Buffed & Caulked

I spent a large part of today buffing and caulking. Yes, back to the renovation. After a 2 month break the time has come to get my workbelt back on.

Finally, after 4 months of using it, I sanded down the butcher block top we had installed in our kitchen. At 5’ x 7’ it took awhile, especially considering I started with 100 grit paper (which actually smoothed it beyond what the kitchen company delivered it as), and finally ending up at 220 grit. I was sanding with one hand, and running the vacuum with the other, so the mess was reduced to only a fine layer of dust everywhere.I buffed in some beeswax and oil mixture, which set up nicely. A second, and maybe third, coat tomorrow and I can call the main kitchen island as done. Unless you count the missing fake drawer front, missing recycling sorter, incorrectly installed pull out spice rack and…, well, a few more things. At least I managed to sand out the pen marks the kitchen installer put in, right after he installed the top. Arrg!

Then I caulked… since installing the trim 3 months ago, my plan of procrastinating until the joints had settled seemed to work. I filled about 30 corners – which seemed much worse than when I originally put the 30 corners together.

Tomorrow night I sand 30 corner joints, and prime the bare parts of the moulding.

I checked my calendar tonight and it has been 295 days since the renovation officially began (i.e., ground actually broken by the excavator), but over a year since we first gave our sketches to the architect and the contractor. It really is the last 10% takes 90% of the work, especially if your budget finished up before the contractor did, and he left it all for you to do!

We started with this:




We moved to this:




And then to this:




And, while not yet finally, but it felt like finally, to this:

Still to do in the coming months:

Paint the trim.

Build a closet. We now have a closet in the house, but with no door or shelves I have the task of making something to fit some old antique windows we have. Ikea just doesn’t feel right for this...

Rebuild the deck. I put a temporary one up to get our permit signed off. I am happy with a plywood deck, but LP-ette isn’t.

Move the old kitchen entrance way over 3”. Who would have thought a 2” mis-measurement by the kitchen designer would cost me 50+ hours in rewiring switches from one side of a door to another, all while needing to move the door over!

Re-drywall, tape, mud, sand, mud, sand, mud, sand, texture, prime and paint the 2’x6’ chunk of drywall the electrician had to cut off to get our new panel rewired.

Move the shed I built a few years back to the other side of the house. Not sure how I am going to do that…

Install the ceiling fans. I have 2 to install. On the 15 foot ceiling. With a 6’ step ladder. Not sure how I am going to get that one done either…

Landscape. Landscape. And Landscape more.

And next week my water tank gets delivered to Hornby, which is 3 months behind the schedule I thought I would be on.

AhhHH!!