So I’ve been holding out on posting until we have something really satisfying to show, but Maddy said it is time for a post. And I can’t say no to Maddy. So here’s a bit of this and that from the last week or so.

The last few days have been dusty, dirty, fume-y grunt work. I’ve been grinding the blue grout out from the tub surround using a specialized attachment on our oscillating tool. Same tool we used to score the vinyl and plywood flooring in the kitchen, different attachment.

I tackle this job for two hours at a time, and end up covered in this blue dust. I wear a respirator, safety glasses, a handkerchief covering every inch of my hair, wrist guards for support, and thick suede work gloves.

Here’s the blue grout in full effect:

And I hear you thinking, “is she going to tell us about that fish tile?”

Yes. The fish tile. We hate it even more than you do! We’re looking into methods to paint over tile. There isn’t a ton of the fishes, so it shouldn’t take too long, but it is a several step process: sanding the tile face, painting it with an oil-based paint, sealing with a urethane finish. Here’s the best source I’ve found so far: How to: DIY Paint Ceramic Tile | Apartment Therapy.

As for the grout, we are going to re-grout with tan, in case white won’t fully cover up the blue that’s leftover here and there, as it is impossible to get it all out without damaging the tiles (due to the sloppy application of said blue grout).

And Andrew’s recent dirty work has been patching and sanding the drywall. Drywall dust is a favorite around here. It’s fun to breathe, fun to wipe and re-wipe off of every single surface… Anyway sheetrock muddin’ doesn’t really make for fun photos. So here are some bits he has had to patch in the flooring in the kitchen:

He uses a two-part epoxy from JB Weld that can be sanded and stained. It rivals the floor stripper in the fumes department.

We’ve also made a trip—and plan to make another—to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. That place is amazing. We got four light fixtures, a chest of drawers, a small table, two doorknobs, and a great mid-century lamp for under $100.

Here’s the chest of drawers with my Grandma Marion’s lamp on top:

Even having that one little corner feel close to a real home makes a difference.

Andrew has also been demolishing the useless parts of the staircase surroundings that like to attack tall people’s heads. The ceiling was so low in service of this really weird closet in the attic bedroom:

We forgot to photograph it when it was fully intact, but it was what you see just with more paneling as a back wall.

Here it is from the other side:

And now with the closet gone:

Good ol’ Stanley FuBar is in the shot.

The plan for this area is to put in a balustrade. Habit Re-Store has entire bundles of those materials for around $20.

And lastly, though the colors never translate well in photos, I’ll share a picture from all the painting I’ve been doing:

That is the front room looking into the living room. The front room is going to be an office/reading room. The color is Manuscript by Behr. The color in the living room is Mojito by Behr. That stripe of Kelly green you see is going going gone. Where the previous owner painted dark, we are painting light, and where it was white, we are painting dark. So double coats are required, even with Behr paint and primer in one.

Home Depot is coming on Friday to install carpet in the attic bedroom, and we’ll be be bringing some furniture back from my parents’ house tomorrow. So photos of all that, soon. I can’t wait to sleep in a real bed in a carpeted room. Not that an air mattress on drop cloths over a plywood floor isn’t luxurious in it’s own special way. But a bed that can’t be popped by cat claws and therefore doesn’t need to be disassembled every night might be a bit of a time saver. Meanwhile, this guy has to be locked in the bathroom every night. See that accusatory stare?