Queue Jumping

Door trim is new!  Chair rail is original.

At least that's what it feels like...  The kitchen is still half done as is the laundry room.  They are stalled for various reasons, from economics to project size and hindered on several occasions by weather.  I mean when the drywall compound won't dry because it's too cold, despite a heater blasting as it, there's not much you can do but shut the project down for a while :)

Anyway, last on my list was the side entry way.  It's a small and I will admit, horribly ugly little room.  It's the main door to the house and was done up like the rest of the house, in peach paint and wallpaper.   If I never see another drop of peach paint, it won't be too soon!   The floor had some sort of plastic carpet which we ripped out as soon as we moved in because it was musty and filthy, leaving the plain, rough concrete floor.  Under the step we found a secret door, which lifted to hide a stash of old shoes and ski boots, stiff, filthy, mouldy old stuff, which probably should have been tossed when they were outgrown, some 20 or 30 years ago!

New tile floor

My sweetie decided he needed a small, sweet, easy to finish project for his holidays and to get back his home reno groove back.   He moved the front entry to the top of the list.  It is indeed a small project, at least in terms of the rest of the house.   First on his list was to remove all the trim.  The trim was different mis-matched sizes of old mahogany trim, in that heavy peach paint.  Then he tiled the floor.  Gone is the cement floor stretching from the garage.  The secret door step is sealed up and solid now.  The first layout of the tile had it all laid straight.  I suggested it be set on point and do to a little bit of a misunderstanding, this was what the next suggestion was.  I was quite happy with this idea!

Then the wallpaper was ripped from the bottom half of the walls!  It turns out that the previous owner used odds and ends of old, crappy paneling instead of drywall.   Some of the pieces weren't even the same thickness!   So painting the walls was now totally out of the question as was new drywall.   We had new chair rail but can't use it because it's one of the places where the thickness of the paneling changes!

Instead, we're adding wainscoting to the bottom half, which will be painted, a darker colour from a heritage paint palette.   I'll have to repaper the top half, but it darn sure won't have a drop of peach colour in it!