Before we got started on that, however, Chris removed the back portion of the mantel. We did this so that when we hang the wall mounted TV, we won't have to crane our necks so high to watch it. Besides, it was ugly.
Skimcoating is basically taking joint compound and smoothing it over the walls. The joint compound fills in any cracks and small holes. Big holes need to be taped first. Bigger holes need to be patched with sheetrock first. It isn't exactly what I'd consider a fun weekend project, but it was easy and satisfying work compared to our experience taking down the wallpaper.
The outside corners were in bad shape, so Chris applied some tape to repair them and made a nice smooth edge.
So what comes next? Chris is going to extend a soffit that is hiding some pipes. We want it to extend the entire length of the wall instead of stopping halfway across like it does now (you can see it in the picture above where I'm standing on the scaffold). We are hoping that it will look less obvious that way.
Stay tuned!
26 comments:
Wow! You guys were busy this past week-end! This room is really coming along, so fun to follow the effort.
Cathy
It already looks better! You must be exhausted. I can't wait to see the next step!
What a lot of work! But it will be fabulous when you're done! Can't wait to see it. Love the treasures you found....makes me wonder what else is hiding in that great old house. :) ~Rachel
That is ALOT of work! Bravo, as usual! I am so jealous of your found treasures. I get so geeked over finding traces of the past, but I'd be especially excited if it had to do with my own home! So cool.
xx
Great job! That must be hard work. Will you frame some of your treasures as a keepsake - pretty cool to find old stuff like that.
It's such a tedious process, isn't it! Especially all the dust and mess that creeps into all the other rooms. I'm looking forward to seeing the end result!
I love the old papers you found. I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff. Have you thought about framing them?
Ike hates the vacuum too. Dogs.
wow Carrie, love the treasures! You guys are really working hard - cannot wait to see the end result!
You accomplished a lot this week-end. You must feel extremely satisfied to have made so much progress. Great fun finding the "artifacts". We're enjoying watching the weekly progress.
What a project! Neat little finds you got there. We only found a few random things in our house but these are cool little treasures.
The after pictures are going to be amazing.
Wow, Carrie that is a BIG project. It looks like you guys definitely had your hands full this weekend. You made huge progress though, and I know it will be worth it.
The paper finds you found hidden behind your mantel are amazing. That one of the fun things about renovation, you never know what you're going to find.
I think you should definitely frame them and hang them somewhere special.
what a great neat find! i love when stuff like that happens!
It's coming along so well! As not fun as this project looks, the results are going to be amazing! I like that you're going to extend that soffitt too that will be a great look. Those finds are so cool and another reason why I love old homes you just never know what you're going to find! I also remember our corners being in really bad shape as well and needing extra TLC.
Woah, this is a lot of work! And you've gotten so much done already. It's really cool to see the family room in this in between state. That old ephemera you found is awesome! Do you think you're going to keep it? Good job, Georgia!! My parent's dog and Maura both hate the vacuum too:)
Wow! It's going to be beautiful when you're done. And how fun are those things you found behind the mantle?! Glad Georgia made peace with her enemy--those darn vacuums are pretty scary to poor cowering animals. :)
You two are rockstars - what a project!
Wow, Carrie, you all got A LOT accomplished! Good call on extending the soffit. It's probably a ton of work, but will be worth it.
Regarding the artifacts, you should frame some of those! Funny how even back in the early part of the 20th century, people were trying to get kids to sell things for them...
Camille
Oh wow, that looks daunting. What a huge project. I love your finds.
Wow, to the project, your hard work and your finds. This is going to be a beautiful space. I love seeing all of your progress.
Thank you for visiting my blog, I agree this house I posted could use some tender loving care. And with the cash I am sure it or many on this street in Milwaukee would be fabulous. They only problem is the taxes on that house are 36,000 a year.
Thanks again for stopping by, elizabeth
Love the vintage ephemera. The expressions used are great to read. I hope you will keep them re-hide them and add something from today; maybe a receipt from Home depot. WE have a 100 year old house and during our kitchen renovation we found coins and vintage slips of paper so when we put them back we included some things from today so as to create a kind of time capsule. Someday our hard work will be torn down by another generation and we wanted to leave some traces of ourselves.
I'm curious about your research into using joint compound over plaster, as we have all plaster walls as well. I didn't know the materials were compatible. I thought that the term 'skimcoating' referred to adding a thin layer of plaster over existing plaster. Was there any other wall prep required to be sure the joint compound stays adhered to the plaster?
All that old stuff is SO cool! All we find when we dig around is grodiness, dust and cobwebs.
I can't believe you tackled this job yourselves...amazing! What incredible finds. I'm so envious as I've lived in 100+ year old homes for a long time and never found anything cool. You should frame them. Don't you love the names on the guest list??
Looks like you found a time capsule. I always thought it was neat on TV when old homes yielded surprises. Our old home has only yielded more work... Have a great time!
Yes, I think you should frame those old papers too! What a cool way to show the house's history! Does not look like a fun job though! Thanks for stopping by the other day!
-Shelley
So very cool. You guys are such a cute couple- it's awesome that you are blogging about your projects as you go. You should compile all of the house posts into a book along with your treasures!
Wow, you guys are such troopers! You must be SO happy that this task is done!
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