Spent my first night in the house last night. Yesterday I got the closet completely painted except for the baseboards and frame. Woke up this morning and painted that trim and scrubbed the hardwood floor by hand with Murphy's Oil floor soap. (anyone have experience with this stuff, or can anyone recommend a good cleaner/reconditioner for hardwoods that need a little love?) The original hardwood floors are in great shape, actually, but the house has basically been used as storage for the past decade or so, so there's a goodly layer of dirt married to the floor surface. The owner very kindly cleaned the floor with orange oil cleaner, but it needed a hands-and-knees scrubbing-- you know how severe I can be. Alas, no minion was handy to do my bidding while I sipped mint juleps and ate bonbons. meh. Thank goodness for latex gloves. Anyway, I scrubbed the path between my bedside and to the bathroom door, so I don't have to put on booties to walk to the bathroom at 3am. Yays. This house is really nice and the pups were tearing around the backyard like little banshees this morning, so it's going to be a grand place for us. I hope the owner will feel it was improved by our presence there. :) I already have a mind for a little bit of supplemental planting I'll be doing (it already has some plants I really like), but I'll get to that after the inside is more up-to-speed.
Anyhoo, this morning, the closet floor is clean and the closet is night-and-day different from what it was yesterday. I should be able to start hanging clothes in it by the end of the day. I chose my white-color, btw, and then I noticed the name-- Swiss Coffee by Behr. I've been using Behr paints for a long time, and I've always had great results. I take the time and effort to do a good job, and I always do a layer of Kilz tinted with the Behr color so it makes a nicer finished effect. Anyhoo, I saw the name of this paint-- Swiss Coffee-- and nearly changed my mind about it-- are they so out of names that they have to use ones that suggest colors not remotely like the one they are selling? meh.
I'm back at Tole's place using a computer (and I forgot one particular bag when I left here last night). I may have internet set up right away, but I may not, so posting may be a bit spotty for the next handful of days. I need to snap some before and after photos.
I didn't get the job I interviewed for this week, but they said I'll be top of the heap for the job when it comes available again in a few months, so they are going to call me. I'm disappointed, but at least I have the temp job.
Will try to remember to snap some before and after photos. It's already looking so dramatically different that you won't quite get the full effect, but you'll definitely get an idea, anyhoo.
Will def. try to get a Puppy Sunday post up this week. The pups are besotted with the screen door-- the outside world is like television for dogs. WOOHOO! No doubt, they'll turn into porch potaters.
11 comments:
Well, now - Happy, Happy, May Day!!
I like Behr also and think it is very worth it to use the Kilz as well as the time and effort to do it right with good stuff.
Sounds like the house "feel" good to you which is oft more important than how it initially looks - one thing at a time and will be yours and the pups!
I've used Murphy's Oil soap (not the floor kind) on cupboards, baseboards, trim, but not the floor stuff and my wood floors are the engineered kind so different - but Murphy's is my favorite for other wood. Hopefully someone else has done the real hardwood.
Hope the iNet setup goes well. I just upgraded and also upgraded my router (wi-fi) - all fresh in my mind if you go the router way in the next days and have questions, shoot me an email.
Hope you have a wonderful 1st of May Friday and weekend in the new place!
re: the hardwood floors. After you've cleaned with the Murphy's Oil Soap (good stuff, that) as much as possible... Rent a big-ass buffer and put down some Johnson's Paste Wax. Be sure and get two buffing wheels, one for the wax application and another for the first polishing pass. Then slice up an old wool blanket for the finishing polishing pass. Worked like a charm for me on the original (1920s) hardwood floors in my house that I cleaned up in the late '80s. Easier than re-finishing, too.
Actually, about ten years ago, there was a disaster, which required that all the floors be sanded down and refinished.
Typical of the workmanship (?) here, the contractor mixed the polyurethane sealer with whatever thinner was to hand, and the floor stayed tacky for lord knows how long. In fact, the poly was so thin and soft, I could scrape it off with my fingernail.
I don't really recommend waxing it at this point.
Pictures to follow, I hope. :)
Buck beat me to it- agree on the buffer, let IT do the work! And congrats on getting in, now the fun starts!
Glad to hear you in and getting settled, Phlegmmie!
For getting it clean before waxing and buffing, I recommend any of the Bruce products. The orange oil and Murphy's were a good start.
AFTER you've done that, then you can take Buck's suggestion. I used Johnson's on my 1910 era floors. Just see you don't slip on them after you've waxed.
I echo the buffer. We have hardwood floors also. An industrial grade buffer can be purchased over ebay, the pads at a janitorial supply. The green pads are for scrubbing. Johnson's paste wax is very good but also you can get some that is used on basketball courts. Set the johnsons on fire in the can, let it melt cover with the lid to put it out. Toss the melted wax on the floor, spread it with the buffer, repeat until the room is covered. Let it set then polish. You may have to do several coats. There is something zen like when you realize the floor reflects colors. You will also enjoy the puppies not being able to find traction as they make corners.
Phlemmy,
Each can of paint is mixed differently and they will never match. So when you get to the end of a can, make sure you stop painting at a corner, inside or outside corner. That way the different shades will be less noticable.
Another note if you intend to be there a long while - landlords and contractors paint the ceiling in flat paint, which tends to absorb dirt, grease, smoke, and stains. Ib you must repaint the ceiling and plan to be there for years, doing it in satin makes it much easier to clean.
Yes, I'm a big fan of Kilz. It's a blessing in rented spaces. I once moved into a room at a Co-op where the walls (and some of the ceiling) were coverd in lewd drawings and scribblings from the previous occupant. In some spots, it took SEVEN layers of Kilz to conceal it. Luckily, I was able to get the money for materials and work out of the previous resident's deposit. I still have the before pictures somewhere.
It took me 2 entire days at 12ish hours/day to get the room up to snuff. And that was just a single bedroom.
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