) that the counters will be ready by tomorrow morning, after another coat this afternoon and one last one before bed.

Apply liberally!

To do list

We are tired!
...Ok, enough complaining.

Next week, best friends come for a night and then family the next. It puts some pressure on ua to whip everything into shape, although I think the only one really worried about that is me. I've been dealing with things like hooking up appliances, setting up the stereo (very important!), talking with contractors, etc. and E has basically been unpacking us singlehandedly. She even organized all the cords and random items from my infamous junk drawers. I've been known to simply dump a junk drawer in a box and then dump that back into another drawer at my new location. It kind of works. So things are finding their places and that part feels amazing!

Next up:
- have electrician check the dryer connection so the house doesn't burn down
- discuss installing in-floor sockets so we can put a lamp by the couch (did EVERYONE in the 50s have those awesome giant arc floor lamps, or did they just sit in the dark? Maybe this explains the huge windows?)
- prime the kitchen
- finish coating the butcher block
- re-key the deadbolts
- peel off top remaining layer of vinyl in the kitchen (using a heat gun and scraper. This should be interesting)
- assess the fireplace gold-glaze situation
- assemble shelves made of plywood and plumbing pipe
- assemble curtain rods, also of plumbing
- figure out what to do with vacant space between stove and chimney (this will likely be a work in progress)
- secure loose faucet flange thingys in the shower
- unpack. :(

That should keep us busy through the weekend, don't you think?

Butcher block counters

After much deliberation, the internet told us the best way to prep our butcher block countertops was with the cheap and safe product found in every grocery store, anywhere: mineral oil. They change the color to a darker, oranger, richer color, and with regular maintenance should hold up just great.

This is the third coat of oil. I poured a stream of oil every eight inches or so, starting from one edge and rubbing in gently with a rag from left to right, adding lines of oil as needed. I went through one small bottle by the end of the third coat--the wood just soaks it right up. Within a few days, the counters should be ready for use.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ktichen, cont.

And then this. Drywall! An unexpected addition, but a right one.

This is also about the time I realized I didn't buy enough butcher block. Luckily (!) some neighbors had listed a sink on craigslist that I didn't end up buying and when I was there I noticed they had a LOT of Ikea Numerar butcher block. I ran over and sure enough, they had an extra sheet. How about that????
Sink and counter installation to come.

So much painting.

We painted almost everything...well, except the bathroom and the now demolished kitchen. So much taping. So much lying on the floor painting trim, which had been eaten up by a very crappy sanding job when the floors were last refinished.

Some before/after action for you:




Before:

After:

Still not sure what to do about the golden glaze on the fireplace...

Front room - A light celery green that's a bit hard to see:

Before: 

After:

Back bedroom, a custom color. By "custom" I mean pouring a bit of "Glazed Pecan" into "Apple Cider." Delicious walls:

Before:

After:

Let the fun begin!

We got the house and closed today. The lending process was a total pain but it's all behind us know and here we go.

Let these stand as "before" pictures.

Shall we begin with the worst?

The utterly awful kitchen. The hulking honey oak cabinets are truly a nightmare.

The living/dining room is going to be awesome though. With some paint and one less ceiling fan (artfully not pictured here. Who puts a ceiling fan above a dining room table?)

Front bedroom/office/guestroom, the least offensive of all of the rooms. There must be half a dozen cable outlets around the house. Somebody should have spent less time watching television and more time taking care of this house.

Back/main bedroom:

Bathroom. Wainscoting? Why?

Exterior shots. Paint is a mess. Backyard, while large, is a mess:

AND HERE WE GO!

WE GOT IT!

A better, sunnier picture.
And, here we go! May the adventure begin.