Wired

What do the 19x15 parlor I am working on and a five-year-old with an espresso and a puppy have in common?  They are both wired! 

Thanks to Dr. X's ability to do the things that completely escape my grasp, the parlor is now wired for electricity.  I cut out the holes for the electrical boxes over the course of the past couple weeks and fitted them with the "little blue boxes" (sadly, not a TARDIS).  Dr. X spent a few hours running 12 G-W cable (12 gauge with a ground) through the walls and under the sub-sub floor (there is going to be a lot of floor in this room... a lot), and though it was challenging (there was a saw, a router, a drill with an enormous bit and a few choice curse words involved) it has been rewarding... We now have electricity in the front room!  It is terribly exciting (it's the little things in life, really...).

The overhead and architectural lighting have not been wired yet, as that is a project for another day.  The chandelier is assembled and waiting to be installed (it has silk shades, so it's not being installed until I am sure that the plaster dust and other disgusting muck that seems to keep appearing from these walls have stopped rearing their ugly heads), as are the new Lutron dimmer switches that I bought at Home Depot.  The last thing to go in will be the brass floor outlets (once we are done yanking floor boards for electrical work).

I've learned a lot about this process... mainly that electrical work still terrifies me, and it is best left to those who have the slightest clue as to what they are doing.  I can change out a light fixture and install a ceiling fan (provided that the wiring already exists), and could probably even figure out how to install a dimmer switch, but the whole "running wire and attaching it to the electrical panel" thing... that's not in my wheel house, nor will it be any time soon.

I also learned that a cluster of switches/outlets is referred to as a "gang," and the "little blue boxes," are actually referred to as "gang boxes."  I was confused the first time Dr. X referred to a "three gang."  I wasn't sure if it was a new hip-hop group or a sexual maneuver... I now know that it was neither.  

More to come soon!

Ceiling the Deal

I procrastinated and put it off for as long as I could... and today was finally the day.  D-Day.  Or, rather... C-Day.  I finally got around to painting the ceiling in the parlor.  I hate doing overhead work, especially when it comes to painting.  It drips, it runs, it makes a mess everywhere... you get it in your hair, in your eyes, little tiny speckles all over your skin that make you look like you have a rare disease indigenous only to your home.  I just plain didn't want to deal with it all. 

Once again, I have to thank my friends at Sherwin-Williams (specifically, Joelle!) for steering me in the right direction.  Their Eminence High Performance Ceiling Paint made the job super easy.  Like... deceptively easy.  It's a great viscosity, the coverage is nice and even, and it barely spattered (save a few, white spots on my arm... my battle wounds for the day).  The color is "Creamy" from their HGTV Home Rustic Refined collection, and it pairs perfectly with the Leather Bound on the walls.  It's a warm white color with a flat finish (not really all too visible in the pictures below).

The texture of the ceiling should have posed a serious problem to getting even coverage, but the Purdy 3/4" roller cover made it ever so much easier.  Since the ceiling has a textured, "stucco" texture to it, the longer roller cover was able to get paint into all the nooks and crannies giving me the even finish that I need.  

Fear not... the white spaces around the top of the wall will be covered with a 5 3/4" crown molding.

All in all, I am really happy with the finished product and the overall experience. 

More updates soon!