I have broken my builder ...
He's been here constantly since around 4th Jan.. working in all weathers, storm force gales, sleet, freezing ice, rain rain and more rain. Hes been ripping the roof off, rendering the chimneys, digging trenches, building walls, replacing ceilings...you name it, I have had him doing it.
But not any more !!!.. I have broken my builder...worked him too hard... industrial injury and now hes off work with a trapped nerve in his back and we have come to a standstill ....all he did was bend over to pick up a saw...poor fella is on the sick...bored stiff at home, cant move an inch and desperate to get back to work.
In the mean time, we have painted the staircase ceiling and walls. What an absolute mammoth feat that was!! First we built s a scaffold tower up the staircase. then we spent one entire weekend stripping off the mouldy wallpaper and brown paint. Then Mike put up a new ceiling and plastered it. Then when it was dried out we painted it with 2 coasts of white base to prime it. then 2 coats of diamond brilliant white egg shell. and the walls with 2 coats of white base then 2 coats of diamond eggshell cream.. when that was done I called back the electrician to install the new chandelier. Instead of the 18 lamp brass chandelier that was there i bought a fabulous and very large and extremely heavy chrome and glass lantern. I have had my eye on it for while and finally took the plunge and bought it. It looked massive when I brought it home. Standing on the floor it came up to thigh level, and must have weighed about 2 stone !! It took 2 of them to hand it and fit it to the ceiling, and then we had to decide how long the chain should be to hang it from. We finally decided that it should be hung 5ft from the ceiling and hang directly in the centre of the stained glass window. It looks amazing, I am very pleased with it.
Mum and I are now master wall paperers!! and have now completed the drawing room. The wall paper is creamy gold and looks like embroidery its very pretty and very much in keeping with the period of the house. The drawing room was another feat of endurance. After initially removing the cheap wallpaper that the previous occupants had put up we found the walls very very rough in places and in some areas covered in a peculiar black damp proofing material. that took ages to remove. Then sand and fill holes, fill cracks, and 2 coats of white emulsion as a base . then the electricians came in and made huge 2 inch wide trenches in the walls. full length down the walls from floor to ceiling in 8 positions around the room. this enabled the new cables to be inserted for wall sockets, TV points, and light switches. I had to then fill these trenches. i became rather an expert at filling and plastering...I did it all myself.. .once filled and the walls were smooth again, another coat of emulsion base and I was left with clean white walls.
The next job was to cross line the walls. This involved pasting 1800 gauge thick lining paper horizontally along the walls. Not an easy operation i hasten to tell you. Imagine 5metre long lengths of sticky bendy paper, which wants to stick to everything other than the wall ! .. and trying to manoeuvre said 5metre length horizontally along the walls. The walls were so porous the glue just sucked right in so we had to paste the walls and the paper to enable a little 'slide' between the paper and the wall making butting up the joints easier. Not one wall in this room ( or any other room ) is straight. The corners are wonky and the plaster ripples at the top . In some places there are definite mounds, and one wall has a very pregnant bump half way up it. All adding up to making wallpapering a intricate and laborious affair.
After the cross lining was completed now was time to put up the outer paper. I have chosen a beautiful pale gold thick paper that looks like embroidery. its gorgeous, its quite pricey and i had to buy 10 rolls ( the most money i have ever spent on wallpaper for one room !) No room for error here. I certainly didn't want to fudge it up ( or balls it up as some might say!)
But not any more !!!.. I have broken my builder...worked him too hard... industrial injury and now hes off work with a trapped nerve in his back and we have come to a standstill ....all he did was bend over to pick up a saw...poor fella is on the sick...bored stiff at home, cant move an inch and desperate to get back to work.
In the mean time, we have painted the staircase ceiling and walls. What an absolute mammoth feat that was!! First we built s a scaffold tower up the staircase. then we spent one entire weekend stripping off the mouldy wallpaper and brown paint. Then Mike put up a new ceiling and plastered it. Then when it was dried out we painted it with 2 coasts of white base to prime it. then 2 coats of diamond brilliant white egg shell. and the walls with 2 coats of white base then 2 coats of diamond eggshell cream.. when that was done I called back the electrician to install the new chandelier. Instead of the 18 lamp brass chandelier that was there i bought a fabulous and very large and extremely heavy chrome and glass lantern. I have had my eye on it for while and finally took the plunge and bought it. It looked massive when I brought it home. Standing on the floor it came up to thigh level, and must have weighed about 2 stone !! It took 2 of them to hand it and fit it to the ceiling, and then we had to decide how long the chain should be to hang it from. We finally decided that it should be hung 5ft from the ceiling and hang directly in the centre of the stained glass window. It looks amazing, I am very pleased with it.
Mum and I are now master wall paperers!! and have now completed the drawing room. The wall paper is creamy gold and looks like embroidery its very pretty and very much in keeping with the period of the house. The drawing room was another feat of endurance. After initially removing the cheap wallpaper that the previous occupants had put up we found the walls very very rough in places and in some areas covered in a peculiar black damp proofing material. that took ages to remove. Then sand and fill holes, fill cracks, and 2 coats of white emulsion as a base . then the electricians came in and made huge 2 inch wide trenches in the walls. full length down the walls from floor to ceiling in 8 positions around the room. this enabled the new cables to be inserted for wall sockets, TV points, and light switches. I had to then fill these trenches. i became rather an expert at filling and plastering...I did it all myself.. .once filled and the walls were smooth again, another coat of emulsion base and I was left with clean white walls.
The next job was to cross line the walls. This involved pasting 1800 gauge thick lining paper horizontally along the walls. Not an easy operation i hasten to tell you. Imagine 5metre long lengths of sticky bendy paper, which wants to stick to everything other than the wall ! .. and trying to manoeuvre said 5metre length horizontally along the walls. The walls were so porous the glue just sucked right in so we had to paste the walls and the paper to enable a little 'slide' between the paper and the wall making butting up the joints easier. Not one wall in this room ( or any other room ) is straight. The corners are wonky and the plaster ripples at the top . In some places there are definite mounds, and one wall has a very pregnant bump half way up it. All adding up to making wallpapering a intricate and laborious affair.
After the cross lining was completed now was time to put up the outer paper. I have chosen a beautiful pale gold thick paper that looks like embroidery. its gorgeous, its quite pricey and i had to buy 10 rolls ( the most money i have ever spent on wallpaper for one room !) No room for error here. I certainly didn't want to fudge it up ( or balls it up as some might say!)
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