Re-caulking the Kitchen

I’m still in the cast so am doing little projects off my to-do list that don’t require too much standing. Tom requested I prioritize the kitchen caulking, over the past year it has cracked really badly and looks like crap. I used an exacto blade to remove the old stuff and gave it a wipe down with a wet cloth.

Then I did a new bead of caulking, it was not my cleanest work, but it looks good in the end.

And now we know: caulking still sucks and still makes such a big difference 

Finishing Ella’s House

Wow do some of my projects really drag on! I started a house for the cat in May and finally finished it up this weekend. I attached the final hexagons and squares to complete the shape. For the entry, I cut a large hole in one of the hexagons. From there I gave it a sanding.

To finish it off I gave it 3 coats of clear satin Verathane. 

Compared to the old cardboard ‘bunker’ she’s had for 3 years now, this is quite the upgrade. It also looks way better in our front room!

And now we know: so far the cat is still getting used to it, she has gone in a few times but the real test will be if she hides there next time Tom vacuums 

Painting the Front Door

Our front door currently looks like this

Red, with a badly done paint job and yellow trim around the window

This weekend I finally got around to painting it, this being a project small enough to do with a broken foot. To start I gave it a light sand, a wipe down and taped off around the hardware. Then I used an oil based primer over the red as I wasn’t sure what type of paint was previously used.

The next day I have it four (yes four!) coats of blue paint, giving it an hour between coats. I was a little worried to close the door in the evening, but there was no damage when I opened it the next morning.

I really like the change in colour, it looks so different from the outside of the house. The trim around the window is only primed right now, it needs a coat of paint when I am steadier on a ladder again.

While all the painting gear was out, I touched up the front room paint from when the window was replaced.

And now we know: blue takes a crazy amount of coats of paint and everyone notices when you change the colour of your front door.

Hanging Pictures, Prints and Doors

With my limited mobility I decided it was a good time to tackle hanging pictures in the house. When in Europe this spring, we purchased a couple of large prints, so I started by framing those. The large print of Edinburgh I hung in the dining room.

Tom’s map print got hung in the powder room. It’s visible from the front hall and the den so I wanted something interesting in that spot

Also in the powder room, I got the doors installed on the vanity. This was another task that was hard to try and bend while on a stool with a cast.

Finally I started re-arranging the frames on both sides of the dining room. I had bought some extra frames to put up some of our new vacation pictures from Portugal and Edinburgh.

And now we know: check the hinges before you buy them…the packet had 2 parts that didn't go together!?