Sunday, August 7, 2011

Big Deal!

I'm sure some of you would say "Big Deal! Drywall is drywall so why are you taking pictures of drywall?" But for those of us who recognize the work that needs to be done before you can put up the drywall it is a "Big Deal"! The middle chamber (which is the largest of the five chambers or bedrooms - measuring approximately 15'x18' - No I did not take the exact measurements) putting up the last sheet of drywall in the closet represents a milestone in the preparation of the chamber for completion. Prior to putting up the last sheet I had to repair and tuck point the bricks to make the wall sound, then frame out the wall in a unique way to avoid changing the dimensions of the closet. Finally the last sheet went up. As a friend once said "Putting up drywall is satisfying because it covers an area quickly."
 

So what does the room look like now? Here is the picture of the prep work. I'm showing this picture for those who have never renovated a house or room before. Lest you get the wrong impression, renovation is a messy job, but the rewards far outweigh the mess.

We also found a way to strip the old paint off the doors and trim. Someone had put paint over the existing varnish and stain. We tried many different products as well as heat in an attempt to remove the old paint from the doors and the trim. Finally it was suggested to us that we use a product called "Dad's Easy Spray" which we purchased from Girdner Post & Lumber in Mercer. You spray it on (or in our case brush it on) and in 15 minutes just like magic the paint, varnish and stain start to bubble - then just scrape it off. Now we can prep the doors and trim for refinishing.

Before                                        After
 

(I know, it's not the same door but this door looked like the "before" door)

3 comments:

Tanya said...

So if I used this magic stripper, would I be able to strip the varnish or stain or whatever it is that is on our woodwork and stain a different color in the end? Or is it best for paints?

Am-I-Nuts said...

The answer is "Yes" to it removes the stain. The people who recommended it to us used it to remove varnish and "Green" stain color so that they could stain their trim a different color. It has removed the paint, varnish and stain, returning the wood back to its natural color so we can stain it what we want. If you want we can give you a sample to use.

Nance said...

Great! that is my lumber yard! whatever you need, Girdner's have it! Love your old house : )