Daily Archives: August 12, 2006

The End of Sanding

Not the end of sanding everything ever, but the end at least of sanding the repairs to the walls after the new electrical circuits. I had tried to get away with only two applications of joint compound over the mesh tape, but it just wouldn’t do. So I did a third coat.

And underneath Dawn’s window in the bedroom we did some repair as well. There had always been this one spot, since we moved in, that was just, well, soft. Like it was just drywall tape with nothing behind it or something. We were always afraid to press it or probe too hard for fear of busting through.

Well, what with the other repairs, Dawn went ahead and broke out all the bad stuff under the window. I was a little disappointed that she just went ahead and did it without me. I was curious as to what was exactly going on in there. As it turned out, all I saw was when she was done and it was a big old hole.

But after all the coats and now all the sanding, it’s all done and ready for Dawn to paint. We go to Home Depot and get little pints of paint and primer. Also at Home Depot I buy another package of 3/8″ dowels for the balusters. I’ve got nineteen balusters, so I need thirty-eight dowels, of course. So one package of twenty-seven just ain’t gonna cover it.

And while Dawn is painting I take a trip up to the roof to check for leaking. There’s a spot by the window, near where I patched, that looks like maybe some water damage. We’re not sure if it’s new or not. Maybe it’s been there since we moved in and we never noticed, although you’d think we’d notice something like that. It’s not wet or crumbling or anything, just kinda rough. It’s funny that we aren’t sure if it’s new or old.

I can’t see anywhere that there’s any way for any leakage, nothing new caused by the construction next door, the likely culprit we were thinking. While on the roof though I lean the ladder on the new third story and climb almost to that roof. I can clearly see the top of the Capitol and the Washington Monument from up there. It’s a little dangerous how I’m standing on the top rung of the ladder, though, propped as it is against the wall but also on the slight slope of the roof. I’m glad when I get down. And for once I don’t bang the ladder against the electrical wires. I’ve never been zapped, but best not to push my luck.