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Let There Be Light!!!; I'm making over my living room
Topic Started: Apr 18 2008, 05:44 PM (548 Views)
plays88keys
Pisa-Carp
Hi y'all -- I've been busy this week finally doing a long-awaited and longed-for redo of my dark, depressing living room. Stuck in the 1980s, it desperately needed to shed the dark paneled wood, dark wood moldings and trimwork and the mauve/teal wallpaper.

First order of business was to pick new colors -- I went with Benjamin Moore's new Aura paint because it is guaranteed to cover that dark wood in one coat (after priming it, of course!) So the dark wood will become all white, and the wallpapered wallboard will now be painted a fresh, light beige color called "frappe."

Spent ALL DAY Wednesday stripping that wallpaper. The room is fairly large at 15x25, but only half the wall had paper - the rest was the depressing dark wood. Thought this would take 2 hours tops, but because my darling Improv wanted to make sure the paper stayed up, he doubled glued it to the wall which was an absolute bitch to take down. I scored the paper big time and went through an entire gallon of DIF gel and it *still* took 8.5 hours!!

Thursday I could barely walk. 8.5 hours of step aerobics on a stepladder took it's toll.

Today the priming began. Did that for 7 hours and will finish it off tomorrow. Sunday, if I still have legs, I'll start painting. I won't have much time to check in on you all, but will proudly show off my "after" photos when it's all over.

Here are some "in progress" pics:

First of all, this is what the room looked like before tackling the project:

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Following are photos of both the room with the walls stripped of paper, and all the furniture - and my precious piano - pushed into the middle of the room before priming, and then with the white primer applied. The difference is already apparent.

Posted ImagePosted Image

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You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.
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plays88keys
Pisa-Carp
oops, I need to resize those photos. sorry 'bout that.
You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
No you don't.
I didn't have to scroll and I have a relatively small monitor.

Are you keeping the ceiling fan?
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Looks nice, Plays! I am trying to get motivated to demo the upstairs bathrooms and redo them entirely - walls, floors, ceiling, fixtures - everything. Ugh.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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plays88keys
Pisa-Carp
kenny, the ceiling fan is history. I have never liked it.

Mik, I hear you about the projects. I've wanted to demo the fireplace you see here for over 20 years -- it's on the list...and it's a LONG list!
You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
I have two that look pretty much just like it except the brick goes to the ceiling. Can you knock off the brick mantle supports and skin it with cultured stone, or maybe paint it and put a wooden mantle facing on it?

Costco: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup....y=1&topnav=&s=1
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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plays88keys
Pisa-Carp
That mantle is exactly what I had in mind!

Improv told me he plans to eventually demo the thing we have, but said that mantles were around $1500 and other projects get priority. This one doesn't have a price, but it's beautiful and if it's Costco, it's bound to save $$$. Thanks!!!
You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
They weren't much in the store - maybe $300. And they looked very nice, the wood grain ones.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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DivaDeb
HOLY CARP!!!
can't wait to see pics Plays. I'm about in the mood to start my other bathroom. I bought the tile at the same time I did the tile in bath no 1, but I ran out of time to do it. When the school year is finished, I'm on it.
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Jane D'Oh
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Fulla-Carp
Good luck with that Plays, it's going to look good.

What is double gluing wallpaper? I've not heard of that one before.

What you need is a smoker to live in the house for 15 years, then the wallpaper falls off the walls, literally. Of course, you have the problems of soot-stained-everything to deal with then. :angry:

I have to paint our sons room, it's Thomas the tank engine blue right now, but he's grown out of that & it's gotten kind of beat up over the past 5 years. I'm thinking orange or lime green. I just have to convince him that scarlet is not the right color!
Pfft.
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sue
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HOLY CARP!!!
plays88keys
Apr 18 2008, 07:09 PM
That mantle is exactly what I had in mind!

Improv told me he plans to eventually demo the thing we have, but said that mantles were around $1500 and other projects get priority. This one doesn't have a price, but it's beautiful and if it's Costco, it's bound to save $$$. Thanks!!!

I agree, that kind of mantle would look great in that room, plays. And if you're going to paint it anyways, you really don't need to go for something made with expensive wood.

Good luck with the room, I bet it feels really good getting rid of all the old stuff, the wallpaper, the old colours; a new wall colour can be such a lift. And it's such a gorgeous room! I can't wait to see what you are going to do next. :cool:
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plays88keys
Pisa-Carp
I'm pretty much finished with the room at this point, and ready to show it off. Left to do: replace the fan and hang the art on the walls. I need new furniture, but have slipcovered the sofa and draped the cat-clawed (iow destroyed) wing chair with a throw for now. I am very, VERY pleased with how it turned out, and hope y'all enjoy looking at the results. I especially love the new placement of the piano - and please don't give me grief about it being in front of windows -- I have sheers behind the drapes and I use them to filter the afternoon sunlight.

A view with the piano lid on the short stick:

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And same view, except now it's on the long stick:

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The view from the bench:

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Finally, my most treasured family heirloom, a c. 1760 highboy, is noticeable. Before it disappeared into all the dark wood wainscoting:

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Even the fireplace is acceptable -- I still want Improv to demo it, but until he does, it's certainly nicer than before:

Posted Image


So now that you can see I no longer live in a cave, I'm hoping to see a few of you here in August, when I host my piano party for Mary Anna Evans! :)




You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.
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plays88keys
Pisa-Carp
Well, I like it.

:tomato:
You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.
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DivaDeb
HOLY CARP!!!
It's absolutely gorgeous (and my kind of place). Just saw the thread. I've been checking in on my blackberry today (takes too long to load pics so I don't) bout to head out again.

GOOD WORK!!!!

:clap:
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Jane D'Oh
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Fulla-Carp
Very nice work. And three cheers for a finished project. :smile:
Pfft.
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Kincaid
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HOLY CARP!!!
That turned out very nice! I thought the before picture looked nice - and so I doubted the after would look so good, but it looks great.
Kincaid - disgusted Republican Partisan since 2006.
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PattyP
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Senior Carp
Plays, I love it! It's beautiful; so fresh and light and inviting.

I covet your drapes for my bedroom. :wub:

And I understand your sentiment for the highboy. I have a jelly cupboard (or at least that's what I've always called it) that belonged to my great, great, great grandmother. It still has the original glass in the doors. I don't have room for it in my kitchen or dining area so I put it in my bedroom to hold my sweaters.

The glass doors force me to keep my clothes neat and tidy. :D

A tired dog is a good dog.

"Dogs' lives are too short...their only fault, really."
A.S. Turnbull
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George K
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Finally
Very, very classy.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Free Rider
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Fulla-Carp
Nice work!
I hope improviso helped...he's retired, you know. <_<
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M&M's
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Fulla-Carp
Nicely done! It brightens up the room alot.
My child shows GOOD CHARACTERIZATION in an ongoing game of D&D
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Bear 1
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Beautiful job. :biggrin: Ya dun good!

Bear
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Piano*Dad
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Bull-Carp
Piano party! August? When in August?

I like the changes. It is a lot brighter and more open looking. Now, about that dark wood floor ..... :lol: :tomato:

BTW, what's that thingie decorating the front of the fireplace? It looks a bit like the W&M cipher.
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plays88keys
Pisa-Carp
Thank you everyone for your kind comments. Now that I have this nice room you'd think I'd stay home and enjoy it, but no, I am leaving for the Bay in just a few minutes.

Piano Dad, about that party -- it is either going to be August 10th or 17th, depending on which weekend Mary Anna decides to come to Richmond to promote her book. I've been reluctant to make a formal announcement since I don't have a definite date, but I may have to do it anyway, just to get it out there. People plan their summers and weekends fill up fast! I hope we will see you here.

Have a fine Memorial Day weekend my friends!
You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
Thats just fantastic, Susan.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Mark
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HOLY CARP!!!
Yes yes. I like it a lot.

But, I will give you grief for placing your piano (ESPECIALLY A FRIGGIN STEINWAY!) by the windows.

It will get destroyed there.

I'm sorry, I cannot stand by and let you destroy your dream piano.

Unless you do like I did and get your windows tinted with a film that rejects 99.99% of UV rays and reflects at least 85% of the heat.

Then and only then will I not give you grief about where that piano is sitting.
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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
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