It started with a new front door, painted shutters, pressure washing, and somehow I got the bug to update my living room. Actually, I think it started with the ceiling needing paint (it had since we bought the house). Then it progressed to a full update: that means lose the wallpaper, baseboard trim, door trim, window trim, paint the bay window, frame out and case the doorway into the dining room and prep/paint the walls. It's been torn apart for months.
Some before shots:
During:
After paint (and so much prep):
Next up, I have to add 1/2" square spacing rod to the front door to match the wall surface, paint it, and pick out trim for the front door, bay window, and room transition doorway. I'm undecided if I want to do rosettes in the corners, or just miter cut at a 45° angle. Then dry fit, paint, install.
After that, baseboard trim around the room.
Finally, the crown molding. Phew.
Living room update
Living room update
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Re: Living room update
Front door trim and rosettes are up. Filler is in and will need to have a final coat of paint.
This one didn't come out quite as good as the transition. I should have used one size smaller spacing dowel around the door perimeter. But the danger is the trim laying flat against the wall but not able to lay flat against the door dowel spacers. It's better for the door edge to be proud, so I erred on that side with the 1/2" square dowel...
But what I've also realized is you don't notice these things unless you are looking for them.
Compare to a previous shot of the old door and old trim, though, and this is 100x better, imo.
I am going to select a quarter round of some undetermined size to cover the edge of the door where it meets the floor. I goobered way too much caulk when installing the door and I think quarter round will hide it perfectly. Trim is awesome once you realize it was made to hide the ugly joints between two different surfaces.
This one didn't come out quite as good as the transition. I should have used one size smaller spacing dowel around the door perimeter. But the danger is the trim laying flat against the wall but not able to lay flat against the door dowel spacers. It's better for the door edge to be proud, so I erred on that side with the 1/2" square dowel...
But what I've also realized is you don't notice these things unless you are looking for them.
Compare to a previous shot of the old door and old trim, though, and this is 100x better, imo.
I am going to select a quarter round of some undetermined size to cover the edge of the door where it meets the floor. I goobered way too much caulk when installing the door and I think quarter round will hide it perfectly. Trim is awesome once you realize it was made to hide the ugly joints between two different surfaces.
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Re: Living room update
More update. Got the baseboard trim cut, painted, nailed, holes filled and another coat of paint. Ideally it could use another 1 or 2 coats but I'm not going to sweat it right now. More important things to do. Like figure out the crown molding situation. I will probably do something simple. Or paint to the ceiling, and just do an accent piece over the fireplace like it was before.
I may want to paint the mantle white, but that's another project for another time. Would be pretty easy at least. But the dining room needs a ton of attention.
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Re: Living room update
Crown molding. I guess I should have done a better job listing the products and prices.
I got a "propak" of the crown molding, which was very affordably priced at a little over $1/ft for 60'. I also bought 4 premade inside corner blocks (which come oversized, as an accent). The total bill was actually like $90. For once.
The reason I bought the corner blocks was because I knew it was going to be a nightmare to correctly compound miter the crown molding. I am borrowing that saw from Bryan so the problem is not that I can't make a compound miter cut. The issue is different molding actually sits on the wall at different angles, which is called the spring angle. For example, some sits at a 45° angle. This molding does not. Because of that, you have to use these translation tables.
http://www.compoundmiter.com/chart.html
While it WOULD have been fun and a challenge, I decided the corner blocks (much like my rosette choice) would just make life easier. Turns out my walls, in the corners, are all wider than 90° somehow (which means the walls must all bow outward before coming back in at the edges). I could also have just coped the joints rather than worry about a miter. Never tried that and this didn't seem like a good time to learn.
By the way, my measurements rounded up to about 62 linear feet, so I hoped that with the rounding and the extra ~3-3/4 inches the corner blocks gave me that I'd have enough material. Turns out I have several feet leftover.
Here's what the cross section looks like on the wall. The order went something like this:
1. Start with a whole piece, cut to length for the office side wall
2. Use a whole 12' piece uncut for the kitchen side wall, closer to the fireplace
3. Take a third whole piece, cut to around 5' and that would be the fireplace wall, closer to the front. This would give me a seam about between the recessed lights above the fireplace
4. Take the rest of that third piece (about 7') and run from that corner to where the middle curtain hanger is, which seemed like a fine place for another seam
5. Take the fourth piece and cut for the remainder of the front wall
6. Take the fifth piece and cut for the remainder of the fireplace wall, and remainder of the kitchen side wall
The key is managing the seams (plan where they go). I didn't end up with any more than 1 seam per wall, and the office side wall has no seams. Well, obviously there are seams at each corner block.
Speaking of, here's a corner block. And another. Office side wall with a single piece and the two corner blocks nailed up. That mantle sure needs to be painted white. These were made from a single 12' piece. And this is an uncut piece. A completed corner block and molding. Ugly gap because the walls aren't 90° (or straight). That was the first round. I filled the holes, wiped them off, and went for round two.
The reason I bought the corner blocks was because I knew it was going to be a nightmare to correctly compound miter the crown molding. I am borrowing that saw from Bryan so the problem is not that I can't make a compound miter cut. The issue is different molding actually sits on the wall at different angles, which is called the spring angle. For example, some sits at a 45° angle. This molding does not. Because of that, you have to use these translation tables.
http://www.compoundmiter.com/chart.html
While it WOULD have been fun and a challenge, I decided the corner blocks (much like my rosette choice) would just make life easier. Turns out my walls, in the corners, are all wider than 90° somehow (which means the walls must all bow outward before coming back in at the edges). I could also have just coped the joints rather than worry about a miter. Never tried that and this didn't seem like a good time to learn.
By the way, my measurements rounded up to about 62 linear feet, so I hoped that with the rounding and the extra ~3-3/4 inches the corner blocks gave me that I'd have enough material. Turns out I have several feet leftover.
Here's what the cross section looks like on the wall. The order went something like this:
1. Start with a whole piece, cut to length for the office side wall
2. Use a whole 12' piece uncut for the kitchen side wall, closer to the fireplace
3. Take a third whole piece, cut to around 5' and that would be the fireplace wall, closer to the front. This would give me a seam about between the recessed lights above the fireplace
4. Take the rest of that third piece (about 7') and run from that corner to where the middle curtain hanger is, which seemed like a fine place for another seam
5. Take the fourth piece and cut for the remainder of the front wall
6. Take the fifth piece and cut for the remainder of the fireplace wall, and remainder of the kitchen side wall
The key is managing the seams (plan where they go). I didn't end up with any more than 1 seam per wall, and the office side wall has no seams. Well, obviously there are seams at each corner block.
Speaking of, here's a corner block. And another. Office side wall with a single piece and the two corner blocks nailed up. That mantle sure needs to be painted white. These were made from a single 12' piece. And this is an uncut piece. A completed corner block and molding. Ugly gap because the walls aren't 90° (or straight). That was the first round. I filled the holes, wiped them off, and went for round two.
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Re: Living room update
I had to paint the next set of moldings first, then I could nail them. So a couple hours had passed..
Complete over the front wall. My transition project looks particularly fancy now. Over the fire place. Seam is roughly between the bulbs. Corner shot from the front door. I love crisp white trim. Shot from the corner next to the fireplace. That's just some light reflection on the opposing wall. I think this is the worst cap. I may caulk if it really keeps bothering me. This is to the right of the fireplace. A shot of the seam above the fireplace. This won't be too noticeable when painted. The seam on the kitchen side wall (above my transition casing). I think this is my best seam. It's the one I placed above the center curtain support. Next steps, probably 2 coats of paint, tomorrow.
After that, I may consider painting the mantle.
Then it's just a matter of furniture, curtains, wall mirror, etc.
Complete over the front wall. My transition project looks particularly fancy now. Over the fire place. Seam is roughly between the bulbs. Corner shot from the front door. I love crisp white trim. Shot from the corner next to the fireplace. That's just some light reflection on the opposing wall. I think this is the worst cap. I may caulk if it really keeps bothering me. This is to the right of the fireplace. A shot of the seam above the fireplace. This won't be too noticeable when painted. The seam on the kitchen side wall (above my transition casing). I think this is my best seam. It's the one I placed above the center curtain support. Next steps, probably 2 coats of paint, tomorrow.
After that, I may consider painting the mantle.
Then it's just a matter of furniture, curtains, wall mirror, etc.
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Re: Living room update
Mantle.
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Re: Living room update
Little more work on the mantle and the mirror is back on the wall. Looking like a real room again.
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