Guests Welcome! (almost...)

Isn't it the best feeling to be able to see progress? Well it finally looks like one of our many projects has an end in sight. I can't WAIT to see something finished in this overwhelming construction zone that Rand calls home. 

The guest bedroom was the first room we started working on in the house because Rand planned to make it his bedroom while we finished the bathrooms and master bedroom. Needless to say, we weren't done in time for move in and he ended up making the office his makeshift, tiny bedroom.This worked out well because it allowed us to really get this room exactly how we wanted it.

The guest room was painted a terrible dark green, and walls were a heavy textured plaster that has sharp points and deep valleys. Overall, the room was very dark in spite of the great windows. 

BEFORE 

We had a lot of work to do in this room - but luckily it was mostly aesthetic (unlike other parts of the house!). 

SAND WALLS - First, we sanded down all of the walls with a belt sander. (My arms hurt just thinking about it - and my head hurts knowing that this step will have to be repeated in EVERY room in the house before we can paint) The walls are still textured (about half as much as before), but much smoother and no sharp points. 

STRIP TRIM- I brushed a paint stripper onto all of the wood trim and used a scraper to scrape off the old paint. I did some of the larger flat areas with the belt sander and then finished things up with a higher grit sanding block. (My finger nails suffered) Luckily, Rand's parents stopped by to help with some of the sanding. We stripped through a rainbow of paint trim colors: white, mint green, peach, bright blue, and more green. Wow!

PAINT WALLS - We originally struggled to choose a paint color.  I wanted grey and Rand wanted tan. I went to Home Depot and got a sample of "Grey Owl" and painted a square sample on the wall.  I got lucky and Rand liked it!!! Then here's the best part.... he liked it so much he got 5 gallons of it and we are going to use this same color throughout most of the house with a few brighter/bolder accent colors (which Rand insists on picking since I got my pick with Grey Owl). This paint choice has led to endless owl jokes from Rand. I think the gray paint gives this quaint old house a bright modern flair and Rand likes that it has a granite look over the (less) textured walls. All of the painting was done in one day with Rand rolling and me doing all of the edge work.

AFTER WALL PAINT - BEFORE TRIM & FLOORS

PAINT TRIM & CEILING - Semi-Gloss White paint and lots of painters tape. Stripping the old paint off made the trim look much sharper because a lot of the edges and corners looked like mushy play-doh from so many thick coats of paint. While doing the trim, I also popped off the outlet and light switch covers and gave them a fresh coat of white spray paint. All of the trim is done except for the baseboards because I didn't want them getting beat up while Rand was finishing the floors. 

FLOORS IN PROGRESS (A MESS) 

REFINISH ORIGINAL HARDWOOD FLOORS - This got pretty intense (kind of like the rainbow of colors of past wood trim paint). We pulled up blue carpet, rose/floral lineoleum, green/white patterned linoleum, and wood linoleum.  Rand wants to beat up whoever put down wood linoleum over hardwood floors. The worst part of the whole process was getting up the linoleum adhesive with adhesive stripper and huge scrapers. Rand rented a sander from Home Depot, so we were in a time crunch to get all of the adhesive up and the whole floor sanded twice (rough grit & then fine grit) in one night. I wish I had a picture of me standing on the sander whle he pushed it around the floor - it worked faster with my weight pushing down on it. Definitely a funny experience. 

The floor still needs to be stained and sealed with polyurethane but hopefully that will come this week so I can paint the baseboards, re-hang the (freshly washed) blinds and take final pictures. I just hope I can talk Rand into repeating this flooring process for the master bedroom - right now he's not committed to the idea AT ALL. Hopefully after he sees the finished product it'll feel worth it!

I promise to post pictures of the finished paint job & beautiful hardwood floors soon. I have to remember to take the pictures during the day (hopefully this weekend) so they aren't so dark and you can get a better look at the famous

"Grey Owl"

P.S. If you know Rand, text or call him and tell him that staining & sealing the floor sounds like a perfect way to spend his Wednesday day off!

COMING SOON:  
Bathroom Magic-How One Became Two