The O.G. (Old Guest Room): Making a List and Knocking It Out

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This post could be sub-titled the get off our butts and get the guest room finished project.

Do you have those rooms in your home that you intend to renovate/decorate/rejuvenate, but that end up becoming the room where all your out-of-sight-out-of-mind junk is “stored”?  We have (ahem) at least a couple of those rooms.  I blame a too-big house for a married couple with no kids except the two dogs in our case.  I’m like that.

Since Spring is (finally) here, I am more motivated to get back to some of our started-but-not-finished projects.  First up, the guest bedroom.  When renovated our master bedroom last Fall, the guest room took a beating.  It was already a bit of a dumping ground, so (maybe) you can imagine just how bad it was.  Too embarrassed to take a picture, let me describe instead  what filled the room: a queen-sized bed, a dresser, an armoire, a cocktail-table-turned-blanket-chest, two night stands, a wicker chair, a jewelry armoire, a sewing machine, a drop-leaf kitchen table and two stools, three shot guns, three lamps, assorted throw pillows, extra bedding, a vacuum, an old television, a DVD player still in the box, a desk, tools, paint, painting supplies, new curtains still in their packages, new curtain rods still in their boxes, old curtain rods leaning against the wall, clothes that need to be mended, and assorted “stuff” that sat on the surfaces of all of these items.  Did I mention that this 12’x14′ room was completely empty just eight months ago?

1. Move everything back out of the room
2. Fix the plate for the light fixture/ceiling fan
3. Repair and sand the plaster on the ceiling and walls
4. Putty and sand the trim moldings
5. Paint the trim and walls
6. Install the custom closet
7. Sand and stain the floors
8. Hang the ceiling fan
9. Hang the curtains and blinds
10. Move everything back into the room

There will be some fun projects along the way.  I mean, I can’t complete a room without painting some piece of furniture, can I?  But this our master list.

And speaking of knocking it out, we already completed part of #1 and all of #2.  (Sometimes we aren’t so good at doing things in order.  Excitement to get started = jumping into the middle of the list.)

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Let me get a little closer, so that you can see the problem.  The ceiling fan is not mounted flush with the ceiling, even though it should be.  We inherited this problem when we bought the house, but we hadn’t corrected it yet.

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And here is the reason why.  The mounting plate was installed on top of the plaster ceiling instead of being recessed.  Not hard to fix, but a little messy.  (And aren’t I the lucky one that dust photographs so well?)

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The hubby removed the fan.  There are some great online tutorials available with how-to instructions.  If you don’t have experience working with wiring, I recommend contacting a licensed electrician…especially in an older home like ours.

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Next he removed the bracket and the mounting plate.  Before removing he plate, he traced a line around the outside, so that he had a guide for the amount of plaster that would need to be removed.  Using a chisel, he chipped away at the plaster being careful around the wiring.  (The power to this outlet was just off at the electrical box, but it is important to check and double-check before working.)

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After the plaster is removed, he simply screwed the mounting plate through the lathe boards and into the ceiling joists.  Here is the finished product.  It may not be the sexiest before-and-after project, but it will make a big impact in the room — both in looks and in safety.

As you can see from the list above, it will be a little while before I have after shots of the re-installed fixture.  Ahhh, the waiting!  In the meantime I will have to distract myself with moving the rest of the junk out of the room.  And dusting.

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