Here’s something else about working with your hands in water during the winter… When it’s cold, your fingers don’t want to work!
Yesterday the house where I was working was chilly enough that i had to ask the homeowner to turn up the heat. My fingers were so cold (as was the rest of me) that I couldn’t work well. Fingers need to be warm to be able to do detailed work!
I got a call from a prospective client who had another company install wallpaper in her infant’s room only a month ago.
This company also sells wallpaper. The gal said the store must have had some paper they were trying to get rid of, and the salesman did a hard sell, to convince her that a particular selection would have a nice soft look for her baby’s room. Instead, it was very bright and garish.
It’s only a month old, and she wants to re do the room. What a shame, because this is a lot of unnecessary expense and distruption to the homeowner. It’s also disappointing, because new mothers want things to be so special for their babies.
The caller sounded pleased when I said that I would do the work myself, instead of having a crew of guys clammering around her house. I don’t know if she was unsatisfied in some way with the previous installation company, but I do hope she will hire me to redo the room.
My last blog was about how nice it is to work up on a ladder when the home’s heating system is on, because most of that heat goes right up to the top of the room.
That same forced-air heat can be problematic, too, however.
If air is extra dry, as it is when coming from the home’s furnace (and sometimes from an air conditioning unit), it can cause newly hung paper to dry too quickly. When paper dries too fast, it can shrink, causing gaps at the seams that expose the white wall beneath. And if the paste dries before it comes in contact with the wall, there may be loose seams or lifting of edges.
In science class we all learned that heat rises, right?
Well, during the winter months, that’s a definate advantage to those of us who earn our living on a ladder. I can attest, there is a marked difference between the temperature of a room at floor level, and at 8′ up near the ceiling.
Ummm. Hanging wallpaper, all nice and warm and toasty – as long as I’m up high on the ladder!
Well this hasn’t happened in more than a decade. I was preparing the walls for a job this past week, and pleased that the existing wallpaper was coming off so easily.
But when the strip over the door came away, behind it were the tell-tale tunnel of termites, complete with bitty dark red droppings and crumbly Sheetrock.
Now, I’ve seen this before, and it’s usually old damage from infestations that have long ago been treated. I simply float over the scars, prime, and go on with the job.
But in this case, I could see LIVE TERMITES scrambling away from the light and into the wall.
I had to stop work and alert the homeowners. Terminix came out the same day, and, good thing I had not covered up the tunnels, because the guy needed to apply a treatment directly to the area, as well as outside around the walls of the house. This will happen this week, and I be able to finish the job next week.
Since I’ve already prepped and primed the other walls, repair of this small area should be pretty quick, and all that will be left to do is the installation – 6 single rolls of some really cool paper, about which I will blog later.
Here’s a cool product that allows you to put decorative designs or frosting on your windows, while still allowing the light and view to show.
Since I like retro / vintage style, I’m linking to the page showing a 1920’s bungalow. Click “Home” to see other styles of this product.
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