Original Condition

This room is roughly 14' x 11'3". The carpet was trashed. There was a wallpaper stripe around the room at about a 5' height, bordered with chair rail top and bottom that was glued to the walls with construction adhesive and very poorly done (way too many scarf joints, most of which aren't aligned).

My Fixes

I purchased solid hickory flooring for this room. I also purchased new casings, baseboard, shoe moulding, plinth blocks, rosettes and some MDF boards so I can make window and door headers. I also bought two 1x6 oak boards to make new window stools. The existing ones are not wide enough for the casings I'm using.

I removed the wallpaper stripe with a steamer.

I removed the old trim and patched the damage from the terrible dual chair rail and wallpaper that was here before I bought the house. I had to prime the damaged drywall paper and gypsum, then apply several coats of all-purpose joint compound (sanding between coats). I then topped with Plus 3 lightweight joint compound before the final sand. I then sealed my drywall repairs by applying a coat of Kilz Original to all of the walls.

I fabricated new window stools from 1x6 oak boards with a bullnose edge that was cut on the router table. I created new aprons from oak and installed them with a cove transition to the stool.

I installed Floor Muffler underlayment and the hickory flooring.

I removed the closet door, filled the gouges and holes, primed and painted (enamel spray). I replaced the beat up door stop with new oak door stop. I replaced the door handle with one that matches all of the other handles on the second floor.

I created new window top casings from select pine. A 1x4 with a bead routed to match the apron is topped with a cornice of a strip of pine with a cove cut, then a strip of pine routed with a classical router bit. I thought about a taller top casing/entablature to get closer to the golden ratio, but it'd be different than other places in the house. The main issue here is that some of the windows and doors in the house don't have room for more than a 3" or shorter casing with no cornice at all, so I've been sticking to short casings/cornices. I glued and pin-nailed the same appliques I used in Bedroom 3 to the center of the top window casings.

I installed new 3" fluted side casings on the windows and doors. The doors have plinth blocks at the base of the casings.

Since I'm converting oak-colored pine trim to white trim, I replaced the jamb liners for all three windows. They were originally gray since the window sashes and jambs were stained. I replaced them with white jamb liners and refinished the sashes with satin white Rust-Oleum enamel spray. I removed the sashes to do the refinishing.

I installed a framed UHMW panel on the closet wall that's often used to lean a ladder when accessing the attic. No more drywall destruction when accessing the attic.

I created and installed new door top casings from poplar and select pine, matching the top casings of the windows (including the cornices).

I removed the closet light fixture, whose position was clearly an afterthought. It was touching the trim for the attic door, and was a hazard when entering the attic. I cut a new hole in the ceiling, installed a rework ceiling box and moved the wires to it. I installed a new 12" x 24" edge-lit LED panel using the new box. I patched the old box's hole with the cutout from the new electrical box and multiple rounds of joint compound and sanding, then Zinsser B-I-N primer.

I installed new satin nickel hinges on the room door, rehung the door, then cut and installed new oak door stop moulding. I removed the room door again, patched the gouges and holes, sanded, primed, sanded and painted with satin white enamel spray.

I installed new baseboard and shoe moulding.

I installed 3-piece crown moulding. As a result of it impinging a tiny bit on the cold air return vent flange, I enlarged the cold air return hole by 1/4" and installed a Victorian style cover. Since this cover is more open than the original, I painted the inside of the wall cavity with flat black paint. Details are important.

I painted the new trim with Behr Premium Plus Ultra, pure white satin.

I painted the ceiling with Behr Premium Plus Ultra ceiling white paint, two coats.

I painted the walls with Sherwin-Williams Duration Home, Concord Buff color, flat.

Short-term To-Do

• Insulate attic surrounding the access box.
• Remove builder's paper from floor.
• Scrape off any leaked paint under shoe moulding, jambs and plinth blocks.

---

Tools used for hardwood floor installation

• Freeman PFL618BR pneumatic flooring nailer
• TruePower 02-8331 Flooring Jack
• Porter-Cable 16-gauge pnuematic finish nailer
• Arrow PT50 pneumatic stapler
• Hitachi EC99S portable twin tank air compressor
• Bosch PS41 12V impact driver
• Bosch 4100-09 table saw
• Hitachi 10" sliding compound miter saw
• Bosch 1590EVS jigsaw
• Bosch MX30 oscillating tool
• Dremel US40 Ultra-Saw
• Stanley FatMax 25' magnetic tape measure
• Bosch GLL 2-45 self-levelling cross-line laser
• Estwing 20 oz. straight claw framing hammer
• 18:1 caulk gun for Loctite PL Premium
• Stanley Wonderbar pry bar
• Roberts Pro 10-18-8 pull bar
• Toughbuilt GELFIT knee pads with non-marring snapshell covers
• Milwaukee utility knife
• Milwaukee vice grips (for removing carpet pad staples)

---

Wish List

Bedroom 2 Wish List by Vendor

parts.andersenwindows.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Andersen 1630029	white composite flush mount sash lock kit	1630029	3	$14.70	$44.10
  Andersen 1630421	white lower sash lift	1630421	3	$14.70	$44.10
  Total					$88.20

www.lowes.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  EverTrue B 31212FBDPM	5.25" x 12' MDF baseboard	B 31212FBDPM	6	$22.44	$134.64
  Rust-Oleum 7791812	Satin white enamel spraypaint, 12 oz.	7791812	10	$3.88	$38.80
  EverTrue EV742PBWHW	3.5" x 6" wood plinth block	EV742PBWHW	8	$3.10	$24.80
  Total					$198.24

www.homedepot.com

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Finished Elegance 10003316	1" x 8" x 8' MDF moulding board	10003316	4	$15.34	$61.36
  Total					$61.36

Totals by Vendor

• Vendor	Total
  parts.andersenwindows.com	$88.20
  www.lowes.com	$198.24
  www.homedepot.com	$61.36
  Total	$347.80

---

Bedroom 2 Purchases by Category

Electrical

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Progress Lighting P3479-09	2-light brushed nickel flushmount ceiling light	P3479-09	1	$49.97	$49.97
  Lutron MSCL-OP153M-WH	Maestro occupancy-sensing dimmer, white	MSCL-OP153M-WH	1	$34.97	$34.97
  Lutron MS-OPS2H-WH	white occupancy sensing switch (for closet, used in vacancy mode)	MS-OPS2H-WH	1	$17.97	$17.97
  Legrand NTL885TRWCC6	Decora receptacle with LED nightlight, white	NTL885TRWCC6	2	$14.98	$29.96
  Cree BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-2U10060W	60W equivalent A19 LED bulb	BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-2U10060W	2	$6.97	$13.94
  Brainerd W35312-SN-U	Simple Steps 1-gang satin nickel decorator wall plate	W35312-SN-U	7	$5.97	$41.79
  Total					$188.60

Flooring

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Great Lakes 16034	3/4" x 3" hickory hardwood flooring, natural finish, 24 sq. ft. per carton	16034	6	$71.76	$430.56
  FloorMuffler 0264049	4' x 25' x 0.08" polypropylene foam underlayment	0264049	2	$64.98	$129.96
  Bostitch FLN-200	16-gauge flooring cleats, 1000 ct.	FLN-200	2	$19.98	$39.96
  Total					$600.48

Trim

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  EverTrue C 62312FBDPM	10-pack 3.25" x 12' primed MDF baseboard (for bottom of crown moulding)	C 62312FBDPM	1	$56.50	$56.50
  R 1x6 8 OAKSL	1" x 6" x 8' red oak board	R 1x6 8 OAKSL	2	$32.12	$64.24
  MDFCRWN L 4912FBDPM	3.625" x 5/8" x 12' crown moulding	L 4912FBDPM	5	$17.52	$87.60
  Finished Elegance 10003316	1" x 8" x 8' MDF moulding board	10003316	2	$15.34	$30.68
  MDF S4S 148FBDPM	11/16" x 3.5" x 7' MDF for crown moulding cornice	148FBDPM	8	$10.82	$86.56
  House of Fara 8583	3/4" x 3" x 8' MDF fluted casing	8583	14	$8.95	$125.30
  1x4-6 select pine board	1"x6"x6' select pine board	1x4-6	3	$7.98	$23.94
  Ornamental Mouldings 3359PKWHW	7/32" x 9" x 2-7/16" birch acanthus applique	3359PKWHW	5	$4.99	$24.95
  Bostitch BT1350B-1M	18-gauge 2" pneumatic finish nails, 1000 ct.	BT1350B-1M	1	$4.95	$4.95
  House of Fara R10MDF	3.5" x 3.5" x 7/8" MDF rosette	R10MDF	14	$1.54	$21.56
  House of Fara 8595	MDF shoe moulding	8595	80	$1.31	$104.80
  Alexandria Moulding WM 936	7/16" x 1-3/8" Colonial style oak door stop moulding, per foot	WM 936	38	$1.06	$40.28
  11/16" MDF cove	11/16" MDF cove, linear feet	11/16 cove	16	$0.63	$10.08
  Total					$681.44

Lighting

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Commercial Electric 74030/HD	1' x 2' white LED flat panel light for closet	74030/HD	1	$69.97	$69.97
  Total					$69.97

Windows

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Anderson 1618536	Narroline double-hung head jamb liner, white, size 34	1618536	1	$4.75	$4.75
  Anderson 1618528	Narroline double-hung head jamb liner, white, size 28	1618528	2	$4.75	$9.50
  Anderson 1617036	Narroline double-hung side jamb liner, white, left, size 46	1617036	3	$4.75	$14.25
  Anderson 1617536	Narroline double-hung side jamb liner, white, lower right, size 46	1617536	3	$4.75	$14.25
  Anderson 1618036	Narroline double-hung side jamb liner, white, upper right, size 46	1618036	3	$4.75	$14.25
  Total					$57.00

Paint

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Sherwin-Williams SW7684	Duration paint, Concord Buff, flat, 1 gallon	SW7684	4	$46.73	$186.92
  Behr 555801	Ultra Pure White ceiling paint, 1 gallon	555801	2	$29.97	$59.94
  Kilz Original 10901	White oil-based primer, 1 gallon	10901	3	$15.98	$47.94
  Sheetrock 381466	Plus 3 lightweight all-purpose 4.5 Gal. pre-mixed joint compound	381466	1	$13.79	$13.79
  Sheetrock 380119048	All-purpose 4.5 Gal. pre-mixed joint compound	380119048	1	$13.59	$13.59
  3M 99438-5	10-pack 120-grit drywall sandpaper	99438-5	1	$10.47	$10.47
  3M 9089P-4	4-pack 180-grit drywall sandpaper	9089P-4	1	$5.98	$5.98
  Rust-Oleum 251572	11 oz. adhesion promoter primer spray	251572	2	$4.98	$9.96
  Rust-Oleum 7791830	Satin white enamel spray paint	7791830	8	$3.76	$30.08
  Total					$378.67

Hardware

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Signature Hardware 929071	4" x 10" antique style floor register, brushed nickel	929071	1	$34.95	$34.95
  SMI VWM614	polymer resin cold air return grille, white	VWM614	1	$20.51	$20.51
  Gatehouse L6X203B	Satin nickel universal passage door lever	L6X203B	2	$18.97	$37.94
  Rockwood 404.15	Satin nickel concave solid brass door stop	404.15	1	$16.30	$16.30
  Stair Parts 7337	unfinished oval rosette stair hand rail fitting	7337P-000-HD00L	1	$7.98	$7.98
  Everbilt 14985	3 1/2" x 1/4" radius satin nickel door hinge	14985	6	$2.98	$17.88
  Total					$135.56

Totals by Category

• Category	Total
  Electrical	$188.60
  Flooring	$600.48
  Trim	$681.44
  Lighting	$69.97
  Windows	$57.00
  Paint	$378.67
  Hardware	$135.56
  Total	$2111.72

---

Bedroom 2 Purchases by Date

January 12, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Cree BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-2U10060W	60W equivalent A19 LED bulb	BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-2U10060W	2	$6.97	$13.94
  Total					$13.94

July 10, 2014

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron MSCL-OP153M-WH	Maestro occupancy-sensing dimmer, white	MSCL-OP153M-WH	1	$34.97	$34.97
  Total					$34.97

September 25, 2016

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Gatehouse L6X203B	Satin nickel universal passage door lever	L6X203B	2	$18.97	$37.94
  Total					$37.94

November 27, 2016

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Great Lakes 16034	3/4" x 3" hickory hardwood flooring, natural finish, 24 sq. ft. per carton	16034	6	$71.76	$430.56
  Total					$430.56

December 1, 2016

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Progress Lighting P3479-09	2-light brushed nickel flushmount ceiling light	P3479-09	1	$49.97	$49.97
  Total					$49.97

December 26, 2016

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  FloorMuffler 0264049	4' x 25' x 0.08" polypropylene foam underlayment	0264049	2	$64.98	$129.96
  Bostitch FLN-200	16-gauge flooring cleats, 1000 ct.	FLN-200	2	$19.98	$39.96
  Total					$169.92

December 28, 2016

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Brainerd W35312-SN-U	Simple Steps 1-gang satin nickel decorator wall plate	W35312-SN-U	7	$5.97	$41.79
  Total					$41.79

December 30, 2016

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Finished Elegance 10003316	1" x 8" x 8' MDF moulding board	10003316	2	$15.34	$30.68
  House of Fara 8583	3/4" x 3" x 8' MDF fluted casing	8583	14	$8.95	$125.30
  House of Fara R10MDF	3.5" x 3.5" x 7/8" MDF rosette	R10MDF	14	$1.54	$21.56
  House of Fara 8595	MDF shoe moulding	8595	80	$1.31	$104.80
  Total					$282.34

January 1, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  R 1x6 8 OAKSL	1" x 6" x 8' red oak board	R 1x6 8 OAKSL	2	$32.12	$64.24
  Bostitch BT1350B-1M	18-gauge 2" pneumatic finish nails, 1000 ct.	BT1350B-1M	1	$4.95	$4.95
  Total					$69.19

January 4, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  3M 99438-5	10-pack 120-grit drywall sandpaper	99438-5	1	$10.47	$10.47
  3M 9089P-4	4-pack 180-grit drywall sandpaper	9089P-4	1	$5.98	$5.98
  Total					$16.45

January 5, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Kilz Original 10901	White oil-based primer, 1 gallon	10901	3	$15.98	$47.94
  Sheetrock 381466	Plus 3 lightweight all-purpose 4.5 Gal. pre-mixed joint compound	381466	1	$13.79	$13.79
  Sheetrock 380119048	All-purpose 4.5 Gal. pre-mixed joint compound	380119048	1	$13.59	$13.59
  Total					$75.32

January 9, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Ornamental Mouldings 3359PKWHW	7/32" x 9" x 2-7/16" birch acanthus applique	3359PKWHW	5	$4.99	$24.95
  Total					$24.95

January 13, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  1x4-6 select pine board	1"x6"x6' select pine board	1x4-6	3	$7.98	$23.94
  11/16" MDF cove	11/16" MDF cove, linear feet	11/16 cove	16	$0.63	$10.08
  Total					$34.02

January 14, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Rockwood 404.15	Satin nickel concave solid brass door stop	404.15	1	$16.30	$16.30
  Total					$16.30

January 15, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Sherwin-Williams SW7684	Duration paint, Concord Buff, flat, 1 gallon	SW7684	4	$46.73	$186.92
  Total					$186.92

January 27, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Behr 555801	Ultra Pure White ceiling paint, 1 gallon	555801	2	$29.97	$59.94
  Total					$59.94

July 23, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Legrand NTL885TRWCC6	Decora receptacle with LED nightlight, white	NTL885TRWCC6	2	$14.98	$29.96
  Alexandria Moulding WM 936	7/16" x 1-3/8" Colonial style oak door stop moulding, per foot	WM 936	38	$1.06	$40.28
  Commercial Electric 74030/HD	1' x 2' white LED flat panel light for closet	74030/HD	1	$69.97	$69.97
  Rust-Oleum 7791830	Satin white enamel spray paint	7791830	8	$3.76	$30.08
  Total					$170.29

July 26, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Rust-Oleum 251572	11 oz. adhesion promoter primer spray	251572	2	$4.98	$9.96
  Total					$9.96

August 21, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  EverTrue C 62312FBDPM	10-pack 3.25" x 12' primed MDF baseboard (for bottom of crown moulding)	C 62312FBDPM	1	$56.50	$56.50
  MDFCRWN L 4912FBDPM	3.625" x 5/8" x 12' crown moulding	L 4912FBDPM	5	$17.52	$87.60
  MDF S4S 148FBDPM	11/16" x 3.5" x 7' MDF for crown moulding cornice	148FBDPM	8	$10.82	$86.56
  Total					$230.66

August 23, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Stair Parts 7337	unfinished oval rosette stair hand rail fitting	7337P-000-HD00L	1	$7.98	$7.98
  Total					$7.98

September 4, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Signature Hardware 929071	4" x 10" antique style floor register, brushed nickel	929071	1	$34.95	$34.95
  SMI VWM614	polymer resin cold air return grille, white	VWM614	1	$20.51	$20.51
  Total					$55.46

September 12, 2017

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Lutron MS-OPS2H-WH	white occupancy sensing switch (for closet, used in vacancy mode)	MS-OPS2H-WH	1	$17.97	$17.97
  Total					$17.97

Someday

• Part	Description	P/N	Qty.	Unit Price	Total
  Anderson 1618536	Narroline double-hung head jamb liner, white, size 34	1618536	1	$4.75	$4.75
  Anderson 1618528	Narroline double-hung head jamb liner, white, size 28	1618528	2	$4.75	$9.50
  Anderson 1617036	Narroline double-hung side jamb liner, white, left, size 46	1617036	3	$4.75	$14.25
  Anderson 1617536	Narroline double-hung side jamb liner, white, lower right, size 46	1617536	3	$4.75	$14.25
  Anderson 1618036	Narroline double-hung side jamb liner, white, upper right, size 46	1618036	3	$4.75	$14.25
  Everbilt 14985	3 1/2" x 1/4" radius satin nickel door hinge	14985	6	$2.98	$17.88
  Total					$74.88

Totals by Date

• Date	Total
  Jan 12, 2014	$13.94
  Jul 10, 2014	$34.97
  Sep 25, 2016	$37.94
  Nov 27, 2016	$430.56
  Dec 1, 2016	$49.97
  Dec 26, 2016	$169.92
  Dec 28, 2016	$41.79
  Dec 30, 2016	$282.34
  Jan 1, 2017	$69.19
  Jan 4, 2017	$16.45
  Jan 5, 2017	$75.32
  Jan 9, 2017	$24.95
  Jan 13, 2017	$34.02
  Jan 14, 2017	$16.30
  Jan 15, 2017	$186.92
  Jan 27, 2017	$59.94
  Jul 23, 2017	$170.29
  Jul 26, 2017	$9.96
  Aug 21, 2017	$230.66
  Aug 23, 2017	$7.98
  Sep 4, 2017	$55.46
  Sep 12, 2017	$17.97
  Someday	$74.88
  Total	$2111.72

Bedroom 2 Diary

• September 17, 2017
  
  • I installed the door stop for the closet door. This one was installed with a stainless steel wood screw since there's a stud behind it. It's the same as the stop for the room door: a Rockwood 404.15 over the top of a plastic wall protector.

• September 16, 2017
  
  • I scraped the outside of the west window and then cleaned it with Windex. It's still not perfectly clean, but it's good enough for now.

• September 15, 2017
  
  • I put a second coat of paint on the final set of window grilles. I later installed them.

• September 14, 2017
  
  • I cleaned, sanded and primed the final set of window grilles. I then sprayed the first coat of paint on them.

• September 13, 2017
  
  • I removed the attic access box and insulated it with R19 fiberglass.

    I cut back about 1/2" of the drywall in the attic access hole, above the trim, to accomodate weatherstripping. No visible change to the closet, just correcting a poor job by the original builder.

    Using some Strong-Tie braces, I installed a 1x4 piece of pine at one end of the attic access hole. It's on edge, flush with the bottom of the trusses. This is to help prevent blown-in insulation from falling into the closet when accessing the attic.

    I went to Lowe's for some D profile weatherstripping for the attic access box, a pair of 3.25" diameter white wall protectors (to protect the walls from doorknobs), and some new Mechanix gloves to alleviate some stress on my hands when doing yard work later this week. The wall protectors will go underneath my Rockwood door stops. I'm doing this because I had to put a fairly significant patch on the wall from the room doornob going through the drywall before I bought the house. I need the additional surface area to make sure I never blow out my patch from the knob hitting the door stop.

    I moved some of the blown-in cellulose insulation adjacent the attic access hole and installed two layers of R19 fiberglass in its place. This gives me a place to set the attic access box when entering the attic without dragging a bunch of cellulose into the closet. I then marked the bottom of the attic access box for weatherstripping and installed the weatherstripping on the attic box. It fits fine.

    I installed the newly configured closet storage.

    I installed the newly patched and painted room door. I also installed the Rockwood 404.15 door stop, on top of a 3.25" diameter wall protector. I like it, and the wall protector helps spread the load on my patch of the damage done by the previous owners who had no door stop at all. It's installed with a Snaptoggle, and I removed the adhesive tape from the wall protector using WD40 and then dish soap to clean off the WD40. Hence I can easily change to a different bumper or entirely different stop if ever desired. But these Rockwood ones are hefty cast solid brass, much nicer than the stamped crap at Home Depot and Lowe's that have visible dimples.

• September 12, 2017
  
  • I installed the new cold air return grille.

    I removed the builder's paper from the north part of the room and installed the new Signature Hardware floor register.

    All of the electrical outlets are installed, with the new wall plates.

    I went to Lowe's and Home Depot for Decora inserts and more wall plates so I can install matching wall plates for the gigabit ethernet ports, phone jacks and cable TV jack.

    I installed a Lutron MS-OPS2H-WH light switch for the closet. It's set for vacancy mode (manual on, auto off) with a timeout of 15 minutes. I installed the new wall plate for it.

    I installed a decora keystone insert and a coax connector in the box for the cable TV. I installed a new wall plate for it.

    I installed a decora phone jack insert and new wall plate to replace the old phone jack/plate.

    I installed a 2-port keystone decora insert and wall plate for the pair of gigabit ethernet connections.

    I now have all of the outlets, switches and jacks installed with matching wall plates. Probably a rarity in a home of this age, but the details matter to me.

• September 11, 2017
  
  • I taped the closet ceiling in preparation for the second coat of paint.

    I mixed the second gallon of Sherwin-Williams Duration 'Concord Buff' with the Shur-Line mixing paddle on my old Black & Decker drill. The speed control on this drill is horrible, and as a result I slopped some paint on the bathroom floor. Not a big deal since it's ceramic tile. I cleaned it up.

    I applied the second coat of edge paint on the walls in the closet.

    I rolled the second coat of paint on the room walls and the closet walls.

    I cleaned another window grille, this time with Dawn dish soap and then denatured alcohol. I then sanded, primed and painted it. It turns out that the original finish is a faux wood finish; gel stain over off-white paint, so it sanded fairly easily. I wasn't looking to completely remove the finish, just smooth the rough spots.

    I removed the masking tape in the room. The paint job looks good.

    Once the paint was dry to the touch, I installed the wall plate on the room light switch. I installed a Legrand LED nightlight wall receptacle and new wall plate just inside the door of the room.

• September 10, 2017
  
  • I put the second coat of paint around the edges of the windows and under the crown moulding over the windows. The 3M blue tape on the crown moulding is crap, I've reattached it multiple times but it keeps coming off. Same problem I had with the window sashes. I need to throw out those rolls so I can stop making the same mistake. I'll likely need to touch up the crown moulding after painting the walls.

    No problems at all with the green Frogtape.

    I cleaned one of the window panelizer frames. I then sprayed two thin coats of Rust-Oleum Adhesion Promoter primer on it and a coat of Rust-Oleum enamel in satin white (same as the window sashes). This one is basically a test to see if I can get away with just painting them instead of buying white ones. Unfortunately, hours later I found a couple of spots had wrinkled. I know I didn't apply too much paint, and most of it is fine. My conclusion is that I need to clean the frames with a mild solvent before priming. I have no idea what may have been spilled on them before I bought the house.

    After dinner I put the second coat on the remaining edges inside the room. I also noticed that there was some severe roller shedding on one of the walls. I think this was from a roller cover I used when priming my repairs. Wish I had noticed it before applying the first coat of paint. I sanded most of them out. I'm not overly concerned about it since they were only vislble if a light was placed in contact with the wall, and I'm using flat paint to help hide the massive amount of repair I had to do after removing glued-on chair rails and wallpaper.

• September 9, 2017
  
  • I finished taping all of the straight edges of trim in the room, in preparation for painting the walls. I then painted all of the edges of the walls. I later rolled on the first coat, including the closet. Coverage looks good so far, so hopefully it'll only need 2 coats.

• September 8, 2017
  
  • I put the second coat of paint on the baseboard and shoe moulding in the room. I then touched up the areas I had caulked on the west and north windows.

    Once the baseboard paint was dry, I painted all the edges in the closet. I didn't tape the ceiling or the door casings. I should have, since it takes me longer to cut in with a sash brush and get a decent line than it does for me to tape. Especially since I'll have to do it again on the second coat.

    I started taping the main room in preparation for painting the walls. I'll probably tape the closet ceiling while I'm at it.

• September 7, 2017
  
  • I put the second coat of paint on the east window.

    I caulked two spots in the closet. I then put the second coat of paint on the trim inside the closet, including the door jamb and door stop. I put the second coat of paint on the casings on the outside of the closet entry, and also the closet door entablature. When it dries, the closet will be ready for wall paint.

    I put the second coat of paint on the room door casings, interior jambs and entablature.

• September 6, 2017
  
  • I put the first coat of paint on all of the baseboard and shoe moulding, including inside the closet. I then started the second coat of paint on the window trim. I finished the second coat on the west and north windows.

    I removed the masking of the window jamb liners, then decided I didn't like the visible gap between the jamb liner edge and the jamb. So I caulked all of those gaps with DAP Alex Plus. This means I'll need to touch up the west and north window jambs with another coat of paint since the caulk will yellow if it's not painted.

    The Victorian style return air grilles arrived. For the one I'm using in this room, I needed to slightly enlarge the hole in the wall, vertically. I would need to do this even if I were reinstalling the old grille, since the crown moulding impinged on the space available for the top flange of the grille. We're only talking about roughly 1/4", not a big deal. I enlarged the hole using my Bosch MX30 oscillating tool, then drilled pilot holes for the screws and tested the fitment. It's good.

    I like the grilles, but we'll see what I think after I've installed one. They're obviously not in the style of anything else, but they're nicer than the builder-grade stamped metal grilles they will replace.

    The floor registers arrived from Signature Hardware. Wow, one day delivery?

• September 5, 2017
  
  • The ceiling looks good. I installed the new light fixture in the room.

    I put the first coat of paint on all of the trim that didn't have a first coat, except for the baseboard and shoe moulding and the north door casing inside the closet. The latter just because that was a logical place to stop since my PaintPal was out of paint. I haven't done the baeboard and shoe because I haven't caulked it yet, though it doesn't look like it needs caulk anywhere. I'll probably caulk it anyway with a thin bead of Alex Plus, then put the first coat of paint on the baseboard and shoe so I'll have the first coat on all of the trim. Then tomorrow I can hopefully apply the second coat and be ready to tape for wall painting on Thursday. I'm probably going to try painting the closet walls without taping, just to see how it goes.

    I put a coat of flat black paint on the inside of the wall cavity behind the cold air return grille.

• September 4, 2017
  
  • I reinstalled the LED light fixture in the closet.

    I ordered a Victorian style cold air return grill from Home Depot. I would have preferred a different style, but I couldn't find anything nice-looking that wasn't ludicrously expensive. I don't need cast iron or solid brass for a grille that will never be touched (it's located 7' off the floor).

    I ordered a solid brass floor register from Signature Hardware, in brushed nickel finish. The same as the registers I used in Bedroom 3.

    I need some flat black paint to paint the inside of the wall behind the cold air return grille. I picked up a quart at ACE Hardware today.

    I spent a little bit of time creating a template for the curve I want for pulvinated friezes above the bedroom doors on the hallway side. Bedroom 1 must have one since it doesn't have room for anything but a pulvinated frieze (or no door entablature at all). I need to figure out what I want to do for the top casing and architrave. For the cornice I'm assuming I'll use the same stackup I used inside the room; a cove and a Classical. But I should probably swap the order; the piece routed with the Classical bit should really be underneath the cove piece since it's technically a load-bearing profile while the cove is a terminating profile. It's a little vague with the Classical router bit since it leaves almost 3/8" untouched and leaves a small horizontal fillet, but I usually think "last curve convex = load-bearing" and "last curve concave = terminating". The smart thing to do is create a small model and see if I like the cove on top. Part of the reason I haven't done cove on top is that the window tops will get touched on occasion (window treatments yet to be decided), and the cove edge is fragile if unprotected. OK for solid hardwood, not so good for MDF.

    I put the second coat of paint on the ceiling.

• September 2, 2017
  
  • I put a third coat of paint on the crown moulding. It's covered now.

    I did the first round of cut-in paint on the ceiling. However, I'm now thinking I might need to prime the ceiling. Ceiling paint doesn't cover very well.

    I removed the light fixture in preparation for rolling the ceiling. I'll be installing a new fixture that I bought a long time ago.

    I rolled the first coat of paint on the ceiling.

• September 1, 2017
  
  • I put a patch of wall paint on the wall to the west of the north window, just to see what it looks like with one coat. I was mainly interested in the level of contrast with the trim paint. It's not a lot since the paint color is light (Sherwin-Williams 'Concord Buff'). I honestly would probably prefer a little more drama due to the amount of time I put into the trim work, but it'll suffice.

    I finished putting the first coat of paint on the crown moulding. I put the second coat on the north wall crown moulding. Later I put the second coat on the remainder of the crown moulding. Due to the crappy brush I used on the first coat, the crown moulding will need a third coat.

• August 31, 2017
  
  • I sanded the section of base and shoe moulding between the room door and the closet door and primed it.

    I caulked the top of the window entablatures with DAP 3.0 since those gaps were about 1/8" and I want a good, crack-free seal here.

    I caulked the closet interior baseboard and casings with Alex Fast Dry, and decided it's too runny to use elsewhere. Might be an old tube since Home Depot is notorious for selling ancient caulk. It was literally thinner than the Sherwin-Williams Premium Wall & Wood Primer.

    I bought 3 tubes of DAP Alex Plus at ACE Hardware and started caulking the room. I'm not caulking all joints, since some of them don't need it. I caulked the areas on the windows that needed it, and the crown moulding joints to the ceiling and wall.

    I put the first coat of paint on the crown moulding above the west and north windows. I then put the first coat of paint on the west and north window casings, jambs, stools and aprons. This is really just a protective coat and to see what it looks like in daylight tomorrow when I'll brush on a bit of the wall paint. I need to finish painting the crown moulding and paint the ceiling before I really paint the remaining trim.

• August 30, 2017
  
  • I put the second coat of Zinsser B-I-N on the door jamb.

    I bought some Premium Wall & Wood Primer at Sherwin-Williams. I bought some Floetrol and a gallon of satin pure white paint from Home Depot.

    I primed the window trim, all of the closet trim, the door casings and all of the base and shoe moulding except one section with the Sherwin-Williams primer.

• August 29, 2017
  
  • I put some joint compound in the larger gaps between the crown moulding and the walls and ceiling. I will still be caulking, this was just to get the larger spots.

    I did some minor patching of baseboard and crown. I sanded where needed, then put a second coat of primer on the crown moulding. I also put a second coat of primer on the west and north window jambs.

• August 28, 2017
  
  • I sanded the east and north wall crown moulding. I then sanded the northwest corner, and vacuumed all of the crown moulding.

    I remasked the closet floor in preparation for a coat of primer on all of the trim.

    I put the first coat of primer on the crown moulding. Nail holes and board-to-board joints look good. I now need to fill wall-to-board and ceiling to board gaps. I think I'm going to use joint compound since it's easier to work with than caulk and the boards are so firmly attached to the walls and ceiling that they shouldn't move relative to each other.

    I put some primer on some of the corners of the base and shoe moulding, mostly just to protect my spackling.

    I put the first coat of primer on the west and north window jambs, as well as the room door jamb (finally). They'll all need a second coat to make sure the wood stain never leeches into the final finish.

• August 27, 2017
  
  • I finished sanding the south and west wall crown moulding. It's slow going due to the contours. I scraped all of the excess spackling out of the six corners with a wood chisel to maintain some of the resolution.

• August 26, 2017
  
  • I started sanding the spackling on the crown moulding. I'd like to complete this step this weekend and get a first coat of primer on the trim.

• August 25, 2017
  
  • I installed the center piece of the crown moulding. I then applied the first round of spackling to fill the nail holes and some of the joints.

• August 24, 2017
  
  • I finished installing the lower detail of the crown moulding.

• August 23, 2017
  
  • I've had no luck finding studs above the windows with my ancient stud finder. And all of the drywall in this house is glued and not screwed (except a very few screws 'in the field'), so my magnetic ones don't work either. I need a new stud finder to finish the crown moulding work since I don't want to make a bunch of holes just to find the studs in the walls that have no other means of finding them (no outlets, etc.).

    I picked up a Zircon HD900 at Home Depot. It works better than my old stud finder, but like my old one, it doesn't find the studs above the windows. However, I'm going to keep it. It works better, I like the center indication for studs, and I like the AC wiring detection. I bought a Klein multimeter case to store the Zircon HD900 when it's not in use.

    I also bought some Bessey clutch-type clamps. I've run short of clamps on some projects for the house, and as every woodworker always says... you can never have enough clamps. Home Depot's current price on the Bessey clutch-type clamps is better than anyone else's price.

    I also bought some 9V batteries since the HD900 doesn't come with one and I was out. I also bought some CR2032 batteries since my Wixey depth gauge's battery was dead.

    I finished the crown moulding cornice installation on the ceiling.

    I marked the studs on the west wall and tacked support blocks to the west wall in preparation for the crown moulding lower detail installation. This piece is about 130" long with a 45° bevel on the south end and a 22.5° bevel on the north end. I cut and installed this piece. I then cut and installed the lower detail piece over the west window, which was roughly 48.5" long with 22.5° bevels on each end. Two more smaller pieces and one more 11 footer and I'll be done installing the lower detail. I'll probably do a first pass fill and prime on these pieces before I start the center crown pieces, just because it's easier to do some of it before the center piece is installed.

• August 22, 2017
  
  • I marked the projection and drop on the ceiling and walls for the crown moulding. I wound up not needing the projection marks since I'm using a full-width 3.5" wide MDF board as the cornice piece. Mainly so that I know I have a sufficient nailing surface of the cornice to the ceiling and the crown to the cornice.

    I installed two pieces of cornice on the south edge of the ceiling, with a scarf joint in the middle since I wasn't able to find primed MDF 1x4's locally that were longer than 8'. I cut two more pieces but haven't installed them yet.

    I created support blocks for the lower detail, tacked them in place, then cut and tested the fitment of the lower detail on the south wall. After marking the location of studs in the wall with masking tape, I installed the lower detail on the south wall. Not easy since it was more than 11 feet long, I'm working alone, and MDF is floppy.

    I installed the first cornice piece on the east wall and the first cornice piece on the west wall. I also cut and installed the second piece on the west wall; 39+7/8" long with a 22.5° miter on one end and a 45° bevel (for scarf) on the other end. I then started working my way around the bay window with the cornice. All of these pieces are nailed and glued to the ceiling with Loctite PL Premium.

• August 21, 2017
  
  • The spackling and sanding of the trim is done.

    I remasked the room, with the tape flush against the shoe moulding. I don't really need the masking for paint, but I'm using shellac-based primer and hence want to protect the floor since I can't just wipe shellac off with a wet rag.

    I decided I want crown moulding. I bought what I need from Lowe's. I'm not going to fly it with LEDs; it'd be more work than I'd like and I'm just not thrilled with the idea in this room. Dedicated theater room, sure. Bedroom that will be used as an office, no.

    I cut some short pieces from each of the three types of MDF I'll be using to make the crown moulding, and mocked up a small model. I tacked this model above the room door with a sngle 18 gauge nail. At the moment it feels like it's too big, but for a 3-piece crown, I don't have easy-to-attain smaller options. The main piece is 3.625" wide, and I've got what I consider a minimal reveal on the wall piece and a symmetric reveal on the ceiling cornice piece, which works out to 7/8". It might look like it's too big by virtue of it being very short and hence proportionally odd. The total projection is 3.375" and the total drop is 4.4375". The total diagonal is a little more than half an inch less than the height of the baseboard, so I'm still within basic rules of proportion. I'm going to run with it for now, so I created a gauge block for the drop and projection so I can mark the walls all the way around the room.

• August 20, 2017
  
  • 7:00: I'm almost done with the first round of spackling and sanding on the trim. I finally spackled the left side of the west window stool to the wall and the right side of the north window stool to the wall, and the west side of the door casing to the jamb. Those areas will need to be sanded once it dries. I can then remask the floor with the masking flush against the shoe mouldings, so I can start priming all of the trim with Zinsser B-I-N.

    I continue to debate whether or not I want to install crown moulding, and whether or not to install it flying so I can install variable white LED lighting. Since this room will be used as an office, the indirect lighting would be very nice to have.

• August 19, 2017
  
  • More spackling and sanding on the trim, but making progress. Seems like it's taking forever, but if you want a high resolution paint job where the trim looks like an integral architectural detail instead of just cut and nailed on, this step is critical.

• August 18, 2017
  
  • Still working on spackling and sanding on the trim. As much as I like the look of fluted casings, they're a lot of work to spackle and sand.

• August 17, 2017
  
  • On my hands and knees for several hours, spackling and sanding nail holes and gaps on the baseboard and shoe moulding. I still have at least another day of this work before I can do some priming. I need a coat of B-I-N on the window and door jambs and the top casings/cornices. I will then likely use Sherwin Williams Premium Wall & Wood Primer as my unifying primer coat.

    I had to repatch an area to the left of the closet door due to being too aggressive when scraping joint compound off of the door casing. That spot will probably get a thin coat of B-I-N after I sand it, just because B-I-N works well for sealing and reinforcing thin wall patches.

• August 16, 2017
  
  • I tested the fitment of the new attic access box. It fits well, though I need to trim back about 1/2" of the drywall above the trim frame to provide more support for the access box on the north side. I needed this for the old access door too, but never got around to doing it. Right now there's only about 1/4" of support on that side, not enough for a narrow strip of weatherstrip I want to install.

    I cut and nailed the baseboard in the closet. Seven pieces, two straight cuts and twelve miters (none of which were 45 degrees since the walls aren't quite square in the closet). I also nailed the plinth blocks in place. I then cut and installed the shoe moulding. I'm done nailing all of the trim inside the room and closet.

    I spackled the nail holes and gaps of the trim inside the closet. I then started the first round of sanding in the closet.

• August 15, 2017
  
  • I went to Home Depot for shoe moulding and R-19 fiberglass insulation for the attic door/box. I also finally bought a Great Stuff Pro dispensing gun since I'm tired of dealing with the mess and waste of the consumer cans of Great Stuff.

    I cut and installed all of the shoe moulding in the room.

    I put two coats of primer on the new attic access door/box, sanding after each coat. I then put one coat of paint on it.

• August 14, 2017
  
  • I cut and nailed all of the room baseboard. A couple of the cuts were not the expected 22.5° or 45°, and hence I was glad to have the Starrett angle gauge. The plinth blocks are also installed. I still need to find the studs and fully nail a couple of the pieces of baseboard, but it's all tacked in place.

    I created a new attic access door/box out of 1/2" plywood. It's an open box so that I can put insulation inside it on the attic side. I cut the pieces on the table saw and sliding compound miter saw, then glued and screwed it together. Tomorrow I'll start putting a finish on it. Eventually I'm going to properly brace the attic opening so I can add an additional weatherstrip and install some fiberglass batts around the attic access door so I'm not always losing blown-in insulation when I enter the attic.

• August 13, 2017
  
  • I removed the new LED light fixture from the closet ceiling, then applied the first coat of paint to the ceiling and the second coat around the edges.

    I cut and installed some thin pieces of aluminum flashing between the jamb liners and window jambs to serve as pprimer/paint edgers when I prime and paint the window jambs. Taping them just wasn't working as desired, and I don't trust myself to get a perfect paint edge with a brush here since I want to get right to the edge where the jamb meets the liner but not bond the paint or primer to the jamb liner.

• August 12, 2017
  
  • I'm done painting the door to the room.

    I did some more spackling on the east window.

    I prepared to paint the trim around the attic access door and the closet ceiling. But the closet walls needed another coat of primer; the Kilz Original went on thin on part of the walls, probably due to not stirring it enough. I applied another coat.

    I also applied another coat of primer on the room walls where I had done a lot of patching from removal of the chair rails and wallpaper.

    I went to Lowe's for drill-operated paint stirrers (one for water-based products, one for shellac and oil-based products). I should have bought these years ago, they make stirring paint or primer that's been sitting for a while very easy without getting paint in the rim of the can. I also bought a paint can opener and a paint can lid/spout for when I open the cans of Sherwin-Williams paint for the walls of this room.

    I used one of the new stirrers to stir the trim paint and then put the first coat on the ladder access door frame and the ladder protection panel frame. They'll both need a second coat. Normally I wouldn't separately paint the ladder access door frame, but I'm in and out of the attic at least a few times a year and the ceiling paint is flat. I wanted the satin finish of the trim paint because it's easier to clean scuffs from a higher-sheen paint.

• August 11, 2017
  
  • I slotted the remainder of the 5/4" pine for closet track covers, cut it to width, and cut a relief for the metal that's flush with the wall, with a little extra to allow space for the mounting track screw heads.

    I sprayed a coat of of Zinsser B-I-N on the ladder protection frame. It should be sealed well enough now to just use regular primer (I'm using Kilz Original). I also sprayed a thin coat on the closet door jambs. I also created a spray paint blocker out of aluminum flashing and sprayed part of the east window jamb. It works, but it's messy. I think I'll go back to brushing.

    I applied a coat of Zinsser B-I-N to the east window jambs and casings.

    I wiped down the closet ceiling and walls. I primed the walls with Kilz Original.

    I sprayed what I hope is the final coat of satin white enamel on the hallway side of the room door.

• August 10, 2017
  
  • At 6:30 I went to Lowe's for paint tray liners and sash brushes. I then went to Home Depot for 5/4" x 3 select pine, 3 cans of Zinsser B-I-N spray, denatured alcohol and brush cleaner. While I was there I got another can of Great Stuff Pest Block, since I still need to seal up the sill plate in the basement.

    I set up the table saw to cut the slots in 5/4" pine to cover the closet storage rails. I cut a 10.75" long piece and slotted it. It fits fine on the storage rail.

    I removed all of the closet storage except for the rails. I'm going to leave the rails in place while priming and painting.

    I cut and installed the door casings and rosettes in the closet.

    I did some more spackling of nail holes, and the joints between the fluted casings and the rosettes inside the closet. Filling those joints is truly a pain in the butt. However, if done correctly it makes a big difference in the final result. Sometimes all that's needed is a couple of coats of primer, but sometimes I need to use spackling or joint compound.

    I finally put the sealing coat of Zinsser B-I-N on the ceiling hole patch, some other wall patching, the frame of the attic access and the frame of the ladder protection panel. I also put a coat on the closet half of the closet door jambs.

    I started taping the east window jamb liners so I can prime the stained wood jamb that hasn't been converted to white yet. But tape isn't really the right solution here. I need a new paint guide since I can't find my old one from many years ago. On the other hand, it would save time to just spray these spots but I'd need a larger paint guide. Lowe's has them.

    I used joint compound to fill some of the gaps between the closet door casings and jambs. Every time I work on a doorway, I wish that trim carpentry hadn't become a hack profession. Several of the doors in the house were not hung properly centered on the walls, so one side of the jamb protrudes from the wall by 1/8" while the other is recessed by 1/8". With starter trim it gets covered up, but when upgrading to a thicker, more rigid trim, it becomes a pain to work around. I don't have time to rehang doors so I'm doing what I can to the trim to accomadate it and then filling the remaining 1/16" or so of gaps.

• August 9, 2017
  
  • I put the first coat of paint on the hallway side of the room door. I'm not thrilled with it, I can see some areas that I should have sanded more when it was primed. I sanded again and put a coat of paint on it. It will need one more coat.

    I took out the north wall closet storage and cut 5/16" from the length of the top and then trimmed it flush with the west vertical. I also cut 5/16" from each of the shelves and the support blocks. I tested the fitment again, it will now clear the door casings and rosettes I will be installing.

    I cut the top of the east wall closet storage to clear the frame of the ladder protection panel's frame, then checked that it fits. It's good to go.

    I measured for the closet door casings. The side casings need to be 74.125" long.

    I spackled a deep divot on the back wall of the closet that I missed in my first round.

• August 8, 2017
  
  • I went to Home Depot for two 6' long 11.75" wide melamine boards for shelves for the new closet storage configuration. Some of it will likely be used for some bracing. I also bought some 1.75" long #8 Spax MDF and hardwood screws, a 5-gallon bucket, a cheap bucket tool organizer, 5mm shelf pins and two cans of Kilz Original spray. I wanted Zinsser B-I-N, but the store had none.

    I'm hoping to finish the closet storage configuration today. That means getting it to the point where I know I can install it without dinging the new paint. I'm doing this now so I can fix any damage before priming and painting the walls.

    I temporarily installed the old closet organizer supports and top on the north wall of the closet in order to get measurements for the width of new shelves. They need to be 12 7/16" wide. I cut 5 shelves for this space that was previously not utilized. I also cut more shelves for the narrow space on the east closet wall. There are now eight shelves there, good for shoe or knick knack storage.

    I sanded the room side of the door, vacuumed it and wiped it with a damp rag.

    I cut some melamine to use as supports for the new closet shelving configuration. I will use the new Spax MDF/hardwood screws to attach them.

    I figured out that I need to take about 1/8" off of the length of the unit on the north wall to accomodate the door casings. Previously, it was extremely close to the builder-grade door casings. My new casings are a bit thicker, and 3/4" wider. I also need to trim the top to be flush with the west support vertical for the same reason, or notch it to avoid the door casing. I sgould probably move everything eastward by 1/4" or so, to avoid banging the door casings when I reinstall the closet storage. That's 1/4" to remove from the 5 shelves I cut today, and 1/4" from the top on the east side (which is notched).

    I removed the narrow shelf section of the east wall and installed the supports on it. Just a couple of pieces of 3" wide melamine fastened with the Spax MDF/hardwood screws. I also fixed the center shelf with 4 Spax MDF/hardwood screws. This just adds rigidity to this part of the closet storage. I put it on the wall again to test fitment and to prepare to notch the top of the storage for the ladder protector frame.

    At 20:15 I put the first coat of paint on the room side of the room door. At 21:00 I applied the second coat. Sometime tomorrow I should be able to turn the door over to paint the hallway side.

• August 7, 2017
  
  • I removed the closet door, hinges and catch from the closet door jambs in preparation for priming the jambs with B-I-N to seal in the wood stain.

    I sanded the hole patch in the ceiling. I think it's ready for primer.

    I started filling gouges on the door with Zinsser B-I-N. It will take several rounds to complete.

    I need some more pieces of melamine to fix the closet storage. Whoever installed it the first time left a significant unusable area in the unit closest the door, presumable because they didn't have the correct tools (a trim carpenter or homeowner, not a finish carpenter). There is about 15" of space (horizontally) where they didn't install another vertical for shelves because the standard organizer unit depth would get in the way of the unit on the back wall. But another vertical could be installed, it just needs to be ripped narrower and then slotted with a 1/4" router bit for the French cleat. That's my plan, but since I wasn't able to find undamaged pre-drilled melamine shelf supports at Home Depot or Lowe's, I'll cut and drill a plain MDF board that can thensupport shelves.

    I'm a little concerned about the French cleat's ability to hold the weight. This type of French cleat is normally only rated for about 100 pounds if it is screwed to 3 studs. I should probably add another one.

    I modified the storage on the back wall so it won't be completely in the way of the attic door. It still intrudes a bit, but it's workable. I took 2.25" off of its depth, so it's now 11.75" deep. I cut this off the back of the top shelf, middle shelf and the three vertical supports. I then routed new slots in the back of the supports with the new spiral upcut router bit, to capture the French cleat on the wall. I also shortened one of the clothing rods since I need the rightmost support to be further away from the right wall to clear my ladder protection panel's frame. It all works fine, so I cut a few more shelves for the narrow section. The narrow spot is probably only useful for shoes, but since this room will be used as an office, it could also be used for printer paper, etc..

    I did one round of filling and sanding on the room side of the room door. I'll put another coat of B-I-N on it tonight.

    Going back to the closet storage, I slotted a 11.75" wide melamine board I had on hand for the french cleat on the side wall. This will be a third support for the space that was not utilized by the previous configuration. Since it's shallower than the other supports, I'll need to drill new shelf holes in one of the existing vertical supports to support the front of shelves. I also need to drill new holes along the back of this support since the existing ones are a bit further from the edge than I'd like for shallower shelves (I don't want them to be easy to tip). I also need to drill 2 rows of holes in the new board since it's a blank slate.

    I drilled 37 holes along the back edge of the existing center support for the new setup, 2.125" from the back edge. I then drilled 37 holes that are 10.75" from the back edge, so they'll fall 1" from the front of the new shelves. I did this with the Kreg 5mm shelf pin jig since the existing shelf pin holes are 5mm. I then drilled all of the holes in the new piece of melamine, which worked out to be 36 holes per edge since the board is about 1/2" shorter than the original verticals and hence there wasn't room for the 37th hole.

    I brushed another coat of Zinsser B-I-N on the room side of the room door. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to sand this coat and be done with the patching and priming stage.

• August 6, 2017
  
  • I sanded and then applied some lightweight joint compound to the hole patch in the closet ceiling. Hopefully this is the last round. There isn't really enough room to effectively use my 8" or wider taping knifes, so I'm using a 4" putty knife.

    I removed the room door and took it to the basement. I started the filling/patching of the door. After several rounds of filling and sanding, I'm almost done patching up the hallway side of the door. I vacuumed it and wiped it down with a damp rag. I eventually got 2 coats of Zinsser B-I-N brushed on this side. It will need a light sanding before I paint this side, but now I need to patch and prime the room side. Kind of crazy that almost all of the doors in the house have lots of gouges on both sides. Almost as if the previous owners were housing a wild animal, but I'm sure it was just a rambunctious dog who figured out he could open the doors by clawing at the door handles.

    I went to Lowe's and Home Depot for some supplies and tools. Since I'm using the basement for a lot of refinishing work, while also doing spackling and joint compound in the bedroom, I've been hauling my small Shop Vac (that can take fine filtration bags) from the 2nd floor to the basement and back many times per day. I finally got smart and bought a second one (same model, different color) so I can leave my old one in the basement. Like my existing one, I bought the 12' crush-resistant accessory hose since it's much more durable and flexible and I need the length so I can keep the vacuum exhaust far away from the joint compound and spackling dust when I'm vacuuming it up after sanding. I bought some velcro straps to manage the hose when the vacuum is not in use. Having the two vacuums will save me time and mojo. I also bought a 1/4" spiral upcut router bit so I can slot the MDF of the closet storage supports after I modify them. I also bought a Lutron Maestro dimmer set for the basement stairs, since I was never able to get the pairing of a Lutron Maestro occupancy switch and a plain old rocker switch to work correctly in a 3-way setup. I intend to move the occupancy switch to the closet of Bedroom 2, and set it for vacancy mode (manual on, automatic off).

    Lowe's didn't have the radiused MDF boards I wanted for my storage modifications, despite their web site showing dozens in stock. I wound up buying just a couple of 4' long straight edged pieces at Home Depot. I bought a Kreg shelf pin drilling jig and some 5mm shelf pins.

    At night, I made the mistake of trying to sand the joint compound I had applied in the morning. It looked and felt dry, but beneath the surface it had not cured. I should know better, joint compound always takes a day to dry. A glob of it came out. So I used a hair dryer to cure what remained, sanded and applied spackling compound in the quarter-sized spot where the joint compound had come out. Spackling compound dries faster, though not as hard. That's OK on the ceiling, especially since I'm going to prime this spot with Zinsser B-I-N. Hopefully tomorrow, since I'd really like to have the closet priming done so I can start the trim and then paint the closet so I can put the storage units back in it.

    Speaking of the closet trim, I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to fabricate a top casing and cornice or just use casings and rosettes. I'm leaning toward the latter to save time and space. The storage unit adjacent the door could run into anything much wider than the casings I'm using.

    I flipped the door over in the basement, cleaned it with denatured alcohol and sprayed a coat of Zinsser B-I-N on it. It will need some filling and sanding cycles before I can paint it.

• August 5, 2017
  
  • I lightly sanded the top casings and cornices for the closet door and room door. I then nailed them in place.

    I started some of the nail hole and joint filling on the window trim.

    I temporarily remounted the room door on the new hinges so I can cut and nail the new door stop moulding and to make sure the door easily clears the new flooring. I cut and installed new oak door stop moulding. Tomorrow I'll remove the door again for patching and refinshing. It has multiple holes in it (former owners liked to lock children in rooms?), and severe dog claw gouges around the door knob. I'll fill, sand, prime, sand and paint the door. It should look like new when I'm done, but painted instead of stained.

• August 4, 2017
  
  • I pulled the masking from the east window sashes. Unlike the west window sashes, these won't require touch up. I'm going to give the paint another 6 hours or so to cure, then reinstall the sashes.

    None of the drywall edges around the closet door were fastened with screws or nails. If I tapped on it, it rattled against the door framing. I screwed it down on both sides with drywall screws. While the trim nails will help hold the drywall to the framing, it's just not a good thing to not have the drywall fastened here.

    I measured for the closet door side casings and cut and installed them. I am not installing the plinth blocks yet since I want the floor to remain taped until I'm done with most of the joint compound work. I cut the pieces for the top casing and cornice pieces on the miter saw and table saw.

    I temporarily installed the new hinges for the room door, then measured, cut and installed the interior door side casings. I then measured for the top casing and cornice pieces and cut them on the miter saw and table saw.

    I glued, clamped and pin nailed the top casing and cornice pieces for the closet door. I then did the same for the pieces for the room door. I then sprayed a coat of Zinsser B-I-N on them.

    I reinstalled the east window sashes along with the final piece of new jamb liner.

• August 3, 2017
  
  • I had to touch up the west window's lower sash. The 3M blue masking tape I used is crap, it lifted in a couple of spots and blocked the sprayer. I've had no problems with 3M blue masking tape in the past, but the rolls I used for the east and west windows are much thinner than my other rolls and the tape doesn't adhere to itself. It seems the tape has way too much non-stick on the back of the tape. These are 1.41" wide rolls. I'll go back to using the 1.88" wide rolls.

    I applied the second round of spackling in the closet, including the patch in the ceiling. Hopefully this is the final round for the ceiling patch so I can get started on priming the closet soon.

    I reinstalled the west window sashes and the last piece of new Andersen jamb liner.

    I removed the east window sashes and replaced them with foam insulation. I sanded and vacuumed them, then wiped with denatured alcohol. I then primed both of them with Zinsser B-I-N, and sprayed two coats of paint on them.

    I put the first coat of Zinsser B-I-N on the plinth blocks for the interior of the room. This is just for the purpose of sanding and reducing the end grain roughness.

    I discovered that a large drinking straw is a good tool for applying spackling to the nail holes in the fluted casings. This will speed up my spackling and sanding of the window and door casings.

    I think I'm going to try reusing some of the previous MDF storage. the main problem with the old storage was the depth on the far wall unit causing problems getting into the attic. I can rip the MDF down to about 11.5" and still be able to hang clothes. I need a 1/4" up spiral slotting bit for the router so I can cut the slots for the french cleat. And the Kreg shelf pin jig so I can make new shelf pin holes if needed.

• August 2, 2017
  
  • I touched up the west window's upper sash again. Hopefully this is the last touch-up.

    I put builder's paper on the closet floor in preparation for drywall patching on the ceiling and walls.

    I applied the first round of joint compound in the closet and on some of the north window. I later sanded some of the north window.

    I sanded, primed and painted the lower sash of the west window.

    I'm still trying to figure out what to do about storage in the closet. The old layout wasn't workable since it obstructed access to the attic and didn't maximize use of the space. The storage next to the door was mostly OK depth-wise but poorly laid out.

• August 1, 2017
  
  • I touched up the paint on the west window's upper sash.

    I installed the UHMW panel in the closet. It will rarely be used, but it's nice to have the wall protected from ladders.

    I carefully measured and then cut a hole in the ceiling with a 4.125" hole saw and installed a rework ceiling electrical box. I moved the wiring from the existing box to this box.

    I removed the old ceiling box. I then screwed some short pieces of 2x4 to the ceiling joist to support a patch for the hole left by the old ceiling box. I screwed the cutout from the new hole to the 2x4s to fill most of the hole from the old ceiling box. I applied the first coat of spackling just to fill the gaps around the patch, which will allow me to apply Fireblock expanding foam on the attic side tomorrow. I need to put builder's paper on the floor in the closet before I do more drywall patching work.

    It will be nice to have a nearly flush light in the closet that doesn't get in the way when accessing the attic. Not to mention 2000 lumens of 4000K light using only 23 watts.

• July 31, 2017
  
  • I removed the sashes from the west window to prime and paint them. In their place is some foam insulation (it's 85F today). I sanded the top sash, primed it and put two coats of satin white enamel on it. I've got a run in one spot that will need to be sanded and touched up tomorrow.

    I shaved the width of four plinth blocks on the table saw to get a workable reveal inside the room without having to do a lot of patching of the door jambs.

    I'm now working in the closet. I worked up a plan fir the UHMW panel to protect the wall from ladder dings when climbing into the attic. I created a frame for it from 3/4" thick oak, ripped to 2.25" width. I cut a 3/4" wide by 1/4" deep rabbet in the back to hold the UHMW. The UHMW won't be attached, it'll just be held against the drywall by the frame. That will allow me to replace the UHMW if it gets too beat up, without having to create a new frame. Of course I hope to never need to replace it; current price is $41.59. It can of course be flipped over since it's the same on both sides.

    I need to route the edges of the frame, then figure out if I can use biscuits to join it. At the moment I'm leaning toward using pocket hole screws.

• July 30, 2017
  
  • I had to pull the right side casing from the east window due to the window jamb standing too proud from the wall in the upper right corner of the window. This caused a gap I couldn't really accomodate with the top casing and cornice. After carefully removing the casing, I planed the edge of the window jamb to be nearly flush with the wall, then reinstalled the side casing. I then installed the top casing and cornice that I finished fabricating yesterday.

    I installed the applique in the center of the top casing of the center window. I primed two more appliques to install on the east and west windows, and installed them.

    I installed the cove transition pieces on the east and west windows. So as of now, all of the window trim is installed. I need to fill the nail holes, sand, etc. But I now need to continue removing sashes and refinishing them, since removing the jamb liners scrapes on the stools a bit.

    I masked the glass of the upper and lower sashes of the east and west windows in preparation for removing the sashes and refinishing them (sand, prime, spray with enamel).

    I removed the door stop from the room door jambs. I'm going to do some first-pass patching of the door jambs before installing the new oak stops. Someone drilled a hole in one of the side jambs, and it's gouged near the catch from the previous owner's dog.

    I am looking at the plinth blocks for the doors. I might need to shave a bit off of their width to attain a symmetric reveal. It partly depends on how much work I want to do on the jambs. The previous casings were the typical 2.25" builder-grade casings, and they were installed with almost no jamb reveal. Some of the nail holes are close to the inner edge of the jamb. I don't really want to spend time filling holes in the edge of the jambs, but I will need a little bit more jamb reveal from the casing in order to correctly install the plinth blocks. I didn't do this in Bedroom 3, and I regret it. Those jambs were more beat up, and I didn't feel like replacing them and cutting new hinge mortises. So there I had little reveal and put the plinth blocks flush with the casing on the inner edge. It looks OK but not great. The only reason it looks OK at all is that I spent a lot of time making the casing and plinth block joints disappear so it looks like they were cut from one piece of wood.

• July 29, 2017
  
  • I installed the side casings on the west window. I finished creating the window top casings and cornices and glued the parts together.

    I was recently asked (again) how I got such perfect miters on my window trim returns. For example:

    

    The answer is that I cheat. Those aren't miter cuts. Where possible, I create my trim stackups out of solid boards, and route the edges on my router table. That window trim is really just three routed pine boards stacked and nailed and glued:

    

    Clearly the advantage to doing it this way is the lack of miter joints to open/close with humidity changes, house settling, etc. The disadvantages: it takes more time to get the trim on the wall, and pre-gluing means you wind up with a rigid piece that you can't flex to accomodate a less-than-flat wall. Even if you use MDF trim boards (which are a little bit more flexible), the glue joints add significant rigidity. Also, you can't avoid miter cuts for inside corners. And of course this doesn't work well for stained trim; no one wants to see the end grain, and with a highly detailed contour, good luck sanding out the router burns on the end grain without losing some of the sharpness of the contour.

• July 28, 2017
  
  • I installed the new hinges on the closet door and door jamb and rehung the closet door, just to I could install the new oak door stop moulding in the right place. I then cut and installed the door stop moulding (Julie helped).

    I cut and installed the side casings on the east window.

    I started fabricating the top casing and cornice. I've decided to not use the rosettes. I cut a bead in a flat piece of select pine for the top casing. I cut a cove in a flat piece of select pine as the lower part of the cornice. I used a classical but for the bottom ede of the top part of the cornice.

• July 27, 2017
  
  • I reinstalled the lower sash of the center window, and then the new lower left jamb liner.

    I put a coat of Zinsser B-I-N on all three of the new apron boards.

    I installed the stool of the center window, using silicone caulk at the sill per Andersen's instructions (which the original installer did not do).

    I installed the center window's apron and the cove transition. In the process of installing the apron, I realized I was out of 2.5" 15-gauge nails for my Senco SFN40 and running low on 2" 15-gauge nails. So I made a run to Home Depot for nails, and also picked up the satin nickel door hinges and a few pieces of 1x4 select pine..

    I installed the center window's side casings. I measured and cut the frieze, but I'm still debating the design of the entablature so it's possible I won't use it. I was planning to use the same design as Bedroom 3, which doesn't really have a frieze; it's just a flat casing the height of the rosettes, with the cornice directly on top.

    I put the second coat of paint on the room side of the closet door. Tomorrow I'll probably install the new hinges just so I can hang it briefly and cut/install the new door stop pieces so I can start patching and priming the door jambs.

    I installed the west window stool and apron, then the east window stool and apron. I've yet to install the cove transitions on these aprons.

• July 26, 2017
  
  • I flipped the closet door on my sawhorses and put the first coat of satin white spraypaint on the room side of the door. It will need a second coat, and a bit of touching up; the nozzle dripped when I was almost done with the first coat.

    I masked a second window sash for sanding/priming/painting.

    I measured for the center window apron. It needs to be 46 5/16" long. I then created all three apron boards out of oak with the table saw, miter saw and router table. I used a Rockler 1/4" beading bit and a 1/4" roundoff bit on the router table to create a bead on the bottom of the apron. The whole stool/apron stackup I'm doing is inspired by Greek Revival style. Bullnose stool on top of simple beaded apron, with a cove transition.

    I sanded and primed the second window sash. I should be able to get paint on it before I go to bed, though it needs sanding in one area.

    I went to Home Depot for more builder's paper, Zinsser B-I-N spray, some 1x4 poplar boards, adhesion promoting primer for plastics, stainless steel wood screws to replace the ones the original window installer broke in the jamb liners, .94" wide masking tape and some cheap microfiber towels. I forgot to get the door hinges I need, but I'm not in a big hurry for those since the doors will not be reinstalled for a while.

    I sanded the rough spot on the second window sash and touched it up with primer, twice. It's still not perfect, but I can live with it. I'm not sure what caused the damage to this sash, since it was from the previous homeowners.

    I sprayed two coats of satin white enamel on the second window sash.

    I sanded the aprons in preparation for priming. Obviously I'll prime after installation, caulk and joint compound. But the first coat is to prevent tannin bleed, and for that I'll use Zinsser B-I-N.

    Tomorrow I hope to put this sash back and start working on the window trim for this window, and also starting the sash refinishing on the second window. I also want to start the light fixture planning for the closet, which I think is going to require some drywall patching.

• July 25, 2017
  
  • I removed the masking on the upper sash of the center window, reinstalled the hardware and reinstalled the sash in the window. It slides OK, so I don't think I need to worry about my painting affecting the sash's ability to move in the jamb liners. I just need to continue doing the preliminary sanding before priming and painting, and not overdo it on the primer or paint. I will buy some silicone lubricant to make the windows glive even easier than now.

    I patched the gouges and holes in the room side of the closet door. I then sanded and applied 2 coats of Zinsser B-I-N.

    The humidity in the basement is around 75%. I turned on one of my dehumidifiers so that the next steps will be a little shorter.

    I later sanded the room side of the closet door, then flipped it over and sprayed one coat of satin white Rust-Oleum 7791830 on the clkoset side. The basement humidity is still above 60%, since the dehumidifer tank filled up while I was weed wacking and mowing the lawn (a many hour job).

    I need to go to Home Depot and Lowes for some supplies.

• July 24, 2017
  
  • I installed all three sets of the new jamb liners. I haven't screwed down the final piece of jamb liner in each window since I'll be pulling them in/out over the next day or two while I paint and prime the windows.

    I lightly sanded, primed and painted the top of the middle window after masking the glass with masking tape and newspaper. Given where I am with this project, I'm probably going to have to put some plastic sheeting in the window. I'd like to allow the paint to dry for 48 hours before reinstalling the window. It's going to make this project very slow, but slow is the only way to do it right. I can't match the durability of a factory finish, but I'm using an oil based alkyd paint (Rust-Oleum 7791830) that has worked well in Bedroom 3 on the door and closet doors.

    I started taking measurements for the west window apron and casings. The apron should be 38.25" long. I haven't really decided on the height, but 3" seems reasonable since the casings are 3" wide. If I use cove moulding from the apron to the stool, what is the reveal between the bullnose stool and the cove?

• July 23, 2017
  
  • I went to Home Depot for some oak door stop moulding, satin white spray paint for the windows and doors and a 1'x2' LED panel light for the closet. The existing fixture in the closet is jammed against the moulding for the attic access door, and because it's a bulbous flush-mount, I bonk it every time I go in the attic. The moulding I want to use for the attic access door won't fit around the existing fixture's placement without cutting it (which would be an ugly hack like what's in there now). I also bought a quart of Zinsser BIN to prime the window jambs and door jambs.

    I made the final near-the-wall cut of the hardwood ends along the east bay window using the Dremel Ultra-Saw. The reviews were correct: the blades don't last very long. Granted, hickory is a hard wood. But I only made about 16' of cuts total and the blade is starting to burn wood. Thankfully I don't expect to use this tool very often. The tool itself is dandy, but the wood blades are crap. I went gently and never bound the blade in any way.

    I cleared the room and vacuumed and wiped the floor in preparation for covering it with paper to protect it from all of the work to come.

    I removed the hardware from the closet door and room door, then prepped the closet door for patching and priming in the basement. I lightly sanded both sides with 150 grit just to get a clean surface with a little mechanical grip. I put a coat of Zinsser BIN on the closet side of the door, which doesn't have any gouges. The front side has dog claw gouges that will need a little filling. I might be able to do that with just the Zinsser B-I-N since it sands beautifully. Every time I work with B-I-N, I marvel at how nice it is to use as a primer. Dries REALLY fast, seals well, and the second coat glides on and even self-levels to some extent.

    I started putting builder's paper on the floor. I'll probably use a drop cloth too, but the paper is handy for full coverage and no tripping (great before painting a ceiling). It's also very inexpensive, and it breathes.

• July 22, 2017
  
  • I installed the last full-width piece of hickory on the floor, then installed the partial pieces. I cut and installed a sacrificial piece at the threshold to protect the edge of the final row until I install the hardwood in the hallway. I cut the bottom half of the joint off of this piece so it doesn't hold on to the piece I'm protecting and will be easy to remove when I'm ready to do the hallway hardwood. I also cut a large bevel on the hallway edge of this piece.

• July 21, 2017
  
  • Still installing the hickory flooring. When I was about 12 inches from the final wall, I trimmed off the door jambs so that I wouldn't risk damaging the new flooring in the process.

    These final rows are going slowly because it's all pre-drilling and hand nailing since I'm now too close to the wall to use the floor nailer. I have one full board remaining, then the final partial row with a special cut for the threshold area. My knees are sore despite the new knee pads, and I need to open a new tube of Loctite PL Premium. Hence I'm calling it a day and will finish tomorrow morning.

    The floor feels rock solid.

• July 19, 2017
  
  • I finished installing the hickory flooring in the closet. Phew, that wasn't easy. Very little room to work, and hand nailing of 4 rows. I double the nail schedule when hand nailing since the finish nails don't have the gripping power of the floor cleats from the pneumatic nailer. The shoe moulding will cover the face nails in the final row. I pre-drilled 3/32" holes before installing those nails to avoid splitting.

    I installed 3 more rows of hickory in the room.

    I went to Home Depot for a Dremel Ultra-Saw (US40). It was marked down to $99 today (from $129) and I had a Home Depot gift card. I'm using this to trim off some of the flooring edges on the bay window walls that wound up closer to the drywall than I'd like. I've already done one of them, using the flush-cut blade. The blade guard acts as a shoe when using the flush-cut blade. I kept it away from the wall a bit since I'm not actually flush cutting, but eyeballing the normal wood blade led me to conclude that I needed the flush cut blade since I only want a 1/2" gap. It's no Festool TS55, but it works. I suspect the blades don't last long, but for my needs right now, it works well. It does make a huge mess, and while there is a dust port attachment available, it looks to me like it would not be very effective (an afterthought, like many tools other than Festool). The dust port is on the opposite side of the housing from the blade, and it's very small. With the flush cut blade, it probably does almost nothing since the flush cut blade winds up on the outside of the blade guard. This isn't a tool for a flooring professional; they'd want a Festool TS55 or the like. And a dedicated jamb saw.

• July 18, 2017
  
  • At 30 rows of flooring, I successfully navigated a tricky spot at the other side of the closet door jamb. I now have 36 rows of flooring installed.

    I did a little bit more work in the closet. Finishing the closet floor is the first thing on tomorrow's list.

    For what it's worth, I just finished the 4th tube of Loctite PL Premium 3X. I assume I'll use 2 to 3 more tubes on this room. It's inexpensive in the grand scheme, but it means I'll need more once I start working on the hallway and Bedroom 1. One tube per 22 sq. ft., roughly. It'll be less for the 4" wide boards.

• July 17, 2017
  
  • 26 rows of flooring are installed. I was sidetracked a bit today by a trip to Menard's for the hallway hardwood, some knee pads, more 6D finish nails and a new tape measure.

• July 16, 2017
  
  • 22 rows of flooring are installed.

    I wound up needing to notch around the closet door frame. Not a big deal, and it turned out nicely. To alleviate the headaches of backtracking in the closet, I fabricated some spline to reverse the direction of the layout in the closet for a few of the boards. I used a scrap piece of flooring that had an incomplete tongue, and cut the spline using my table saw and router table. I then installed the notched piece leading into the closet, along with one piece of flooring attached to the notched piece with the spline. I used 6D finish nails to install the piece that is too close to the closet wall to use the floor nailer, after pre-drilling with a 3/32" drill bit. I'll do the same for the remaining boards to reach the closet wall. The closet is now ready to be covered in concert with the rest of the room.

    I'm still waiting for Menard's to confirm the readiness of the remaining hickory for the hallway and Bedroom 1, hence I didn't get kneepads today.

• July 15, 2017
  
  • 19 rows of flooring are installed.

    I cut off the bottom of the closet door jambs to accomodate the new flooring. I did this old-school style: double-sided Japanese-style pull saw, guided by a piece of scrap flooring tacked to the floor with my finish nailer. IMHO, this is a better way to cut off door jambs than using an oscillating multi-tool, unless you will run into nails. Check for nails first!

    From measurements it looks like I might get lucky on the first door jamb, and will not need to notch the flooring there. It's VERY close from my measurements, so we'll see when I get there. It would be a bonus since I need to track backward several boards once I'm around the jamb, and it's always a little tricky to get this just right without face-nailing a bunch of rows. I could of course just install a sill piece, but I'd like to just flow right into the closet with no visual break.

    My knees are starting to bug me from all the kneeling on hard surfaces. Since I have a lot more flooring to do in the house, I'll be picking up some knee pads from Menards tomorrow.

• July 14, 2017
  
  • The first 11 rows of flooring are installed. It's been going slowly because I've been fussing about color distribution and I'm still in the bay window area which means angled cuts on each end. One more row will complete the bay window area, but not long afterward I'll run into the closet area which will be tricky.

    I went to Home Depot to get a pull bar, some 6D finish nails and some 3/32" drill bits. I'll need these in the closet as well as on the final rows of the room.

• July 13, 2017
  
  • I finished installing the Floor Muffler underlayment, including the closet. I marked floor joist lines on the underlayment so I know where they are when driving the floor cleats.

    I cut and installed the first board. It's 2" wide on the face, and the full length of the space between two of the bay windows. Hence it is angled on each end. I then cut a long piece for the second row, which had to be cut for the HVAC duct. I used a brand new Bosch T101BF blade in my Bosch jigsaw, and it worked well.

    I finished the first 4 rows of flooring. Like Bedroom 3, I am putting a thin bead of Loctite PL 3X in each tongue and groove joint. It makes the installation slow, but in combination with the Floor Muffler, it pretty much guarantees that the floor will never squeak. The floor ends up being a single slab.

• July 12, 2017
  
  • I stopped at Home Depot for some Loctite PL 3X and some new blades for my Bosch jigsaw. I stopped at Lowe's for some more Bostitch FLN-200 flooring cleats.

• July 11, 2017
  
  • I finally cleaned up the subfloor and started putting down the Floor Muffler underlayment (same stuff I used in Bedroom 3). It's going slowly since I'm stapling it down, and that requires two layers of packing tape under each staple. Without the tape, the staples just penetrate/rip the Floor Muffler. I did the same thing in Bedroom 3, but I didn't use as many staples. I'm using more this time to help it lie a little flatter. I'm using the Arrow PT50 pneumatic staple gun with 5/16" T50 staples. Once a few rows of the hickory flooring is in place, the staples will be irrelevant.

    Layout wise, my starter strip of hickoery needs to be cut to 2" of face width, and spaced 1/2" from the exterior wall. I haven't checked yet if that's enough space to utilize the ratchet strap tools, but I believe it's sufficient.

• January 28, 2017
  
  • Still sick, but I cleaned one of the window screens with ammonia/water. It was very dirty. I also cleaned two of the windows, inside and out. Not thoroughly, since I will soon be removing the sashes to paint them on the inside. Hoping for some warmer weather.

• January 27, 2017
  
  • Still sick, but I stopped at Home Depot on my way home from work to pick up two gallons of ceiling paint and another gallon of Kilz Original.

• January 25, 2017
  
  • I'm sick today, so all I did was remove the remaining closet organizer unit from the closet's back wall and sanded the tiny spot of joint compound I had applied over the weekend to patch ladder marks.

• January 24, 2017
  
  • I ordered white jamb liners from parts.andersenwindows.com Head, left, right bottom and right top for all three windows..

• January 23, 2017
  
  • I finished drilling the holes for the long nails in the window stools. I also put a first coat of joint compound on the rough areas from the old window stools. They shouldn't need a second coat, but I'll know tomorrow. Other than this patch work, I'm ready to install the new window stools. But...

    I'd like to replace the jamb liners with white ones since I'll be painting the jambs and sashes white. I shouldn't install the stools until after I've replaced the jamb liners. I will put the jamb liners on my wish list. I need upper and lower right, left and top jamb liners for all three windows. I really shouldn't do the window work for a couple of months when it's reliably warmer outside.

    I removed the remaining (junk) blinds and also removed the faux pane dividers.

• January 21, 2017
  
  • I went to Home Depot to buy a piece of 1/2" x 4.25" MDF that I intend to use as part of the window entablatures. I also bought a Stanley Surform plane to touch up the planing I did on one of the window jambs, and two 2' x 4' pieces of 1/2" sanded plywood to box in part of my router table.

• January 20, 2017
  
  • I used the Bosch PL1632 to plane a bit of one of the window jambs that protruded too far from the wall. This isn't really what I wanted to do since the window jamb was straight while the framing and drywall is not, but it was the easiest thing to do to allow the window casings to be installed.

• January 18, 2017
  
  • I continue to prime and sand the window stools. I was hoping to dramatically reduce the depth of the visible grain, but I don't think that's going to happen. It's too deep. I could have slurried with shellac and fine sawdust, but they're window stools, not fine furniture. And given the thermal expansion and contraction they'll see, I probably don't want a thick coating. Some visible grain is desired, since it reveals that it's real oak. I think I'm going to call it done for now and move on to final wall patching around the windows and inside the closet. But the next set of painted window stools will likely be poplar just to avoid the deep grain issue.

• January 17, 2017
  
  • The doorstop for the door to the hallway arrived. The UHMW to protect the wall from ladders in the closet arrived.

    I put a coat of Zinsser B-I-N on the top of the new window stools. After it dried (less than 30 minutes), I sanded the window stools and sprayed a coat of Kilz Original on the bottoms. After it dried, I put a coat on the tops.

• January 16, 2017
  
  • I ran the east and west window stools through the router table again, this time with the fence in an outboard configuration. This cleaned up the end-of-cut issues. The window stools are now ready for primer; I sprayed a coat of Zinsser B-I-N on the bottom sides.

• January 15, 2017
  
  • I went to Sherwin-Williams and bought four gallons of Duration paint for the walls of Bedroom 2. Color SW7684 (Concord Buff), flat.

    I went to Lowe's and bought a Bosch PL1632 planer to fix the jambs of the windows, some of which are nowhere near flush with the drywall. I bought ten more cans of Rust-Oleum satin white spraypaint to refinish the doors and the window grills. I bought a can of Great Stuff window and door sealant, and another tube of Loctite PL Premium.

    I bought four more of the Legrand NTL885TR-WCC6 electrical outlets with nightlight that I like. I bought casters, plywood and fasteners to make my router table mobile. I also bought a box of fifty 42-gallon contractor bags since I was running low.

    I ordered a piece of UHMW for the wall in the closet. This will provide protection from the ladder, which scars up just about anything else when I'm using it to access the attic. The UHMW is white, 1/4" thick and 24" square. It won't be beautiful, but it will look better than scarred up wood and drywall and it's in a small closet; very few people will ever see it.

    I removed the center window screen and then removed the window stool. I cut and routed the replacement. I had to make a second pass at the router table with the fence guiding the non-cut side of the stool (i.e. as an outboard fence). This is because my router table fence doesn't have offset capability.

    I put my router table on a mobile base. 3/4" plywood bolted to the stand with 1/2"-13 grade 8 bolts and locknuts, and 4 fully locking 3" casters bolted to the plywood. I need to loosen and retighten the stand bolts since it's not quite square, and build sides and shelves, but at least I can now move it easily.

• January 14, 2017
  
  • I bundled up the carpet and padding with packing tape so I can take it to the landfill and recycling center on Monday. I swept the floor and then vacuumed most of it with my smaller shop vac.

    I mounted the Bosch 1617EVS router in my Rocker router table. Despite what Rockler had claimed, their router plate doesn't accomodate above-the-table height adjustment for the Bosch 1617EVS. I removed the router plate and drilled a hole in it on the drill press so I can use the Bosch 1617EVS above-the-table height adjustment.

    I removed the west window stool. I finished cutting and routing the window stools for the east and west windows. The Freud 99-462 router bit works nicely with the new router turned down a bit from full speed. And I love that the new router has speed control ad well as the smarts to keep the bit at a constant speed under load.

    Tomorrow I'll remove the center window stool and create its replacement. I'm probably going to take a break from working on the room to get some plywood and casters. I want to enclose my router table and make it mobile. I need a place to store the router tools and spare parts, as well as the bits. And lifting it is hard on my back. I will leave part of it open for easy access to the router, but I want a covered bottom area where I can put Systainers.

• January 13, 2017
  
  • I stopped at Home Depot for some 3" long finish nails I need for the window stools. I also bought three 6' long 1x4 select pine boards and 16' of cove moulding to create simple window aprons.

    I removed the remaining carpet padding and staples in the room. I removed the carpet, padding, tack strips and staples from the closet.

• January 12, 2017
  
  • The Freud 99-462 router bit arrived. I believe this will work nicely for the window stool edges.

    I removed the remaining carpet from the room. I still have more padding to remove, and I have not removed the carpet from the closet.

• January 11, 2017
  
  • I started removing the old carpet. I didn't get much done (less than 30% of the room), but I'll do more tomorrow night. I'm removing the tack strips as I go, but will need to go over the whole floor to remove padding staples when the padding is fully removed. From what I have seen of the subfloor, it's in better shape than the subfloor of Bedroom 3 and hence I shouldn't need to replace any of it before installing the FloorMuffler underlayment and the hickory flooring. I will of course still be using Loctite PL for each joint to prevent squeaks since I've had great success doing it elsewhere.

• January 10, 2017
  
  • I ordered a Freud 99-462 window stool router bit from Amazon to route the edge on the new window stools. It should be here on Thursday.

    I cut some oak to length for the left and right window stools, then cut the rabbet joint on the underside that rests on the window sill frame (metal). For the right side stool, I cut the notches to allow it to fit into place. I tested the fitment, it appears to be good. I haven't cut the stool to width yet since I haven't decided if I want a little more depth than the original stools and Freud doesn't publish detailed dimensions of the 99-462 router bit I am going to use for the edges. I cut the length of the stools 1/2" longer than originally planned just in case I need the length to account for the depth of the edge profile after routing.

    My plan is to install all of the window stools on the same day in order to have fresh caulk from a single tube. My plan is to use DAP 3.0 Window, Door, Trim and Siding caulk.

• January 9, 2017
  
  • I stopped at Home Depot to buy appliques for the window and door entablatures. I also bought a 3-pack of microfiber rolloer covers since I like the one I used for the sealing coat of primer. Finally, I bought new locking pliers since my old ones are trashed. I bought the Milwaukee TorqueLock ones, two sizes of the long-nose and two sizes of the regular. I needed some fully functioning locking pliers to pull the nails from the bottom of the window side jambs after removing the stools. I used one of the new plier sets to pull the nails remaining from the removal of the first stool.

    I measured the length of the left and right window stools. They're just over 38.75" long. I want the new stools to be about 1.5" longer to accomodate the new casings, so I'll make them 40.5" long.

• January 8, 2017
  
  • I burned all of the old trim that was removed. It took a while since it's 8F outside (wind chill 0F).

    I sanded the additional joint repairs. I then cleared out the room and vacuumed in preparation for a sealing coat of Kilz Original primer on the walls.

    I put a coat of Kilz Original primer on the walls to seal the drywall repairs. I'll need another coat before painting, but the room already looks much better than it did when I bought the house.

    I removed one of the window stools. Sigh, it wasn't caulked. I will need to fix that issue when I install my own stools.

• January 7, 2017
  
  • I've been working on the joint compound on the walls to repair the drywall damage from the old pair of chair rails that were up high on the walls. Several coats and sanding, with the last coat being Plus 3 (thinner than the all-purpose compound I used on the first few coats). Today I sanded again, and wiped the wall again with a 1:4 mix of ammonia and water (the parts without joint compound). I then patched the small dings that were not part of the trim removal repair. I am hoping to sand those and apply a sealing coat of primer tonight.

    I removed all of the wall plates. I also removed the window aprons.

    This room will likely get flat paint since I've had to do so much drywall repair, but I won't be painting for a while. Once the first coat of primer is on, I intend to start the hardwood floor installation.

    Late at night I wound up doing more joint compound, namely around the windows, between the door and the nearest perpendicular wall, and the northwest wall joint that was taped and joined poorly when the house was built. I'll need to sand these areas tomorrow, and maybe finally get a coat of primer on the walls.

• January 4, 2017
  
  • I finished sanding the first coat of joint compound on the drywall repair from the horrible old border trim. I then applied another coat of joint compound to cover shrinkage from the first coat. I didn't do the area between the northeast window and the closet, only because that area needs a 10" knife. I'll do that tomorrow. There are a couple of areas where the patching is thick (near the door), those will probably need another coat before I do everything with a 10" knife.

• January 3, 2017
  
  • I sanded a bit of the joint compound repair work. I think I'm going to be able to complete the repair without having to resheet the room.

• January 2, 2017
  
  • I removed the casings from the third window. I removed the door casings facing the room on the room door and the closet door. I removed the base moulding in the room.

    I removed one of the shelving units from the closet wall in order to gain access to the door casing inside the closet. I then removed the door casing inside the closet and the base moulding in the closet. After I dispose of all of the trim, I can start removing the carpeting. I might leave it in place for a bit while I try to patch up the walls and do the window trim.

    I scraped glue residue from the wallpaper removal. However, there is so much damage to the drywall from removing the horrible job someone did with wood wallpaper border trim that I fear I can't really patch it up without a tremendous amount of labor. I'm looking at doing some sort of covering, but we'll see how I feel after a first pass with primer to seal the exposed torn drywall paper and a skim coat of joint compound. It's not looking promising at the moment.

    I applied a coat of Zinsser B-I-N to the exposed drywall paper and gypsum. I used B-I-N here because it sands nicely and just about anything will stick to it. It's commonly used as a primer before plaster texturing, so I expect joint compound to stick to it. I will need to scrape and sand a bit before applying joint compound. I'm probably going to need a new 14" joint compound knife for the final feather if this repair effort works; my old one has seen better days.

• January 1, 2017
  
  • Eyeballing the new casings on the windows with a scrap piece of casing, the stools aren't wide enough to accomodate them. I had a feeling this might happen. I went to Lowe's and bought 1x6 oak boards so I can create new stools. I debated the type of wood to use here since I'll just be painting them, but oak is harder and stronger than poplar or pine so I went with it. This isn't going to be trivial work since it's winter, but it shouldn't be too bad. I haven't decided on the aprons yet. I have three windows to do.

• December 31, 2016
  
  • I finished migrating my office to Bedroom 1. It was a lot of work to disassemble and move my office since my desk is huge and has 8U of rack mounted audio equipment that of course all had to be disconnected and removed before disassembling the desk itself. Then it all had to be reinstalled and reconnected in Bedroom 1. Then there are the three MDV-R12 rack furniture pieces loaded with drawers, a 4U UPS and a gigabit ethernet switch. Lots of weight, lots of wiring.

    I removed the casings from two of the three windows.

    I removed the wallpaper from the remaining two walls.

    I removed the mid-wall wood trim on the remaining two walls. God awful trim carpentry by someone. Only a small section was nailed, and not well (incorrect nails, they weren't long enough to penetrate the drywall). The remainder was glued to the wall with construction adhesive. All of the nails were 1.25" 18-gauge. The chair rail is 3/4" thick. The drywall is 1/2" on the interior walls. Do the damn arithmetic. Who hires these kinds of morons? I'm tempted to resheet the whole room, given the damage to the drywall from removing these pieces. Taping and mudding new drywall is probably less work than patching the damage.

• December 29, 2016
  
  • I got the chair rail and wallpaper off of two of the walls. Removing the two chair rail strips has been a nightmare due to it being glued on with construction adhesive, but I'm going at it with abandon at this point since I know I will have a lot of joint compound and priming work to do.

    I started migrating my office from Bedroom 2 to Bedroom 1. I'm hoping to finish the move tonight. This is a temporary move, I will eventually move into the den (after it gets a new porcelain tile floor). But I need Bedroom 2 to be empty so I can install the hardwood flooring and do all of the wall repair and replace all of the trim.

    Late at night, I finished clearing cruft from my desk and removed all of the non-essential rackmounted gear from it (6U of audio equipment and the 1U power conditioners that supplied the audio gear and other stuff).

• December 28, 2016
  
  • I was having no luck removing the wallpaper strip on the wall. I went to Lowe's and bought a wallpaper scoring tool and a Wagner Power Steamer 705 wallpaper steamer. Hopefully this will allow me to remove the wallpaper easily. I started using the wallpaper steamer and it makes it easy to remove the wallpaper.

    Unfortunately, some moron used construction adhesive to attach the chair rail pieces above and below the wallpaper strip. And it looks like this trim was done with scraps; there are way too many scarf joints (most poorly done). Even one of the 12" long pieces has a scarf joint in the middle of it! Sigh, I hate hack carpenters/homeowners. This room is going to be a lot more work than others just due to the fact that this trim is glued to the wall. Even with a heat gun, the construction adhesive isn't letting go and of course too much heat trashes the latex paint on the wall. I'm going to need to repair the drywall after removing this awful trimwork.

• December 26, 2016
  
  • I went to Home Depot and picked up two 100 sq. ft. rolls of FloorMuffler underlayment and 4 tubes of Loctite PL Premium for the hardwood floor installation. I went to Lowe's and bought 2 boxes of Bostitch FLN-200 flooring cleats and two more of the Legrand nightlight electrical outlets that I like.

• December 9, 2016
  
  • I picked up my hardwood flooring order at Menards.

• December 5, 2016
  
  • The hickory arrived at Menards, two weeks early. I'll need to pick it up sometime this week. This throws a wrench in my plans, but on the upside, the wood will be acclimated in time for the holiday break.

• November 27, 2016
  
  • I ordered 6 cartons of Great Lakes Hardwood hickory flooring from Menards. 3/4"x3", natural finish. Combined with the leftovers from Bedroom 3, this should be enough to do the floor of Bedroom 2. I bought it now because it was on sale for $40 less per carton, saving me about $250. It will arrive at the store in a few weeks.

• September 25, 2016
  
  • I installed Gatehouse L6X203B satin nickel passage door levers on the door to this room and the door to its closet.

• July 10, 2014
  
  • I picked up a Lutron Maestro MSCL-OP153M-WH occupancy-sensing dimmer at Home Depot for the middle second floor bedroom that I'm using as an office. It is now installed, with ALD (Ambient Light Detection) enabled.

• January 12, 2014
  
  • I continue to replace incandescent bulbs with LED. Tonight I replaced the two 75W incandescents in the overhead light in the bedroom I am using as my office with CREE 9.5W LED bulbs (60W equivalent, 2700K color temperature). They work fine with my Lutron Maestro dimmer, and at full brightness they're brighter than the 75W incandescents that I removed. Of course I run them MUCH lower than full brightness to avoid computer screen glare.