January 2010 - Plaster Party

After a long break we decided to update the blog...

Back in January we had a little plaster party and put folks to work! The plaster is hydrated lime, sand, water and pigment. We mixed it in large vats and the mass of the plaster was more than we expected.

We hung drywall on the ceiling to sure it up.

Conor, Ryan and Sare preparing plaster...

Dec 2009 Project

We found out that there were 5 layers of wallpaper to remove!

Earth plaster goes on in January...more to come later.

Dec 2009 Project

We decided that it was a good idea to remove the wallpaper from our living room walls just to see... So, these were our yellow walls where you could see the wallpaper stripes -- it was horrible! A previous owner tried to cover up the lines by texturing the walls...ugh!

Week 11: Baseboards and shoe molding

Shoe molding installed...

Baseboard installed...

Installer and wife (Jim and Dale)

My parents came into town and we put them to work. My dad installed the baseboard in our bathroom and shoe molding in the dining room...teaching us a thing or two along the way. The baseboard is Scientific Certification Certified with their Indoor Advantage program for low-emitting products.

Week 8-10: The Floors...Again

Finished Dining Room Floors

Removing Bad Wax with Steel Wool



Reapplying Oil



Second room finished (minus buffing) and only one more to go!

So, we hired folks to apply our practically edible floor oil...and things didn't go so well. The floors were sticky and peeling, it was actually pretty upsetting. But, after contacting the manufacture and doing some more research we decided to try again (yes, with the same product) but installing it ourselves. And, HOORAY it worked! We are now reapplying the oil room-by-room. First, we have to remove the old pealing oil with steel wool, then apply the oil, then wipe the oil off with old tee-shirts, then after two weeks of hardening we have to buff it, and finally we can move furniture on it. Currently, we are one room fully furnished, one room in need of only buffing, and the final room needing the whole shebang!

Week 6: Cabinets and Floor Finish

Wood floors have been sanded and finished...we used an all natural, plant-based, practically edible wax finish...AFM Naturals Oil Wax Finish...instead of the typical polyurethane coat of plastic that covers normal wood floors and leaves you homeless for days. It looks freakin' fantastic and we're just crossing our fingers that it is durable.

(Based on natural vegetable oils, waxes, and plant extractives, this product is free of lead, cobalt and citrus drying compounds. Ingredients: Polymerized Linseed Oil, Organic Safflower Oil, China Wood Oil, Sunflower Oil, Carnauba Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Modified Soybean Oil, Hemp Oil, Isoaliphate, Carboxylate Metallic Salts of Calcium Mangenese & Zirconium. Contains no biocides or harmful preservatives.)

Week 6: Cabinets and Floor Finish

Before and after. The old cabinets were more particle board lined with sticky paper that we replaced with this really cool product from SierraPine called Medex. It is a composite product that is made without the use of nasty chemicals, is water resistant (unlike particle board), and is made with 100% recycled fibers. And then we painted it with zero VOC paint.

Week 6: Cabinets and Floor Finish

Now time for the kitchen...so we got rid of the old particle board, nasty paper lined cabinet shelves...why so much particle board in wet areas...WHY?!?!?!?

Jason cutting shelves and Jessica painting her teeth white...oh wait, no...I mean painting the shelves.

Floors are 100% installed...2 days...20 hours...3 folks. Next is the sanding and finish...

Week 5: Wood Floor Install

Jason nails down the last piece!

Week 5: Wood Floor Install

Jason with floor nailer.

Week 5: Wood Floor Install

Mike to save the day!

Week 5: Wood Floor Install

Me and chop saw...that was my role!

Week 5: Wood Floor Install

The first row of beetle kill goes in...this one is always the hardest. Luckily, our 1900 home is straight and square so the install was pretty easy. Well...we did have Mike come over to save the day!

Week 4: Wood Floors

The wood floors finally arrived...only two weeks late...only making us move into the garage for the time being...only a HUGE headache! But damn do they look sexy! We have them ratcheted down and acclimating for the next few days, then we will install them over the weekend and finish them shortly after that. We will probably have to move into the house before we actually get finished wood floors...hence the moving into garage. It is all feeling much closer now and starting to feel like home.

The Beetle Kill pine floors gets that really cool looking blue color...and sadly the live pine trees get a not so cool looking red/brown color and then they die, cause fires and pollute the water. So we are attempting to save the area from fire and polluted rivers. CO also started charging no or super low tax on the beetle kill because it needs to be removed and put to use. Sweet!

Week 3: Bathroom Floors

We got a new Toto toilet (the EcoDrake) a 1.28 gallon / flush toilet and it works great and replaced our old 3.5 gallon / flusher...Denver gives rebates for high efficiency toilets so we get $125 back!

We also had to redo some plumbing that was a little sketchy and leaking. The plumping was relatively easy to figure out and repair and now we have no leaks in the basement! Although, the sink doesn't want to go back into place, we will see.

Week 3: Bathroom Floors

Bathroom tile in! But, we did have to hire someone to cut and place the tile...we grouted. We purchased the only grout that Lowes had and didn't realize it was this horrible resin laced grout that was not easy to work with and definitely not environmentally friendly...we were going too fast to pay attention to the details. Opps! At least the tile looks nice.

When we went to install the sink we realized that the tile guy was paying too much attention to detail. He cut the tiles within a few centimeters of our pipes and didn't leave enough wiggle room to get the sink to fit...we had to get diamond studded drill bits and diamond studded files to give the pipes room to move to get the sink in...oy!

Week 3: Bathroom Floors

On top of the plywood goes a layer of thinset and then the hardibacker to protect the wood from water damage.

Damn this is taking longer than we thought...still no toilet in the house! We might have to hire someone to help out with tiles to get this job done on time and ready for our move in. We haven't even begun the wood floors yet!

Week 2: More Demo and Bathroom Floors

Plywood goes down beautifully!

Week 2: More Demo and Bathroom Floors

Jason and I hard at working cutting plywood to replace the old particle board.

Week 2: More Demo and Bathroom Floors

We took up the rooting particle board and as we did it pretty much turned into its original state...saw dust. And here we find the 1900's oak floors in rough condition.

Week 2: Insulation and Paint

Now for some nice flowers...

We have a peach and apple tree in the back yard, cherry tree up front, surrounded by sunflowers, and have peas, squash, and blueberries too. I just hope I can keep it all alive!

Although it is not the most water efficient yard...it sure does look nice...but I see a xeriscape yard in the near future!

Week 2: Insulation and Paint

Me measuring and cutting hardiboard for the bathroom floors. This will help keep out moisture.

Week 2: Insulation and Paint

Jason in space suite!

Week 2: Insulation and Paint

EnergyLogic (Jason's company) put down a vapor barrier in the basement, and air-sealed and insulated the basement/crawl space and attic. We didn't go with the soy based spray foam because they do not have a closed cell product and the percentage of soy is pretty low in those products anyways. In a good portion of the attic we used a cellulose insulation.

Week 2: Insulation and Paint

Finally, the brown bathroom walls are going down!
We got zero VOC paints from Olympic Paints. Man does painting take longer than you would expect...oh well, I assume this whole project will be that way.

Week 1: Mini Demo

Jason cleaning out the crawl space. He spent 6 hours down there, removed 3 huge trash cans filled with broken bricks and glass, syringes, and all sorts of nasty things.

Note on the syringes: we like to think that a diabetic lived in the house and not heroin addicts.

Week 1: Mini Demo

The wood floors came up and it turns out that floors under them are in relatively bad shape too...so the next layer has to be removed as well.

Like the brown walls? The previous owner said that a feng shui consultant came to the house to pick out colors...brown walls in the bathroom must have been to motivate the bowels. Brown will be the first to go!

Week 1: Mini Demo

Yummy, getting rid of the nasty wood floors in bathroom.

Week 1: Mini Demo

Unfinished beetle kill wood flooring.

Week 1: Mini Demo

Ripping out the carpet. To be replaced with Beetle Kill pine wood floors. Colorado's pine forests are dying because of overcrowding, warmer than usual weather, and drought. This will be a good locally source, hazardous (causing fires), waste product to use and it has a unique look.