Sunny Sunday, Vicious Vinyl, Worthless Wallpaper

March 10

Sunny Sunday

After going to church on Sunday morning we headed to Rainbow Springs State Park. It is in the park that the Rainbow River begins. On this particular weekend they had “Art in the Park” feature various artists. We spent a few hours walking around the park, walking by the river, and looking at art. At 80 degrees and sunny, it was a beautiful day. Because if daylight savings time, I was super tired so when we got back to the house, I took a short nap. We then loaded a pile of leaves and brush that we had already cut and took it to the dump. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had listed the carpet that was in the house on craigslist. Around 4pm the guy who was interested in the carpet came. He took the carpet as well as the padding (which would have to be tossed). And you know how much he gave me for it? $100! That’s right folks; I just sold 20+ year old carpet on craigslist for $100! Be amazed! After he left, we loaded the trailer with brush once more so it would be already to go in the morning. Now if you were to ask me what we did with the rest of the evening, I couldn’t tell you. Neither could my dad. I guess we both have a terrible memory. We must have done something but I guess it wasn’t noteworthy. 

Where the Rainbow River begins. The swimming area here ranges from 5'-15' deep.

A waterfall in the State Park.

Those are some sweet colors.

March 11

Vicious Vinyl

The morning began by taking load #4 to the dump. I showered and then went into town to run some errands. After much deliberation, I had finally chosen what carpet I wanted. Or maybe I should say, if I wanted the carpet to be installed in a timely manner, I had to choose. I went to Gary’s to order carpet and not only did they remember who I was but they also gave me a carpet cleaner valued at $11.95 for free; the value of a small town business. From there I went to the bank and then to the post office to get change of address packets. My dad informed me that they sometimes come with 10% off coupons for Home Depot. And let me just tell you, when you are remodeling a house, 10% can make a big difference. The packets didn’t have a Home Depot coupon but they did have a Lowe’s coupon. Perhaps you can benefit from this tip in the future. I then went to Sherwin Williams to collect more paint strips and buy one gallon of primer for drywall and one gallon of primer for cabinets. I made one last stop at Wal-mart to get bar and chain oil for the chainsaw and a spray bottle for assisting in my removal of wallpaper.

Then it began; the removal of the vinyl from the hall to the living room. My friends, removing vinyl is NOT an easy task! And I thought removing wallpaper was a pain. Let me tell you about vinyl removal. Using a pry bar you try to get under the vinyl and slowly pull it away from the concrete. If you do it too fast, the pieces are generally smaller. Although you hope to remove a large piece, the important thing is getting the glue to come up with the vinyl. Whatever glue is left on the concrete you have to individually scrape off which can be as task within itself. Not only is this a time consuming project, it is all done on your knees. I began this while my dad finished up another project and then he joined me. We worked on it all afternoon and there was still more to go. Vinyl is vicious I tell you! We were able to take a break from our work when Brian came to give us an estimate for taking down a few huge pine trees that are really close to the house. Nancy also came for a visit and brought along Dee, another neighbor. After getting back from having Pizza Hut for dinner, I put in a load of laundry and even though it was past 8pm, I continued to work. I removed a little glue from the cement before I needed of change of scenery so I moved to the walls. There is a nasty pink wall paper in the kitchen that has got to go. Like the vinyl it came off in bits and pieces. Even with the help of a spray bottle filled with water and vinegar, it was not an easy project. Finally I called it a night. The wallpaper wasn’t going anywhere.  

Choosing carpet

Choosing paint

The very slow progression of removing vinyl. This here is about 4 hours worth of work.

Starting to remove the wallpaper.

March 12

Worthless Wallpaper

The wallpaper was indeed still on the walls when I woke up in the morning. I set to work removing glue from the floor and wallpaper from the walls. I didn’t keep track of time but I’m guessing that between the two days it probably took 10 hours to remove the vinyl and 4 hours to remove the wallpaper. Doesn’t that sound like a great way to spend 14 hours?! With the wall paper and vinyl gone and the kitchen appliances relocated to the living room, the kitchen looks so much better. Take a look for yourself. While we were working inside, there were guys outside cutting trees. My trees. And I didn’t even have to pay them. Apparently the county had sent out people to trim trees that were close to the road. Okay, so maybe I was paying them with my taxpayer dollars but regardless, I was happy to have them help out in my landscaping efforts.

I officially have holes in my jeans from all the time spent on my knees.

Hard at work

Part way through the process. Still glue on floor and wall.

Finally, no more vinyl or wallpaper! 

Before and After

When the vinyl and wallpaper were gone, I worked on painting the ceilings is the hall bathroom, the master bathroom and bedroom, and part of the laundry room. I say part of the laundry room because I ran out of paint. Although I like painting, I can’t say that painting ceilings are my favorite. It’s hard on the neck. And hard on the eyes; at least my eye. As I was painting the ceiling, a drop of paint fell smack dab into the middle of my right eye! Good thing I have two eyes. Even better though is that after removing my contact and washing out my eye, I can still see. Having paint speckled on my face and arms, I figured I should probably shower before heading into town for dinner. Every Tuesday Pavarotti’s has a pizza special. So far we are 2 for 2. Perhaps we can make it 3 for 3 next Tuesday. We also made a quick stop at Wal-mart for laundry detergent, milk, and eggs. And last, but certainly not least, the night was ended with a delightful fire. 

Starting to paint the ceilings.

I have obtained quite a collection of business cards over the past few days. Maybe I need to get a business card myself!