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!?

Shelves in the Kitchen Unit

Lately I’ve not being much work around the house due to this 

 I did get a final coat on my parent’s kitchen unit and got the shelves finished. All the final install of trim is now on hold until my foot heals.

And now we know: bending over to try and coat the inside of a unit while on a stool with a cast on is hard work. I miss mobility.

Mum's Kitchen Unit

This weekend I finally got around to installing that kitchen unit in my parent’s kitchen. To start I removed the baseboards in the corner…which of course took longer than expected. Turns out they were installed before the subfloor, so I had to cut them out.

Next I put down the 2x4 base and levelled it with plastic shims. The shims I screwed to the wood to keep in place and then the whole piece was screwed to the wall into studs.

After trimming down the edge of the top to get a flush fit to the wall, I glued/dowels/pocket hole screwed it to the cabinets. I used dowels for the middle gables, the screws along the back where they aren't visible and glue everywhere. I actually did this part twice as I forgot to put in the corner shelf in prior to the top going on. It is too large to fit through the opening with the top on. Fun times taking it apart and lining it all up a second time.

Once the top was secure, the unit was lifted onto the base, screwed to the wall into the studs and screwed into the base as well. This unit is not going anywhere.

The bench frame went in next, I screwed it to the wall and the unit and it is also supported by 2 legs.

Sunday I came back and installed some cross bracing and the seat portion of the bench. 

Finally I gave it a light sand by hand with a fine grit paper; the whole thing was already sanded a few months ago. I vacuumed the piece and wiped it down with a tack cloth before putting on 3 coats of Verathane. 

Still I am not done. I think it needs another coat of Verathane, it really soaks into the pine. The shelves still need clear coating on one side, the baseboards need to be re-installed under the bench and boards need to be added along the kick plate to hide the 2x4’s. It sounds like a lot, but at least the unit is out of my basement and useable in the meantime.

And now we know: when designing a corner cabinet think about how to get the shelf in or at the least clear coat it before it is in place. It was extremely hard to coat this with the combination of such a small opening and being very deep.

Powder Room - Final Touches

I’ve been wrapping up the powder room project starting with touching up the grout. The bottom right corner of the wall tile, where the drywall patching was done, needed a bit more grout to fill in the seem.

Once that bit of grouting was done, I put 3 coats of sealer on the wall tile and the floor grout.

Along the edges of the sink, I caulked the gap, which looks much more polished and water proof.

Although the powder room is ‘done’ in the construction sense and we are using it now, there are still a few outstanding items. The trim around the door and the door need painting. The vanity doors need to be hung. I need to find a mirror; the old one looked too busy with the tile. Also the room needs some art and maybe a shelf or something above the toilet. There is no rush on that stuff so it will probably be another couple of months before they are in place.

And now we know: a fun new trick to caulking; wet your finger and run it along the caulking to make it look extra smooth.