Window Phases
Liz has been working to clean up the main hall windows. Tonight, I got to see an interesting side by side between two of them.
Posts Tagged "hall"
Saturday Priming
Liz did a lot of cutting, while I did a bit of sanding in the closet area. I then switched over to priming the vestibule while she continued to cut all the corners/edges along the rest of the hall.
Window Work
Lately, Liz and I have gone in different directions on house-related work. I’ve been doing more planning and documentation, and she’s started to suit up again after hours, heading in to the basement.
Old Newel Posts
We’re on the lookout for new newel posts. And in the meanwhile, we’re looking to get rid of these. I’m sure someone would take them for free, but I’m also thinking we could get some small bit of money for them.
Craigslist seems too… specific? A salvage/restoration place seems more appropriate. I may break down and give Facebook marketplace a whirl.
Hall Work
Spent today working in the main hall – sanding down spots that Liz patched, identifying newer spots that need more patching, then cleaning and wiping everything down with a damp sponge.
Protecting the First Floor Floor
A huge point that both Bob and Nick made to us: tape the paper to the paper, not to the floor. The chemicals from the tape will seep into the wood, and when you go to remove the tape… you’ll remove some of the stain as well. And while it can be repaired, you’ll always be able to tell something happened.
Tape the paper to the paper, tape the Masonite to the Masonite. No tape to the floor, ever.
First Floor: Varnish 2
It’s a challenge with these images, as we only end up coming downstairs well into the evening (we need to wait around 90+ minutes after Nick’s done to walk on the floor). We don’t really get to see the floor much in daylight, as it’s dark when we actually can walk around.
First Floor: Varnish 1
Nick and Milton came by today, to have another pass at the floor. After their normal, full day… they stopped by around 4PM to put down the first layer of varnish.
Similar to the stain, once the varnish is down… we need to stay off of the floor for a set amount of time (about an hour to an hour and a half, until it dries).
First Floor: Staining
We’re being really careful to watch gingerly along the floor. And I can’t help but feel like every step I take is going to somehow irreparably damage all the work that’s been done. It’s like the floor is some kind of delicate, beautiful lava, and I need to just stay off it at all costs.
First Floor: Sanding
Honestly? I was not expecting such a stark change, with the slight gaps between boards seemingly removed, and a continuity that stretched from room to room.
New Floor Install, Day 3
This really is an amazing thing, and a tremendous milestone for me and Liz. We’ve been working for a long, long time on the house and so much of that work has been subtractive in nature: demo and removal.
To be at a point where we are adding new things, shaping the house anew, is incredibly exciting. Every time I come down and stand in these rooms, it just takes my breath away.
Oh, Chute: Halloween, 2020
Liz reminded me that we were not going for distance here, which took some adjusting for me, mentally. Ultimately, the snag made the candy delivery easier for the children. And I guess this whole thing is about them. I guess.
New Floor Install, Day 1
A lot of planning today, with a majority of the time spent figuring out what needed to be done, measurements for the fireplace tile frame, and framing up all the floor vents.
Cleaning the First Floor
I also took the shop vac and went over every inch of the floor. This was pretty time-consuming, but ended up taking less time than I figured. In a lot of spots, the plywood had more dirt and grime than I realized, and lightened up considerably with each pass.
Temp Hall Window
Bob found a “MultiLite Polycarbonate” sheet, which was similar to plexiglass… but thermal-insulated (and about half the price). One downfall with this sheet: it was composed of small-ish boxes, resulting in a kind of gauzy appearance (though it was technically clear).
We ended up going with Plexiglass, which was more expensive but more clear. Part of our desire for the window (at least for now) is to be able to have more natural light in the main hall. We’ll be deciding on a floor stain very soon, and the more natural light we can get, the better.