Repairing Plaster Cracks Phase III

I guess this is where I start talking about the setback we faced while working on this project. You know that winter storm you saw all over your TV screen? Yeah, that was our winter storm. Our setback has been the weather, specifically snow. I posted pictures last week, but little did I know that it would just keep on coming down. Having lived in the mountains, I have seen a lot of snow before. However, I have never seen that much snow fall and accumulate so quickly. Lake effect snow is no joke.

I snapped this picture after it finally stopped snowing on Friday:

Our village received the most snowfall of any of the surrounding towns. When it was all over, we had nearly eight feet of snow on the ground. Instead of working on the room, we were shoveling, breaking icicles, checking on the roof and basement, and making sure outside vents were clear to keep us all safe from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Currently, we are dealing with the aftermath which is rapid melting. All last night, I listened to water pour off of our roof, and my dreams were filled with digging trenches and rain-filled basements. Fortunately, this morning, a quick assessment revealed only a minor roof leak in the attic, and a completely dry basement.

After the flood risk has passed, there is still so much to clean up. There is a high wind advisory today, and the risk of toppling trees is great. The ground is already littered with downed trees and branches. Our phone line is nearly dragging the ground, and the electrical line connection has come away from the house. I cannot believe we have both power and internet right now. I may have just jinxed us by writing that. I will get back to you on that one.

While most of our free time was spent with storm-related duties, I did sneak in some work repairing the plaster cracks, and the room is now ready for primer and paint.

The idea of skim coating all four walls with plaster vs. simply patching the cracks fell apart. I tried using a method that I read about on The Family Handyman, but I failed miserably. I even bought the special squeegee smoother, but the project was just a disaster. I am still not sure what I did wrong, but nothing that I did looked like the pictures on that tutorial. In the end, I ruined two heavy-nap rollers, two buckets of patch, one paint pan liner, and an entire roll of blue shop towels. I gave it a valiant try, but I went back to my method of patching, sanding and feathering the edges after one wall.

The good news is that now that we are more experienced, the process is faster. In addition, the work itself just looks better than it did in the previous room.

Today was the first time I actually looked back at the original to-do list. There is plenty left on the list, but that first item is the most time-consuming, and it is done!

The Bedroom To-Do List:

1. Repair Plaster Cracks
2. Encapsulate the lead paint
3. Paint the walls, window, closet and trim
4. Thoroughly clean the room
5. Repair the two electrical outlets
6. Create a storage system in this very small room.

If everything falls into place, I expect to have all the priming done by Wednesday. Originally, we planned on having this room done by the end of November, but we will be extending the process to a full six weeks. I have exciting storage plans (yes, really!), and I want to finish this room 100%.

How is your week shaping up? Do you have fun Thanksgiving plans? Is there any snow where you live?