Bringing in the Professionals

I really wanted to be gone for this part of the project but hey if I was I would have missed out on all these great photo opportunities. As I mentioned in my last post, we have a second crew that is going to complete the mudding and taping.  Matt V. started by making a pass over all the screw holes, taping and mudding all the seams, putting on corner bead and mudding that and then letting it dry.  He brought in giant fans to help everything dry.  Being August in MN you know we had just a bit of humidity. He worked a couple of days then the scaffolding came in to reach the ceiling.  I missed getting pictures of them scraping the ceiling.  It was a huge mess but they put down plastic (on top of the protective paper) so cleaning it up wasn't that bad. Unfortunately for Matt he had to use the hose in the backyard to clean himself off.  He was covered and because it was so hot, it all stuck to him.  Not a good time.

Matt working where I hope to never have to go!

Making sure the ceiling is ready for knock-down texture

Day after day of sanding but at least he has the right tools. Sure beats up and down on the ladder

Randy up at the ceiling in the foyer scraping off the old texture

Finishing up the sanding then the ceilings will be sprayed and knocked down

These pictures make it seem really simple but they worked really hard to get all the taping, mudding, scraping and sanding done.  Then everything was prepared so they could spray the ceilings.

All of the windows were covered in plastic

The railings were draped with plastic

Library ready for ceiling texture

More plastic covering things we didn't want covered in texture

Not sure what Mark was looming at in the picture above but it must be good.  Or perhaps just a surprise!

Emily's bedroom is the only room that wasn't part of this project so her door got plastic over it to keep the mess out!

The office ceiling ready for texture and the walls are ready for paint (primer)

Another shot of the office

As if this wasn't enough.  The master bedroom was done as well.  I had to plan ahead and put a couple of days worth of clothes in Emily's room because our cabinets were covered in plastic throughout the texturing and priming process.  Yes, we actually lived here while all of this was going on.  I wouldn't do it again.  Better to get a hotel room for this part!

No sleeping in this bed for quite some time.  We moved into Matt's new bedroom in the basement with unpainted walls and a cement floor.  There was a tarp on the floor so it was OK!

Closet and clothing cabinets getting covered too.

The living room furniture (what little we have) was moved into the dining room and covered with plastic.  It really was a mess.  You couldn't sit anywhere for a couple of days.  

Main floor hallway with dining room on the right

Main floor hallway and stairway to the basement after being mudded

I didn't get any pictures of Matt and Randy putting up the knock-down ceiling.  It was loud and messy so I left and just got to see it when it was done.  Then they went on to spraying and rolling primer paint on the ceilings and all the new sheetrock.

Randy was the master of the giant paint roller.  

No way I am standing up there and swooshing that thing back and forth!

The end result was beautiful.

No more Salmon colored walls in the living room.  Almost looks like a finished house

The library area hasn't been this clean since before we moved in

The kitchen has a newly painted ceiling.  The walls were only primed where we won't have cabinets or backsplash

Kitchen back in working order.  

The mess on the floor from the Mitchell team drove me crazy. But I guess that is what happens when work gets done and you aren't home.  The entire surface was white when we got back.  We spent several hours (with my mom helping us) scrubbing the floor at the far end of this area and off the cement floor in the basement.  The part that is still white is on plywood which we can't scrub.  Trust me, I would have if I could. 

To prevent the rest of the house from looking like this, Mark and I spent quite a lot of time lining the floor of the living room, library, office, master bedroom, hallways and each individual step with rosin paper before Matt and Randy started.  It really made the clean up so much easier.  Simply roll up the paper and throw it away.  Most of the mess went with it.  There was just a little bit of vacuuming to do around the edges.

Now we are ready to paint.  Mark and I are quite a good team.  I cut in at the ceilings and corners and he uses the roller on a stick to paint the main areas.

Tune in again to see what colors we picked.