Twinsprings Research Institute

Slow But Sure

Posted on June 19, 2017 by ellen

As I continue to scrub, seal and polish the stained concrete floor, my system has continually changed. The steamer is definitely the effective tool here. I’ve been steaming the whole floor with the standing attachment and wiping after steaming an area that I can reach to get the dirt off.

Steaming master bedroom floor

Then I went over the spots of paint and sticky stuff which I think was Great Stuff drips with mineral spirits and a razor blade in some spots then attacked the remaining stains with the steamer hand brush again wiping after steaming an area.

Hand steaming spots

After cleaning the whole floor again with the recommended Zep neutral cleaner, I finally sealed the floor using a natural lambs wool pad which was much better at spreading the sealer without bubbling than a mop or fiber pad.

Sealed floor

The last step is four coats of the Zep Wet Look Polish. These are easy to put on with the disposable microfiber pads as they dry in 30 minutes. The master bedroom floor and closet floor have been finished. There will be tile on the bathroom floor so it was only sealed not polished.
I cleaned and polished the floor with an 18″ Rubbermaid microfiber flat mop. The mop base is covered with heavy duty velcro which holds the different mop heads. To mop the floor I used the reusable blue pad and to polish I used the disposable white pad. I just poured the polish directly on the floor and spread it thinly with the mop. I have the commercial mop head but I can only find it now on the spray mop. It is a sturdier head than the new model on the plain mop.

Polished floor

The last room to finish is the living room. Instead of starting with the standing steamer attachment, I started with the hand brush attachment on the spots. I found that if I used the steamer on the spots first there would be fewer to try to clean with mineral spirits. I also tried denatured alcohol and acetone, but mineral spirits seemed to work the best although not perfectly.

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Some Little Improvements

Posted on June 18, 2017 by ellen

During the floor scrubbing and prep for sealing and polish there are some other small projects to keep things interesting.
For some reason the drain pipe in the family room bathroom required a huge gash in the drywall to fit through the wall. I saw a light fixture at the Restore and it occurred to me to use the base plate to cover the gash and make a decorative statement. I used the dremel tool to cut a large enough hole in the plate to slip over the pipe. I don’t remember why the supply lines are offset from the drain. It looks wrong but there might have been a reason!

Bathroom drain hole

Bathroom drain plate

I wonder if I’ll ever finish cleaning up drywall dust. It was stuck pretty badly in the bark of the log bed footboard. I had to use a scrubbie, a brush and eventually even the steamer to get it looking clean again.

Dusty bark footboard

Cleaned footboard

Although most of our stuff is packed away, I found a magnetic knife bar in a box of tools. I bought it from the Ikea discount room back in Arizona. I had one of these in the Arizona house and it worked well for storing our good knives close at hand. So I took a little time and put it up under the kitchen wall cabinet.

Knife magnet bar

Undercabinet knives

I can work all day on little projects but the big ones are making some progress too.

Posted in Bathrooms, Kitchen, Primary Bedroom | Comments Off

Light Fixtures

Posted on June 16, 2017 by ellen

A few more light fixtures were installed. The closet light was reused from the original house and it took all afternoon and three tries to get it working. First I had to find screws that were long enough to fit into the box, then another set that were long enough to hold the light fixture against the ceiling. I have a collection of screws to reuse from other light disassembly. I used a plain cross piece wall plate and that had one screw hole that was a bit reamed out so I had to move one screw over to another hole.

I turned on the switch the first time I got the base and the bulbs in and the light worked, but when I put on the glass cover, it stopped working.

I took it down and made sure the wires were tight. The black was a little loose, so I tightened them all. I put it all back together but it still didn’t work, then I tested the switch. It had power to the bottom but with the switch on it did not have power at the top. Bad switch? I replaced the switch with an older one and hooked up the light to test it and it worked. Then I put the wiring in the new casing extender that lines the switch up with the wall and connected it.

I had a very difficult time finding the two screws through the holes in the base that tighten the light to the ceiling. Arms over my head made it uncomfortable and it was hard to see in the darkened closet. After the first and second times I put it up I guess I had it figured out as I got it back together the third time quickly enough to go for my daily visit to my mom.

Master closet light

Before our trip I had ordered the wall plates for the last two sconce lights for the bathroom. I had to use a special wall plate that was not available at the box store. I bought five of them from ebay for about $13.

Wall plate for sconce light

Yesterday I got the last two sconce lights installed in the master bathroom. I had to use some alternate connectors at the top of the lights because I didn’t get enough of them when I bought the set. The connectors were smaller so I put a washer and nut on the screws first and then capped them with the smaller connector. These are above the lights so not noticeable from below.

Master bathroom sconces

I won’t be able to install more fixtures until I get them unpacked. But I still have outlets and switches to adjust with the extenders.

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More Kitchen Cabinets

Posted on June 15, 2017 by ellen

The oven cabinet was completely unfinished and I wanted to put a finish on it so that it would match the other cabinets and be easier to clean. I have been using Minwax “Express Color” water based stain in light oak and water based Minwax Polycrylic finish. Both are incredibly easy to use and dry extremely fast. Instead of wiping the stain on and off, I used a wide foam brush to apply both the stain and the polycrylic. I got the whole cabinet finished with stain and two coats of poly in one day.

Oven cabinet stained

The drawers and the cabinet were well scrubbed before the stain was applied.

Drawers washed

The finished oven cabinet was shoved back in the corner and leveled.

Finished cabinet

I also put a second coat of epoxy on the fourth cabinet, the one in the foreground. i haven’t trimmed the edges yet but it is put in its former place. Actually I was getting used to the more open kitchen so I may move this cabinet to a wall in the dining room. We have the additional cabinet top under the wall cabinet now and in this position it really limits access to the kitchen.

Kitchen so far

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Stove “Hood”

Posted on June 14, 2017 by ellen

Before we left for Indiana I lined the stove hood with copper colored metal tiles and placed it over the aged copper backsplash. The backspash is 36″ tall and 48″ wide and the highest recommended height for a stove hood was 36″ so although it seems a bit low, it fits really well over the stove and the side cabinet.

Hood Over Backsplash

This wooden arch was the top of a storage cabinet that I bought just for the arched top. Although I hope to use the doors and some of the other wood from the cabinet.

Pine Armoire

I wanted the inside to be washable so I used some copper tiles I had left over from a project in Arizona, plus some used tiles that I bought from a craigslist ad. I thought the used tiles would be real copper but they were just metal like the ones I had.

Glued copper tiles

I used liquid nails and the tiles took about 2 1/2 tubes of glue and lots of creative clamping to get the lining done. I had some help holding it up to screw it to the wall. We used the bathroom metal sink cabinet that is 36″ tall on the stove. The plastic wall anchors were not strong enough by themselves to hold the hood tight to the wall.

Needed to Find Studs

Screwed Tight to Studs

Once I found the studs to screw it into, I was able to get the hood straight and tight.

Although the hood does not exhaust, the stove has a downdraft exhaust that has a large charcoal filter installed under the cabinet. The ventilation system can be used to clear cooking odors and possible smoke. I plan to wire a light in the hood for task lighting over the stove.

Copper tile in hood

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Our Indiana Home

Posted on June 14, 2017 by ellen

We took a week to visit our friends and family in Indiana and Illinois. We need to go out and check on our vacation house which is what we call our first passive solar home.

Indiana Passive Solar

The house is in need of maintenance after several years of renters and is now serving as a place for us to stay when we visit Indiana. We have not lived in the house since 1999. So it has been neglected for almost 20 years. The porch seems to be sinking and the windows need repair or replacement. The siding is natural unfinished boards and could be replaced.
When we designed the house, we planned to be able to leave it unheated during cold weather. The plumbing all drains back into a pit under the water heater where the water comes into the house. There are three drains for separate areas of the plumbing. The one in the rear empties the most water and it is the one that drains the pipes that go to the upstairs tub.

Front Drain Valve	Rear Drain Valve
Broken Pipe	Sharkbite Fix

This is the drain that is hardest to see and get to and it was left closed by accident and the pipe to the tub froze and split. I used CPVC pipe when the addition was built and copper in the main house. The same pipe split once before so it was relatively easy to cut a hole in the drywall in the ceiling to reach the broken pipe and behind the tub faucet to replace the pipe. I had the other half of the pipe from the former fix, and this time I used sharkbites in case it has to be repaired again! Then the holes in the drywall were patched and I even got the upstairs repair painted.

But the best part of going out to Indiana is visiting our friends and family.

Friends at the Harrimans	Steak at the Hallas
Antique Tractor Show	Enjoying the Day with Angie
Fender Grandkids at Weinie Roast	“Strawberry” Full Moon

I forgot my camera when we went up north so no photos to remember our trip by, but we sure had fun seeing a travelogue of photos by my brother who just returned from a tour of the Rhine River with his wife. We also enjoyed a visit and overnight at my cousin Jackie and her husband Grant’s home. Then it was back to Spencer to winterize the house, sit on the porch with our neighbors and pack up to go home.

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Recovery List

Posted on June 5, 2017 by ellen

Today is the one month anniversary of my latest gut operation. This one was much easier to recover from, although my recovery list is not nearly finished.

Put on outlet covers–about 2/3’s finished but didn’t realize I’d have to reset most of the outlets and switches.
~~Hook up vacuum outlets~~–I’m using the vacuum regularly.
Put on vent covers–I found them but didn’t install
~~Put clear coat on sink cabinet~~–Completed three cabinets with two more to go.
Prepare for stuccoed areas. Buy tint and wall conditioner.–Just got one bucket of stucco opened and did some research on how to tint. Know the store that carries the tint but it is in Denver
Mortar Schluter trim to concrete edges
Steam clean floor–half done
Apply sealer and zep floor finish–half done
Clean medicine cabinet
Install light fixtures–Installed many of the fixtures. I couldn’t find the kitchen fixture or the bedroom fan. These are packed away and I should find them eventually.
Vac dust and wipe off surfaces with wet sponge. –Cleaning always comes last.
~~Seal up air conditioner line through exterior wall~~–This was done before the washer and dryer were reinstalled.
~~Buy supplies for air conditioner installation~~–I bought all the supplies and tools that I need to hook up the minisplit.
~~Reinsulate kitchen sink~~–This was completed with the bronze plasticoat and metal finish coat
Take new door knobs for powder coating
Sand and seal the rest of the kitchen cabinets–Finished the wall cabinet but not the oven cabinet.
Clean paint off plumbing connections–So far just in the kitchen where I installed the sink.

Of course I also worked on some projects not on the list. But now it is time for a little break–another distraction.

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Aged Copper Kitchen Backsplash

Posted on June 5, 2017 by ellen

I decided to try to get some finish work done in the kitchen. We brought in the piece of copper I bought from a craigslist ad ($65) from storage and I didn’t want it to get it beat up and moved from place to place. I wanted to get the stove hood installed and out of the way too.

The copper had some staining on it that I couldn’t get off and it seemed a bit too shiny so I decided I’d like to age it. I found some good information on aging copper and decided the easiest would be heat from a propane torch and plain vinegar.

First vinegar coat

It took several coats of vinegar, and because I didn’t want the green color, I washed that off after each coat. I used a scrubbie sponge and dishwashing soap in water. I gave up using the torch after the first coat as I couldn’t tell it was doing anything. But I do have a nice pinkish streak in the copper that was probably the result of the heat.

After several coats of vinegar and scrubbing off the surface it was time to mount the sheet as a backsplach. I thought I might glue the copper sheet to the drywall, maybe with liquid nails but didn’t really have a way to hold it in place while it was drying. Then I discovered that I could use contact cement and glue the copper to a thin piece of plywood (I used underlayment) that was cut to the same size. The copper is 26 guage, so a bit too thick to bend over the edges, but of all the ways to mount the backspash, it seemed like using a thin board and just screwing it to the drywall seemed like the best and easiest.

Copper glued to thin plywood

I wasn’t sure whether to mount the backsplash just behind the stove and put the hood up really high or to mount the board horizontally.

Vertical

Horizontal

I posed the question on Facebook and the votes were for horizontal. That meant I had to measure and cut out a hole for the outlet. I was worried about doing that to the copper but it worked out OK. My brother suggested the Dremel tool and that was perfect.

Cutting the outlet hole

I had drilled the holes for the corners and put in a screw to hold the board to find the corner of the outlet. I went ahead and put in the plastic anchors, but when I did get the hole drilled, the plastic anchors were about an inch off horizontally. So I just drilled new holes with the outlet lined up. I don’t understand how it happened, but it doesn’t look bad an inch further over.

Backsplash with hood

I never had any control over the coloration of the copper. The vinegar tended to pool on the surface and make the curvy lines. I had a hard time getting the edges colored and eventually turned the sheet over and poured vinegar underneath the edges. At some point the aging in the middle turned bright again, now sure how that happened but I left it that way. It is random art.

The outlet cover is also a copper finish. I picked up a bunch of them on clearance a while back so had enough for the kitchen and dining room and a few more. It is exciting to finally get to the finish work.

Posted in Finishes, Kitchen, Trim | Comments Off

Hanging the Living Room Fan

Posted on June 2, 2017 by ellen

It took a couple of days to figure out the pieces to hang the fan. It is a large heavy one that I bought for $20 from a Craigslist ad. It is a Monte Carlo Great Lodge Fan with a fake antler light fixture which goes perfectly with the log cabin type of decor.
I had stored the fan in the garage and close at hand with all its parts nearby. Except at some point I moved the fan blades and an exhaustive search today did not turn them up. So the fan looks a bit funny without its blades.

Monte Carlo Ceiling Fan

We should find them at some point but I was hoping to be able to use the fan to help cool the living room. I downloaded the instructions to hang it and I had a difficult time actually following them. I think it was the photos. They were not very clear to me without an overview of the parts fitting together.

Hang assembled fan

I also looked at other instructions for hanging a ceiling fan from a cathedral ceiling and found that the opening for the ball should point to the high side of the ceiling. Makes sense but I may not have thought of it. It is a heavy fan and the electricians put in boxes that were ceiling fan rated. I had help lifting it into place.
I took the fan extension pole apart and put it back together many times. I wasn’t sure the yoke and the cover would work on a cathedral ceiling so I left off the yoke and then realized it was needed.
The same was true for the light fixture. I had to put it together from pieces and found that some were bent and I had to pound them a bit to get them together. Again the instructions were not very helpful as they only showed how to pass the wires through the switch housing, not how the entire light was assembled.

Switch housing

But it was not too difficult to figure out how to wire the four lights to the actual switch inside the shaft and to bolt it together properly.
I also installed the two family room bathroom sconce lights. These were originally from our Tempe house. I changed them out for two stained glass lights and then gave these to my daughter thinking they might be able to change the outside lights on their new house. But they needed four matching lights so they gave them back to me. These have a rustic style so I’m glad I had them.

Bathroom sconces

It seems that every step is more difficult than it needs to be. In the case of the sconces, the boxes were behind the drywall and they were mounted between the studs with extension bars. These allowed the boxes to rock back and forth. I tried using longer filial screws and they were too long, in fact tightening the filial pushed the screw back into the box and it hit the ground post and burst the mounting plate right out of the electrical box! So everything came out and I started again. I finally had to screw the mounting plate in not quite all the way to have the shorter filial screw come through the base so I could fit the filial on the light to hold it against the wall. The final installation was tight enough but it was not easy task getting there.
I have some very low wattage LED bulbs in the sconces. These were the first LED bulbs that I bought way back in 2005. They were very expensive too. Over $200 for 12 regular bulbs and 12 nightlight bulbs. They are an almost blue white in color. But the low wattage limits where I can use them. I used some of the nightlights in the ceiling fan fixture and they are only 7 watts but they were the only candelabra bulbs I had. I’ll replace them with brighter LED’s.

7 watt bulbs in fixture

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Outlet and Switch Repair

Posted on May 30, 2017 by ellen

Unfortunately due to my incompetent electricians who put the electrical boxes in crooked and at any depth they chose, and perhaps some of the drywall shimming, the outlets and switches almost all have to be shimmed out to install the covers.

At first I purchased the blue outlet extenders from Home Depot and tried to cut them to size to fix the worst offset boxes. I also used tile shims and washers on some of the boxes. But these extenders are meant for boxes that were installed square and and an exact distance behind the surface. And they are heavy plastic so I was cutting them at angles with the multitool.

Blue box extender

I decided to check Amazon for a different kind of box extender but was not too successful. Then I tried ebay and found these.

Arlington electric box extenders

Since I couldn’t really tell if they would work, I ordered just 5 for about $3.50 a piece. These are meant to slip inside of the box at the drywall surface. If the drywall is cut exactly around the box they work great, if not some finagling is required but not too much.
The power can stay on when using these boxes. But be sure not to let your fingers slip and hit the screw connections. Tingle and ouch is the result.

Hot electric connections

This is an example of a crooked and too deep electrical box.

I guess you could just use really long screws and leave it like that! But it seems pretty dangerous and ugly.
Some of the boxes are metal because the electricians were required to use conduit in the ceiling. A metal box means this wire was run through the ceiling.

Crooked metal box

As an additional issue, some wires in this box were poking in from the side of the box where the extender has to slide into the box.

Wires inserted from side of box

So in this case, I had to cut a wire chase in the extender box. But for the plastic boxes I didn’t have to do this. The box itself slips over the outlet and the wires behind it when the wires are bent down away from the box.

Box extender cut for wires

The box extender is then slid into the electrical box and it should stop at the drywall, unless there is too large a hole!

Outlet and wires pushed back

This one ended up just a little crooked but certainly much better than without the adjustment.

I used all five boxes and ordered another 25 even though I probably need only 14 more, the box of 25 cost only $1.60 each and fewer cost up to $5 each. I may go back and add these to some of the boxes where I just used washers.

Posted in Electrical, Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off

Kitchen Progress

Posted on May 27, 2017 by ellen

After days of work that did not show lots of results, today progress was made. First job was to connect the kitchen drain. The cabinet is now closer to the side wall so I thought I should move the drain over but realized after gluing a couple of new pipes that there was not enough room for the drain to go straight back. So I redid the pipe to give the drain an angle that allowed for the full p trap’s length.

Kitchen sink drain

The sink was already installed and caulked yesterday but today I put in the drain connection and the faucet. I cleaned up the faucet and soaked the sprayer parts in window cleaner because I couldn’t find vinegar. I scraped off the crusty calcium that clogs the sprayer so it’s like new.
I couldn’t find the faucet tightener so I had to wriggle a wrench up into the area to tighten the bolt for the water control. The spout was easier as it has two screws to tighten from underneath. This is the Delta faucet that rang up for 1 cent at an Arizona Home Depot and they sold it to me for that saying that is what it is marked, and you bought it! Hooray for me.

Sink faucet installed

The next project was to install the upper cabinet. This cabinet is actually a media stand that is hung upside down so that the doors are on top and the shelves below. I think it looks pretty cool on the wall and is quite an unusual upper cabinet.

Although I didn’t think there were a lot of results in the last few days labor, at least I was able to do laundry again because the washing machine was hooked up.

Upper cabinet installed

I put two large containers on the lower counter with 2 x 4’s over them to hold the cabinet in the right position as I screwed it in. I made a hanger bar with a 1 x 2 that is screwed to the cabinet and then to the wall. The pocket door behind it complicated the installation, but I was able to find and hit a door framing piece on the left side and on the right side it is screwed into a 2 x 4 stud. Then it is screwed into a stud across the top of the door. It feels sturdy.
This side of the kitchen is coming together. The next cabinet needs to have the epoxy finish poured and it also needs a piece to make it line up with the sink cabinet. Apparently the wall is not square. What is new? It will look fine once everything is in place.

Sink with upper cabinet

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Another Wet Look Bar Top Counter

Posted on May 24, 2017 by ellen

For the second counter top I scaled back the sanding and left the original finish mostly intact, and I decided most of the damming of the sides was unnecessary. So I only taped the edges and let the first seal coat drape the sides. I smoothed the sides with a foam brush to eliminate drips.
The bar top epoxy requires quite a few materials and supplies.

Klear Kote resin and hardener
220 grit sandpaper
Denatured alcohol
Tack cloth
Measuring cup and mixing cup
Mixing stick
Rubber putty knife (7″)
Foam brushes
Protective gloves
Paper towels
Plastic drop cloth

Bar Coat Materials and Supplies

The instructions and tips I read all said measuring equal amounts of resin and hardener by volume was the most important step. I purchased too large a measuring cup which made measuring difficult but so far the mix has been accurate enough to harden.
The mixture is hand stirred for at least 1 1/2 minutes in the measuring cup, scraping the sides and the mixing stick regularly. Then it is poured into a second clean cup. I used disposable drinking cups and a clean one for each mix. It is again mixed for at least three minutes. I used a timer for the mixing.
My solution never became clear in the mixing cup again as some instructions suggest, but again it has hardened so far. It is poured across the entire top without scraping the cup. I let it linger a bit to have the last few liquid drops pour out. The next step is spreading the epoxy evenly on the bar top. The liquid is supposed to self level which means some high spots may lose their coverage as it dries.
Although I did not experience many bubbles in the drying epoxy, a propane torch is best to produce the CO2 that pops bubbles in the finish. I used the torch each time to spread a thin layer of CO2 over the top, moving the torch constantly and holding it high enough that there was not smoking of the surface. The polymer is not flammable but the under layer of wood still can get burnt.

Popping bubbles with CO from propane torch

Popping bubbles with CO2 from propane torch

The drying time is supposed to be about 6 hours and if re-coated in that time supposedly does not need sanding. But I always waited longer until completely dry and then sanded it a bit with 220 grit paper to have the next coat adhere better.
This is the second coat that is drying on the second counter top.

Second coat second counter top

After use, I clean the putty knife with paper towels and wipe out the residual mixture in the measuring cup. Gloves are very important while working with the epoxy as the solution is extremely sticky. Although drips can be cleaned with denatured alcohol, laying plastic under the work surface is strongly recommended.

Posted in Finishes, Kitchen | Comments Off

Decorative Cracks in the Concrete

Posted on May 23, 2017 by ellen

The steamer works great to get the blobs of paint and dried compound off the floor. There were some unprotected areas like in this closet that really needed work.

Pantry closet floor before

I used one of the small bristle brush attachments to scrub with the steam and wipe the dirt away with a rag and it was not too onerous a task to clean it up.

Pantry closet floor after

While I was steaming the concrete floors I tried hard to get the white powder from drywall out of the cracks. But after it dried some white remained and I didn’t like the way it looked. So I wondered how to treat those cracks when refinishing the floor.
I looked up ways to cover and repair cracks in the stained concrete floor and found recommendations to accentuate the cracks to create a rustic old world finish!

This is just the thing for my design style so I bought some concrete dye at Home Depot and had it colored Cinnamon Brown. Once the concrete was clean and steamed, I used a lambswool dauber to draw a line over each crack and then rubbed the dye into the crack and the surrounding floor area to blend it in with the existing stain.

I have not etched the cracks first, but since they are cracks since the original sealer I was hoping the dye would stick to the inside of the crack and make them stand out. The effect is subtle

Concrete Dye in Cracks

After treating the cracks and rubbing dye on some of the stained areas–didn’t make a big difference there either, I re-sealed the concrete with the soy based sealer that was left over from the original job.

Sealed Floor

The final step was to mop on four coats of Zep floor finish. Although this polish is not recommended by the manufacturer for stained concrete floor, mostly because removing it might remove stain, it seems to work well over the water based sealer that I used. I believe the stain is more permanent on our floor since I have used the polish in the past and it came off without removing stain. I didn’t use the Zep stripper though. Just scrubbing and steaming. That and the wear it got from being down on the floor seemed to remove any shine from former applications of polish.

Four coats has given the floor a lovely shine. Too bad I know it will wear off and get dull again.

Four coats of polish

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Kitchen Sink Sound Proofing Decor

Posted on May 20, 2017 by ellen

I’m going to start spending more time on decorative touches and less on large building projects. We have all the finish work to complete now that the drywall is installed.

The kitchen sink bottom is visible under the open cabinet in the kitchen. It is a deep single sink that was an entry laundry/clean up sink in the original house. As part of the new cabinet finish project, I decided to add to the sink soundproofing with a plastic coating spray paint. The product I bought for the desired color options is Plastidip spray. Rustoleum also makes a rubberized paint spray.
I wanted a coppery finish so I bought the dark brown camo color and the copper metal finish spray.

Brown camo colored paint

I took off the faucet and detergent pump and the drain. Although I broke the sealing ring for the drain trying to take it off. If I can’t replace the broken ring I have another drain saved from a replacement I made in our Arizona house in one of the plumbing supply boxes .

Then I cleaned the underside and taped the drain area and the underside of the sink rim. The original soundproofing layer was black.

Taped sink bottom

After the prep I sprayed two coats of the plastidip spray which covered the old coating very well. I waited about 3 hours between coats becuase the first seemed dry. We had a door open and the ventilation system going because the painter is working in the house too.
I waited overnight to spray two coats of the metallic finish on top of the brown. This is the sink with two coats of copper metallic finish over the dark brown.

Copper Bronze Sink Finish

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Wet Look Counter Top

Posted on May 17, 2017 by ellen

The kitchen counter next to the sink was starting to turn grey and rot. Despite the silicone coating under the sink rim, water was collecting in a low spot on the pine counter.

I read about finishing the wood with an epoxy wet look counter surface. This bar top finish waterproofs and creates a solid plastic-like coating on the wood. The surface is applied in at least two coats and “floated” onto the wood. I researched the best epoxy coatings for this and almost bought some from Amazon. But I found a craigslist ad for Klear Kote which was one of the recommended brands so I bought two gallons at a discount from someone who had leftover materials. That should cover 47 sq. ft. of counter space.

First I sanded the sink cabinet top and reglued the joint between boards that was creating the low spot.

Sanded and glued

The next step was to use water based stain on the sanded surface so it would look like the other cabinets. Water based stain was recommended in the epoxy instructions. I used light oak color MinWax in a tube. Then I taped the sides and the inside of the sink area. I tacked a frame around the cabinet edges to hold any runoff of the epoxy solution at the taped edge. This preparation was for the first seal coat. The high sides were to suspend a cover over the surface to avoid bugs and dust, but it didn’t need the extra protection in the house.

Edges dammed

This is supposed to be a thin coat but I got it a bit thicker. I had mixed a half cup of solution. I spread it with a foam brush and that made the surface uneven. After several hours it still looked wet so I left it overnight.

Uneven first coat

My first thought in the morning was that it was still wet! But when I touched the surface it was dry to the touch. So it just was fooling me.

Looked Wet!

So I removed the dam and all the blue tape so that I could sand the seal coat with 220 grit sandpaper and retape the edges for the second coat.

Finished First coat

The second coat is supposed to finish the job. The solution is poured at an 1/8″ depth over the whole piece and allowed to run over the edges. I dammed the edges again, this time covering the wood dam with plastic. I redid the painter’s tape around the hole for the sink.

Damming the counter for a second coat

Then I mixed about 2/3 cup of solution, equal parts resin and hardener. The solution has to be stirred thoroughly. After the first two minutes of stirring, it is transferred, scraping the sides to a separate container. Then it is mixed another three minutes and poured on the surface without scraping. I used a graduated container for the first mixing–which has to be accurate, and a disposable plastic cup for the second mixing.
I used a 7″ wide rubber putty knife to spread the second coat evenly across the first. The epoxy is self leveling but I found I had to push it around to get it to cover the entire top and then run it over the sides. There is only so much pushing that can be done before it starts to set and the putty knife makes marks in the surface. I think I got a decent second coat done.

Second coat filling in gaps

When I remove the dam tomorrow, I’ll start on another cabinet.

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List for my month of recovery

Posted on May 14, 2017 by ellen

I’m working on a list of low energy tasks for post-surgery progress on the house.

Once we are sure the drywall and painting is completed there are several tasks that are pretty easy and should not take much effort. Shopping for stuff is also low effort if I can predict what we will need.

Put on outlet covers
Hook up vacuum outlets
Put on vent covers
Put clear coat on sink cabinet
Prepare for stuccoed areas. Buy tint and wall conditioner.
Mortar Schluter trim to concrete edges
Steam clean floor
Apply sealer and zep floor finish
Clean medicine cabinet
Install light fixtures
Vac dust and wipe off surfaces with wet sponge.
Seal up air conditioner line through exterior wall
Buy supplies for air conditioner installation
Reinsulate kitchen sink
Take new door knobs for powder coating
Sand and seal the rest of the kitchen cabinets
Clean paint off plumbing connections

There are also big chores to be done, like moving the furniture back in, but I’m not going to be able to help much with that.

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Cleaning the Concrete Floor

Posted on May 14, 2017 by ellen

AFTER Drywall Cleanup–Swept and Vacuumed

The drywall and paint process made a big mess on the concrete. Although they vacuumed and swept, and they put paper on the floor before sanding and painting, the whole floor has ground in drywall dust on it.

I contacted a couple of concrete sealing companies to find out if they could clean and re-seal it. The bid we got back was $2000 just for cleaning. Seemed we should try cleaning on our own for $2000.

It was mopped twice, once with plain water and once with the Zep floor cleaner added to the water. I had read that steaming will clean ground in dirt so I used my little steamer to clean off part of the floor. It took off some spots but it dried with surface dust still showing. I realized I should have wiped it after I steamed while it was still wet. Steamers loosen dirt but don’t pick it up.

Steam cleaned

Then I tried buying a carpet/floor cleaning machine. I put it together and cleaned a portion of the same kitchen floor but it also dried with some white spots and didn’t seem like it added much to the previous mopping job. So I returned the cleaner. Buying it, reading the instructions, putting it together, then trying it, taking it apart, cleaning all the components and putting them all back in the box to return was pretty time consuming too.

Trying a floor cleaning machine

I tried to use my little steamer again but the heater would not turn on! I think the steamer worked well to clean out the cracks and some of the gooey spots from before they did the drywall but apparently mine was at the end of its life.

Dave is doing the mopping and we thought a scrub brush might help. After another pass on hands and knees with the brush the floor is finally looking clean. I think it still needs steaming in some places so I ran out to Harbor Freight to replace my steamer.

AFTER Brush Scrubbing

All the floors need to be mopped, probably twice, then scrubbed with a brush, then steamed in the worst places and finally have the new floor coating put on. I feel a bit bad that Dave is having to do the scrubbing but my body is not up to it right now.

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From Primer to Paint with Detour to Hospital

Posted on May 9, 2017 by ellen

I didn’t go to the hospital because of the painting, but because I developed scar tissue from the August surgery and had to be cut open again to alleviate a blockage in my intestine. Another Friday night emergency, although Dave could take me to the hospital. I actually went to the closer hospital but only their emergency department takes Kaiser so I had to transfer to Good Samaritan, the same hospital I was in for the surgery. In fact the same surgeon was on call and the pain meds worked so I was able to wait until Sunday morning for the surgery. Now I can’t do much for a month or so. Which is a another setback.

Hospital Info Board

Hospital Instrument Wall

But the painter finished while I was gone.The paint for the walls was the Sherwin Williams Whole Wheat color. I had the second 5 gallon of white eggshell tinted to match the first five gallons.

Light tan ceiling

But I thought the flat white can was flat white, but it was a light tan, that coordinated with the whole wheat. I had him use that where the ceiling did not need to be bright for the light shelves and Dave ran to Lowes to get the Valspar no VOC white satin paint for the rest of the ceilings.

White ceiling

I actually love the tan walls and light tan ceilings and we have enough paint to finish the old bathroom when it gets remodeled.

More white ceiling

Now the big job of cleaning up and bringing the furniture back in without me being able to help will be a challenge.

Posted in Design Style, Diversions | 1 Comment

From Drywall to Primer

Posted on May 5, 2017 by ellen

The drywall is finally done. I think Hector feels good about the job being done too. It was a long hard battle to get the drywall around all the odd shapes of our house. It took more sheets of drywall than estimated too as well as more joint compound to level. But it does look pretty darned good. We love all the angles of our house. It sure makes the acoustics nice for a home. Even with all the furniture out and all hard surfaces, it doesn’t echo in the house!

Kitchen Drywall before Texture

We used fans to speed up the dry time on the mud to be ready for the texture the next day.
Here is the small bathroom before texturing. After this photo we finally took out the toilet so that the wall behind could be textured and painted.

The bathroom has blueboard and Denshiled sheathing

The bathroom has blueboard and Denshield sheathing

The texture is sprayed on by another subcontractor. The compressor and pump were in the truck.

Texturing

Hector took these pictures for me because my camera was taped into our bedroom!

More Texture

After texture, Jose and Hector came back to sand what oversprayed on the flat ceiling. Whatever they used for texture it was pretty difficult to sand it off!

Jose Sanding

And Hector did lots of this sanding from those amazing drywall stilts.

Hector on Stilts

Finally the painter arrived today and spent the first few hours caulking. Then he started spraying the primer. I just noticed the utility room was not primed, but looks like everything else was done.
I thought his pump setup was kind of neat. It is different from paint pumps I have seen in the big box store.

Painter’s Paint Pump

And Ignatio used almost 15 gallons of primer today. Luckily he has some left for the utility room!

Spraying Primer

Tomorrow he will start the ceilings with flat white. I have five gallons of paint for the ceiling and 10 for the walls. Hope it is enough.

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Safety for the Birdies

Posted on May 1, 2017 by ellen

Covering the chimney opening with barrier wire has been on the to do list for some time. Luckily some square wire mesh was accessible in the full garage so I cut some and installed it on the chimney.
Every spring a bird has flown into the chimney and gotten disoriented enough to die in the stove. It is gross and makes us feel bad as we never noticed the frantic scrambling to escape.
So this mesh cover should eliminate the problem.

Steel mesh cover on chimney

I used caps from the insulation cap nails to capture the wire mesh with self drilling screws. Not the prettiest job but it should last a few seasons at least.

Installing the steel mesh

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