That's the Way It Crumbles, Cookie-Wise

[Joe Riley]

Restoring 100+ Year Old Wallpaper - From the Mind of Christine McConnell​

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Last month, while searching for something else, I ran across 2 double rolls of paper left over from the wallpaper job I did in the downstairs bath over 30 years ago. Insulation was blown into the walls in the house much later. This left up to 3 holes between the studs on 1-1/2 walls in that room. I never got around to fixing the holes because they blended in nicely with the wallpaper pattern.

The unused paper doesn't quite match the old after 30 years of wear and tear, but it's enough to do 3 of the 4 walls, stopping at corners, if I don't make any mistakes. So I added this job to an already quite lengthy to-do list. On a test patch I found semigloss paint underneath, and the old paper came off just soaking with warm water. The project was then moved to the front burner.

This was where things stopped for 2 weeks. More on why later. Maybe.

Old wallpaper

At the beginning of wallpaper removal. I know it looks bad but was fairly easy to do after I got the hang of it.

I restarted the job about a week ago, and I'm working on it right now.

That's the way the wallpaper crumbles!

 

[Nancy Hart]

That made me think of "Five finger discount"!

That must be a city person's expression. Had to look it up.
(have to wait a few minutes for next post to avoid automerge)

 

[Faye]

You are certainly more ambitious than me. This last fall really took the go out of me. it is a struggle to make myself do necessary chores these days. I guess I did too much remodeling and building in my younger years. It is great you have the energy to do it. I always like seeing the lumber in those old houses. Great old time craftsmanship and a thing of the past. I once had a set of those old molding planes and could match any of the old molding. It was a lot of work and one of the reasons my elbows are shot.

 

[Nancy Hart]

Restoring 100+ Year Old Wallpaper - From the Mind of Christine McConnell

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She says, "I hope visitors feel a bit wary and suspicious." Mission accomplished. Too dark and dreary. The dining room near the end reminds me of Miss Haversham's dining room in Great Expectations.

 

[Joe Riley]

She says, "I hope visitors feel a bit wary and suspicious." Mission accomplished. Too dark and dreary. The dining room near the end reminds me of Miss Haversham's dining room in Great Expectations.

I was fascinated watching her mix the 14 colors and then sketching and hand painting the missing areas. I'm sure she has ambitious plans to cash in on her work on the house.

 

[Nancy Hart]

I was fascinated watching her mix the 14 colors and then sketching and hand painting the missing areas. ...

Yeah, I can see where it would be fun just to see if you can do it. But that would be it. That paper would come down in my house.

 

[Nancy Hart]

You are certainly more ambitious than me. This last fall really took the go out of me. it is a struggle to make myself do necessary chores these days. I guess I did too much remodeling and building in my younger years. It is great you have the energy to do it. I always like seeing the lumber in those old houses. Great old time craftsmanship and a thing of the past. I once had a set of those old molding planes and could match any of the old molding. It was a lot of work and one of the reasons my elbows are shot.

I know what you mean. Last spring I had to plant 3 pallets of grass sod. It had to be done in a short period of time or the sod got ruined. It took me 9 months to get over the injuries from that. I know one day I won't ever get over something. It makes you hesitant to try things. Breaking jobs down into short sessions helps. I tend to procrastinate anyway.

This house has some good original work, but some lousy remodeling work. Crown molding in the living room is molded from plaster. I repaired that the best I could years ago. Wouldn't have the ambition to do it now.

 

[Nancy Hart]

I've learned that projects snowball in at least two different ways. There's the "While you're at it" factor and the "I didn't expect this" factor. The former usually happens at the planning stage. The latter can happen right up to the very end.

This thread is going to become numbing, mind-wise, because the bathroom project has expanded considerably, and it has barely gotten started. Hopefully some things will happen in between to break the monotony.

I didn't expect this...

It was clear early on that it would be almost impossible to remove the paper on precisely 3 walls and keep the 4th one intact, because the paper overlapped in the corners. That's the way you are supposed to hang corners, wallpaper-wise. So much for using the old paper. Not enough.

While I'm at it...

After removing the burden of just replacing some wallpaper, I started thinking outside the box. This small bathroom is taller than it is wide. Wainscoting makes a room with tall ceilings look larger. I found some beadboard planks at Home Depot. No need to wrestle with 4'x 8' sheets. They are made of PVC, so they are good for damp areas, and can also be used on the small wall above the shower. The planks are sitting on the porch as we speak. It may be their home for quite some time.

BTW, the old wallpaper is now back on the table.

I think I better stop now.

 

[Faye]

Remodeling is always full of surprises. When I remodeled my bathrooms, I found the floor damage more extensive than suspected. I had to chisel out the partical board under the wall footer 2X4s. That was a blast as you can imagine. Once all the damage was removed, I brushed those areas with Bullseye mold killing primer. That was 5 years ago and I still hurt from all the positions necessary to do the job. I was quoted $42,000 for both baths by the only outfit that would even come and look.

 

[Joe Riley]

Remodeling is always full of surprises. When I remodeled my bathrooms, I found the floor damage more extensive than suspected. I had to chisel out the partical board under the wall footer 2X4s. That was a blast as you can imagine. Once all the damage was removed, I brushed those areas with Bullseye mold killing primer. That was 5 years ago and I still hurt from all the positions necessary to do the job. I was quoted $42,000 for both baths by the only outfit that would even come and look.

You made the right choice @Faye 2.0 ......they may have been better 'chiselers'!

 

[Nancy Hart]

Nail Pops

(in drywall)


Six little nail pops all in a row...
They'll only get worse, so the nails must go

Cut a small ring around and about
But none of my tools could pry one out

Try a cat's paw, the experts said
All I did was break off the head

Pound it in deeper, argued online chat
All I accomplished was to bend it over flat

Patience running thin on how else to tackle
Smash it deep into that hole . . .

. . . Now I need more spackle!

 

[Joe Riley]

 

[Nancy Hart]

I bought a 2 gallon bucket at Lowes last week. It sat near the bathroom door waiting to be used. Kept running into it. It would turn over and roll across the floor. Then I'd run into it again somewhere else. At one point I got frustrated and finally kicked the bucket (down the hallway). Then broke out laughing.

 

[Joe Riley]

I bought a 2 gallon bucket at Lowes last week. It sat near the bathroom door waiting to be used. Kept running into it. It would turn over and roll across the floor. Then I'd run into it again somewhere else. At one point I got frustrated and finally kicked the bucket (down the hallway). Then broke out laughing.

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; Kick the Bucket​

 

[Nancy Hart]

Bathroom remodel continued

In the category of I didn't expect this ...

A "corner bead" is a reinforcement placed on top of an outside corner of a wall on top of the drywall and underneath the plaster (drywall mud). If you bang against the corner, the bead discourages the corner from just crumbling. They can be made of paper, plastic, or galvanized steel. The corner bead around the shower in the bathroom was steel, likely installed in the 1970s. In places, the plaster on top is loose because the corner bead is rusting.

There are 2 options. (1) dig it all out, replace with a new corner bead, and replaster, or (2) chip off the old loose plaster, try to remove the surface rust, cover it with a stain blocking primer, and replaster. Since I'm not likely to be in this house 20 years from now, I'm planning to try option (2). Unless I find the corner bead is actually broken.

 

[Nancy Hart]

Had to drag out the dusty lawn mower today and top off the wet spring clover-like weeds before it got too tall to mow. I don't know what you call it, but it looks just like the potted plant in the dentist's office Monday that the girls said was shamrock. Vacation is over.

 

[Nancy Hart]

I don't think the bluebirds like my early spring remodel of their house. Haven't seen them near it except one time since. However old records indicate the pair last year didn't start their first nest until around March 25th. This may be the same pair. There's still time. Yesterday they were both on the deck. The female bows down with her head toward her feet. The male hops over and pecks her on the head---maybe a half dozen times. Then she flew off. I've never seen that happen before.

Finally found some information...

"I observed a male on the top of the box with a female, repeatedly pecking her head like a jackhammer until she flew off. Short of mindreading their little bird brains...., an explanation was suggested by local birder Joe Neal. A male bluebird will peck a female’s head as part of mating behavior." - Bluebird Smackdown - Amanda Bancroft

I guess you could call it foreplay? Ouch!

 

[Joe Riley]

I don't think the bluebirds like my early spring remodel of their house. Haven't seen them near it except one time since. However old records indicate the pair last year didn't start their first nest until around March 25th. This may be the same pair. There's still time. Yesterday they were both on the deck. The female bows down with her head toward her feet. The male hops over and pecks her on the head---maybe a half dozen times. Then she flew off. I've never seen that happen before.

Finally found some information...

"I observed a male on the top of the box with a female, repeatedly pecking her head like a jackhammer until she flew off. Short of mindreading their little bird brains...., an explanation was suggested by local birder Joe Neal. A male bluebird will peck a female’s head as part of mating behavior." - Bluebird Smackdown - Amanda Bancroft

I guess you could call it foreplay? Ouch!

Itchy scalp?

 

[Nancy Hart]

(3/25/25) Tuesday

Bingo! This afternoon, male bluebird picked up a critter (worm or bug) from the ground, carried it to his usual perch, pecked the heck out of it, and took it in the birdhouse. They have moved in.

Too early for little ones, probably too early for egg sitting. Likely nest building stage, unless I've missed a whole lot of activity (which is possible).

I put up the chickadee house. It may be too late for them. Last year, the male bluebird terrorized the chickadees, but it didn't stop them.

 

[Joe Riley]

(/25/25) Tuesday

Bingo! This afternoon, male bluebird picked up a critter (worm or bug) from the ground, carried it to his usual perch, pecked the heck out of it, and took it in the birdhouse. They have moved in.

Too early for little ones, probably too early for egg sitting. Likely nest building stage, unless I've missed a whole lot of activity (which is possible).

I put up the chickadee house. It may be too late for them. Last year, the male bluebird terrorized the chickadees, but it didn't stop them.