My son and I got to spend some time working on his apartment this weekend (when I wasn't home watching the guys who are jack hammering out the patio at the farmhouse. I'll have a post on that, soon). I'm happy to report that other than reinstalling the rest of the blinds and hanging the new track lighting, the main room of this efficiency apartment is ready for carpet and is FINISHED!
After patching and priming over 100 holes in the main area of the apartment and removing the tape from the wall around the window, we removed the ceiling fan, the blinds,the track lighting and the outlet covers.
First, we painted the ceiling (ceiling white) then painted the walls with 2 coats of Benjamin Moore Regal Matte in HC167 Amherst Gray.
After the walls and ceiling were painted, we tore out the carpet and padding in the main room and the closet *but we left the tack strips around the edge because this room will be re-carpeted. We also left the strips of the original linoleum in place. This is because there is a business on the first floor and the linoleum helps to act as a barrier so that liquid spills don't ruin the ceiling in the space below.
Finally, after the carpet was removed,the trim got a fresh coat of semi-gloss white paint, we reinstalled the clean ceiling fan. We're also in the process of cleaning the blinds and reinstalling them. We scraped decals from the windows and washed them (and the screens), stripped the carpet from the balcony and will replace it after repairs are made to the railing and staircase.
In the bathroom, we removed one of the two mirrors which were glued to the drywall with construction adhesive which caused us to tear the drywall when it was removed. I primed, patched and sanded the wall then primed again to get it ready for paint.
I also tried, unsuccessfully, to remove the mirror that had been glued to the outside of the bathroom door. The mirror shattered and tore the veneer on the door causing us to throw away the door and purchase a new one at Home Depot which will be drilled and fitted with hinges and a new knob. The cracked counter top and sink were removed and I'm deciding whether or not I can salvage the vanity. It may make better sense to find a new one...stay tuned.
Last, but certainly not least, my son spent most of the afternoon on Friday stripping the wallpaper in the kitchen and bathroom. We also removed the chair rail in the kitchen nook, painted the ceiling and installed a new light fixture.
There was a pipe in the bathroom which had previously frozen and burst. When it was repaired, the person who did the repairs applied joint compound over the wallpaper in the kitchen which made removing the remaining paper a challenge. This also means that I'll need to do repair work to the drywall before we can paint it.
Finally, in the kitchen, we discovered that the lower kitchen cabinets are not able to be salvaged and the kitchen counter top is also ruined. Fortunately, I found the white tile back splash at Home Depot for 13 cents per tile so I can fix that while I'm re-designing the kitchen cabinets to include more storage, pushing the upper cabinets all the way to the ceiling, and figuring out a ventilation system for over the stove. While we're at it, we're going to strip the kitchen flooring to the sub floor and replace it. (More on that later as well).
This week, we're ordering the new carpet that will be installed, the locksmith is coming to put the locks on the two new doors (the second one had a hole punched in it) and I'll be staining them dark brown before they're reinstalled. I also hope to complete the kitchen redesign and remove the kitchen cabinets.
That's what I did this weekend. I hope that you had as much fun as I did *smile*.
