Monday Update

We were ankle deep in dust once again this weekend. After a two weekend break from retexturing our walls thanks to having friends and family in town, it was good to charge forward with the second coat of mud. But first we had to sand the first coat of mud on the ceiling, which was about 10 times harder than sanding the walls; however, the result was the same.

Once we vacuumed up all the dust and sponged the walls, we were able to start with the second coat of mud. For this we used a different kind of mud called Topping, which was much easier to work with. Here's a close up of the still-wet second coat.

We only got as far as the walls in the entry, so we still have to do a second coat on the walls in the dining room and all the ceilings to go before we can sand and start painting in those areas (and move on to the living room and the hallway), but things are already looking 1,000% better.

Here's a before pic so you can really appreciate the difference (you can see the difference between the original orange peel wall on the left, and the first coat of mud on the right).

I am totally smitten after two coats, even though we will need to fill in some of blemishes that bubbled up with the second coat. (Yes, that means a third coat in places and more sanding. I know...)

Even so, I can already picture the walls in a perfect shade of grey. It's what keeps me going - the thought of an updated house with smooth and chic modern walls - when otherwise I would want to throw the trowel in.

What did you do this weekend? Tackle a project, or just soak up these last days of summer?