The New Attic Bedroom - Part 3

We finally found a light fixture today and I installed it this evening.

In the dark.

It has a bit of an Art Deco influence to its styling and echos some other features in the house (e.g., the main staircases' square ballusters set on the bias).

The big plus is that both SWMBO and SWMBO, Jr. both liked it.

That provided a lot of incentive for me to install it ASAP, before anyone changed their mind...

In addition, things are starting to find their way into the room.

And, as you compare the first picture with the other two, the feel of the room changes quite a bit between day- and night-time.

Some of the accessories coordinate well with the new light fixture.

The room is still not done (doors anyone?), but it continues to get closer...

Boing!

That's the sound the neighbors heard as I ran into this when I got home tonight.

There should probably be a chalk outline on the driveway where I lay unconscious for a few minutes...

As long as we've lived here there's not been a railing on the steps so I've gotten used to cutting the corner.  Good that I didn't snap the thing off on its first day.

Having a railing here is something we've talked about on and off since we moved in.

It also seems that we've been talking to various iron works over the same period.

And waiting for this to finally get installed over the same period.

It's here now.  And it looks great!

New Attic Bathroom - Part 4

Chocolate pudding for breakfast?

Nope.

Paint.

Sherwin Williams Duration in a satin finish to be precise.

They should really add a scent to this.  It would really complete the experience...

When it's on the walls (two coats), it looks like this.

After it dried, I took a moment to do the finish electrical as well.  The light is new, but has a nickel finish that coordinated with the old plumbing fixtures that will get installed later.  It also has thumb turns above each globe that mimic the ones on old gas lights.

Looking the other direction, you can see the new cubbies and the shower door that was installed since the last update.  The tile on the walls is a modern subway tile.  The floor tile is a hex pattern.  Both are similar to what was originally in the old master bath.  The shower is acting as my storage area while I finish the rest of the painting.

The New Attic Bedroom - Part 2

Finally.

I'm all done painting in this room.

Ceiling, walls, and woodwork.

And the carpet is in, as well.

Compare and contrast with the first post...

Those with a sharp eye will notice that the outlets and outlet covers have been installed.  I haven't hooked up that circuit at the panel, yet.

Still on the punch list is installing the ceiling fixture -we need to find one first though!

And cleaning up and re-installing the window hardware.

Lastly, the doors need to be painted and re-installed, along with the smoke detector.

Won't be long and furniture will be moving in (you can see one piece waiting patiently in the hallway...).

The Race

It's the painter (me) against the carpet guy.

And I lost.

I did get all the woodwork painted before the carpet install started, but I did not get the second coat on the ceiling and walls in the bedroom.

Oh well, I guess I'll be using drop cloths all over the place.

The carpet is a little different in the hallway.  It has a texture that looks a bit like small sand ripples.  And I didn't get a second coat on the ceiling here either; more drop cloths...

The carpet is different still in the big room, but at least I got the second coat on the ceiling and sloped walls.  I'll only need drop cloths around the perimeter in this room...

Bathe it in Impervo

Satin Impervo Alkyd.

$79 a gallon.

Seriously.

And it's awesome.

Even though it's priced like it's made of unobtainium by little elves nearing extinction in a far off land.

In this photo it's still wet - it keeps a wet edge forever, which is one of the things that makes it great for moldings - so it's quite glossy.  Once it fully cures in 7-10 days it will have much less sheen.

The left-most bookcase is only half done, so you can see the color difference between the primer and top coat.  The trim color is "Monroe Bisque" in this room.

In the photo you can also see the rolls of carpet and carpet pad.  I'm in a race to get all the painting done before the carpet installer comes...

... And More Primer

I love the smell of oil based paint.

Not!

The longer dry/cure time results in a much nicer finish on the trim, so it's worth the smell.

All the woodwork in the back part of the attic is fully primed now.

The initial primer coat is done in the front part, along with filling the nail holes and caulking all the joints.  I just need to finish "spot" priming the front and then I can move onto the finish coats.

The back half of the attic will be the same color as the trim in the rest of the house.  The front will get a slightly different color however.

Coping

Just like in life, it's how well you deal with irregularities that sets you apart...

This morning I cut all the base shoe.  I installed all of it in the bathroom because it will be easy to paint in place.  That's not necessarily true in the bar area.  Some of the shoe will be difficult to do in place, so I'll prime and paint before installing it.  Other parts need to be stained to match the cabinets and that's also easier done prior to installation.

One of the tricks to get a tight fitting inside joint is "coping"  Remember in the previous post where I mentioned that nothing is plumb, square, or level?  Coping solves the problem when corners aren't 90 degrees, too.

 Rather than cutting both side with an inside miter, you only do one (the one on the right in this photo).  Just let the other side die into the corner.

Step two is to to take a pencil and rub it along the edge of the mitered cut.  It gives a clear definition of the molding's profile.

Now just take your coping saw (you wondered why it was called a coping saw didn't you?) and cut along the pencil line.  You don't want it perfectly perpendicular; removing a little extra material at the back of the molding will actually make it fit better in the end.

When you're done, it will look like this photo.  It's OK that it is ugly at the back, as long as you followed the pencil line along the miter's edge...

Then flip it back over and check the fit.

Voila.

Perfect joint.

Bar Cabinets

Last weekend I installed the cabinets in the bar.

Nothing is plumb or level in houses, old or new, and this house isn't any different.

I halfheartedly tried installing them the old-school way with shims and a level.  I've done it before and it's still a pain.

I say halfheartedly because I found these things on the web and wanted to try the old-school way before plunking down any money.  They are way cool and made the job so much easier.

Once I got them installed it really did take less than 5 minutes to level the entire bank of cabinets.  By my self.

Tonight I cut and installed the rest of the base molding and cap around the cabinets.

I also cut and installed the cap down the staircase.

The last thing before priming all this woodwork is to cut and install the base shoe in the tiled areas.

And Curved Inside Corners

I mentioned an a previous post that there was an inside corner to be dealt with as well.

This uses the same technique, but requires that you cut the pieces narrower at the front.

And different tools to sand on the inside of the curve, of course.

In this photo there is a single coat of oil-based primer on the base and cap.  I'll probably need to install a shoe as well.