My Long (Work) Weekend

Last fall my parents told me that my sister was to have her room redecorated and the windows replaced. All of this was to be accomplished by the time that I returned home for Christmas. Unfortunately the work was not done in the fall, nor was it done in the winter (because of the presence of snow). Though spring was a possibility, that didn’t really happen either (but much of the furniture had been removed and placed in my room because of this possibility). Eventually, about a month ago, the windows were finally replaced, though none of the other work was completed. This meant that the room had to be painted, the carpet removed and replaced, and the moulding replaced.

Late last week my father informed me that we would be proceeding with the project this weekend and that he expected my help. So while I can’t say that I really volunteered, I was keen to assist if it meant it would hasten the removal of the excess furniture from my room, and possibly allow me to access my desk, dresser and floor within a few days.


Saturday

The first task on Saturday morning was to install the new moulding around the floor and closet. While this would seem a relatively straightforward task there were a few hiccups. In particular, we seemed to be unable to accurately measure any of the boards that we cut, frequently necessitating a second cut. A more particular problem, which occurred in only two instances, was that we had to chisel out the back of the moulding to create a channel for phone cords. Fortunately these modifications went relatively smoothly, and seem to look just fine.

About five hours (and much frustration) later we were able to move on to the first coat of primer. While I got off to a slow start, things eventually started to speed up and were able finish the first coat without delaying dinner by too great a period of time.

The period of time immediately after dinner was actually spent on a pruning project that my mother and I had noticed earlier in the day. For this project I had to climb one of the front maples and cut of a branch with about a 3 inch diameter. It was also decided that a few smaller branches could also be removed. Once these several branches were down they had to be cut up and then tidied.

Shortly after the pruning operation was wrapped up we were able to head back upstairs and start on the second coat of primer. From my perspective, this coat seemed to progress a little more quickly than the first. The only problem we encountered was that we did not have enough paint to complete one of the walls.

By about 11:00 PM we wrapped up for the evening. All in all, it was a pretty full day.


Sunday

While we started working a little later on Sunday, we were still able to accomplish a fair bit.

The main task of the day was to apply two layers of the top coat, a light pink colour. Like the second coat of primer, this process moved along relatively quickly. Because we had assisted the drying process with several fans we were quickly able to move from the first coat to the second coat. The process was made more efficient by a division of labour, I cut in while my father rolled.

Amazingly, we were able to finish the day’s work without delaying dinner. Though the day was much shorter than Saturday, I was still quite tired when all was said and done.


Monday

The least amount of work was scheduled for Monday. The plan was to give a first coat to the moulding and then paint the closet doors. The moulding seemed take only an hour or so to paint. Amazingly, the doors, because we each took one set, also only took an hour or so to paint. From start to finish, we likely only took about three hours, maybe even a little less.

On the other hand, before the day is out we may have to start re-installing some shelving units and maybe apply a second coat of paint to the moulding. Though, even with these several additional projects, I don’t think that the number of hours of work will be as much as either of the two preceding days.

As much as this wasn’t how I planned on spending my Canada/Memorial Day weekend, I am pleased with the progress that was made in terms of removing the extra furniture from my room. Accessing my desk should be a particular pleasure in the coming weeks.