Bleeding White From My Eyes

I can't believe what I've been through this week. I can't believe it's been a weeks since I posted! It kind of makes me mad because that time is lost and I'm too tired to try and remember what it was like...and it was pretty bad. This is one of the reasons I didn't post.



I do feel like we've reached a milestone though. Now when we do something it actually looks like we've accomplished something. Tonight I sprayed the ceiling with our new Wagner power sprayer. It's an airless spray gun and I liked using it but it was really hard to tell in the near dark (by the light of a 500 watt worklight anyway) how good of a job it did. Took for freakin' ever to tape up the joint. I think Emma & Taylor used about a roll just covering the top of the handrail (I want to stain it...why, why do I do these things?

Despite the tyvec suit, respirator & goggles I'm getting a stream of white coming out of the corners of my eyes. Isn't dat veird?

Here's a few of the memorables from this last week:




I seriously thought I was going to have a mental breakdown trying to get the wallpaper off the bedroom wall. I discovered that TSP does a great job on the wallpaper and so had a lot of hope until TSP started doing a great job on the craft paper too. It was a disaster. I can't believe I made it through. Everything is 3 times as much work and takes 4 times as long. I was able to make a smooth surface with determination and a bucket of mud.

I cut the perfect hole in the back of the oven cabinet and discovered that it was the refridgerator cabinet when I went to lift it in place! ARRRRRGGH! AND! AND!
I had paid an electrician and obscene amount (to me anyway) to put a beautiful little plug in the wall that WOULD have been covered by the cabinet. GRRRRR. I'm going to make lemonade out of that lemon if it kills me. I'm going to put a decorative shelve & trim above the microwave hood AND IT WILL BE GOOD! (Okay, now I'm going to take my meds. :)

The countertop guy just doesn't get it. When I tell him that I can get the same counter (60 inch one in the basement) at Lowe's for about $50 and he's charging me $120 he doesn't see the irony and says "But I can make it cheaper than that so it doesn't help me." Yes...this I am knowing...I'm trying to help me buddy. Sigh. The kitchen countertops do look good though. I caved and got a stainless sink. Another milestone done.

We got the home equity extention we needed but will probably use most of it for a new furnace and air conditioning. In one pocket and out the other. At least I won't have to return my 12 doors.

Did I mention the wallpaper?


Lessons Learned:

Wallpaper is hell. Please don't use it unless you size first.

Huge holes in the drywall craft paper can be repaired. I let the tears dry completely and then sanded them first so I would have little brown specks showing through.

MEASURE BEFORE YOU CUT A HOLE. Or should I say "measure before you cut a-hole!"

TSP works well on wallpaper & paste. I used a 10" putty knife after I softened the paste and basically squeegeed it off the wall.

Use paintable caulk in the corners of drywall instead of taping the corners.