Stairwell
Finally… the last of the wallpaper is gone. PHEW. I know that there are some modern, trendy, easy-to-remove-later wallpapers out there… but this wasn’t that. This was the kind of wallpaper that holds musty odors from 30 years ago.
To be fair, this wall paper wasn’t as terrible as all that. But it was torn in places, and very dirty. And there was an area of concealed mold on the drywall adjacent to the french doors, so I’m glad I took it down.
Okay, this ‘before’ picture is terrible, but it’s the best I could dredge up from before the wallpaper was removed. You can see how the wallpaper ends at the french doors, and the wall on the right reflects the wainscoting and paint used around the rest of the room.
Ripping the wallpaper down also tore off the skin of the drywall in areas… so, this became a skim-coating and sanding and drywall dust nightmare.
The existing paint suits the room perfectly… I think a color color would detract from the richness of the woodwork, brick, and tile. Behr’s Linen White matches the existing walls perfectly… although I do plan to freshen up the room with a new coat.
Not perfect… but good enough for now.
The old brass-and-glass wall lamp is now replaced with a simple tiffany-style sconce that matches the new ceiling light and desk lamp in the office.
Kitchen Drywall and Tile
After a suitable amount of procrastination, I got help with the drywall and tile. It's nice to no longer look at studs and a hole in the floor.
Kitchen Colors
Painted counter and peel-and-stick backsplash gives short-term brightness to my previously dull kitchen.
Before
The tan/bisque/yellow color palate was dreary and screaming out for an update. I want to fix the door-adjacent-stove problem before I invest in gorgeous stone countertops, new sink, and real tile. So, this gives me a pick-me-up for now. It's a $300 fix to a $5000 problem.
One of the countertop seams had started to lift... and it was getting worse. So I started to poke at it, and I made it a lot worse. I figured, I hate the crappy beige plastic counters... what do I have to lose? I started by peeling back the plastic and chiseling out the rotted wet sawdust.
Now what? Ah, good old-fashioned Bondo. The first layer goes in thin, to keep the crumbs down like when you're frosting a cake. I continued with a thicker, smooth layer. And then sanding. I have to admit, I got lazy here, and if you know where to run your hand across the finished counter, you can still feel the lump. (And if you call me out on it, no treats for you.)
Now the fun part... paint!
Product: Giani Granite White Diamond
They call it a three-step process, but it's actually more like five:
Step 1: Roll on flat black primer
Step 2a: Sponge on 'Pearl Mica'
Step 2b: Sponge on 'Inca Gold'
Step 2c: Sponge on 'Limestone White' (twice)
Step 3: Roll on glossy top coat
Next: peel-and-stick backsplash. Product: Tic Tac Tiles, in Subway White.
After
After adding under-cabinet lighting and caulk, the kitchen feels brighter and cleaner.
Products:
LED Concepts Linkable LED Light Bars attach to the under-side of the cabinet.
Two Lutron remote-controlled dimmer plugs allow me to control lights on both sides of the kitchen (plugged into two different outlets) using a single switch.
Lutron double-gang wall plate fastened directly to the drywall holds two remotes - one for the under cabinet lights, and one for the over-the-sink light.
Drywall Repair
Patching a big hole in the hallway wall.
There was a damaged portion of the hall wall that had been poorly patched with a stick-on mesh patch kit. The problem is, the hole was way too big for such a flimsy solution, and it seems like every flex and crack was addressed with more and more spackle until the wall was a lumpy mess.
I ripped it all out and fitting a new square of drywall.
