I wanted to thank all of you for the wonderful comments and how you talk with each other when you know I’m busy. I didn’t read your comments until just a little while ago and they were wonderful… as they always are!
It’s Day 2 of our renovation and the windows are still missing their inside and wall trim. Maybe today it will happen! My hubby had too many interruptions in his day, but Rebecca and I kept going forward.
The first thing Rebecca and I worked on was trying to get the ceiling primed…and we did! Two coats, in fact, and one coat of the ceiling paint is now on there. It took us forever to figure out how to get the ceiling tile cracks painted. We tried every paint roller we had… from slightly fluffy to as fluffy as a little puppy, but nothing seemed to work until I found this little 4″ roller that was soft and almost furry. Rebecca put it on a long pole and she painted the cracks while I went around the edges with a brush and got close to the edges. Somehow it worked… of course, the down side is… we probably won’t be able to move our arms tomorrow! :o)
It looks so nice and clean and prettier than it’s ever been. Now I’m ready to paint the ceiling in my bedroom. (Better wait!)
Joy mentioned doing a bead board ceiling… well, sorry Joy, this project has a budget (of ZERO $$) and bead board isn’t in it! (I wish!)
Neither is dry wall…
So let’s see what happened today…
My hubby showed Rebecca how to use the caulk gun and she filled in all the cracks in the paneling, mostly up under the trim that you see about 6″ down from the ceiling. We have 8 1/2″ ceilings, so the paneling had to be extended another 6″, so that trim was put up in both bedrooms… Rebecca did very well and it passed inspection by “Caulk King!” (the name I gave my hubby… he’s really good!)
He worked on the area under the window I showed you yesterday… and no little mice are ever going to get through his steel plate and 2″ thick wood block and caulk (yes, more caulk) and insulation! I think he was proud of his work… so I’m showing it in all its glory!
He found a piece of paneling in his garage that will work under the window…no, it’s not a perfect match, but I don’t think it will be noticeable when it’s painted. A piece of furniture will most likely be in front of it.
There was a little area in the paneling by the north window that had gotten moisture under it and had bubbled out… it had cracked and looked like this…
You could push your finger against it and it would split open…
So he took a flat head screw driver and had me pry it open and turn the screwdriver on its side, holding it open as much as possible, so he could squirt some gel super glue down in the area… then he took a bracket and placed it on top of the bulging out part and screwed the bracket to the wall, in the area that will be covered by the window trim. He tried a few “dry runs” to see where the bracket needed to be placed to make it the least “bulgy!” I guess we’ll see if it worked tomorrow… and Yes, that’s a measuring spoon he used to get it to fit tighter… he knows what he’s doing and I don’t question him…
He also worked on the ceiling light fixture, adding foam and caulk (see I told you he loves caulk) to the inside of the opening to keep any dirt or dust in the attic from falling down into her room.
So, what did “I” do? I painted, and painted and painted…and swept and swept and swept and brought my hubby tools he needed when he was on the floor and filled up paint trays and washed out brushes and then I just stood back and looked at it all. I can’t believe it’s still a wreck in there, but it looks so pretty. I think I can see how it’s going to look when it’s all finished and I’m getting excited. I think Rebecca is too!
These hands were made for “sewing” and that’s just what they’ll do… (as soon as she gets all this painting done!)
As soon as this painting job is over, I’m tossing these pants. The roofing guy stopped by and caught me in them….sort of embarrassing! :o(
Well, stay tuned and come back tomorrow to see what happened today! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh how I wish I could be there to help. I know the room will be amazing when you are finished. Isn’t it wonderful to have a man who can fix anything! I can hardly wait to see the finished product. Tell Rebecca all those skills she is learning now will really pay off as she goes through life. Proud of you all and praying for safety, wisdom, joy and no more interruptions!❤️
Hi Jeanne,
Things are moving along and it looks great! I was so impressed with yesterday’s post. You all work well together. What a clever idea on removing old carpet. I didn’t think it looked messy, just an older home getting some loving. I had to laugh when you called hubby “the caulk king” my hubby calls me “the caulk queen”… No crack, hole or crevice is safe with me around! Lol
The ceiling looks brand new. I love how you figure things out as you go, smoothing the little bumps out is certainly your strong suit!
There certainly is no shame in wearing “working clothes”, it shows people you like getting your hand dirty even if they were made for sewing. 😉
Have a productive day, stay safe
Hugs
Ingrid
Those beautiful hands with perfect nails did all THAT yesterday! What an amazing team you are! Otherwise, I’m speechless 😶, at last.
Dear Jeanne, you all did a great job. I hope Ruben rewarded you with cookies and milk when you were finished for the day (chuckle).
I can’t wait to see what colors you and Rebecca select for the room.
I echo what Susette said about your beautiful hands! At first I thought they were Rebecca’s hands, up then I saw a wedding ring! I happen to know that the rest of you looks just as beautiful!
I love to watch those do-it-yourself shows, and this is right there at the top!
Going to the grocery store today. It’s getting to be like the “Wild West” out there!
No worries about the sweat pants, Jeanne! We have all been there!
Save those paint clothes. You’re going to need them again when you paint the kitchen cabinets. 🙂 I have a pair of jeans and long sleeved top that are reserved for painting. All washed and are ready for the next project.
I like that extra add on at the top of the paneling. Gives the room some detail up there. And it will look so pretty when it is all painted. The ceiling tiles definitely are looking better. Hope that leak area doesn’t bleed through the paint. Often does. I’ve had to use shellac to seal an area like that in the past. Only thing I’ve found that works. 🙂
And George gets the award for calking neatness. Good job. Me, not so neat. I once used 27 tubes of calking to fill of the voids in the old playhouse in our backyard. Not one rodent or insect has ever returned. I turned it into a sort of outdoor bedroom. Still love the place with it’s Martha Stewart pale blue inside color.
Speaking of color. What shade has Rebecca chosen? My choice, white of course. Maybe you need to do a poll and see what color everyone would choose. Might be fun. 🙂
And back to George’s ingenious push in the warped paneling job. If that doesn’t work, maybe try the glue and a flat 2×4 with an angled prop nailed temporarily into the sub floor. 🙂 So glad to see the insulation stuffed into the window void too. I was hoping that would happen. We too have a house that was built without insulation. Over the years as we replaced windows and moved doors, we filled in with insulation, but the kind with vapor barrier attached. I think we have about 50% of the south wall now covered. Just keep plugging away. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing your room update. Fun to see someone else doing the work. Hee hee. Watch your back with that ceiling work. 🙂
Painting is always a messy chore, but the results are always worth it. My sun room is a chicory blue with white trim around the windows and a white ceiling. It has a Victorian/Edwardian antique wicker loveseat and rocker that my day gave me as a birthday present many years ago. You can sit on them, carefully. It has some treasures from P.E> Island- sand, dirt, and posters. It’s my room of perpetual summer.
You all make a great team and I can’t wait to see what colors Rebecca chooses. It’s always fun to re-do a color scheme.
I have a quick question for any of the ladies . Did you subscribe or keep copies of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion magazine? I have a friend who likes her artwork and I understand there was a magazine that had her art and paper dolls. I’m thinking of trying to find some back issues on eBay as a birthday gift if the price is right. Thank you.
The ceiling is looking great!! What a difference with the new white paint. The ceiling will look wonderful when completed.
I like all the genius ideas you and George come up with. If an idea does the job, all the more power to it!
I can’t wait to see what color Rebecca chooses for the walls. Her bedroom will be beautiful.
I’ve always loved painting and I have a pair of pants and shirt that I use over and over. The outfit became part of my painting clothes when I accidentally fell up against a newly painted wall! lol. It was all across my back. The color was called nautical white or something along those lines.
As far as painting, my husband taught me how to do a good job edging and outlining any wall. I really enjoy that sometime strenuous job.
Looking forward to your next set of pictures of Rebecca’s room. Like others, I thought your fingers were Rebecca’s. You have youthful looking hands!
That room is going to look wonderful. I’m excited to see it all finished. You all work so hard.
Your hands are beautiful, Jeanne, especially for all the work you do. I agree keep the paint clothes, you’ll need them again sometime. Reading and seeing your progress, is great, and I look forward to it everyday.
The prep work has paid off on that ceiling! It looks great and it always surprises me how clean and bright new ceiling paint looks when you didn’t realize it needed it. It will be warmer in the there too with the insulation. We are all holding our breath to see the paint color. I hope it is a color and just white. Rebecca has good taste and is learning so much. Good life lessons in so many ways.
Your hands do look good in spite of all the paint.
The week is going fast but everything looks great!
Wow! I’m totally impressed with the ceiling work. How are your arms today? And the repair work necessary to bring all this about, amazing. I know Rebecca is going to be pleased and the satisfaction you will all receive from a beautiful job well done will be immeasurable.
I’m getting to this late today. I had the grandkids and they took over both my desktop and laptop for their school work and then some game downtime in the afternoon. Their mom has been doing really well with her grocery shopping for others during this difficult time. And, since A/C in Houston is considered essential, the guys will have work off and on through all this, but having it over with would be the best because they do some new builds and if the economy fails, people won’t be buying homes.
I had a tele visit with my doctor this morning because I was not feeling top notch and thought I might have a sinus infection and my one ear was bothering me. He gave me an antibiotic and Allegra-D so I’m hoping that will take care of all that ails me. Trying to self-diagnose when the doctor is second guessing you and you can’t come into the office was no fun. The doctor I took David to the other day came out to the car to see him. One of the privileges of being a senior citizen.
I’m hoping to feel better tomorrow so I can get some sewing done. I just have not been able to focus lately with all that has been going on. I also have a new dolly child on the way. She is a Dianna Effner Boneka named Charlotte. Totally cute. I have wanted a Boneka doll for a long time but they were so expensive. She was on sale through Happily Ever After and I couldn’t resist. After all this stuff lately I needed a pick-me-up.