Fri 23 Mar 2007
Fine woodworking is not really a “portable” activity. It is best done in a well stocked and correctly set-up workshop. Unfortunately we don’t have a designated space for the shop yet. And I probably won’t get one until a year or more. There are more pressing priorities for our home.
So what to do when shelves for the closet had to be made?
Continue reading “Woodworking in a Pinch” »
Fri 27 Apr 2007
My to do list never ends. The previous homeowners had the kitchen redone about 7 years ago. It’s decent, but definitely not our style. We can live with it though. However there was a problem with the tile backsplash. Apparently the installer used grout along where the tile backsplash meets the countertop. Definitely a no-no. Over time, this area expands and contracts, thus cracking along this line. That’s why it’s called an expansion joint. So today I fixed it, and replaced it with silicone caulk. By the way, fixing something around the house is an AT assignment, but we’re always fixing things around the house.
Continue reading “Touching Up the Kitchen Backsplash” »
Tue 31 Jul 2007
Original Living Room Wall (picture taken during home inspection)
The wall looks decent in photos. But already, you can see gaps (the black lines) between the moulding and the wall/ceiling. Up close, you can see cracks in the plaster. There is an especially long crack spanning the entire length of the ceiling. Also the sconces are not exactly the prettiest. It’s apparent that we don’t have the same tastes as the previous homeowners (chandelier, plates, etc). And they don’t work. The switch on the wall does not turn on/off the sconces, it only controls the outlet directly below.
So what’s in store for the living room?
Continue reading “Updating the Living Room” »
Sun 19 Aug 2007
Here’s how I fixed the cracks in the ceiling and walls of our living room:
Here’s the crack in the ceiling. It actually runs the whole length of the room (essentially cutting the ceiling in half).
The first step I took was to widen the crack. Yes, you actually have to make it worse before it can get better (this seems to happen a lot in home renovation, whether you want it to or not).
Continue reading “Fixing the Cracks in the Living Room” »
Thu 23 Aug 2007
After the living room was prepped for electrical and plastering, we moved on to priming and painting.
Continue reading “Living Room - Painting” »
Fri 24 Aug 2007
Meet Stubby:
This is my favorite brush; I use it all the time. Some of the virtues I extol are:
Continue reading “Ole Stubby” »
Mon 27 Aug 2007
Thu 19 Jun 2008
Close friends make fun of me because of my fondness for white in decor and black in clothing. The New York Times ran an article, “What Does Happiness Look Like” about the same debate between designers who love color and those who prefer monochromatic color schemes.
I like color, just in small doses. So when Tig was painting the front porch steps (gray, to match the new steps…sort of), I begged him to paint the ceiling blue like the homes we saw in Martha’s Vineyard. He obliged, and now I have a slice of happiness to look at everytime I walk in and out of the front door.
Continue reading “A Slice of Happiness on the Front Porch” »
Sat 21 Jun 2008
After a long slumber, the IPR has awakened…
After spending hours making an infrared paint remover (IPR), and using it for about 5 minutes, it has spent the last year sitting in a corner of our basement. So when it came time to repaint the front porch floor, I revived the beast to remove the old peeling paint.
Continue reading “Using the IPR and Painting the Porch” »
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