Hardly an unlucky day for the house on the lake. Today the electricians came to cap the old microwave circuit that was inside a wall cabinet we are replacing. The also reworked the wiring in the island, which is modified in a big way. We removed a trash compactor, which some folks love and others (me) just can't handle. It fortunately had been wired on an appropriately sized dedicated circuit and will become the circuit for the new drawer microwave from Sharp. The electrical in the old glass shelf display cabinet has been readied for the cabinet and the future wine ref. By the way, that is a niche that held glass shelves rather than a cabinet used to display glass shelves.
We have also capped the electrical at the the old desk and measured to the lights to be installed in the new cabinetry which replaces the old coffee bar. Once the painting is complete and all the fixtures have arrived, the electrician will return to install the fans, hanging fixtures and other lights.
We are getting a second set of prices for exactly the same selected shades for the house. The company, also recommended, came today to measure. So we should be able to get all numbers by end of the day Thursday and make the choice as to who will get the job.
Another trip to Sherwin Williams was on the books for this morning. It is 30 miles from the house to the store so it makes for a relaxing drive through some really beautiful scenery. As you can see, a beautiful road with almost zero traffic.
The process continues of removing paper and plastic protection from areas on the first floor. We have also begun painting the edges of the wood windows. We are using a fast drying latex enamel for this. Now before you say "wait that won't work! It sticks and never holds up" let me explain. There is a great new product that will dry quickly and holds up IF you put a clear coat of a water based finish on it. That is what has been done with all the enamel work in the house and it is very very durable. Mid and deep tone colors on woodwork tend to mark or scratch easily. The added step of applying a clear coat makes them very very durable.
The enamel in the Kitchen, Breakfast Room and Pantry is now complete.
All the coverings are now removed from the Sun Room. Beautiful views. I have to admit that I have come around on the tile floors in the house. Initially I was really not a fan. Certainly having acres of Saltillo is very practical but the color was just really bad. Orange floors, peach walls and chocolate beams. Yeah, it was as bad as it sounds. But now the floor are warm and really handsome. I'm really happy with them. By selecting the colors that come from the views and in nature, the color of the floors relates really well to the red orange stone of some of the cliffs here. It's really, really great.
The process of glazing the thousands of doors in the house continues. Okay, I exaggerate but I believe there are almost 40 of them. The process requires removing the door, labeling it for the exact opening, removing the hardware, scrubbing the glaze deep into the wood (these doors have been wire brushed to remove all the soft grain) and then accent the edges and moldings. They then must be allowed to dry before being assembled into spraying stations where they receive a protective coating(s) of water bourne sealer. As I mentioned before, the doors are not as dark as they appear in these iPhone photos.
The sanding of the woodwork in the Daughter's Bedroom is on for today so that we may spray the first coat of enamel on Thursday. You can see here how even after the primer is applied (in this case a tinted primer) the sanding continues.
Every inch of woodwork is sanded before and after the primer is applied. Really beautiful work. We all need to wish Jose "The Sanding Machine" a very happy birthday!
I have found some very cool pieces locally (my clients really like to shop in the area) but am expanding my search to my trusted sources in LA on Thursday. Very special rugs are needed along with some "Palace Size"/ "Monumental" /"Important" accessories. Okay, we could just say "big" but what would be the point in that ;-)
Have a great, great evening. More soon!
ALD