It's just after 10:00 AM and I already feel as though I've got hours of work under my belt.
The major project I've been addressing this weekend is to put the aesthetic touches on a handrail in our basement that I constructed last weekend. The posts (rather ugly 2x6s) are being painted a greyish colour while the hemlock handrail is retaining its natural colour.
The handrail was given a quick second coat early this morning and should be ready for a third and, maybe, final coat this afternoon (though I have a sneaking suspicion that a fourth or fifth coat may be ideal). As each of the first two coats have been significant improvements, I'm hopeful that these additional coats will really be worth the effort.
The first of my removable posts has now been given two coats of paint is ready to be re-installed once it has fully dried. Once this post is back in place I will swap out the other post and give it two quick coats and then re-install it. To save time I have pre-woodfilled the second post so that I can have two streams of drying occurring simultaneously. Ideally, both posts will be complete and back in place by Sunday evening at the latest.
Of course, while allowing paint and finishes to dry I've been busy taking care of other chores. Dishes, laundry, and baking have all be going on in the background. Sadly, I suspect laundry, which we've allowed to pile up all week, will also stretch through the weekend.
Showing posts with label Painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Painting. Show all posts
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Saturday, July 27, 2013
A Few Quick Notes 601
-After a few days of regular thundershowers and downpours we've had a few rain free days. While the days haven't been quite as sunny or warm as I expected, they've nonetheless been a welcome change of pace. Actually, aside from the fact that they're not quite as sunny as I'd like they've been almost perfect (not to windy or hot or humid).
-Today we went to an open house/jazz concert that was held down the street from where we live. Not only did the open house allow us to see one of the units in a row-house complex we'd been contemplating when we were in the housing market, we got to hear the jazz band while were outside working in our yard. The only bummer was that by the time I was finally ready to go the jazz band had finished their show and was packing up. I guess this will teach me to be a bit prompter next time I was to see a free outside show.
-The regular pea pod stir-frys we've been having with our backyard-grown pea pods have been really wonderful. I think that next year we'll have to consider doubling the portion of our garden we devote to peas.
-Our very own sweet little Marie has been really misbehaving the past few days. It's been a real bummer following her around just to clean up her messes. We're hoping that now that we've switched her back to the kitty litter she'd been using for her first few months with us that she'll calm down (but that may be too hopeful).
-As of this week the our house is now completely repainted. The body of the house is purple and the trip is a cream colour. We both are quite please with the outcome.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the colour change seems to be attracting a fair bit of attention. Most drivers seem unable to drive by without at least slowing, some even come to a complete stop. Pedestrians, as you might have guessed, are also frequently stopping to look at our newly purple house. I get the impression that the people of Regina aren't quite used to houses being painted purple.
-I guess it's time for me to get back to dinner. Hopefully it hasn't burned in my absence.
-Today we went to an open house/jazz concert that was held down the street from where we live. Not only did the open house allow us to see one of the units in a row-house complex we'd been contemplating when we were in the housing market, we got to hear the jazz band while were outside working in our yard. The only bummer was that by the time I was finally ready to go the jazz band had finished their show and was packing up. I guess this will teach me to be a bit prompter next time I was to see a free outside show.
-The regular pea pod stir-frys we've been having with our backyard-grown pea pods have been really wonderful. I think that next year we'll have to consider doubling the portion of our garden we devote to peas.
-Our very own sweet little Marie has been really misbehaving the past few days. It's been a real bummer following her around just to clean up her messes. We're hoping that now that we've switched her back to the kitty litter she'd been using for her first few months with us that she'll calm down (but that may be too hopeful).
-As of this week the our house is now completely repainted. The body of the house is purple and the trip is a cream colour. We both are quite please with the outcome.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the colour change seems to be attracting a fair bit of attention. Most drivers seem unable to drive by without at least slowing, some even come to a complete stop. Pedestrians, as you might have guessed, are also frequently stopping to look at our newly purple house. I get the impression that the people of Regina aren't quite used to houses being painted purple.
-I guess it's time for me to get back to dinner. Hopefully it hasn't burned in my absence.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
A Few Quick Notes 600
-We seem to be heading into another grey and rainy prairie summer's day. Yum. If we're 'lucky' we may even get to have a few thundershowers and whatnot.
-I guess it's a good thing that we just installed our second rain barrel below your garage's new roof and eavestrough then?
Unfortunately, our smaller rain barrel is below the downspout that is likely to collect more rain. Eventually we may have to try to switch these barrels around - but for the time being and as long as I am disinclined to cut up our downspout and then re-attach it to our stucco siding we may have to stick with this less-than-ideal arrangement.
-Oh, and did we mention that we're painting our house? The process should start in earnest next week.
Maybe the new colour will help with the naming process? Of course, I'm not entirely sure that I like the idea of naming our house something like "The Eggplant" or some other name that is entirely dependent on a house colour that may not be permanent.
I guess we could consider something like "Jellybean West"? (For those of you not familiar with St. John's, Jellybean Row are colourful row houses in downtown St. John's.)
-I think I may have mentioned it before, but our cat seems to really like hanging out in boxes.
This shoe box seems to be Marie's favourite, though if she's in another room she'll pretty much take anything that's available.
For instance, laundry baskets are definitely a suitable stand-in.
-Despite the aforementioned risk of thundershowers the sun seems to have just found a slight crack in the cloud cover. Of course, it's now clear how long this situation will hold.
-I guess it's a good thing that we just installed our second rain barrel below your garage's new roof and eavestrough then?
-Oh, and did we mention that we're painting our house? The process should start in earnest next week.
Maybe the new colour will help with the naming process? Of course, I'm not entirely sure that I like the idea of naming our house something like "The Eggplant" or some other name that is entirely dependent on a house colour that may not be permanent.
I guess we could consider something like "Jellybean West"? (For those of you not familiar with St. John's, Jellybean Row are colourful row houses in downtown St. John's.)
-I think I may have mentioned it before, but our cat seems to really like hanging out in boxes.
This shoe box seems to be Marie's favourite, though if she's in another room she'll pretty much take anything that's available.
For instance, laundry baskets are definitely a suitable stand-in.
-Despite the aforementioned risk of thundershowers the sun seems to have just found a slight crack in the cloud cover. Of course, it's now clear how long this situation will hold.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Not even a post a day yet
I just noticed that even though we're in the midst of what could be a hard-fought blog-off, we're not even up to a post a day - I'm sure our devoted reader/s (are there even any left?) expect more of us this late in the game.
I guess I will have to really try to ramp things up over the next few days as by the time the middle of the month rolls around I'll have a long weekend road trip and a move/painting to contend with. And as much as Jeannette completely understands my strange dedication to regularly updating this blog, I'm not sure if she'd be OK with me putting down a box or a paint brush to advance my position in this blog-off.
Cameron - 8
Neil - 0
I guess I will have to really try to ramp things up over the next few days as by the time the middle of the month rolls around I'll have a long weekend road trip and a move/painting to contend with. And as much as Jeannette completely understands my strange dedication to regularly updating this blog, I'm not sure if she'd be OK with me putting down a box or a paint brush to advance my position in this blog-off.
Cameron - 8
Neil - 0
Saturday, February 09, 2013
Why didn't anyone tell me paint is so expensive?
We just returned from our paint selecting excursion.
Not only was colour selection process much harder than I anticipated (mainly because Jeannette vetoed my plan for plain white walls and then also my plan for painting all four walls and the ceiling different colours), but the paint itself was also much more expensive than I anticipated. Of course, it didn't help that I talked myself out of going for the cheapest of the paint lines that the company offered.
Anyway, we're back now and we have two different whites (ceiling and mouldings), a moldy green, a grey, and a light orange. Oh, and also all kinds of painting related equipment like brushes and rollers. At some point in the near future we will have to buy a step ladder.
The worst part of this is that I'm sure that once we're about half way through the job we'll realize that there's something important that we've forgotten (like maybe to buy enough paint) that will cause us to be stalled for some number of hours.
But when I'm not moping about the amount of work this will be and the risk of failure, I'm really quite excited that we'll finally have a place that we can paint and that within about two weeks we'll actually be able to start painting it. The prospect is a little overwhelming.
Cameron - 7
Neil - 0
Not only was colour selection process much harder than I anticipated (mainly because Jeannette vetoed my plan for plain white walls and then also my plan for painting all four walls and the ceiling different colours), but the paint itself was also much more expensive than I anticipated. Of course, it didn't help that I talked myself out of going for the cheapest of the paint lines that the company offered.
Anyway, we're back now and we have two different whites (ceiling and mouldings), a moldy green, a grey, and a light orange. Oh, and also all kinds of painting related equipment like brushes and rollers. At some point in the near future we will have to buy a step ladder.
The worst part of this is that I'm sure that once we're about half way through the job we'll realize that there's something important that we've forgotten (like maybe to buy enough paint) that will cause us to be stalled for some number of hours.
But when I'm not moping about the amount of work this will be and the risk of failure, I'm really quite excited that we'll finally have a place that we can paint and that within about two weeks we'll actually be able to start painting it. The prospect is a little overwhelming.
Cameron - 7
Neil - 0
Paint shopping
It seems that in anticipation of the acquisition of our new house Jeannette and I will be at least spending some portion of the day doing some paint shopping. The hope is that if we can have the paint on hand before we move in we will be able to shorten the downtime in a few rooms associated with re-painting.
Of course, one of the problems with this paint shopping excursion is that it's been a few years since either of us have done any serious painting - so we're a little out of touch with what's hot in paint application techniques and/or high-tech latex paints. And though it doesn't worry me, Jeannette's a little worried about how the whole 'accent wall' thing works.
Anyway, if all goes well by the end of the day we'll have paint and appropriate applicators for three rooms (and we'll have also finalized colour choice for the three rooms we're planning on painting).
Cameron - 6
Neil - 0
Of course, one of the problems with this paint shopping excursion is that it's been a few years since either of us have done any serious painting - so we're a little out of touch with what's hot in paint application techniques and/or high-tech latex paints. And though it doesn't worry me, Jeannette's a little worried about how the whole 'accent wall' thing works.
Anyway, if all goes well by the end of the day we'll have paint and appropriate applicators for three rooms (and we'll have also finalized colour choice for the three rooms we're planning on painting).
Cameron - 6
Neil - 0
Monday, July 02, 2007
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.
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.
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