Tyler had been gone all of five minutes, headed back to Emporia State, when I looked at Ron with a gleam in my eye and said, "Let's DO IT." Ron got his own gleam going, but not for long. He was more than a little disappointed when he realized I was talking about tackling the bathroom remodel we'd been planning for several months.
We found these awesome towel holders made out of wood that had been buffed and polished to a beautiful warm patina in Colorado. We also bought some rustic looking switchplates and other miscellaneous "mountain" decor (we were shopping for these items when we got the news that Paris Hilton had been put back in jail. Or was it that she was released? Who could keep track?). Meanwhile, back to the present . . .
The first thing that had to happen was the stripping of all the paint on the beadboard on the lower half of the walls. Ron found this non-lethal stripper that has a decidedly citrus smell. Not unlike Starbursts that have been left in the sun too long. It's orange and very viscous. I swear it looks just like this jello thing my mom makes. You have to put the orange jello in the frig for about an hour, just long enough that it starts to jell. Then you add ice cream and mandarin oranges. It's really, really good. (sound of smacking lips). I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn't take even a little tiny taste of it. I slopped that stuff on for the better part of the day, occupying myself during the 30-minute curing periods by watching Daybreak online.
Once the waiting was over, I trotted downstairs, trusty scraper in hand, to remove the goop and paint. A messy job, to say the least. Those little grooves are the devil to get clean. The next step is to use mineral spirits and steel wool to remove any remaining traces of the goop and paint. I'm leaving that up to Ron. I tried a little, but I don't have the muscle power he has. And, quite frankly, I'm over it. I'm all about the peeling and scraping. Here's another insight into my twisted world: I love to peel stuff. Wallpaper, sunburned skin, plastic wrap off of new appliances (I had to beg Tyler to let me peel one of the sticky things on his printer. He got the other one. He's sick, like me.). When we redid our bathroom in our other house, Tyler would be late to school because we'd be having a contest who could get the longest strip peeled. I saw a car lot the other day that had white plastic stuff all over the cars to prevent scratches. I started drooling. I started to tell Tyler about it and he said, "I KNOW. Let's go there some night and peel them all off." I'd risk spending a night in the pokey for that.
So, the remodel is on. I'll keep you posted on its progress. We'll probably have an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony when it's done. Look for your invites in the mail.
Oh, I almost forgot. I've got a new blog (no groaning, please). See it at http://community.myfoxkc.com/blogs/merriammom
3 comments:
the bathroom looks cool.
i think ya'll should just leave it like that.
looks vintage. ha.
i still talk about our "contest" and how i'd be late to school.
everyone thinks we're probably mental, but it's okay with me. =)
diy! (fun for the first 24 hours, maybe).. um, you should peel the metallic shine off of gum wrappers and stick it to your trapper keeper like we did in the 7th grade. you would have had an fit when my parents got the outside of their house painted. apparently, the painters apply some plastic spray to the windows that hardens kind of like a rubber ball, and they peel the whole sheet off when done painting. oh the satisfaction!
so is this new blog a paying gig or what?
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