Floss, Please. (...5)

I felt like a dentist today, and hygienist, as I flossed and brushed the teeth like parts of this large. cast iron radiator.  It was satisfying to remove the caked on plaque like gunk from this monstrous thing, but this won't be a new career path for me.  No thank you.

It was detailed work using highly specialized tools:  A toothbrush, spatula, and tape.  I worked out all the dust and grime collected over who knows how long .  I admit I never attempted to clean the thing since it became mine 6 years ago.  Next, using wet rags and a sponge I scrubbed it clean.  This work was done in just a short amount of time today.  I'd already spent 20 minutes here and there, as I found the time these last few weeks, sanding the loose paint off the radiator. 

Once dust free and clean, I used primer from a spray can to cover the most egregious areas.  After that cured, the high heat enamel paint went on, again with a spray can.

Now, not only does it look cavity free and nicely polished, it looks to me like it should take a bow...what a beautiful spectacle an ancient radiator can be!

Thank you.  Thank you very much (that's the radiator talking).

To Toss or To Fix? That Is The Question (...16)

Many of the little challenges I confront in the kitchen beg the question, do I try to fix this, or toss it and start anew?  I'm talking about the old stuff in my kitchen, like shelves, trim, and a very very crooked ceiling.  Today I looked into the cost of buying new wood for my trim and for my old shelving. I'm still not sure if I should replace the pantry shelves and the party broken trim, or if I should tackled it, creating an extensive DIY carpentry project.

I wish I had a workshop outback, and my own carpenter, for these two projects:

The red and white and lines in this picture could make for some interesting art.  A little research at Home Depot today tells me that buying poplar to make these shelves will cost $4 a foot.  Pine is half as much and it comes pre-primed in white.  That's a selling point!  But I'm still unsure of what to do for the brackets.  I don't want to mimic what's on the walls already.  The makeshift brackets, made from trim, is not terribly attractive, but it's mostly in good shape.  Back and forth, back and forth...I can't make a decision...

The Bachelorette is Key (...24)

Yes, I watch this show.  No, it's not good tv.  But, and this is important, it is going to be my key to surviving kitchen renovation overwhelmed-ness.  I'm already overwhelmed, a week in, with putting all the contractor schedules in motion.  Looking at my timeline, functional plumbing instead of my forever dripping and leaking sink, is two weeks away.  It's the same wait for new outlets and switches, including a switch (finally) for the overhead light that is NOT all the way across the room from the entryway.  Sanded floors?  Cabinets?  Three weeks.  Countertop installation?  Likely to happen near the end of July.  And I have hours of sanding, caulking, priming, and painting ahead.

I'm enjoying planning and scheduling this project.  My head isn't spinning, it's dancing.  There's an excitement about the changes and impending "after" state of the kitchen.  But this week I've got a long to do list that doesn't even include the kitchen project.  All good stuff to do and all stuff I want to do, but even with no job, I'm not sure how to do it all.

So, for a mental break I turn to Ashley and her men.  I hate Bentley and can't wait for tonight's episode when Ashley finally discovers his devil inside.  I adore Ben F. (favorite!) and Ames and J.P.  Maybe.  For now.  I may dump them soon.  Blake?  Eeeewwah.  Who knows what I'll find out about them tonight!  I'm sure Chris Harrison will say it's going to be the most dramatic episode.  Thank goodness, because Ashley's drama makes my kitchen chaos feel like a piece of cake.

Behind Every Wall (...27)

Is beadboard!  Today I chiseled away the tile behind my stove.  It was a big rectangle shape made of square white tiles.  Halfway through, at about waist height, my chisel started to punch through the wallboard easily, into a gap behind the wall.  It was falling into a pocket between the wallboard and beadboard.  Very old, unpainted beadboard!

It's always surprising, during a renovation to find what past owners have done to fix or cover up aging walls.  In this 100 plus year old house, there are layers of others' repair work.  If I could, meaning if I had the budget and time, and if it made sense, I would tear everything down to the first layer and start my renovation there.  But I remind myself that I can't spend the time or money on this.  I focus on what I can do with my budget.  I make changes I would like but also keep in mind what will sell well or what a renter would like because I'm not going to be living here forever.

Discovering this beadboard behind the stove made me consider what a tough job it could be for a drywall contractor to repair my walls after I remove half inch wallboard and then half inch beadboard.  Skilled contractors can do anything but wallboard comes in only so many depths.  Discovering the beadboard also made me consider how much space I may be able to find on the wall behind my sink.  As is, it's going to be a tight squeeze to fit in a fridge there.  The area is too shallow for my 29, 7/8" fridge to sit and not jut out way past the counter.  But I think removing an inch of material will give me the space I need!

Tomorrow, the real fun starts.  As my friend put it, "Tomorrow we're gonna kick your kitchen's ass."

Porch Prep Part 2 (...28)

My plan to convert my porch into an outdoor haven for the Summer has been put on the back burner due to impending kitchen renovations.  Currently the porch is in semi-decent shape.  A grill, furniture, and now some lovely growing plants are all set up nicely.  But it's uncomfortable. It's hard.  It's not a place to lounge, as I'd hoped it would be by this point.

What have I been waiting for?  Frankly, I've been waiting for my fear of French seams and box cushions to subside.  My mother sent me this video, "How to Sew a French Seam."  It helps and this looks like the way to for a durable cushion.  Unfortunately, all the box cushion instructions I've found on the web so far don't make the job clear to me.  It's making me long for help from my sewing coach, Carol, who taught a class I took last fall.  She's an expert in the traditional methods of haute couture and an interior designer.  She'd be able to make a box cushion in the time it takes me to make a really good omelet.  And, check out her very funny, very clever Etsy shop name:  hemme fatale!  I love this name.  If you knew Carol, it's even more fitting because she's armed with charm and a good sense of humor.

To deal with the fact that I have less time for sewing while I work on my kitchen and to get over my fear of the French seamed box cushion, I've broken down my project into steps.  If I can get 1 step done every other day, then I'll finish well before porch season is over.


Today I cut the cushion to the shape of the bench.

Using red builder's paper that I had for a past renovation project, I made a pattern.  I held it up to the bench and drew a rough outline of the seat.  Then I did some more concise measurements with a yard stick to make the outline neater and symmetrical, and held it up again to see if I was on target.

Next I pinned the paper to the foam.  Having so many cutting boards came in handy.  I needed to weigh down the foam so it would not roll up as I worked.

 

 I used a marker to draw an outline of my pattern.

 Next I used 2 tools to cut the foam.  One is an electric carving knife.  The other I'm not sure the name of, but it's exactly the tool the sewing store clerk used to cut the foam when I bought it.  I didn't have these on hand.  I asked a friend if he had them.  He did not.  That same day he was at a yard sale where they happened to sell both of these for about $3!  I hope this serendipitous coincidence means I am meant to make the most perfect French seamed box cushion ever!!






Finally, foam that fits my bench fantastically! 

 Maybe not fantastically...it's a little too deep.  Notice the carving knife leaves bumpy ridges, but I'm guessing that will be undetectable in in the end.

I'm not sure how much to cut off. You don't want your legs to squish it down and be on the hard metal.  But you don't want it too deep after adding batting and a cover.

 I'm going to need to trim the inside edges by half an inch.  Or an inch?  I'm going to get a second opinion (Mom?).














Now for that fear-inducing French seam...

Shelves Beyond My Reach (...31)

It's all about the kitchen this week at my house.  I'm tossing a lot, selling what I can, and making a dozen trips up and down 3 sets of stairs to store the contents of my kitchen and pantry in the basement.  Currently, I don't have a ton of storage in my kitchen, but I have a good amount in my pantry.  There is a charm to my pantry, with it's old wood shelves and base unit with traditional drawer pulls.  It has a practical purpose too, of course  Until I emptied it yesterday, I hadn't realized how much stuff I'd managed to store in there.  Originally, when assessing my kitchen renovation options, I considered tearing this little room down. 

I'm glad I've decided to keep it, but I'm still not sure how I'm going to address the deteriorating horsehair plaster walls and warped shelves.  When I try to decide on how to approach a home project, my "step 1" is always fantasy!  I look at all the pictures I've torn out of magazines or saved from the internet and think about what I'd ideally like to do.  Here are a few of my favorite shelving looks:

Cleverly integrated into the wall with two different shelving depths.

Nice support brackets.  I could do something like this!

My favorite, floor to ceiling...if only...

Neat wood base and backsplash.

My pantry in a charming state...

My pantry, in disarray above, is empty now.  The drawers are out and the doors will be removed tomorrow.  I'm sure I can harness enough DIY energy to make my own shelves.  What I dream of and what's practical are far different.  I'm going for budget friendly and functional for this renovation.  Plain, unpainted wood and black brackets on white walls could look great, similar to the second picture.  Look out for a hopefully stunning "after" picture of the pantry!


Note:  I've had the pictures above so long, I unfortunately am unable to provide a source.

Kitchen Renovations: the Before (...35)

It's time to take advantage of this extra time via layoff to do some major DIYing on the kitchen.  I'll leave the plumbing and electricity to the Pros but I'll get my hands filthy dirty with demolition, scraping, painting, hanging, and anything else I can do.  And, I play the part of general contractor, so there's no end to planning, re-planning, and disaster prevention work.  It's a satisfying gig and I developed some good skills on my last project, the bathroom renovation:

DIY vanity and toilet install, & kitchen faucet plumbing (shh...inspectional services wouldn't like this)

DIY door and drawers refinishing.

I ordered my appliances during a Memorial Day weekend super sale for a celebration-worthy price.  I think I settled on a sink, faucet, and garbage disposal today.  I have two $50 coupons to spend at a local lighting store.  I sold my microwave already.  And today I've been emailing with folks on craigslist who I hope to sell my old appliances and cabinets too.  Getting some cash for the old stuff will be icing on the cake.  Not only does it mean money toward me kitchen budget, it's a whole heck of a lot easier than disposing of it myself!

As I'm measuring and planning the layout I'm putting blue painters tape in areas where new items, like the kitchen island, will go.  My housemate Alex comes home to find a new odd change daily.  One day it's more blue tape, another day the island or range has been shifted around.  It helps me visualize what it would be like with a new layout.

It will be a welcome change to have a garbage disposal and dishwasher.  I can't wait to get rid of my dish drying rack and the old dishtowels under it!  Better storage will be convenient.  I'm sure I'll grow very fond of a fridge that won't require a pie pan to catch internal drips.  But I'm most excited to see how the floor will look when it's refinished.  About 5 years ago I pulled up a layer of laminate from the kitchen floor, only to discover a layer of plywood underneath.  Laboriously I pulled up thousands of tiny, thin, long staples holding the plywood down.  After that, a layer of glue was removed with hot towels and and focused scrubbing.  Finally, a real wood floor was revealed.  It's old, splotchy wood with a few splinters that show the age of this circa 1900 home.  After it's sanded and coated with polyurethane, I expect the result will be spectacular.  I'm not anticipating "new," I'm hoping for that old Irish pub type feel that has had a slight face lift.

In a home, I like the combination of old and new.  Period charm plus contemporary function makes the perfect combination.  Terence Conran is one designer geek I admire for making this combination work beautifully.  His books are stacked high in one of my cabinets.  If I could, I'd text him right now to ask what he'd suggest for a kitchen island.  I dislike the typical kitchen island made of cabinets and a counter top, but it's functional and easy and straightforward when trying to do a quick reno on a budget.  If I could I'd browse every antique market and craigslist to find a deal on a funky wood piece that could be topped with butcher block or granite remnant.  It takes a lot of time and a lot of luck to find a piece that works.  My goal with this kitchen is to improve function and looks but not make it my dream kitchen.  That's for a different house.  Some day.

Just looking at these "before" kitchen pictures makes me miss my lovely red kitchen.  Even as decrepit and dysfunctional as it is, it's a charmer.

Blue tape...not sure how wide to go with the island...

Pantry plan:  replace base, DIY upper shelves.

Great stove served made many a grande meal.

Old wood floor and ugly tile:  get out of here.

What I hope to make happen is a kitchen layout pretty close to this layout.  It was made in photoshop today.  Pretty straightforward but with huge function upgrade.  Crossing my fingers it's a good investment!