Nearly done

Look how it's coming along! All that is left to stripe is the area where the piano sits. That's been our walking corridor as we laid stripes and let paint dry.

When we were in Lawrence a couple of weeks ago Pat bought me a new rug for the center of the floor. I put it down for the first time last night. Of course, the cats say it works fine. They try to blend with the black parts.

I'll finish the red area today or tomorrow and have the floor complete by Thanksgiving.

Half-way There!

We have the room half done! More than half... The squares are fully painted on the west side of the room, the furniture has been moved onto the painted area and the other half has been primed and painted red. I plan to get the stripes laid this weekend.

It's been nearly a month that we've been working on this project in our spare time. I'm ready to have my living room back!!

Furball Lends a Paw

I am drawing the line. As you can see, Furball is helping. When Pat came home for lunch he brought me a second roll of blue tape. That really helps. After the lines are drawn, I can lay both lines at the same time.

In case I do this again, I'll document what I've learned. First-- knee pads are a must! That floor is HARD. I tried various methods of drawing the lines. The easiest one doesn't even require a pencil. Just a good yard stick and the tape.

I place the yard stick near the wall and use the tape to mark the 12" point. I'll next use the second roll of tape to mark the 13" point. I press the first six inches down securely on each piece of tape so they won't come loose when I tug on them later. Then I move the yard stick about 1/3 of the way down the floor and position the edge of the stick on the starting point of this "brick". Using the first roll of tape like a plumb line, I "snap" it straight to the 12" mark and secure it to the yard stick. I now have a straight line. I repeat for the second role of tape, securing at the 13" mark. Press the tape down and progress to the next section of floor.

Quick. Straight. And no pencil marks to paint over if there is a mistake.

Second Coat

The red brick color we're laying for the main coat is Dutch Boy Mesa Red. I was making the pizza dough for supper when Pat started the next coat. He used a small brush to paint the edges where the floor and walls meet, then came back with the roller for the rest of it.

He had about two roller widths painted when I heard, "Oh. That's really red."

"IRIS!" His voice came drifting into the kitchen. "Is this what you REALLY want?"

Grabbing a dish towel and wiping flour from my hands as I wove my way through the furniture stuffed any which way in the half of the room we aren't yet painting, I came to look. It was a wonderful brick red. Just what I wanted.

"Don't worry, Pat." It will tame down when we add the stripes."

"YOU get to paint the stripes." I was informed. Ah. Pat doesn't do brush work. :)

Primer coat

I must admit, I like the way Pat thinks. I had expected to paint these floors with a brush. He pulled out the paint roller and pan. Now, that's the way to go!

We are using Kilz for the primer because it hides stains so well.

Oh, yes, this is the way to paint a floor!
Not only did it go on quickly, I got to watch Pat do all the work. The Kilz is really thick, but dries amazingly fast. By the time he had finished the first third of the room, there were spots already drying.

I had the really hard task of sitting across the room in my rocker and going "You missed a spot!" Pat showed amazing restraint. He never tried to paint me or throw anything at me. :)

First Stage --Prep Work

It's begun! I was pulling staples when Pat said he'd do that if I'd unload the three bookcases. Gladly!

Each of us feels s/he got the better end of the bargain.

I will say, being a librarian shows. I have a lot of books. Pat has a mere pittance in comparison. :) His books take up a couple of shelves in the bookcase in his computer room. Mine are EVERYWHERE!!!! At the moment they are all over the daybed. Boy, was Something disgusted when he wanted to catch a quick nap this evening.