February 12th - A lotta primer
The first challenge before I could proceed was removing years-old making tape from the trim and ceiling. If you have ever had to peel off really old tape, you know what a pain that is - I spent several hours removing and re-masking to prep for the new paint. It wasn't until 7:00 PM that I even started the priming! Having cathedral ceilings in the unit made it more work, as I used my articulated ladder as a platform.
In the master bedroom, I re-installed and primed the base and ceiling trim on the wall that I had added on a layer of 3/8" sheetrock. In the picture below, you can see the blue base trim and where I started priming it.
In the kitchen, all the walls were primed and prepped for painting. It turns out that the cabinets have been painted once before, so I will probably update them with a new coat of paint (inside and out) to make everything fresh.
Once the primer started rolling out, the change was immediate and noticeable. Between the kitchen, living room, hallway and master bedroom (see the floorplan image on the intro page as a reference), it took me until 2:00AM to get it all done!
My kids have been referring to this place as the "Barney Condo", in reference to the purple color in the living room. But this is the weekend that I slayed the beast.
February 13th - Let the painting begin!
After sleeping in a bit and hanging out at the house, I got back to work. I managed to get the master bedroom and its walk-in closet painted. The paint I chose was Glidden Utra Hide, Shell white, eggshell finish. I use this same paint in all my rentals for the sake of consistency. It's also nice that it is an "in-stock" color at Home Depot in both 1-gallon cans and 5-gallon buckets. By picking a stock color, you never have to wait in line to get it mixed - just grab your bucket and go! I was extremely happy to see that one coat would be all that was needed.
Knowing that I would not get home until very late, and between working the day job, school and the condo work after school on the 14th, I made sure to buy my love some flowers during a dinner break. That way, she would see them when she woke up on the 14th. Once back to the unit, I was at a loss as to what to use as a container to keep them fresh until the next morning. Here's what I came up with:
February 14th - Not your typical Valentine's evening
After class, I made the obligatory Lowe's visit and picked up more "Great Stuff", some floor leveler and toilet mounting hardware. The Great Stuff is the expandable foam that comes in an aerosol can. I used it to "tighten up" the condo, filling any gaps between the floors and base trim, around electrical boxes or any other gap that I could find. The idea here is to seal the unit. This is an important step for multi-family properties. By sealing the unit, it helps lower utility costs, reduces the cooking/smoking odors from neighboring units, and minimizes that chances that insects can come in. After allowing the foam to expand and harden overnight, the excess is simply trimmed off with a sharp utility knife.
After all the painting is done, I'll remove the masking tape at the wall/ceiling junction and use either more "Great Stuff" or latex caulk, depending on the size, type & visibility of the gaps.
The floor leveler is to patch the plywood underlayment in the kitchen. In a few places, the surface was damaged when I scraped off the old vinyl floor. If not filled, the divits that I dug up may "telegraph" through to the new vinyl floor I plan on laying next week. The leveler comes in either ready-mixed or powdered form, and with the small amount of patching I needed to I went with ready-mixed.
In the bathroom, I re-installed the toilet and had the ceremonial "First Flush". Always a proud moment in any rehab project. :)
By time I arrived home, it was already the 15th.
February 15th - A day off from the day job!
Yup, another day off! To make up or lost time and late hours, I spent some time at home. We went to Starbuck's and enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee. After lunch, I headed to the condo. I spent pretty much the entire day painting the unit, as carpet is scheduled for installation on the 17th.
I had painted the bedrooms over the weekend, so it was the living room and hallway that were on the schedule. Here's a couple of pictures of the progress:
Although the picture below is kinda dark, you can see how well the paint is covering over the primer. Three cheers for Glidden Ultra Hide!
Painting is one of those tasks that you have to do right, or not at all. One thing I always make sure to do is paint the insides of the closets, even though they are a total PITA. A closet is nothing less than another small room, and they take a serious amount of time to paint. But don't ever skip them if they look marginal - having freshly painted closets send a subtle, but important message to your potential tenant or buyer about the pride you take in your work and level of quality of your property. Take a look at the picture below, and you can see how it makes a difference.
Which side would you prefer to hang your clothes on?
Well, that's the end of another update. Hopefully, things will look much more finished for the next one. Come back next week to see updates on the progress!