Swirls, dips and gouges

It's March 11th and we've just completed week three of floor refinishing.  For some reason, this floor feels like more work than any other floor I've ever done, and I have done about 4 years of floors.  Perhaps 7 years and an office job later have something to do with it? 


On the Floor, Edging-Self Portrait

Big Machining

We both feel like we've just accomplished a major hurdle.  With two more coats to go, we're nearing completion on the 2nd floor. 

1st Coat Done!

What happens after the 1st coat...BACON BLOODY MARYS!

Looking Ahead to Summer

1st Floor Painting

As I look back over my posts and photos, the second floor is looking alternately Girlie Extreme and Masculine Bungalow.  Today, I think I feel Modern Clean meets Moody Prairie.

Inspirational Palette

Fabric

Moody Colors

Floor Sanding Madness

Madness or masochism, floor sanding is never fun, but when it's done...everything comes together!

I haven't sanded a floor in a few years, so anticipating back pain and sore arms, I overdosed on Ibuprofen and worked as hard and long as I could on Saturday without stopping. Stopping is where it all falls apart. The muscles start to scream from using them in an inappropriate way, pulling and pushing a 200 lb machine is work that this body (used to sitting 8 hours in front of a computer) is not used to.

Trent had the opportunity to edge the side walls all day Sunday, nose to the floor, he managed to get pretty far. It's looking like we're on schedule, with next week's goal to finish the sanding and maybe even a coat or 2 of polyurethane. One step closer...

Thanks to Matthew Gramling for the use of the gear.  http://www.gramlingresurrection.com/

Trent looking exhilarated!

Lots of radiators to do

The secret door!

Window of Opportunity

BEFORE

The 2nd floor bathroom gets a window makeover.

From the outside you might wonder what's wrong with this window and why would we be changing it.  The answer - from the inside it's really inconvenient.

The new shower will be located up against this wall, with the shower surround taking up 3/4 the height of the wall.  As I have had the opportunity to shower in front of a window before in every rental I've ever lived in: it's cold, the wood rots and, obviously, it gives fodder to spectators on the street.

This weekend Trent spent 3 days cutting out the window, filling the hole, re-framing the original window and viola! 
It now looks like this!

AFTER

On the interior, this window will be a transom over the shower. 

I, personally, have little to show for this weekend since I spent the entire time in the closets painting.  So much for claiming to be "done" with that.  It's done for real now.  Next week -the floors will actually get done and things will come together.

Painting Hurdle Accomplished

It's mid-February and while most families are busy sledding, making chili and sitting in front of the fire, we are hard at work.  Next year we will be that family sledding!  This month, however, we are the family that is listening to Justin Bieber while painting every weekend.  The 2nd floor is mostly completed, with the exception of the huge, tall, enormous front hall that Colin has graciously offered to help with.  Even though everyone has skeptically questioned my choice of Matte (mid-tone warm brown, see previous post) for the hallway, I think it is going to offer a rich, inviting entry to our second floor, the informal space. 

Here's a smattering of messy photos of our glorious, light filled 2nd floor. Next month...floors!

Master Bedroom.  Who wouldn't wake up happy in here. 
It's not as "baby blue" as this appears. Sky Blue is more accurate.
Kind of a Victorian color choice, but with artwork and earth tone textiles, the color will become more subdued.

Master Bedroom.  You'd think those closets would be big right...? wrong.

Sophia's Bedroom, she's fairly pleased with her choice.  Very purpley.
Yes, she is wearing a Santa hat.  She's still stuck in Christmas Land.

Sophia's Play Room.  Considerably less purpley, she showed restraint here.

Art Room. Trent added wainscoting to the lower walls that were crumbling plaster.  The room has been transformed!
Next up here- the tub sink installation, shelves and counter space.

Family Room into Library.  This is a repeat, I just like to look at it.

We've Got the Blues

Thanks Dr. Martin Luther King for the great speeches and the long weekend.  We used ours well, we met our neighbors during an awesome gathering and painted, painted, painted some more.

Thinking back, before we even considered buying a house on 49th Street, we had heard tales of block parties, experienced Halloween Extravaganzas and longed for the community our friends had, who already lived in the Washington Heights Neighborhood.  Trent and I had the opportunity, thanks to a friend already on the block, to join in a neighborhood outing last Friday.  A bus (well, not just any bus - the block party bus) would pick us up, feed us beer, drop us at a restaurant in the Third Ward and then again to a gallery/bar in Bay View, also owned by neighbors on 49th.  We had fun and lots and lots of drinks.  It was a great way to get to know a good amount of our neighbors while enjoying (watching) salsa dancing classes at BYO Studio.  Their cucumber mojitos were very good too.


Child Labor

Ceiling Detail

From Living Area to Library (formerly Dining Room)

And for the painting: it's is pretty boring to talk about, but here are some photos.  Don't report us for putting the kid to work, she wanted to do it.  This weekend's color was Russian Blue - lots of it.  It seems to change nicely with the light and looks different in each room.  Since the living room, library and office merge into each other, it made sense to have it be a transitional color.  The green splotch was my original choice, but it was way too yellow for me.  Next weekend : a hint of Violet.

Lead Abatement & More!

Sounds pretty riveting right?  After having spent the whole weekend scouring 49th Street in the attempt to make it dust/lead/chemical free, I decided to do a little research myself.  And, while everyone knows lead is dangerous, I thought some of these facts were more interesting.  This is based on info from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report & the CDC.  I had no idea there was a MMWR, it must be fascinating!

Experience suggests that the lead, paint, and other industries may try to use data to argue that lead poisoning is no longer a problem or that further preventive measures are unjustified because “the problem is going away by itself.”  wow, really?

• More than 38 million US homes and apartments are burdened by lead-based paint, and more than 24 million of them contain substantial lead hazards, according to HUD.

And more :

Muscle and joint pain, headaches, memory and concentration problems, nerve and digestive disorders, slowed growth ‹ these are just a few of the potential consequences of lead poisoning.

Lead poisoning is caused by exposure to lead from our environment -- in old water pipes, old painted toys or furniture, or foods/liquids stored in lead crystal or lead-glazed pottery. And if you live in a house built before 1978, the paint on your walls probably contains lead.

Increasing evidence suggests that nutritional deficiencies also affect levels of lead in the human body.  A recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that subjects with high levels of vitamin C intake had less measurable lead in their bloodstream than subjects with low levels of vitamin C intake. Specifically, the data showed that:

• Children with the higher vitamin C intake were 89% less likely to have elevated blood lead levels compared with youths with the lowest intake; and
• Adults with the highest vitamin C intake were 65-68% less likely to have elevated blood lead levels compared with adults with the lowest intake.

 I can now say I feel even better that we are taking a large amount of time cleaning our construction site so that our 6 year old can spend time inside the house while we continue to work for the next year.  I can only hope all Project Managers, Weekend Rehabbers and Your General Contractor will do the same.