Adding a Room to the House

OK maybe that title is a little drastic, we didn't technically add a room on the house. But, man! It sure does feel like we did! Our master bedroom has been a mess from day one. So bad that outside of sleeping in it, we did not want to spend any time in there. It had it all: wallpaper (missing in spots) that had been painted over, holes in the plaster, cracked ceiling with bad repair jobs hanging down, electrical sockets so used that plugs would just fall out of them. When we first moved in we thought we would easily remove the wall paper and paint and things would look great. So we went at it armed with putty knives.

That's us the first week we owned the house, oh how happy and naive we look! After putty knives proved ineffective in removing the wallpaper, we moved on to credit cards, and then to other projects that where easier and quicker. Every so often one of us would come up with a new idea on what to do about it (wallpaper over the current wallpaper, wood paneling, drywall... all got suggested). Until finally, almost two years later, we decided we should give it another try. This time armed with razor blades and hot soapy water we were able to remove all of the wall paper in about a weeks time.
 

(Please disregard the un-made bed, although it is the least of concerns in this pictue.)



The plaster that was behind the wallpaper was not much better looking. Cracked, pitted, and water-stained was not really what we wanted the master bedroom to look like. But after another week or so of plastering, sanding, and priming the walls with Killz we're not looking to shabby.

(Lots of small patch marks, this is round 2.)
 

The ceiling got the same plaster, sand, and Killz treatment along with a fresh coat of Killz ceiling paint. We had picked out a greenish color that we both loved but after two coats on the walls we decided it didn't work as well in the room as we had hoped. So we ended up with Silver Birch by Glidden. It's a nice soft grey that we think will look great as we introduce more accents to the room.

 

One thing we did in this room during the painting prep that made a world of difference was caulking around all the base boards, windows, and doors. It really cleaned up the walls the extra little bit. Now we are basically left with a blank slate, but at least it feels like a room! I can't wait to start bringing some accessories in to liven the place up.