Closet Update

I left off on the last post with the tapering off of mild weather and the work Dan was able to accomplish on the exterior.  I will continue here with what we have been able to accomplish on the inside since then.

First off, it was time to get the heating/cooling unit in place, not only to be comfortable, but also to be able to get the paint to dry and the flooring to lay flat.

The space for the unit has been sitting like this for some time because there was no urgency.  With temperatures dropping, this moved up on the priority list.

Temperature control is now just a click on the remote.

Final coating of the walls and ceiling and  the finishing of electrical details was knocked off the list.

Then came the flooring.  Would you believe it took four boxes with 19.39 sq. ft. per box.....plus one strip (about 2 sq.ft.) from box five.  So if anyone is in need, I have 17 sq. ft of natural oak warm gray vinyl plank flooring left over.

This shows what was left to do on doors and windows.

Here you see the trimmed out double doors and a bit of the door into the bathroom.

Window sills were made and installed.

Window trim is waiting for the final coat of paint and blinds are on order.

Both thresholds were a bit tricky.  The transition here was uneven.  Dan did everything he could to reduce the difference in height, but some of the existing construction was rigid.  As a solution, Dan constructed a beautiful oak threshold that bridges the tile and the laminate floor and creates a smooth transition.
Of course, I forgot to get a picture of it before I started my part of the job.

The  oak piece in it's original color was going to stand out in a room of gray and off white. I experimented a bit on the underside, as you can see here, to make it blend with it's surroundings.

Then flipped it over and jumped in with a coat of Light French Grey. I left that for about one minute and wiped off what had not penetrated the wood. (the picture shows the wiped down step) Next I used a stain I had on hand and wiped that on with a rag. I gently wiped it off again and then added more and wipe it again until I was satisfied.  I used a Tonetic brand custom mixed stain and I have no idea what I had used it for previously.  Not much, evidently, since the quart was about 99% full.

 This is the result.  We were quite pleased to have it match the flooring so well.  It was left to dry and then installed. The final step was to give it a coat of polyurethane.

And, one more thing to cross off the list.


In between all this Dan rearranged a few things on the wall in the hallway.  I have lived for 42 years with a wall sconce that had a little turn switch on the fixture.  It wasn't the easiest thing to grab onto and impossible to turn if your hands were damp or if you had just applied hand lotion.  It was way past due for a change.

This picture goes back to when the wall was first constructed to close off the hallway entrance to the bathroom.  It shows the old wall fixture.  Just below the thermostat is a switch that controls the overhead light in the foyer on the first floor.  An additional switch was added and these three objects were re positioned slightly.

Dan kept the mess to a minimum and did his magic.

After patch plastering it was ready for primer and paint.

The new light is in place and so is the thermostat and new dual switch plate.  I just haven't taken a photo.  As you can see I added a large picture on the new wall.  I'm working on getting other items hung and I'll show the entire hallway when everything is in place.
I chose this fixture because it resembled a street light and I have a bit of a transportation theme in mind so I thought that was fitting.

On that note, I'm closing this post.  I'm pretty sure the next post will be the FINAL on this project.  Just not exactly sure when it will happen.  Soon, yes, I'm sure.  Soon, real soon.