Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Big Weekend
Gems of wisdom sometime come from the strangest of places. I think over the last few months I've struggled a bit with focus, completing little projects here and there but not really making progress. Out of the blue, a friend of mine (who has never owned a home) casually mentions, "Why don't you just do one room at a time?"
So simple! So this weekend I spent the entire time working on living room projects. I spend a lot of time in there; it's seen frequently by guests; I've already put in a lot of hard work. So here's a summary of projects completed:
FRONT DOOR FROSTING
No, not like a cake. Since the tv purchase usurped my frontdoor budget, I've realized I might need to spend a little more time with "the Frenchies" than I had hoped or originally planned. It's always bugged me that my living room feels like a fish bowl with the clear glass. So I decided to frost the glass myself:
OF COURSE, THEN YOU NOTICE...
...then you notice the horrible plastic trim around the door. I've learned that 90% of the time, trim is contractor code for "covered up screw up." This fell under the 90%:
Now that I had broken the plastic I had to fix it properly, or at least as properly as I know how. And in the middle of just about every project there comes a moment where you think, sometimes out loud, "what have I done?" Here's mine (no, it's not cake frosting):
But it all worked out well:
There's just one coat of primer. Here you can also see the splotchy nature of the window frosting. I'm not 100% happy with it, so I may just buy another can of spray-frost and go over it again.
BEAM PAINTING, WALL PAINTING
Obviously I needed to paint some of the beams and posts around the door. Most of the beams and posts in my house were done in glossy off-white. I never liked it but I didn't realize how bad it looked until I repainted a section in the same crisp flat white enamel as the ceilings, which, btw, are now also complete in the living room. Here are some final living rooms pics:
And the other end:
So simple! So this weekend I spent the entire time working on living room projects. I spend a lot of time in there; it's seen frequently by guests; I've already put in a lot of hard work. So here's a summary of projects completed:
FRONT DOOR FROSTING
No, not like a cake. Since the tv purchase usurped my frontdoor budget, I've realized I might need to spend a little more time with "the Frenchies" than I had hoped or originally planned. It's always bugged me that my living room feels like a fish bowl with the clear glass. So I decided to frost the glass myself:
OF COURSE, THEN YOU NOTICE......then you notice the horrible plastic trim around the door. I've learned that 90% of the time, trim is contractor code for "covered up screw up." This fell under the 90%:
Now that I had broken the plastic I had to fix it properly, or at least as properly as I know how. And in the middle of just about every project there comes a moment where you think, sometimes out loud, "what have I done?" Here's mine (no, it's not cake frosting):But it all worked out well:There's just one coat of primer. Here you can also see the splotchy nature of the window frosting. I'm not 100% happy with it, so I may just buy another can of spray-frost and go over it again.BEAM PAINTING, WALL PAINTING
Obviously I needed to paint some of the beams and posts around the door. Most of the beams and posts in my house were done in glossy off-white. I never liked it but I didn't realize how bad it looked until I repainted a section in the same crisp flat white enamel as the ceilings, which, btw, are now also complete in the living room. Here are some final living rooms pics:
And the other end:# posted by Stephen @ 8:40 AM 
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Just went through your archives and enjoyed reading your blog. The previous owners of my home were huge fans of dark teal as opposed to smurf blue, but the ugly effect was the same :) have done tons of DIY on my 1966 non-MCM house but hope to live in a MCM home someday soon!
Hi Stephen,
Just wanted to let you know that an article about your restovation has been completed on the RemodelingMySpace.com website for the Remodel, Blog & Win online contest. You can view it here http://www.remodelingmyspace.com/contest-entries/cliff-may-restovation
Thank you for your participation.
Just wanted to let you know that an article about your restovation has been completed on the RemodelingMySpace.com website for the Remodel, Blog & Win online contest. You can view it here http://www.remodelingmyspace.com/contest-entries/cliff-may-restovation
Thank you for your participation.
# posted by 
: 7:29 AM
: 7:29 AM
I grew up in a MCM, and french door "privacy" was achieved by applying japanese rice paper to the glass with liquid laundry starch. Easy, arty, and cheap. Love your blog.
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