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Post by DawninCal on Sept 10, 2022 12:54:27 GMT -6
Nope, no singing. The sound of my voice would scare the birds away! I sometimes talk to myself while working though. Dawn
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Post by michelle on Sept 10, 2022 21:45:24 GMT -6
Wow! That is amazing progress! I understand what you mean about being able to think about other things while doing simple tasks. That’s how sewing us a lot of the time.
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Post by DawninCal on Sept 10, 2022 22:15:56 GMT -6
Thanks, Michelle! I really focused on getting those nails pulled out as fast as I could while thinking about how that room will look someday. That's a real motivator! Dawn
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Post by DawninCal on Sept 10, 2022 22:45:21 GMT -6
You've all seen how rough that lath is (even with the nails pulled out) and some of you might be wondering what the heck I'm thinking for putting so much time into this. Trust me; I don't think you will be disappointed. First I set up my work station. A piece of plywood on two sawhorses. For sanding, I'm using a small hand held electric sander. If I had to sand all of those boards by hand with sand paper, I don't think I would have taken this project on. First, I'd like to show you what the lath looked like before sanding - it was rough, dirty and the white powdery stuff you see is remnants of plaster. After sanding. The beautiful colors and grains have been exposed. I'm just in awe of nature's creations; so superior to anything we humans can do. One last photo of the lath side by side before sanding and after sanding. It really shows the hidden beauty of what many would have considered trash. Before closing this post, I'd like to share a few of the thoughts I had while sanding the lath. This house was built in 1925 and many times I thought of the men who worked with the lath even though they didn't have the high tech tools we have today. I thought of them sawing and hammering and plastering the walls. And, I even had the thought that where I was standing while pulling nails and sanding is where they stood while building the house almost 100 years ago. I don't really know how to explain it, but those thoughts make me feel a connection to this house that I've never experienced before. One last thought that occurred to me today. When our old farmhouse was built in 1925, Queen Elizabeth had not even been born yet. Weird, eh? Dawn
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Post by caeterle on Sept 11, 2022 2:46:29 GMT -6
It came out so beautiful! I'm so glad you didn't just dispose of it, but once again admire your patience with this.
Our house is even older, before 1900. Like you, I have been wondering about people who worked on it, lived, laughed, cried and maybe died here.
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Post by DawninCal on Sept 12, 2022 10:40:51 GMT -6
Thank you, Cat! Yes, it's really quite interesting to think about who lived in an old house previously. When I see a scuff or a mark, I wonder about who made it, what they were doing at the time, etc. Dawn
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Post by michelle on Sept 13, 2022 21:23:16 GMT -6
Your persistence with the lath really paid off! I can’t wait to see what comes next. Our house was built in 2003. So nothing too remarkable to muse about. But when Dan and I go out for rides along curvy rural roads (most roads are curvy here), we see old tobacco drying barns and old log cabins returning to nature, vines creeping over them. I marvel at the hardy people who must have lived in them in the time of the horse and buggy.
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Post by DawninCal on Sept 14, 2022 10:42:24 GMT -6
Thank you so much, Michelle! It's been a lot of work, but I think it will have all been worth it in the end. Yes, when I see abandoned houses being reclaimed by nature, I always wonder what happened that they became abandoned in the first place. Did the people who lived there, simply walk away? Die? Couldn't make the payments? And, then I wonder who owns the property now and why it's been allowed to fall into such disrepair. Those old properties have a lot of stories to tell. See next post for an update. Dawn
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Post by DawninCal on Sept 14, 2022 10:46:39 GMT -6
I spent several days sanding, and once I had 100+ pieces of lath done, hubby said it was time to start putting it on the wall. I've been waiting for this day for such a long time! First we had to protect the floor: Hubby cut the rough, cracked ends off of the lath: First few rows on the wall - things are getting exciting now: The area under the windows is now almost done: Lovin' it so far! Dawn
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Post by caeterle on Sept 14, 2022 11:27:12 GMT -6
It's lovely, Dawn, what a beautiful wood this is! Well worth the effort!!
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Post by DawninCal on Sept 15, 2022 11:48:04 GMT -6
Thank you, Cat! A few more progress pics. The lath installation will be finished today. One thing hubby noticed as he got closer to the top is that where the wall and ceiling meet isn't straight. He thought about cutting the wood to fit, but it would be noticeably crooked. After thinking about it, he's going to go ahead and finish and I will straighten it out by painting the ceiling color down to the top of the wood. It will be an optical illusion, but it will look straight. We are going out of town this weekend to see motorcycle races. When we get back next week, I will apply the first coat of satin finish to the wood. There are only two electrical outlets in the room so hubby is going to add three more to make sure that I have plenty of outlets for my lamps, computer, television, dremel, etc. Dawn
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Post by caeterle on Sept 15, 2022 12:21:58 GMT -6
So beautiful!
More outlets are never a wrong idea if you get the chance!
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Post by michelle on Sept 15, 2022 21:07:05 GMT -6
Absolutely beautiful, Dawn! And the orangey red window frame looks very pretty with the redwood lath. Your studio is going to be lovely!
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Post by DawninCal on Sept 16, 2022 10:10:42 GMT -6
Thank you both! The lath installation is finished; I will post pics later. We are about to hit the road to drive to the MC races. It looks even better than how I had it pictured in my mind. Michelle, funny you should mention the orange paint. As you know, I've been on the fence about that color, but I decided to leave it until the room is done and then decide. While installing the lath, hubby mentioned that he thought the orange looked really good with the wood and I have to agree. What's holding me back is that I have two shelving units that are painted maroon and I'm just not sure if orange and maroon will play nice together. Re-painting the furniture isn't an option. I was thinking that maybe I could get a rug or some other accent pieces that would pull those colors together. I can't wait to move in to this space - hoping next weekend, but that may be overly optimistic on my part! Dawn
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Post by michelle on Sept 16, 2022 21:15:13 GMT -6
Fingers crossed on moving in next weekend!
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