Priming & Painting Drywall

Today, Sunday, we will be finishing up the painting on the main floor of the Cottage.

This is a picture I took last week of the drywall during the priming work. The walls and ceiling have been primed but the corners were still yet to be primed.

It was a bit of a pain in the butt to do the plastering and priming as I had the materials for the kitchen and bathroom in the middle of the floor. Unfortunately I had to take early delivery of these materials, and because it is winder I could not temporarily place them out in the gazebo.

Coming Up:
Tomorrow, Monday, I should have pictures of the walls with paint...

Related Posts:

Cottage on the Edge: Snow, Snow, and more Snow - Dec 18, 2008
Priming Drywall: Why You need to do it - Dec 18, 2008

;-)

Re-inforcing a Shed Roof

This fall I reinforced the shed roof with a couple sheets of plywood. It was a hastily done task as it was snowing at the time - I used some scrap lumber I had left over from the Cottage construction.

But it was very necessary! As you can see it is only the middle of December and already there is almost three feet of snow on the shed roof.

Last winter the shed roof almost collapsed under the weight of the snow. Plus it was damaged and leaked during the spring melt.

I quickly nailed two sheets of plywood to a centre board at the peak of the roof, and inserted a post inside the shed to provide additional support for the centre beam.

So far it looks like the quick & dirty fix is working. Next Spring/summer I intend to remove this quick fix and build a 'real' roof with a solid structure and shingles. But for now this will keep the contents safe for the winter.

Coming Up:
This weekend we are painting - both Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully we will be able to get two coats on both the ceiling and the walls on the main floor.

Related Posts:

Cottage on the Edge: Snow, Snow, and more Snow - Dec 18, 2008

Snow & Winter has arrived! - Dec 02, 2008

Snow and the impact on Cottage Construction - Nov 29, 2008

;-)

Drywall Taping & Plastering is Complete

This past Sunday I was up to the Cottage to review progress. The taping and plastering was complete.

I was a great job!

Here is a picture of the finished product - this is in the larger bedroom in the basement.

In this picture you can see that the drywall was installed horizontally. This may seem counterintuitive given that the drywall is 8-foot long and the ceilings here are 8-foot but this creates the best look, strongest bond, and the least amount of plastering.

The sanding process makes one heck of a lot of dust as you can see in the picture - on the floor and the shorty step ladder in the foreground.

It was great to see the finishing of the inside coming to an end!

Next step is priming the drywall.

Coming Up:
In the tomorrow's post I'll share the finished drywall after priming...

Related Posts:

Types and Sizes of Drywall - Nov 18, 2008

Why use 54-inch Drywall for High Ceilings - Dec 01, 2008

Cottage on the Edge: Drywall Tip: Greenboard for the Windows - Nov 30, 2008

;-)

Priming Drywall: Why You need to do it

As I mentioned in the last post, the drywall was completed last week and over the weekend the drywall was primed.

A latex primer for drywall is a must. Primers seal the surface to equalize paint absorption, and minimize surface texture variations.

Not a Sealer: Some people confuse drywall primers with sealers. It's important to differentiate between the two. Sealers do just the opposite of what primers do. With a high resin content and low pigment content, sealers create a barrier resistant to paint.

Preventing Yellowing: You shouldn't let drywall sit too long unpainted after it's been taped and sanded, particularly if it's surface will have any direct sunlight falling on it for any time. Drywall facing paper can fade or yellow, and it may cause a slight bleeding-through and show a noticeable streaking effect. If facing paper has yellowed at all, you should seal the drywall with a top-quality latex stain-resistant paint prior to putting on the primer coat.

Priming gypsum board drywall must be done; there's no getting around it. So, in a nutshell, buy the highest quality primer you can afford - either latex or oil/alkyd - and apply it to your drywall well before painting. Not only will it look better, you'll have lower, long-term maintenance costs by not having to repaint sooner than if you bit the bullet and primed.

Related Links:
Painting new Drywall
Choosing a drywall Primer
Drywall Painting, Sanding and Priming

;-)

Snow, Snow, and more Snow

I was up to the Cottage this weekend to check in on my drywall contractor. He had been delayed because of a snowstorm last week so I needed to gauge where he was at.

He was in the middle of priming the drywall, as the taping and plastering was all complete. If you look closely in the window you can see his son paining with a roller in the master bedroom.

I was impressed, Darrel, my drywall contractor, had almost his entire family involved in the priming: wife and two sons. While they were no way complete it was clear they had done this before - I was assured of a professional job.

As you can see there is literally piles of snow up at the cottage - there is almost three feet of snow on the roof.

Coming Up:
In the next few posts I will show some of the drywall work

Related Posts:

Cottage on the Edge: Drywall Tip: Greenboard for the Windows - Nov 30, 2008

Why use 54-inch Drywall for High Ceilings - Dec 01, 2008

ywall is installed - Well Almost - Nov 17, 2008

Types and Sizes of Drywall - Nov 18, 2008

;-)

A Time for Christmas

It has been difficult waiting to get back up to the cottage to complete the interior - delayed while we wait for the drywall to be finished.

However, the time was used wisely, and an opportunity to enjoy the company of loved ones.

Two weekends ago Lucie and I spent a day with my parents cooking a Christmas treat for the family. We created lefse - and plenty of it. We will be the hit of the Christmas dinner as it near seems complete without lefse - and we will have plenty.

Here is Lucie during a break in the action... and My Dad in the background.
;-)

Finished Drywall... Not Quite

In looks finished in this picture - the drywall - but it isn't!

If you look closely you will see it has not been taped and plastered yet.

But it still looks nice - much different from the framed walls look.

Still I have been waiting for two weeks now for the contractor to finish the taping, plastering and priming of the drywall. First we had to wait because he had a job he still working on, and so it is this week that it is getting done.

Still... there was a delay! A snowstorm on Tuesday and Wednesday meant that there was a further two days of delay.

The impact is that I will not be painting this week but will only be able to get to it next weekend.


Coming Up:
On Monday I promise to show the finished product!

Related Posts:

Cottage on the Edge: Why use 54-inch Drywall for High Ceilings - Dec 01, 2008

Cottage on the Edge: Drywall Tip: Greenboard for the Windows - Nov 30, 2008

Types and Sizes of Drywall - Nov 18, 2008

Drywall Installation: First Stage is complete! 26 Nov 2008

;-)

A Deck Built for Partying...

With the leaves down for the winter, pictures from beneath the cottage - from the lakeside - show a lot more of the cottage.

This picture provides an excellent view of the wrap-around deck with the gazebo in the middle.

...and it is truly built for partying. Lots of people can stand confidently on this deck. It was built using 6"x6" posts, plus a 8"x8" post to support the main beam under the gazebo. All the joists are 2"x10" lumber - attached with joist hangers. The main beam was laminated from four pieces of 1.75"x12" LVL.

The beauty of this deck is it provides for two levels of protected 'partying'. One off the main floor and a second under it. The lower area will have an interlocking stone floor.

As you see it now, the construction on the deck is postponed for the winter. Coming in the spring will be while vinyl clad railings, vinyl cladding for all the posts, and likely white aluminum covering of the beams under the roof.

Related Posts:
Pressure-Treated Wood Posts -Jul 23, 2008

Ledger Board - Getting all Decked Out... - Jul 23, 2008

Installing the Bathroom Exhaust Vents - Nov 01, 2008

Labour Day... Chill'n with a Beer on the Deck

;-)

My Toughts eactly....

Brad Dale at Dales Home Building Centre, forwarded me an article in the New York Times - online version. In his words...

Gary,

I saw this article and thought of you. It's a good read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/garden/11cabin.html?_r=1

It is indeed a great read, I invite you to read it when you have a moment.

I have been quite ill - with a cold of the century - and been laid up in bed for most of the past week. So my regular posting has taken a real hit.

The plan was to paint the cottage this upcoming weekend, however, that has been postponed a week as my drywall contract was snowed out for two days this past weekend. Hence he will need this weekend to catch up.

Coming Up:
I will be nevertheless be going up tot he cottage for a short visit on Sunday to 1) inspect the completed drywall work, and 2) to pay both the drywall contractor and my snow plowing contractor.

I should have more pictures to share next week.

Related Posts:
The Reason Why...
It is going to be beautiful!
The Perfect Design
;-)

Video at 11....

Two weekends ago - before the major snow fall - I took a few videos of the Cottage. In this one I am climbing the stairs from the lake-side of the Cottage. I am providing a verbal description of what you see as I was coming up the stairs.

It was the first video I took so the production quality is very poor but it does give you a sense of what the cottage will look from the lakeside.



Coming Up:
I will post a video of the Cottage that I took while approaching the 'front' side of the Cottage.
;-)

Snow & Winter has arrived!

I was prepared to be greeted by snow up at the Cottage, but just not so much!

I was expecting four possibly as much as 8 inches of snow, not the 14 or more inches that I encountered when we arrived Saturday morning.

The task for this past Saturday was to take the last two loads of drywall waste to the garbage dump, so the snow had to be removed.

Fortunately I was put in touch to a local snow removal contractor by Brad at Dales RONA Building Centre. Lee Desabais came over almost right away to clear the driveway and 'parking' lot. I have struck an annual snow removal contract with him. Lee will keep the cottage open during the week until the contractors, drywall and electrical, have completed their work. That should be until the first weekend in January. After that Lee will just ensure that it is cleared for the weekends.

It was important to keep the lot open as I need clear access for the remaining contractors to complete their work and to allow access to the porch when the moving truck arrives on January 3rd.

Coming Up:
In the next post I am trying an experiment. I took some video with my camera the previous week. I am going to post one of them.

Related Posts:
he Cottage: Finished for the Winter - Nov 26, 2008

Construction Heating in the Winter - Nov 27, 2008

Heating Tip for Drywalling in the Fall & Winter - Oct 27, 2008

;-)

Why use 54-inch Drywall for High Ceilings

Nine-foot ceiling are great!

They make rooms, even smaller ones seem much bigger. However there is a price to pay for that luxury, and that is in the drywall you need.

Standard drywall board is 48 inches in width, and while it can be applied vertically using 10-foot lengths the standard method is to apply drywall horizontally. Fortunately there is 54-inch wide drywall.

The two pictures in this post illustrate the issue dramatically.

We used greenboard drywall in the bathroom. Greenboard is only manufactured in 48-inch widths. The result is that there needs to be an approximately 1-foot strip of dray wall inserted in the middle of the wall. This means more seams and hence more taping and plastering.

However, when using the 54-inch width drywall only one seam is created.

Coming Up:
This week the drywall contractor is completing the taping and plastering so next week I should have pictures of the finished result for you.

Related Posts:

Green Drywall... Huh? - Nov 16, 2008

Types and Sizes of Drywall - Nov 18, 2008

;-)