Home Improvement Projects

As someone who hasn’t needed home improvement skills before now … I really wish there were more “I did a thing … it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good and this is how you fix it” channels.  This might be an untapped market.  

As I mentioned before, I have some “small” projects I need to complete.  I say need - because they register as unfinished in my brain and will bother me until they are finished.  So, I thought I’d start with the painting touchups and mudding around the lights.  Simple right?

So … Here's the thing about my brain … I essentially painted every room before I moved in - including trim, doorframes and doors. The louvered doors were exhausting and felt endless, so I convinced myself I could keep the doors and door frames in the hallway as is.  I did the same with the ensuite bathroom - which lasted two months (maybe) before I realized it needed to be painted.  The rest - made it until last weekend - the doorframes and doors - are all freshly painted.  Which means, everything in my place got a fresh coat of paint (except the ceilings … I left the ceilings).  

The smell of paint - I just can’t … so, I had every window open and every fan I own on.  This lasted for the duration of painting and an additional four days … I needed to ensure the smell was fully gone, so - once I started, all of it needed to get done.  Period.  

Painting is easy.  Tedious and I don’t love it.  But it’s reasonably easy to do.  

Mudding … less easy.  

The lesson I received from my sister - when we first started painting at the start of this journey - was for small holes in the wall, think holes from nails or screws.  Adding to the wall where the hole for the lights was cut out - and not neatly - different story.  

I’m also not an electrician - so fully removing the sconces was not happening.  Should it have?  Probably.  But here we are.  

My first attempt - disaster.  The mess I made sanding - all the dust … Sighs.  Needless to say, I had to wash the walls, the trim, the floors, the light fixtures, the art - I also didn’t take them down … Mess!

My second coat I managed to do better (read smoother).  I realized I needed to build the base … like applying makeup (also not a skill), like building on colour … 

While it isn’t perfect - it is SO much better than it was.  I’m convinced perfect requires removing the wall and starting over … it probably doesn’t - but it’s the story I’m telling myself.  

The upside, it doesn’t have that “unfinished” look I felt like it had before.  I can walk down the hall and not see where it looks unpolished or unfinished.  That feels like a win. 

In the midst of all that, I also did all the painting touchups.  So, that’s complete.  

As I was doing the touchups, I realized the kitchen cabinets are bothering me.  I have two cabinets with glass on the doors.  When I had them painted, there was a miscommunication and the inside of those cabinets were not painted.  Yup, you guessed it … my brain registers these as “unfinished”.  

I was telling a friend about them over coffee on Saturday morning.  She asked me if they need to be painted or could I put a sticker - read wallpaper - that’s all white or with pops of colour up instead.  

OMG!  Mind blown … 

I love pops of colour, drama and depth. It’s why I layer and lean towards different types of fabrics and textures. 

When I got home, I googled all the things related to this. Insights into my brain while I was doing this … I don’t want to introduce new colours - I have a pool I can work from.  It’s a cupboard, so it has shelves and dishes … so, I don’t want it to be busy, or distracting or overwhelming for the space, I don’t want the detail to be lost or come off as noise.  

I think I found something … I think … it has chocolate, white and gold … It's simple and dramatic but not overwhelming. I think it will work.  (Read, we are going to find out because I ordered it). I am actually very excited about it.  (Read, I am also excited that I’m now this girl - the one who gets excited about adding wallpaper to the back of her kitchen cupboard).

That still leaves the balcony. That’s going to have to wait until next weekend … I need time to take apart the space before I sand, wash and paint it.  Then I get to put it all back together again.  It just requires time - read not so much skill as effort.  I have lights up on the balcony that come on every night … I love the lights … so I want the balcony to be done as quickly as possible to ensure that I can have my lights back up and working sooner rather than later … the less time I don’t have them working, the better … I like the lights - they bring me joy - so, the balcony needs to be done as fast as possible. 

We are getting there … little by little, home improvement project by home improvement project.