Renovation Chateau

In Memory: 1991- January 27th, 2010

2010-01-28T08:37:00.001-08:00

My darling cat and best friend died yesterday. I have had Jeckyll since seventh grade and we were hard core bonded since the first night she came home with me. Here are a couple pictures of her. I miss you, Jeckyll.

The Process Continues...

2010-01-13T13:27:00.000-08:00

So most of the wallpaper is now removed from the stairway. After removing the top layer from the bottom half of the stairs, I have decided to leave the many layers of older wallpaper there because they are smooth and in decent shape. The next step is to patch the many holes in the plaster. I went to the Miller Paint store nearby and loaded up on some supplies. While I was there I also got the thickest primer they had, which hopefully will help smooth down the walls. I also got a sample of the color that I am interested in, something that they do for a measly $5.
Now it is time to mix up the patching material, apply, wait, apply, wait, and apply again. Then wait, then sand. Whoo-hoo.

My dad was very kind and came over to help out. We got to see one of the layers of wallpaper in its total glory when he removed the coat rack.

The 'clean' walls.

I Hate Wallpaper.

2010-01-10T13:58:00.001-08:00

So I have discovered that whoever put up the wallpaper decided to use incredibly strong glue on the upper stairway and to not remove the previous wallpaper on the lower stairway. Though this made it a lot easier to remove the 'new' wallpaper, the stuff underneath is slightly damp and I have no idea if the wall behind it has been damaged. I have scored the hell out of the upper stairway and the next step is to spray the wallpaper remover stuff on it and scrape it away. My dad is coming to help out sometime this week and I will wait to do anything to the damp walls with the old wallpaper until he gets here, because he is one of those people that will know what to do.
There are also tons of holes in the old plaster of the walls and I am going to do a lot of patching. People, listen: if you decided to put up wallpaper, please prep the wall first and use a glue that isn't cement. That is all for now.

The New Project: The Stairway

2010-01-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has been a long time since my last post, but life happens. Anyway, to interrupt the tour of the place, I am going to document the next big project: removing the wallpaper in the stairway and replacing it with paint. So far I have removed a tiny section and bought one of those PaperTigers that scores up the wallpaper, some gel wallpaper remover in a spray bottle, and will borrow a paint scraper from my very obliging downstairs neighbors. As you can see, I have scored a small section of the wallpaper which was loud and probably harder than it should be because the wallpaper is made up of woven straw or something. Hopefully I can tear most of it off by hand.

Tour Part 1: The Living Room

2009-10-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

So this is the living room. I am thinking that I will paint it a light taupe with a purple tinge and leave the trim white. I definitely need to update the artwork and I have some plans as to how I am going to do that, though suggestions are always appreciated.

Chez Moi

2009-10-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

So, this is the house. I live upstairs with my boyfriend, two cats, and a fish. The downstairs neighbors are a married couple that I am good friends with and have known for a long time. As you can tell, the house is rather old and needs some help with the porch and a new paint job. Neither of those things will be done by me. The landlord lives down south in Ashland and is amazing because he will let us do any inside painting and small projects that we want. I plan to do a lot of changes to the interior and eventually make the yard and veggie garden beautiful. It will take time.