No post today. I’m in a tile coma.
The result of three days of labour
Obviously, I still have to put the seat on the bench and the top on the threshold, take out all of the spacers and grout everything, but the hard part is done.
Finally.
Thank goodness.
Sorry for the brevity today. Full breakdown… project breakdown, not personal sanity (already had my “I’m going crazy” moment at the end of my 12-hour second day)… will come later.
How did you spend your weekend?
Saturday morning, Matt’s bathroom looked like this.
It’s not just Saturday. The bathroom has looked like this for the past several months while our attention has been on finishing the drywall in the rest of the basement.
By Saturday evening it looked like this.
Beautiful tile. Finally progress!
I’ve tiled before, and I actually enjoy doing it. It’s not hard work, but it does require planning.
My Dad and I spent several hours in the morning laying out the shower floor, carefully fitting and figuring. When we finally spread out the mortar, we had a really good idea of how everything should go.
The marble mosaic hexagon tiles that we used on the shower floor are all on a mesh backing that basically makes them into 12×12 tiles. It’s important to pay close attention when you join the sheets to make sure the gaps between the tiles are consistent. Despite our best efforts, I did still have a bit of difficulty keeping everything perfectly straight all the way across the floor, but I was able to adjust the spacing on the individual hexagons, and I think it will all look okay once it’s grouted.
Here are two lessons I learned about how to work with mosaic tile:
On the main area of the floor we used actual 12×12 tiles, which were a piece of cake to install. The biggest piece of figuring we had to do was determine where the middle of the floor was and then centre our tile along that line.
The only sour bite in our cake was cutting out for the toilet. I know other people have used dremels or other tools to get nice round circles. We used the wet saw, which only cuts in a straight line. With lots of patience, lots of back and forth and even trading off cutting duties between my dad and me, we got the tile cut on the first try.
The cut of the day
It’s not as smooth as it would have been with another tool, but it will all be hidden under the toilet. That works for me.
What didn’t work for me was the William Wallace/Gene Simmons makeup I had going on after using the wet saw all day. All of the tile dust mixes with the water from the saw and from my waist to my hairline I had a dusty grey stripe in line with where the saw blade had sprayed me all day long–attractively along only the right side of my face.
Thank goodness for safety glasses
Next step is grout and then I can move onto the walls. Who knows, someday we might even move on to installing the actual fixtures and using this bathroom.
What’s your tiling experience? Any tips for keeping things straight and even? Or cutting a curved line with a straight saw?
The title of this post may be a little over dramatic. I am not the first to face this conundrum or to wrestle with this question. However, the angst, the uncertainty, the pressure of this choice is well known by many.
What paint colour do I choose?
With the conclusion of the drywall phase of the basement, we progress to the painting stage. We (optimistically, as it turned out) bought primer months ago, so last week Matt and I started priming the basement.
Matt rolls on the primer in the long room
You would think with 5 1/2 months of drywalling (still can’t get over how long it took us), 7 1/2 months of farm ownership, and 9 1/2 months of knowing we were going to be painting the basement, I’d have figured this out by now. But I haven’t.
Most of the time in this project, I was planning on going grey. However, we’re planning on buying a charcoal grey sectional and the carpet will likely have grey tones in it. Painting the walls grey too was starting to seem like a lot. So over the last little while, I started thinking about other options.
The criteria for the colour are
I ended up buying samples of six different colours. Originally, I bought four, but then I didn’t like any of them, so I went back and bought two more.
Clockwise from top left: Cloud White, Distant Gray, Misty Gray, Mayonnaise, Linen White, White Dove. (All colours from Benjamin Moore).
This is my first time sampling colours on the actual wall. Usually I just trust my gut and go with a paint chip that I think will work. However, this is also my first time painting my forever house (bathroom aside), so I feel like it matters more that I get this right.
So, in addition to sampling the colours, I am appealing to you for help. What do you think?
Have a favourite colour that’s not covered in my samples? Let me know in the comments what you recommend.
… I’m done.
We are calling it on the drywall phase of the basement reno. Five and a half months–in case the text version wasn’t clear, let me translate that into numerals 5 1/2 (or 5.5 for you digitally minded folks) months–after we started drywalling the basement, we are finally finished.
Oh the glamourous life of DIYers.
Lest there’s any additional lack of clarity, the basement reno itself is not finished. Only the drywall stage is done.
Some other things that are done:
This is what my hands looked like at the end of a night of sanding. The bandages are pretty much worn away.
I built up calluses on my fingers, of course, but calluses can only do so much. It took me two nights of bleeding fingers to learn my lesson. (Point in my favour: the nights were not consecutive. I’m not that dumb). Before the second incident, I thought my fingers were sufficiently toughened from the first incident to not require protection. I learned that no matter how leathery and rough I think my hands are, I can apparently always do more damage.
Good news is I would make a good spy these days, as my fingerprints are sanded off.
The two circles highlight a scratch and some divots that need to be filled. The U and V markings are supposed to be arrows that point out a ridge that needs to be feathered out with paste.
The division of labour when it came to drywall was I sand, Matt pastes. As I work, I keep a pencil behind my ear, so that I can mark spots that need particular attention.
Additional symbols in my drywall lexicon include lines and once in awhile actual words–that usually still require translation.
The partially swept office floor (and yes, I know my work shoes are looking a little worn).
In the basement, the dust was so deep that dunes were starting to form. It took Matt and me a full afternoon to wipe down the walls and ceilings, sweep up the worst of the dust and then vacuum the remaining powder.
Upstairs is also covered in a fine skim of dust, although we haven’t done a deep clean there yet. We have to keep up our glamourous DIY lifestyle, after all.
Starting out on this project, I never dreamed that drywall would take us nearly half a year (ouch, that sounds like a really, really long time). My only excuse is that we ended up having to redo a huge area–pretty much the whole basement, we didn’t work on it religiously every single day and we’re not professional, so we’re slow.
The finish is definitely not perfect, but I’m satisfied with how it turned out, and I’m really happy that Matt and I were able to tackle such a big project together by ourselves (with help from my Dad, of course. Thanks, Dad!).
And now, in the way of DIY, concluding one stage of the project means it’s now on to the next. Painting here we come!
What’s on your agenda for this weekend?
When European explorers first landed in the new world (including Canada), it was customary for them to plant their flag as a symbol of ownership.
I think this latest development means the farm is officially ours.
Please ignore the overgrown mess that is the turnaround. Past owners dumped heaps of dirt and rubble here that made mowing impossible. Landscaping is next year’s project.
This project also means that Matt and I have officially started in on the fall to-do list. Planting the flag pole was #11.
I had bought the pole second hand on kijiji back at the end of June with the idea that we might be able to install it for Canada Day (July 1). That didn’t happen.
We drilled a hole for the pole back in August when we had the auger, and I tried to convince Matt that installing the flag pole would be a good birthday present for me at the end of September. That didn’t happen.
Finally on Sunday morning, we dragged out the wheelbarrow and a bag of concrete and made it happen. It took all of a half hour to mix the concrete, place the pole in the hole and pack the cement around it.
The hardest part was making sure the pole was plumb and holding it in place with ropes and stakes.
Our mini-circus tent… or the bottom third of the flag pole braced in place while the concrete sets.
Our flag pole came in three pieces, so it was very easy to wrangle one 7 foot piece into place, rather than a long 20 foot pole.
By Monday (I love long weekends by the way–we get so much accomplished) the concrete was set.
Set, secure and straight!
While Matt and his dad were working in the back bush clearing the trails, I went to work wrangling the rest of the pole into place. If you’re ever looking for a laugh, watch a 5’4″ woman staggering around with a 12 foot flag pole–to which she has already attached the halyard (or rope)–trying to keep it perfectly vertical so she can set it in place on top of another pole that’s as tall as she is. It took two tries, and the cats were absolutely no help.
Once the pole was fully assembled, it was a simple matter of attaching the clips to my rope and hoisting the flag.
Matt’s comment when he returned from the bush and saw the flag was, “I think we just improved this property more than any other owners. Except for maybe the guy who built the barn.”
So yes, we are both ridiculously happy to be flying the flag at the farm. Sometimes it’s the simple things.
Matt and I put on a push this week in the basement in an attempt to pick up the pace on the pasting. (I love alliteration, but that’s a lot of ‘p’s even for me). We’ve made a lot of progress, but a side effect of all of this productivity (I just can’t stop!) is that we are both suffering from hod claw.
hod·claw
noun
an uncomfortable contraction of the hand, typically occurring after holding a hod for an extended time
For those that haven’t had the pleasure, a hod is basically a big tray that holds the drywall paste (also known as mud or compound) while you’re working.
After a full evening of working in the basement, uncurling our fingers from our hods is harder than you’d think.
Matt holding the hod
It’s not that we love drywall and don’t want to stop. The issue is that our hands have seized around the handle of the hod and returning them to their regular dexterity requires much flexing and massaging.
When it comes to drywall, there are a variety of tools people choose to hold their paste. Some work directly from a bucket. Others use a mudpan. I grew up using a hod, so that’s what we use now.
Once I cross the three hour mark of pasting, I don’t think it matters what’s holding my paste. At that point, my hands have cramped. As long as I keep working, I don’t feel it too much. As soon as I set the hod down, though, that’s when I realize how tired my hands are.
Matt in action
Fortunately, by the next morning, I’ve usually regained most of my range of motion.
Even more fortunately, thanks to our concentrated efforts this week, we’re nearing the end on this pasting odyssey and will soon be setting down our hods. Hopefully, our hands recover from their case of hod claw shortly thereafter.
Any other DIYers out there who use a hod for drywalling? Have you ever been afflicted with hod claw? Or do you have your own unique DIY injuries?
If you zoomed out on Friday’s photo, you would have seen something like this.
Matt and me after sanding drywall
No, we did not have a baking accident and we’re not 18th century aficionados who powder our hair and faces.
We’re renovators and these days drywall is on the top of the to do list. Actually, it’s probably more the “please can we just get this done already” list, but I’m trying not to sound too desperate.
The photo that I posted on Friday was a thick layer of drywall dust coating Matt’s arm. Even though I teased her at the time, Catherine was actually pretty close with her first guess on last week’s post of “really dry skin.”
Skin and arm hair with a heavy dusting of drywall. Yum.
The sanding stage of drywall installation is usually the time I start to reconsider my affection for DIY renovations.
This is a lot of work, and sanding drywall is really not fun work.
Matt uses the pole sander, but I have never been able to master it. I also feel like I get a better finish by hand. So that means I get up close and personal with every single square centimetre of drywall.
It’s a good look, wouldn’t you say?
The good news is that the basement is looking really good. We’re at the third (and final) coat of paste pretty much everywhere, and a few spots need only touch-ups.
If we can keep up the momentum, I’m anticipating being covered in paint spatters instead of drywall dust in just a few weeks.
That will be a nice change of style. I’m ready for a makeover.
It’s a very exclusive enclave we have here in the country.
Population: 2 (plus 1 cat and 1 kitten)
With our new gate in place at the bottom of the driveway, farm living has become quite chi-chi.
Open sesame
Actually, setting aside my new pretensions, we installed the gate for security. We’re far enough from civilization that neighbours or police really wouldn’t be much help to us in the event of a break in. If we’re home we can keep an eye on things, but when we’re not the gate may just be enough of a deterrent to people who are thinking about trespassing.
I’ll admit that I was initially pretty resistant to having a gate. I don’t like the way they look, and I didn’t want the inconvenience of opening and closing it when I was coming and going.
However, I actually like the way our gate ended up looking. It’s still a bit of a pain to stop, open the gate, drive through, park and close the gate when you’re leaving or arriving, but it’s a small price to pay for feeling secure about our house.
It’s a simple set up: just a chain and a padlock
If you want in, you have to have the key
My Dad and Matt made some metal hooks to support the gate when it’s closed and when it’s propped open.
The hook supports the gate to ease the weight on the hinges and also secures the gate in place.
We do like having visitors at the farm–at least from people we know. So if you’re planning on dropping by, let us know, and we’ll open the gate for you!
Welcome to the farm
Anyone out there live in an actual gated community? How do you deal with security at your house?
See my earlier post for the story of setting the posts for the gate.
Some days, it seems like we’ve always been here at the farm. Others, it still seems unreal that all of this is ours. However, it is true that this is our new life. In fact, Sunday was our 6-month anniversary of farm ownership.
My backyard
I thought it might be interesting to look back and see what we’ve accomplished so far:
We’ve had a lot of help over the past six months mainly from my Dad and Matt’s Dad. We also hired professional help for several of the jobs listed above, so it has not all been DIY.
It’s been a lot of work and at times I’ve been frustrated that we don’t seem to be accomplishing more. The to-do list is still very long, even if I just look at what we want to complete over the next six months. Looking back at what we’ve accomplished makes me realize that we have done a lot over the last half-year.
In the review that I posted when we were two weeks into farm ownership, I wrote:
This is definitely where I want to be. I feel very privileged that we were able to make this happen and that we’ve found the property for us. It’s very special. Tiring and a lot of work, but still special.
This statement still completely reflects my state of mind. We are so happy to be here, working together to build our forever house.
I may be getting ahead of myself, but the other night I did this.
Work continues on the drywall in the basement, but we’re all done in the bathroom. So before I put the tile on the walls, I decided to put on some paint.
Yes, I should be sanding and pasting, but it’s so much easier to open a can of paint and brush it around a small room. Never underestimate the power of instant gratification when it comes to renovations.
In fact, I was so pleased, I may not have stopped with just the prime.
I decided to go really dark with Matt’s bathroom. It’s a pretty small room, and there are no windows, so my first instinct was to choose a really light paint. However, between the built-in shelving, tile and a big mirror, only one wall is going to be painted. Therefore, there’s room for some drama. Plus, everything else is going to be white or mirrored, so there will likely be enough lightness that the room doesn’t feel like it’s closing in on you.
The colour I chose is Wrought Iron from Benjamin Moore. It’s a really dark grey that reads as black at times.
I’m hoping that it will play well with the grey tones in the tile.
And that’s another benefit of painting at this point in the project: no spatters or drips on our beautiful new tile.
This is my first time choosing a paint colour this dark, and so far I’m loving how it looks. If it turns out that I don’t love it later on, it’s simple enough to repaint one little wall.
Anyone else a fan of the dark side? What are your tricks for dealing with a small window-less room?
Home on 129 Acres 