Thursday, March 5, 2009

Words are very, unnecessary...

The title is taken from "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode...and that's what I've been doing, at least in the realm of home improvement, for the moment.

A.J.'s first birthday party went very well. We had loads and loads of people, and when he wasn't overwhelmed, A.J. had a very good time. Thanks to everyone who came out, brought gifts or themselves and joined us for our son's big day!

The basement family room walls and ceiling got done, as did the electrical work. We cleaned the floor about 3-4 times and got it decent enough. The fireplace works and definitely warms it up down there, and overall, it's just a nicer room to be in.

We still have plenty of post-party cleaning to do (the garbage men don't come until tomorrow, and there's full trash bags all over that need to be shed). But we're getting there. Work is kicking me in the ass right now; but at least I'll get back to it soon enough. I now have motivation, and something I didn't have before the party: TIME. :)

3 comments:

Karen Anne said...

Hi, I meandered over here from your comment on The Bungalow Chronicles.

From your flicker stream, it looks like you painted over "rec room paneling"? I am frozen with fear :-) over tackling mine. Any tips? How did it go? Thanks...

Andy said...

Hi Karen Anne,
Well, I think you're talking about the light green room, right? If so, that's my little son's bedroom, not the basement (which also had paneling, which we tore down).

Anyway, painting it was a pain in the ass. Two coats of primer, two coats of paint, twice each (used a brush to get in the channels, and a roller for the flat parts).

Tips? Just get the thinnest drywall you can and simply put it right over it. It's not worth it, in my opinion. It looks different, but not that much different, with the channels.

If you're sold on painting it, the key tip I'd get is, get fast-drying primer, a thick-nap roller (we used a thinner nap, to our demise), and a couple great friends or family members to help.

We used Benjamin Moore primer and paint, and I DID NOT sand down the paneling...just wiped it clean and put the primer right on. Stuck well.

Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions...

Karen Anne said...

Thanks...