Catching Up

  “The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow to it.” Proverbs 11:22

 I’ve been busy with projects in the house trying to get it completely finished although finishing means starting, too! The living room is all in disarray as I tackle the ceiling before putting new paint on the walls. The ceiling is ugly stucco, sagging in places and worn out so I have decided to cover it with whitewashed, pine tongue and groove paneling.

  Originally, I was going to get my contractor back to put new drywall up but decided to go with the wood. There are a couple of reasons. One, I can DIY it. Two, it will create the cottage feel I am going for. It did mean investing in an air nailer and compressor because holding up the wood and hammering it into place at the same time requires three arms. I’ve only got two. (Smile.)

  The last couple of days have been spent installing the strapping required to nail the paneling to. It was a fussy job because the ceiling isn’t level. It undulates like a calm sea! I’ve done my best to make it even, using plenty of shims. It may need some tweaking but I’ll have a better idea where once the boards are being installed.

  The pine has been sitting in the hallway for a little more than a week, getting acclimatized to the space. It still has a few more days to go before it can be installed. I’ve left it longer than the package suggests so there will be no chance it will shrink once it’s up. That was the lesson of an experience of having to redo an entire job because the wood pulled apart as it dried.

  The plan is to paint it before installing it. That’s far easier on the neck.

  I feel blessed for past experiences which have given me the knowhow to do this.

  The other project that chewed up a whack of time was giving my linen cupboard and an inexpensive storage wardrobe a face lift. It was orange toned, faux wood that no longer goes with my décor. It’s also the first thing you see when you come in the side door.

   The inspiration came from an idea in a magazine to use trim, a variety of handles and different peel and stick wallpaper to create false drawers and doors. Our local ReStore was a great source for used door handles. I cut down trim that was torn out during the reno rather than buying new. It was a picky, finicky job, too but gave me a good chance to practice using my new air nailer.

  The end result was better than I imagined.

  Once the living room is finished, all that’s left is painting the stairs and addressing the entry into the basement. I might use pine paneling on the walls for some continuity. Right now it’s just covered with blue styrophome insulation.  The cement floor at the bottom of the stairs needs some love, too.  It’s like the ceiling….undulating. (Whoever built the house must not have owned a level!) There’s flooring left over I want to install down there to make it pretty. That’s why the cement needs to be as smooth as possible. 

  But that’s a job for another day. (Smile.) 

  It would seem I can set goals after all.