GetSheila

Inside at last!

I started a little painting project oh so long ago and vowed to finish it today because I have been parking my precious Prius outside in the elements for months.

All I had left to do was lightly sand the living room cabinet doors and apply a third coat of paint. I’ve had the drop cloth down and the painting tools ready all this time but just couldn’t get my butt in gear.

So today I did get them sanded but more paint came off in some places than I expected and it all just became TOO HARD.

So I cleaned and reorganized the garage instead. Here is what it looked like before:

 

Well, sort of before. The boxes were stacked all askew on the right but I broke them down and threw them in the center of the floor before going to town with my Skil Power Cutter.

Best. Tool. Ever.

See the giant box on the right? I kept it on its side like that and shoved it full of a bunch of stuff I don’t use but can’t get rid of yet for various reasons AND I can use it as a sort of table.

You can’t see the giant box-table very well due to the avalanche of cardboard I have yet to cut up because the recycling bin is inadequate when you put off cutting up your cardboard for…a while.

Look at all the empty shelves on the other wall!

 

Most of what was there is in the giant box, which I am also using as Donation Station to stash all the things I need to donate but, uh, haven’t.

But perhaps most importantly:

 

It’s a beautiful thing. Except for all the filth on my car. Yuck. I’d wash it myself but I’m a delicate flower. I see a visit to the detailer in my future.

Ow. My feet hurt. And my shoulders. And my back. Ow.

 

Technorati Tags: garage cleanup,skil power cutter

Activation Energy to the Rescue! (Or not)

I’ve mentioned activation energy before, which is apparently a chemistry term for the energy needed to start a reaction. I read about it at Vlad Dolenzal’s blog a few years ago and it was rather an Ah-Ha moment for me.

Not that I have actually used it to start exercising regularly and eating healthy. Don’t be ridiculous!

But it’s brilliant for getting your butt in gear when you have a not-so-fun task to do and no one around to motivate you to actually do it.

Enter: my living room entertainment center painting project.

My BFF Tania came down from Sacramento last weekend at the beginning of July and helped me get it done, along with decking out my master closet. The world needs more friends like Tania. (Love you, girl!)

I let everything dry about a week before putting the shelves back in and promptly peeled paint off left and right getting them in. THE HORROR. On closer inspection of my paint job on the base unit and uprights (Tania did the doors and shelves and they are perfectly lovely) I decided it needed a third coat of paint anyway so I would do that and add a few coats of shellac for protection.

Of course this involves taking the shelves back out and removing the doors, followed by lightly sanding the monstrosity so coat #3 will adhere and wiping/vacuuming/tack clothing away every miniscule bit of sanding residue, before the equally monumental task of actually painting begins. Followed by repeating the entire process multiple times depending on how many coats of shellac you think it needs.

Dear god, I was not looking forward to it.

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While it was only a couple of carriage returns for you, that was two hours away from the keyboard for me, during which I actually did get the 3rd coat of paint on the living room shelving unit base cabinets and uprights. This post was going to be all about activation energy and how awesome it is and how much I got done because of it.

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That was on July 10th, exactly 4 weeks ago. I just got the 3rd coat of paint on ONE side of the shelf inserts today, and don’t even ask me about the cabinet doors.

To put things in perspective, here are things that got done during that 4 weeks I wasn’t painting the shelves:

1. Had my annual review at work;
2. Had my annual mammogram;
3. Had DirecTV out to fix the TV connection in my guest room in preparation for mom staying with me before and after her eye surgery;
4. My sister Karen had major abdominal surgery and is already half way through her recovery period;
5. Took Mom for cataract and glaucoma surgery in one eye, to 3 follow up appointments so far, and she is back to her regular activities pending upcoming surgery on the other eye;
6. Found myself – to my horror – working along side the Tea Party (It turned not to be that horrifying after the initial shock but that’s a whole other post);
7. Took mom to Fresno 3 times for injections in her knee of something that originally came from a rooster’s comb to cushion the joint where the cartilage has worn down to the bone, aka arthritis. One more injection to go and, if it works, she’ll be pain-free for 6-12 months;
8. Got my nails done (another trip to Fresno);
9. Got my hair done;
10. Fed and watered a friend’s critters while she was out of town one weekend;

In retrospect, it sounds like I had a lot going on but, truthfully, I sat on my butt every evening when I could have been painting and sat around drinking tea during the cool hours of the weekend mornings. I used the excuse that it averaged 100 degrees for the last month, but still…

I think perfection-itis was holding me back. I opted to sand only (not prime) before the first coat of paint, thinking the raw wood would suck up the paint and apply a good bond. It certainly did suck up the paint but I’m not so sure about the good bond part. Maybe that’s why it peeled off when I put the shelf inserts back in. I decided I don’t give a crap anymore and just want it DONE. The cabinet top is holding up nicely where I have had the cable box and DVR sitting so maybe the third coat will do the trick. I plan to let the shelves dry for a good month before putting anything on them, like books and chotchkies. And I have decided To Hell with applying shellac, though I did buy some should I change my mind.

Then maybe I’ll get around to finishing the caulking on the baseboards in my master closet.

I need handy friends and family who live closer and will work for food and/or alcohol.

 

Technorati Tags: home improvement,painting cabinets,activation energy

I’m more of a Glossy White than a Knotty Pine

In addition to revamping my master closet, Tania and I painted my giant living room entertainment center.

BEFORE:

  

AFTER:

HOW WE GOT IT DONE:

I owe Tania a big BIG THANK YOU for helping me with this. I never would have gotten it accomplished without your help, my friend.

I LOVE the way my living room looks now. I’ll wait a week or so before reloading the shelves, to make sure the paint has a chance to dry thoroughly. We don’t want a repeat of the time I painted my mom’s bookshelves and loaded the books on too soon. NOT. PRETTY.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go sit on my sofa and stare at my beautiful new wall o’ shelves, to be interrupted only by running down the hall to stare at my newly revamped master closet.

 

Technorati Tags: home improvement,tania,painting cabinets

Master Closet, Mastered

A great big hug and THANK YOU to my friend Tania for coming down and helping me revamp my master closet.

See this post for the Before, Empty, and Oh-Dear-God-Demolition-Is-Hard photos. As a refresher, here is a basic shot of what I faced every morning:

Depressing, isn’t it? The top shelf ran the full perimeter of the closet. Yes, even over the door. (You can see the bottom of the shelf and a bit of the brim of a straw hat peeking over the edge.) There are single poles running along each side for hanging clothes. I replaced the door with a sheer curtain because it opened inward and, while the left side of the closet is 24” deep the right side is only 12”, so the hangers stuck out and the door couldn’t open all the way.

WHO DESIGNED THIS THING?

Here is what it looks like now:

Doesn’t it look eleventy billion times bigger?

I still have a few things to do, like install new baseboards (painted and ready to be sacrificed for the greater good) and fill the wall on the right above the double-decker shoe condo. I was initially going to get a third shoe condo but have decided to put two 24” wide shelves there instead, where I will put baskets filled with delicate girly things and, hey!, maybe I’ll be able to get rid of one of my three – count ‘em, THREE – dressers.

Yeah, I’m liking that idea more and more.

Please notice the light fixture in the ceiling. Lest you think it is boring and unremarkable, know that the original fixture was a bare bulb with no way to attach a globe of any kind. Great for aggressive questioning in a small, otherwise dark room by men in black. Not so good for making you feel pretty in the morning.

BTW, the closet wasn’t the only thing Tania and I got accomplished during the 48 hours she was here but I’ll have to tell you about it later. Now I must go become prone.

 

Technorati Tags: home improvement,master closet remodel,wire shelving,Tania

Not for girlie-girls

If you cry when you break a nail, stop reading. You won’t find this even remotely interesting. If, however, you are someone who Gets Shit Done, read on.

This is my old tool box along with my cordless drill with two batteries (in the black bag,) two drill/driver bit sets, a set ratchet set,and my handy tape measure.

Relatively compact but it still takes two trips if I need to, say, drill and hammer something.

Behold my magical new bag:

And my pink toenails. (It is in fact possible to get regular manicures and operate power tools.) Also note the small green and black bag. It was an old one I had lying around that is perfect for all the loose crap, like electrical tape, plumbers tape, replacement blades for the utility knife, glue sticks for the hot glue gun (yes, every tool box should have a hot glue gun – so handy), staples for the staple gun, etc. I just toss it on top inside before I zip up the main bag.

And look at all the exterior pockets!

Front and right-facing side above, back and left-facing side below.

They even have two little places on the back there to clip things, like a tape measure.

And the best part? IT ROLLS. Just like a rolling suitcase.

It’s pretty heavy with all that stuff in there but it rolls quite easily. I don’t really need everything I have in there at present. I could probably leave out the ratchet set and a few other task-specific tools but it’s nice to know it all fits with room to spare. I can even stack things on top and bungee them to the handle if I need to go mobile.

BTW, if you’re wondering why the three screw drivers in front have pink ends, I dabbed pink fingernail polish on them to identify them as the Phillips heads. Pink starts with “P” as does Phillips. You know, in case someone uses my tools and – GOD FORBID – puts them back in the wrong pocket, I will still be able to easily locate a Phillips when I need it.

 

Technorati Tags: home improvement,tool box,rolling tool caddy,toolbelt diva

What is that shelf under the fridge ice and water dispenser called, anyway?

So I’m filling my mug with water from the fridge, and for the gazillionth time I think it sure would be great if the dispenser area had a slide-out shelf so I could walk away while my mug/pitcher/pot fills with water.

Then I realize I’ve never actually tried to pull out the bottom plate. Who knows? Maybe I already have one of those fancy fridges and didn’t even know it!

Alas, I was wrong and I found something truly disturbing in the process. So naturally I took a picture of it.

GROSS! I didn’t even know that plate came off. (Apparently neither does my house cleaner.)

The brown stains on the dispenser toggles are likely iced tea splashes from when the ice melts before the tea is gone and I stick the glass of liquid under the dispenser so fresh ice can plummet down the chute screaming, “CANNONBALL!”

I am happy to report it cleaned up pretty easily.

Except for some hard water areas on the plate that had more stamina than I did elbow grease. Perhaps I’ll try Lime-Away next.

Now, if I could only figure out how to rig up an extendable shelf so I can do some hands-free filling.

 

Technorati Tags: fridge hacks

I’m revamping my master closet

BEFORE:

Existing crappy layout. HATE IT.

EMPTY: 

Empty! The baseboard paint is flaking off because the prior owner installed laminate baseboards, to which paint does not stick. Had they matched the flooring I would have left them alone but they were DARK BROWN. WTF? I know they make a special bonding primer just for such applications but I apparently made a bad choice of painting contractor. ::sigh::

AFTER DEMOLITION:

Note the dark dots in the white area in the big picture on top. Those are nails that opted to stay in the wall rather than come out with the boards. As evidenced by the white paint vs. the unprimed area, these upper shelves were added later by a homeowner.

Who used looooooooonnnnnnnggggg finish nails, i.e. no head to speak of, in the studs.

And who should die. (Note there are no nails left in the wall in the original shelf area, just the add-on.)

And yes, that is in fact a kitchen cutting board in the tool picture. It was used to spread the force of the crowbar over a larger area so as not to put a big hole in the wall. You know, like the one in the next picture.

Learning: meet Hard Way.

The last picture is the pile o’ boards I removed but is short four shelf boards I had already taken to the garage. !Ay caramba! People say demolition is the fun part but I DISAGREE. If you’re knocking down entire walls and want to get out your aggression with a sledge hammer, maybe, but prying off  stinkin’ boards that have been nailed to a delicate wall you do not want to damage is another matter entirely.

Next up:

• Remove the effing nails that are still stuck in the wall without doing any more damage,
• Repair the nail hole and crowbar damage,
• Apply texture to mimic the rest of the wall texture,
• Prime and paint,

And that’s all before the actual new closet system installation.

Tania: THAT will be the fun part. I’ll save it for your visit. COME SOON.

 

Technorati Tags: home improvement,closet remodel,install closet system

I *heart* compost

Finally a properly functional compost bin:

I used garden stakes and plastic mesh for a grand total cost of about $30, with a buttload of plastic mesh leftover in case I ever have to redo it. I placed the stakes a wheelbarrow width apart, which came in handy when transitioning my exist compost pile to the new location.

Here is what the area behind the shed looked like before:

I don’t play tether ball so have had no use for that old tire thing. Or maybe one could stick a flag in it. Or an patio umbrella.

Here is what it looks like from the yard. You can’t see a thing!

Those are actually the posts and mesh leaning up against the shed before I put them to work. I stumbled on the white plastic posts at Lowes. One end has a 6” or so metal tip about the size of a bow-and-arrow type arrow with a thing sticking out where the plastic post begins so you can use your foot and body weight to sink the metal pointy part into the ground up to that point. The post itself has a bunch of clippy things so I simply slid the mesh onto those and I was done.

Meanwhile, my gardener ripped out the ivy that was fast overtaking everything in the tiny bed just outside my patio. Here is the disaster before:

And here is the giant mess afterwards:

Hey look! There’s a sprinkler back there! Who knew? Now I just have to decide what to plant there.

I’m exhausted. How was your long weekend?

 

Technorati Tags: home improvement,yard and garden,composting,removing ivy

Bored on a rainy day? Frost your windows for privacy!

I have giant windows in my garage. Giant take a good look at what’s inside, decide which tools or bicycles you want to steal, break a window, then walk right through because they are THAT BIG.

They have been naked for three years because I planned to buy a cheap roller shade but:

1. Could not find one wide enough, meaning I would have to buy two (aesthetically unpleasing) or order a custom size (which defeats the whole “cheap” ideal,) and
    
2. It’s the garage, which gets dirty, which means I’d have to periodically clean whatever I hang up there, which means I never would because it’s the garage, so it would get dirty and spider webby and become an eyesore.

Not that I over-think things, or anything.

So I’m watching HGTV one day – like I do, 24/7 – and saw an episode where they applied frosted film to a window to let the light in but maintain privacy. BRILLIANT!

BEFORE-ISH

I forgot to take a “before” picture so here is one with the center panel done but before I applied the frosted film to the side windows, which have screens on the outside and slide open.

As you can see, the view was quite clear, even through the screens.

 

AFTER

Here it is all finished, taken with a flash…

 

…and without a flash.

The window still lets in a ton of light but doesn’t let anyone peer in and covet my stuff.

 

PROJECT NOTES

Do not – I repeat, “DO NOT” – attempt this project by yourself unless you are doing a very small window. It can be done, but it involves a lot of cussing and raising of the blood pressure. You really need an extra pair of hands to hold the film while you spray both sides with the application solution, then as you peel away the backing and apply it to the window.

I was going to provide step-by-step instructions but there are a gazillion “how-to’s” already out there, both written and video. Just Google “how to apply window film.” I do have a few tips, however:

1. Window size. You need to cut the film 1” larger on each side (so 2” wider and 2” taller) than your window so be sure to get the correct size film.
    
2. Four hands are better than two. If you can’t get a companion to help you, rig up a clothes line so you can clip the cut pieces to it. You need to spray both sides with the application solution then peel away the backing before applying it to the window. Virtually impossible to do with only two hands.
    
3. Application kit. I bought an application kit for about 9 bucks which included a spray bottle of application solution, a low-lint cloth, a “hard-card” squeegee, and a trim tool. To save money:
• Application solution: make your own using 1 quart of distilled water (not hard tap water) plus 1/4 teaspoon of no-tears baby shampoo without conditioner. Put it in a spray bottle and you’re good to go.
• Low-lint cloth: Any low-lint kitchen or cleaning towel will do. I didn’t use the one that came in the kit. I used my own regular (high-lint) cleaning cloth to wipe off the squeegee when it got really wet and wipe down the excess water that accumulated on the sill.
• Squeegee: I used my regular large squeegee with a handle that I use to clean my shower rather than the tiny “hard-card” style that came with the kit. The hard-card one was handy for the edges but would have taken a lot more time for the main body squeegee work.
• Trim tool: Any razor blade cutting implement will do: exacto-knife, etc. You are supposed to leave 1/16th of an inch gap between the film and the edge of the window for “proper thermal expansion of the window” and their tool is designed to do this. But it’s really just the tiniest tip of a razor blade sticking out of the end of that green thing you see in the photo and, depending on how you angle it, it may or may not leave the requisite 1/16th of an inch. The hard-card squeegee was very hand to hold next to it, pushing it against the edge of the window and sliding all the way down for a quick, straight cut, but you can use any old ruler for that.
   

I’m so glad I finally did this! My washer and dryer are in the garage so now I can go out there naked to toss my work clothes in the steam dryer to get the wrinkles out without fear of the neighbors or lawn boy seeing me.

(…)

Too much information?

 

Technorati Tags: home improvement,frosted window film,garage window

It’s not a deadbolt installation, it’s an adventure!

I installed a deadbolt on my front door today. Before and after photos:

Does it match the existing hardware? Not really.

Do I have any idea when I’ll feel like filling, sanding, and repainting where the old ball and chain hardware was located? Nope.

Do I care much about either of those things right now? Not even remotely.

Technically I am not yet done with the installation. Three loooooooong screws are supposed to secure the jamb brace (into which the deadbolt goes when locked) into the door but I couldn’t get them to screw all the way in. So the two longish screws that attach the strike plate to the door on top of the jamb brace will have to do for now. I don’t know if my cordless drill doesn’t have enough oomph, if I too weak to apply enough pressure against the screw, or if they make longer drill bits I can use to pre-drill the holes deeper than my standard bit, but the screws would only go in so far and no way were they going any further. I may have to invest in an impact driver to get the job done.

I bought a special drill bit set made for installing deadbolts and door handles. It was 20 bucks but totally worth it for the templates, hole saws, and mini router bit for getting a jump start on the recesses for the face and strike plates.

But what tool came in MOST handy for deadbolt installation? An old tube of bright red lipstick!

Once you install the deadbolt on the door, you need to mark the other door (or door jamb) with the location of the hole to receive the deadbolt when the door is locked.

This great video online walks you through all the steps of installing a deadbolt. It’s actually a series of short videos and shows you how to do the installation the old fashioned way – by measuring - as opposed to cheating like I did with a template.

In the video, they apply a dab of caulk to the deadbolt, close the door, operate the deadbolt enough for it to touch the other door/door jamb and leave a gob of caulk there, then use that as a marker for where to drill the hole. Pretty smart! I do have caulk but it occurred to me not everyone does, so I used bright red lipstick. You have to really gob it on to get a proper mark so I switched to a gob of thick hand lotion instead, which worked great. What the lipstick did work great for was later, when it turned out my hole wasn’t quite lined up right (D’OH!), to show me which side was out of alignment be leaving a red mark on the side of the strike plate that was causing the problem.

Yes, I had to MOVE THE HOLE even after using the caulk/hand lotion trick. So annoying yet so predictable.

The entire installation took two and a half hours. WAY too long but it was my first time installing a deadbolt, using a chisel, or locking the cats out on the patio so they couldn’t make an escape through the wide open front door, so I’m giving myself a break.

And now I have peace of mind that the zombies will have a harder time getting in.

It’s the little things.

 

Technorati Tags: home improvement,how to install a deadbolt,girl power