Since we have been so busy with wedding planning and the new biz, our poor house has been neglected. After months of abandonment, we have decided its time to give some TLC to the good ol’ bungalow. This Saturday was our first project since being back on the home renovation bandwagon (and since our housewarming party on 9/20/08. Yikes.)

Kevin was tasked with cleaning up some mildew spots that have been accruing on the bathroom ceiling. After a quick trip to Ace Hardware to purchase Kilz, joint compound, and sandpaper, we were in business. Kevin surface cleaned the mildew and began scraping away at some of the chipping paint. A few hours later and our bathroom looked like it was a war zone: patches of chipped paint covered the bathroom floor!

After all of the chipping paint was removed, Kevin slathered on the joint compound. Its drying as we type! Next up, we have to sand down the walls, paint the walls with Kilz, and finish up with our pretty blue bathroom paint. We also have one last coat of white to paint onto the bead board and trim… then the bathroom will finally be finished!

While Kevin was working his tail off in the bathroom, Lindsey was one room over making headway on the home office front. First up to bat, the beast of a desk that has been passed around Kevin’s family and has found its way into the house. The goal: sand, stain, and patina the desk with a black paint finish, adding new hardware to the shelves to finish it off. Also on the office to do list, paint the walls a lovely shade of brown and hang some accouterments to warm up the previously barren space.

After many hours of sanding (which would have been shorter had Lindsey not had to labor over removing the adhesive from the drawers that Kevin taped shut months ago… who does that?) the desk finally was stained. Lindsey painted a layer of black paint on the top of the desk, let it dry for five minutes, then wiped it off to give it the patina effect. The drawers are now a solid black and the last thing to do is to install the new hardware. The desk is 90% done. The walls have also been painted, trimming is half way done.

We will be finishing off the bathroom and the office this week and hope to have pictures of the final results next weekend. Stay tuned!

-K & L

Filed under: The House on June 28th, 2009