Well, I didn’t finish painting the cabinets yesterday. Ugh. Yesterday morning, I had it in my mind that the cabinets on the right side of the room were completely finished, and all I needed to do was paint the cabinets on the left side of the room. So when I started working, I began by doing all of the parts that had to be done with a brush – cutting in around the corners and painting the top trim. And then I realized that the cabinets on the right side of the room actually weren’t finished!
Because I often do things completely out of order (I do things in the order that keeps me interested and motivated to continue moving forward rather than in the order that makes the most logical sense), I had finished the painting on the first two sections of cabinets on the right side of the room, and then I jumped to the wallpaper and finishing out that middle wallpapered section. I completely forgot that the final two sections (the shoe shelves and the cabinet by the doorway) still only had one coat of paint on them.
So instead of just focusing on the cabinets on the left side of the room, I had to finish up those last to sections of cabinets on the right as well. That cabinet with the shoe shelves takes forever with all of those shelves, so that put me behind my intended schedule yesterday. As of this morning, this is where the project stands.
All of the remaining parts can be rolled with a 6-inch roller, so that should go much faster today.
As I was working, I was making a mental list of what all still needs to be done for the closet to be finished. Here are the items still on my “to do” list for the room:
- Finish painting the cabinets,
- Install the closet bars for hanging clothes,
- Sand and seal the floor (in the entire bedroom suite),
- Move the center junction box for the chandelier,
- Install additional lighting,
- Install tape lights around the jewelry drawer and necklace bar,
- Patch and paint the ceiling,
- Frame the doorway, patch the drywall, and trim out the doorway,
- Paint the window wall and the areas above the washer and dryer,
- Hang the wallpaper on the window wall and above the washer and dryer,
- Install and paint the rest of the crown molding and baseboards,
- Build the countertops on the washer and dryer cabinets,
- Make the flower chandelier,
- Paint and install sconces over washer and dryer,
- Paint (or gold leaf) frames on artwork and hang artwork over washer and dryer,
- Build center island,
- Buy baskets or make containers for organization on shelves.
That’s still quite a list of things to be done before I can call this project finished. I had intended to get this walk-in closet completely finished before I move on to another room. Over the years, I’ve caught quite a bit of flak for not staying focused on a project until it’s finished, and wandering off into other projects before a project is finished. So I’ve been trying to do better with that. I know that I’m anxious to see this closet completely finished, and I know y’all are, too.
And just to remind you, the reason I started with the closet instead of the bedroom is because my lack of a closet is the thing that is affecting my life the most. Matt and I are still pretty comfy sleeping in the breakfast room, even though it’s been about five months now. But I had just about all I could take of having my stuff scattered about the house after the first month. My shoes are all in my studio…
My clothes are in the sunroom…
My jewelry, until very recently, was in the bathroom. In order to get ready to go somewhere, I have to trek from one end of the house to the other end and back just to gather everything to put an outfit together.
Since that was affecting my peace of mind more than sleeping in the breakfast room, I decided to do the closet first. But someone suggested in a comment the other day that I should get the closet finished to the point that I can bring in all of my clothes and shoes, along with the washer and dryer. And then I should turn my attention to the bedroom and get that done at least to the point that Matt and I could move into the bedroom. It wouldn’t have to be completely finished, but I could at least get it to the point that we can start sleeping in there. And then I could come back and finish the closet, then finish the bedroom, and then do the foyer.
Initially, I didn’t think much of it. I was pretty determined to see this closet project through to completion before I get sidetracked with other things. I’ll also add that I asked Matt two days ago if he was getting anxious to get into the new bedroom. He said he was perfectly fine in the breakfast room, and he’s not anxious at all for us to move.
On the other hand, I do think it would be nice to have our breakfast room (actually, sitting room) back sooner than later. Right now, Matt is spending way too much time in bed because our bed is where his recliner used to be. So for now, his recliner is in storage. That leaves his wheelchair and the bed as his only two options. While he’s perfectly fine sitting in bed when he’s not in his wheelchair, and he says he’s not anxious to get into the new bedroom, it would definitely be very good for him to have his recliner back as soon as possible.
So over the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking through what that would look like, and the order in which I would do things. If I do that (and that’s still an “if”), here’s the order I’ve come up with…
- Finish painting the cabinets,
- Install the hanging bars,
- Sand and seal the floors throughout the bedroom suite.
Once the floors are done, that would allow me to bring my shoes and clothes into the closet so all of that stuff can be consolidated into one space. The floors can be walked on 24 hours after the last clear coat, and they take three days for a full cure. During that time, and while I’m needing to be careful with the floors, I can continue with the closet…
4. Paint the window wall of the closet and the areas above the washer and dryer,
5. Hang the wallpaper on the window wall and above the washer and dryer,
6. Move the washer and dryer into the closet and get those hooked up.
The wallpaper has to be hung on that wall before I can move the washer and dryer in so that I don’t have to work around the washer and dryer to hang wallpaper, which would only add frustration to that project. That’s why I have it on that list above. But once the washer and dryer are in place and hooked up, I could turn my attention to the bedroom and get just as much done as needed in order to get us moved into the bedroom. Here’s what it looks like now…
To get this room to the point where we could move in, I’d need to:
7. Patch the scuttle hole to the attic,
8. Have the breaker box moved up about eight inches,
9. Hang the wallpaper,
10. Skim coat the bottom part of the walls and sand,
11. Install wainscoting on the bottom part of the walls,
12. Install crown molding,
13. Paint all of the trim,
14. Bring in the area rug, bed, TV, and dresser.
At that point, we could make do with an unfinished bedroom, and I could turn my attention back to the closet and get it completely finished. Once the closet is done, I could finish up with the pretty stuff in the bedroom — draperies, headboard, bedside tables, artwork. And finally, I could do the foyer.
Anyway, I’m still mulling it over. I’d be disappointed to turn my attention to another project before getting the closet completely finished, but at the same time, it really would be nice for us to get into the bedroom sooner than later and to get back to having a sitting room where Matt can actually have his recliner back. How would you tackle this if it were your house? Just get the closet to usable state and then focus on the bedroom to get it to a usable state? Or completely finish the closet before moving on?
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
