Steamy windows (or lack thereof)

The other project we have been working on this week is stripping the paint off the windows in both the front rooms. PK is working on getting the sash windows working again as well. There are small double hung sash windows on both front windows that look out onto the street, and also a large one looking north from the dining room.





Of course, I use the term “windows” very loosely at this stage – I believe you have to have GLASS in them. The plywood covers PK made are so boho Mexican Mafia chic, I’m tempted to keep them for that Category 7 hurricane we’re going to have at some point in the future (according to that bad made-for-TV movie by CBS*).

PK has removed all the sash windows from the dining room, and we are in the process of scraping the paint from the windows while they are out and easily accessible.



Hey, I’m happy when I get to sit on my arse and do paint removal. The Silent Paint Remover comes in very handy about now. While PK inches away with the heat gun on the dining window that’s still attached to the house, I get to peel large strips of paint off using the SPR. Neat-o.



It’s taken most of the week after work to get the large window stripped of paint. What a difference it makes having electricity in those front rooms now that daylight savings has ended. For those readers outside the States, it’s now dark at 5PM when we leave work, so having lights in the dining and living rooms means we can keep working after dark. PK and Dave did a bang up job with the wiring, and it’s made us appreciate this modern marvel called electricity. We keep talking about “instant on lighting” like it’s wireless networking – something so new fangled we have to explain it to people. “You walk in the room, and press a button, and the lights go on! It’s amazing!”

We’ll keep going at the paint removal until all the windows in the dining and living room are stripped, then it’s the fun part of sanding, rubbing the wood down with denatured alcohol to clean the last 80 years of crap off, and then we get to stain. Roll on Thanksgiving and that four day weekend!

Next post we’ll talk about brickwork and boiling the crap out of window hardware – otherwise known as “Fun With Baking Soda!™”

P.S. Damian is coming over to the dark side. I’m sure he’s a closet Nine Inch Nails fan – check out this pic of him watching the Meathead Perspective’s latest NIN Flash presentation on our computer.



(*Actually, I wouldn’t know if it was bad or not, we don’t have cable so we didn’t watch it. Even the ads on the radio sounded bad. It’s only been 10 weeks since Katrina, c’mon now.)