My Holiday Weekend Project

13 years ago

. . . the "Before" pics only, because I need to start the "After" as soon as I can muster up energy and the Tylenol for my aching shoulders, arms and back kicks in ;^D

DH & I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday painting the living and dining rooms. Ugh . . . what a time-consuming job that was! Taking down a gazillion paintings and books and whatever, moving furniture to the middle of the room and taping miles of blue painters tape around 5 French doors, 3 patio doors, 4 windows, one fireplace and yards and yards of brick baseboards! Not to mention that I did all the trim work, including painting around the many (many!) wood beams and corbels on our 13 ft. high wood ceilings.

Now, I realize that all this may sound like nothing to you who like to paint frequently, but I HATE, hate hate to paint and avoid it like the plague . . . until this past weekend, that is. I have the reputation in my family as being the world's worst painter. I've knocked over paint cans, stepped into paint trays, leaned against newly painted wet walls and always seem to forget where I stopped painting, thus painting many areas twice . . . or more. BUT, I'm so proud of myself, because I didn't do any of the above this past weekend . . . except the painting many areas twice (insert red face here).

And so, I'm posting a few Before pics here now, so that I'll be shamed into putting this place back in order again quickly, instead of sitting here in my family room, procrastinating and feeling exceptionally sore and lazy ;^D

Warning, the place seriously looks like someone stirred it with a stick!

Lynn

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And the foyer not only has piles of Autumn decs still needing to be packed away, but all the still-filled drawers from both my antique dresser and chest of drawers from the dining room and the two pieces themselves. I truly hope that no one shows up at the front door today, because I doubt that I can reach it, let alone open it!

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Comments (12)

alex9179
13 years ago
Wow, you've got grit to tackle that job! The only thing that would have me looking forward to putting it all back is the opportunity to hang the art in new configurations for a fresh perspective. I bet it will look wonderful when you are done :)
Make sure you have enough pain reliever to get you through it!
lynninnewmexico
Original Author
13 years ago
I wish that I could, Alex, but most of the walls are exposed adobe brick and are a nightmare to hang things on! You can only use certain types of nails and they can only be nailed into the middle of a brick . . . and at a certain angle. Otherwise, you end up with a big, brown, empty hole in the wall where the dried mud has fallen out. So, all the artwork goes back up in the same place . . . although I have painted all the existing nails this time;^D
Lynn
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Hi Barb, I have many antiques and the best thing to do is leave on the original stain and finish, unless the item is damaged. This wash stand and the antique chess table, that I posted a few months back, are the only pieces I restored. The chess table had severe water damage and cigarette burns. This wash stand was very dark and murky and it just didn't fit in with our other stuff. That's why I painted it. Then I decided to strip it (using a sander) and refinishing it to better match our bedroom. I can tell you how to refinish and restore furniture, however, I rather not give advise on antiques... I'll leave that to the professionals. I'd be happy to tell you how to finish other furniture though, as we build a lot of furniture and I do most of the finishing. I never use gel stains, because they are not penetrating and compromise the beauty of the wood. I rather sand a piece down to the raw wood and start over. Joann. Check out the antique forum on GW.
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Here's the Blum web site. Click on "Brochure" to get all the sizes. Blum Metabox They tell you exactly how wide the drawer bottom/back/front needs to be for a given cabinet opening. Mom's a face frame cabinets, so the opening is less than the inside of the cabinet. That's what the back ends of the glides are attached to the back wall, not the side walls. This photo shows how the hinges stick out into the opening. On the right side, the glide is screwed right into the face frame; on the left side, there is a spacer between the glide and the frame. When I measured, I added 1/2" for the projection of the hinge; on installation, it looks like I could have gotten away with less (made the drawer a little wider). If the dimensions had worked out differently - I had used a shorter height, and the hinge was mounted higher, I could have attached right to the face frame on both sides. The Blum instructions tell you exactly (to the 1/16") how big the back, bottom, and front pieces need to be for a given width of cabinet opening and length of side panels. There are lots of places that sell Blum Metabox. I got all the correct part numbers I wanted (length and height) from the Blum site, and searched that way. The sides are different, depending on whether you are building an interior drawer, like I made, or an actual drawer, where the drawer front attaches directly to the sides. I did one of those in my bathroom vanity:
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excessfroufrou
13 years ago
Oh my goodness Lynne, you are a "go getter" type of girl indeed. Are you changing the color? Either way, it will be so nice and fresh for the holidays. I just finished my entryway, except for the new door that I'm still waiting on, so I can relate. You are going to feel so proud when everything is done in place. I'll be watching for the after pix.
Frou
jeannespines
13 years ago
Oh boy, lynn! Everything is going to be bright & beautiful for the holidays! Kudos to you & DH...wow, a big job! I'm happy to see your "BEFORE" pics & lookin' forward to your holiday decor...because I love your home & what you do within it. Hope you could have some fresh air coming in while you tackled this!

I packed away Fall decor today (used to have 1 large tub)...now thanks to the Enablers R Us here, I now have 2 large tubs! Started unpacking a few Christmas & Winter ones, too...it takes me a week usually...but today will probably be it...as I'm going to be playing with GKids the rest of the week! (a GOOD thing!) TFS your pics & good luck getting things back in order...aches & pains...just remember ...this too shall pass. Jeanne S.
pheasantlady
13 years ago
That's is a really big project.I really like your hutch.I bet you have a lot of fun decorating it for the holidays.
nana2010_gw
13 years ago
Oh my gosh, Lynne, Wish I was close enough to help. Work like that is easier when you have someone to help and it isn't such a chore when you are helping someone else.
NanaKaren
milosmom_gw
13 years ago
Oh Lynne!
What a brave woman you are to tackle all that ,especially on a holiday weekend of all times.
No need to shame thyself, we all have been there (probably many times) and I'm certain in time we will be back to seeing your fresh and new lovely home we're so accustomed to you sharing :).
Forge ahead towards the pain reliever and rest a moment, it's well earned.
oldalgebra
13 years ago
Here's the deal. IT'S DONE. You're going to love the clean, clean look of the place when it all gets put back.

Sorry to hear you're hurting though.

Did I hear someone say, "Advil"?

Hey! Wait a minute. Don't you know a doctor?
luvstocraft
13 years ago
And to think I was concerned the times I showed all my stash of decorations waiting to be put up--and that was only a patio full! LOL You have allot of wonderful art work that you had to be careful to protect from spatters and/or breakage. And you have allot of books and other decorative items to move as well. What a job! Seeing your pics reminds me of why I keep putting off putting some fresh paint up here at my house! LOL Rest up a bit, then tackle it one corner at a time. After all, you still have a few weeks until Christmas! ;o)

Luvs
lynninnewmexico
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the nudges to get things finished. I honestly did need them. I'm still in the process of putting stuff back, and am cleaning and polishing everything as I go. Yep . . . just in time to turn around and pack half of it away on Saturday as we put out the Christmas things. NOT, not, not the greatest timing on our part (LOL)!
Lynn
plainjane425
13 years ago
Lynn...I feel for you Big Time.. I know of all the 'prep' that goes into doing a huge painting job and it's no picnic.
But like the others have said, think of how relieved you will now feel that it's all behind you.
It does play havoc on your body too...seems there are muscles used that we never knew we had till they ache!
The reason I can relate..when we lived in our 'This Old House'...
DH always had some 'project' or reno planned that would start in the Spring, But ALWAYS went right up to the final hrs before the Holidays. This always brought on
major stress since we were the ones who would host all the
family for Christmas.
I do have to say, once it was over..it was over and it felt sooo good to enjoy what was done...
This too will pass Lynn...once it's all put together again, I know I will be 'seeing' your big smile as you're enjoying the results!

jane
phonegirl
13 years ago
Lynn, hope by now you are well on your way with this project. You are smart to be cleaning everything as you go. I always tell DH I have to decorate and have company to keep our home as clean as I like!

I use to like to repaint every two years but as I age that is not happening. Like everyone has said, you will love the end results and be sparklin' clean this Holiday Season.

Punk

My Holiday Weekend Project

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My Holiday Weekend Project

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