Check out the previous post here…
So, the scraping started on a Tuesday and we were mostly done by that Friday, though we got slowed down by the kids getting released early from school due to weather. That, and we were heading to my parent’s house for Christmas stuff that weekend.
As a brief aside, we were on the road to Columbia for 4.5 hours that Friday due to the weather. That trip should only take an hour. It was great fun. Ug.
Anyway, after we got back from Columbia, we finished patching things up and finished scraping the walls so that, on Monday, I could prime everything and paint on Tuesday. We had to go with 2 coats of primer in most places, including the trim, and went with 3+ coats over the wallpapered section of drywall that was unscrapable. We’re hoping the water-based paint doesn’t cause the paper to bubble up, but considering just how stuck it was to the drywall, we don’t anticipate too much trouble. All the primer was enough to hide the floral designs underneath.
The trim got a somewhat “off-white” color. Bright white would have been preferred, but at this point, we really didn’t want to take the doors off the hinges or fight with the windows, so we figured this color would at least half-way match the doors/windows while still meshing well with the chosen paint color.
Like we did downstairs in the music room, Brooke went with a color that was approved by the National Historic Register. The picture above still had wet paint, and the lights were off, but you can see the blue-grey hues pretty well. We went with 2 coats of paint for most of the way around and, thankfully, it dried pretty quickly.
While we were doing the painting, Mom and Dad were downstairs assembling the twin-sized bunk beds so we could just carry them up the stairs when we were ready for them. The room couldn’t really fit more than 3 people anyway, so it was a good way to divide and conquer.
Once the paint was dry, we pulled up the carpet. Dad and I did this the winter after we moved in on the landing to the top floor, so I drafted him into helping for another round. The hardwood was very much intact, though the color differences between the middle and outside of the room was a bit odd. Again, someday, we’ll re-finish the upstairs but, for now, rugs will have to suffice…
After carrying the bunk beds upstairs, laying down the rugs, and installing the new curtain rods and freshly dyed curtains (repurposed from those that were in the room to begin with, but now a darker navy color), we were all done! We also moved Meg’s vanity (my grandmother’s, but painted last winter) into the room to give them a little bit of storage.
We’ve made it clear to the kids that this is a “sleep room” and not a “play room,” so with the exception of a few stuffed animals, no toys are supposed to be in the room. Clearly, this is easier said than done, but we’re going to try and keep it that way for the time-being. Hopefully that’ll stave off any markers on the walls for a few, er, days…
Meg’s old bed was moved in and new sheets/blankets were added to match the bunk beds. Obviously, the bed color is different, but oh well… It’ll serve as a good guest bed should we need one!
Calvin was at school while we got all this done, so he was pretty excited to lay in his new bed! He had a toddler bed after his 2nd birthday and, while he still fit in it, the twin sized bed is substantially larger! He’s slept in big beds already, but this new spring mattress should be a bit more comfortable.
Meg’s up on the top bunk, as she’s the older kid. Eventually, we can relax for Calvin, but for now, he won’t be sleeping up there. We’re doing our best to keep him off the top bunk unless a grown-up is upstairs to monitor their play time, but again, this is easier said than done…
We’re pretty pleased with what we were able to accomplish in about a week! It certainly went faster than the music room did! And help from Mom and Dad was greatly appreciated!
Now, the play room…eventually…