Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The Great Bathroom Fix Pt.2

Where were we? Oh yeah. The hunt for a sink. We found one!

BathroomSink

(Don’t you love our vintage ‘60’s arborite?) The new sink colour is “bone” and although it doesn’t match the rest of the fixtures exactly, at least it’s not white. Best of all it cost less than $100. The hard part was putting it in because the hole in the counter was too big and the sink slipped right into it. What to do? We brainstormed for awhile and finally realised that we needed to use the aluminum ring from the old sink. So T-Man cleaned it up and sealed it in place with both caulking and its own clips underneath. The new one went on top with its seal and bolt-clips and it worked! The taps and drain hook-ups went really easily in comparison. This beast should last the duration of our time in this house. Neither of us want to do this ever again.

Next was the bathtub pipes:

BathroomPipes

Notice that lovely turquoise blue pipe? Yep. Completely corroded. Now imagine them all shiny copper. It only took T-Man the better part of a day (once he quit procrastinating) but it went really well and now the pipes are replaced. Yay! And we avoided hiring a plumber. Pfffttthhh!

Now we need to start painting. We tried avoiding it for a couple of days but today is The Day. First it needs an undercoat because we’re switching from alkyd to latex enamel. I definitely like painting with latex better but it sure doesn’t last nearly as well as the old nasty stuff did. We have a bureau and a trunk in our bedroom that were painted about 40 years ago and they barely have a chip out of them. (No, don’t laugh. Yes, we keep things that long. Longer actually.)

But first we have to get our rumps out of bed!

Meanwhile, I finished my Ten-Stitch Blanket and am concentrating on T’s which has less than 2 rounds to go. That’s actually a lot more knitting than it sounds but I’m working on it. I’ve been working on these blankets since February! I’m amazed at how much leftover sock yarn there was and the bin still isn’t empty.

I also finished narrow-hemming the long narrow black silk crepe scarf and washed it to get the residual dye out. The first wash in Synthrapol was deep sea green! It took 2 more rinses to come clear. No point in discharging loose dye, right? It just uses up the thiox too quickly which I’m sure is what happened to my square scarf. Didn’t think to rinse it first. Duh. I also washed out the rest of the silk from which I will make a luxurious version of my pettipants. There’s just enough left. I made sure before I cut the scarf length.

Not much else to tell. We spent a delightful day last Sunday with little Rosebud who is now walking everywhere. We took her to the new playground a few blocks away but it was too crowded and not much for a toddler to do without getting run over. So we went back to our old Grimmet Park where the little ones hang out. The play apparatus is great for kids up to about 7 but doesn’t attract the older ones so it’s not so crazy. The pea gravel underfoot was difficult for her to walk on but great fun with the sand toys I brought along. Rosebud needs some shovel practise but she already knows how to stir the stone soup! And share it with Granny and Grampa. Yum.

One more thing. I read this great essay on creating. I totally agree. Enjoy.

2 comments:

Jean at www.drossintogold.com said...

Hi Louisa! You've been busy!! I went back and admired the silk scarf (if you ever make another one, I'd love to buy it) and the beautiful collar. The essay was dead-on and I'm vicariously enjoying your time with Rosebud. My grandson lives in Portland OR while I'm stuck here in Georgia.

I also enjoyed a glimpse of your studio. It reminds me that there's so much to learn!! (Like weaving!)

Louisa said...

Lovely of you to drop by, Jean! Let's see - a yard of expensive black silk crepe, 5 or 6 hours of hand-hemming, fold/clamp/discharge = *priceless*! If I ever do it again it would have to be a gift. Heh.