Decorating help...

[denny]

Bit of a long shot, but I wonder if anyone would like to lend me a hand with decorating at my place this weekend, and/or in the evenings next week? J started in on it this week but then he got a lot of other commitments over the next few weeks, so now I have stripped-bare walls in shitty condition, furniture and belongings piled up in a non-ideal fashion, and no idea how long it's going to stay that way. I was thinking maybe I could try to at least get the second chunk of work in the living room done so that I could get some stuff moved back into there and make everything else a bit easier to put up with. Also, having the option of working from home while the weather is this bad would make my leg happy - which requires the living room (which contains my PC) to not be 'under construction'.

So, I need to check with J, but I think what will need doing to make the living room sensibly usable again is:
* Destruction! Rip off skirting boards (and roll carpet edges out of the way ready for filling and painting right down to the floor)
* More destruction! Rip down the coving (so we can fill and paint right up to the ceiling)
* Filler! Repair damage from removal of skirting boards, coving, dado rails, random rawplugs, picture hooks, nails, etc
* Smoothing! Finish preparing walls for paint (probably involving some magic roll-on plaster-skim polyfilla type stuff that J was telling me about)
* Getting covered in paint! AKA paint the walls

Plus attendant moving around of furniture before/during/after.

(For bonus points, I might try to buy and put up some shelving once the paint has dried.)

J will probably have done a lot of the preparation work today and tomorrow, but I doubt he's going to get as far as paint, and he may not get half that far (the walls are in a depressingly (if unsurprisingly) poor condition under the wallpaper). After tomorrow he's not free again until the end of next week, and his time is similarly constrained from there to the end of the month - so whatever point he reaches tomorrow, I'd like to push on if at all possible.


I know this doesn't sound like much fun, and I'm not particularly expecting anyone to offer to help, but if you do have the time and energy it'd be much appreciated... I imagine I'll be incompetently taking a swing at it regardless of who else is or isn't helping, because I know that I'm not going to be happy in my home until it's at least vaguely sorted out again.

ETA: I will of course furnish anyone who does come round with pizza, access to my giant stock of xmas chocolate, etc.

Comments

[kotenok.livejournal.com]

Can't do the weekend, but happy to help evenings next week if you still want someone then.

[wildeabandon.livejournal.com]

I might be able to. My diary says I have no time, but if I manage to get ahead in studying I might be able to give myself a night off from that. I'll keep you posted.

[arachne.livejournal.com]

I also can't do the weekend, but could possibly manage an evening or two in the week. Could maybe co-ordinate with kotenok?

[babysimon]

Finish preparing walls for paint (probably involving some magic roll-on plaster-skim polyfilla type stuff that J was telling me about)

DONT DON'T DON'T DON'T DON'T

I bought some of this intending to use it on two walls. It was so frustrating I gave up after the first wall, and now they're painted the untreated wall looks much better.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I remember you posting about this now. Thanks very much for reminding me!

[shaper-uk.livejournal.com]

As much as I would like to see you (and it has been far too long), it's probably not enough to make me willing to decorate.

I still feel my pulse quicken and teeth grind when I think about painting my bedroom.

[babysimon]

Also: is your plan to remove + reuse the skirting, remove + replace, or remove + not have?

Hint: in my experience you should maybe gear up for option #2, or not remove it.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

See, I love this sort of thing, and if I weren't full of this horrible cold/flu bug, I'd be jumping up and down waving my arms to volunteer. Plus, not seen you in bloody ages.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

The plan is to replace with new, yes. The current stuff is covered in 30 years of cheap white gloss, and I want stained wood.

[babysimon]

Ah, OK, I understand.

[tephramancy.livejournal.com]

Happy to help. Saturday alright?

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

That'd be wicked, ta :) Let me know when you're on your way, the doorbell is a bit intermittent lately.

[tephramancy.livejournal.com]

Will do. Probably be about 2-3pmish, if that's groovy.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Sounds great!

[kotenok.livejournal.com]

You would be very welcome to crash here after if you wanted to do two evenings, and you could then meet teh kitteh too :)

Skirting boards

[paul sladen (from livejournal.com)]

If it wasn't presently miles away in Burton-upon-Trent I'd collect the old skirting boards and chop them up for the stove on my narrowboat! (Controlled burnination is always fun).

[aiwendel.livejournal.com]

are you sure you want to rip off the skirting? it'll be a mess underneath and it's there because getting that edge right is Hard. - You might want to consider getting a plasterer in if you want to get a really good finish.
Painting bit is quick and fun though, once you've done all the preparation :)

tip: 'cut in' ie paint with a brush all the edges and corners first. Then roller. And it'll be really quick. (get dust sheets though!)

Another tip:
use an old credit card to put polyfill little holes and get it perfectly flush with the walls. Also don't be afraid of 2 coats, it can be less hassle than one.

Fraid I'm probably not going to come down to London to help though. Overwhelmed with our own nearly 4 years on still not done...

[pooloftrees.livejournal.com]

I would love to help, but I'm working 9-2 this weekend and evenings next week, and with the trains in a mess, I doubt I'd be able to spend much time, sorry...

Re: Skirting boards

[mr_magicfingers]

You wouldn't want these, there's more gloss than wood on them, getting the old phone cable from round the doorframe was an exercise in excavation. Can't imagine burning that much paint would be a good idea. It pained me to throw out just the dado rails which were similarly encased.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Happy to pitch in <3

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

The skirting is being replaced with new stuff, so hopefully the state of the wall under it (and yes, it is a state) won't be an issue - I want it stained rather than painted, and the current stuff has been accumulating cheap white gloss for about thirty years from the look of it - easier to replace it than strip it, was my thinking.

[aiwendel.livejournal.com]

ah ok :)
No more nails is your friend for sticking it on. Though the odd nail/screw wouldn't hurt (wood moves, no more nails doesn't)

Interesting philosophy, but quit possibly true, depending on what you replace it with and how much preparation you need to do to get a good finish....

[sevenhelz.livejournal.com]

Really? It sounds like tremendous fun to me :) I would love to help, if I were closer and not busy.
*is helpful*
good luck... and do have fun :)
x

[uberredfraggle.livejournal.com]

I'm coming to visit J next thursday so I'll give him a hand then. If you're going to be around I'll stick around to say hi after work on thursday. :)

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool :)

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Decorating efforts have stalled due to shite walls (need to put up lining paper before painting, which is beyond me), but thank you for the offer.

[uberredfraggle.livejournal.com]

Yup. I have a present for J and wanted to get some time in before he goes. Also given I'm not really looking forward to coming back to the cold I'm booking in as many cuddles as possible. :) Hopefully see you thursday. Not sure of my other plans yet. I may be knackered as I get back tuesday morning. Last time I came back I went clubbing the next day though.

[arachne.livejournal.com]

Oooh, what a pain! Do feel free to give a blip when lining paper's up :)