Days 22-24 - Power Tool Convert

Saturday
I have a confession - I've been avoiding the blog.  These last few days have been, well, a little frustrating.  I avoided writing any new posts so I wouldn't have to admit it out loud!  But it's the truth and anyone who's done any remodeling to their home knows that some days just kind of stink.  Sometimes it gets hard and you think to yourself, "Will this ever end?"

Saturday we went to the house with the goal of getting one bathroom up and running - the guest bath.  Daniel had already laid the floor so all we needed to do was get the trim boards in and install the toilet and vanity.  No problem, right? So we thought.

We are putting white trim boards throughout the house.  While vacationing with his family in Branson, MO, Daniel convinced me he really needed a new saw - a Rigid 10" sliding miter saw - that was on a great sale at the Tanger factory outlet store.  Getting it home was interesting since he also had to get the giant stand with it, but we made it work.  Well I'm glad we got it now!  It works great for cutting the trim boards at a much more precise angle than his old saw.  I tried my hand at it.  One thing I learned, test to see where the blade is actually going to come down before cutting - don't trust the laser!

I worked on (in my opinion) the nastiest thing in the bathroom, the wax ring for the toilet. That thing seriously grosses me out.  However, it had to be done.  So I scraped up the old wax ring to ready the flange for the new ring.  The flange had a screw missing but I didn't think too much of it because I assumed it kind of all sealed together once the weight of the toilet was on it.  We kept the existing toilet because it was relatively new and just needed a good cleaning.  In our last house, the plumbing had been winterized two years before we bought it.  I scrubbed those toilets more times than I can count before the ring from the winterizing chemicals came out.  So I can handle a dirty toilet any day. 

Anyways we got the new toilet set with the new wax ring in place.  However, there was way too much wiggle in the unit after we had tightened the nuts to hold it in place.  This was probably my fault for not speaking up about the loose/missing screws in the flange.  Daniel flushed it a few times and no water appeared to be leaking so we went downstairs.  That's when I heard it.  A drip, drip drip was coming from inside the wall we had just replaced with new drywall in the powder room which is directly above that bathroom.  It sounds like we may have a leak.  I think I might cry if we have to rip out that beautiful fresh wall that was just textured and painted...  But we aren't sure so  our plumber is coming out on Tuesday.  It's possible the dripping sound was just inside the pipe and not actually dripping inside the wall.  I'm praying that's it!  We turned off the water and took the toilet back up.  To be safe, we are having the plumber install the toilet and vanity in this bathroom so he can check things out.

Sunday
Daniel worked on painting the doors of the built in linen closets above the stairs and in the master bath as well as the stringers on the stairs.  The wood was sanded down and primed, then sprayed with a semi gloss white paint.  Apparently the semi gloss is supposed to hold up better against wear and tear so it's what we will be using on all the doors in the house.  The carpet will cover over the edge of the steps.  We're still deciding what we want to do with the existing balusters and handrail.  Right now it's a bit dangerous at the top of the stairs with just a gaping opening since the banisters on the landing were removed by the previous owners.  So we will either paint or replace the existing pieces on the bottom half of the stairs, depending on what we find for the upstairs banisters. 

I guess what was frustrating about those two days is it just felt like not much progress was made.  The one major thing we tried to accomplish didn't go over well, and now we're worried about a leak.  We're starting to really feel anxious to move into the house.  There's so many of these small things (like painting a closet) we could do even easier if we lived there.  So hopefully we'll get to a place soon where we've achieved a livable status!

Monday

Today was exciting because I got to try something new - tiling!  Daniel is pretty good at tiling and has done it quite a bit.  That's how he convinced me to buy a new Rigid 7" tile saw on sale at Home Depot a year or so ago even though he had no projects going at the time.  It's turning out to be another good tool investment.  This new saw gives a pretty clean and accurate cut on the tile from the Restore for our master bath shower walls.  We decided to add a small accent row of the fancy glass tile from Home Depot.  We only needed 4 sheets of the accent tile, but those 4 sheets actually cost more than all the boxes of full-sized tile for the shower walls from the Restore.  I don't regret spending the extra money for the glass tile, but I do think it's kind of funny when you compare the cost.  That's why we shop Restore!  I'm loving how it's turning out and love it even more knowing I helped put it up.

I'll post another photo after we've grouted because that always makes a huge difference.  The only downside of this shower, no cut outs or ledges for all our soaps.  The existing walls just didn't really allow for it without going to a lot of trouble.  No worries though, I know I can get some handy suction caddies to hold our stuff.  Those ledges and cutouts just look prettier.  The tile will go all the way to the ceiling and I think it's going to look awesome!

I think Daniel is loving that I'm into our renovation project so much.  Before, when he would talk about wanting a new tool, I would always go through the whole spiel of, "Do you really need that?  Why can't you just use this tool you already have?  What specifically are you going to use that for?"  But now, I'm thinking, "Yeah we definitely need a table saw.  Maybe we could get one for our anniversary in May?  I'll have to watch the sale papers..."  It's a whole new me!  Congratulations babe, you've converted me.  Now that I see the difference that the right quality tool can make, I'm hooked.

The more I learn to do, the more I dream of doing!

Day 14 - New Makeup Routine!

Thursday
Today was a "make your shoulders ache" kind of a work day.  I went to the house before lunch, after lunch and after dinner to paint.  My top priority - get the ceilings upstairs painted so we can take out the old ceiling fans and install the new.

My #1 illumination expert was there to help me this afternoon.  He took down the bedroom ceiling fans while I painted.  Does your electrician wear cuff links on the job?  I didn't think so.  You can't buy this kind of class.

I went to Home Depot this morning to get some more roller covers for this job.  I asked the paint counter folks what type of nap roller I would need to paint the textured ceilings.  They suggested the 1/2 inch.  I had the 3/4 in. in my hand but put it back based on their recommendation.  I wish I hadn't.  I rolled the dark blue bedroom ceiling until my arms ached and could still see through the texture.  The roller just wasn't cutting it.

That afternoon I got smart.  I brought out Daniel's Wagner Spraystation paint sprayer to give it a go.  Since we are just going with flat white on the ceilings, I used the Killz primer for the job.  It's white and will seal out any smoke residue that might try to seep out later.  (Side note: The house no longer smells like cats OR smoke, hallelujah!  Now it just smells like a construction site.  We're getting there.)

The Killz is kind of thick, so I watered it down for the sprayer - about 3/4 primer and 1/4 hot water.  Not sure if using water that was hot made a difference but logically speaking, typically things mix better in hot water than they do in cold.  Worth a shot.  Whether that helped or not, spraying the ceilings worked great!  The key with the sprayer is to take your time.  It doesn't spray on thick so you've got to move slowly to cover the area adequately.  I used a stepladder in the beginning but then got tired of moving it every few minutes and just held the sprayer as high as I could reach over my head.  It got the job done!

By the end of tonight, all 4 bedroom ceilings and both bathroom ceilings upstairs were finished.  Daniel came that evening after band practice and rolled the walls of the bedrooms and baths with the primer.  The second floor is now ready to paint!

Being a busy DIY Renovation Mom, it can be hard to find time to take care of my appearance.  I've been learning to take shortcuts wherever I can.  Today I discovered a brand new makeup routine that saves me time by doing my makeup while I paint the ceiling.  Presto!  Ready for date night with the hubby!

White eyelashes, white highlights and white lipstick are in style, right?  Even my contacts have small flecks of paint...  After a long shower, I still don't have it all washed off...  FYI when I went back after dinner, I got slightly smarter and wore a mask.  My lungs and throat are thanking me for the break from the fumes.

Keep dreaming!