Doesn't everybody's kitchen counter look like this? I am in the midst of one of the hardest projects I have ever undertaken. Think trying to fit a square peg into a round hole! All of my central air conditioning ducts are in the ceilings and they don't have louvers behind the grilles and are always ON. In the winter all the warm air escapes making my house colder than it should be. I ordered the louvers and am in the midst of retrofitting them behind the decorative grilles made by Reggio Registers. My ceilings are plaster from the late 1930s and it took me over 3 hours on one hole yesterday chiseling out the ragged edges to get one louver in place. You know I don't admit defeat easily so I am all caffeinated and ready to attack the one over the other French door in my living room.
My Grilles are in this design,
painted the same color as the ceilings.
Louvers look like this.
Wish me luck. Sometimes I wonder why almost nothing in my life is easy and ordinary? Is this because I live in an old house or do I just look for seemingly impossible projects to make my life easier that actually make my life harder while the work is being done? That is the question. xo
Workin' wear. Yesterday I didn't have a hat and didn't put on goggles or a mask until well into the project. Today it was all about Safety First.
Today's louver was inserted in 15 minutes. YAY!
I have ordered some white pliable clay that will air dry in 24 hours and be hard enough to drill thru (fingers crossed). I thought that would be neater than spackle. I want to encapsulate all this stuff that looks like crumbling concrete. It should be delivered today. I still have to scrape all the gunk from behind the grilles that stuck when removing them. To close the louver, I have to attach the grille in the proper direction so I can reach thru one of the openings with a screwdriver to close the louvers for winter. This can only work in one direction so I have to make sure it's correct before screws are inserted.
The DAS clay is made in Italy!
It looks like a block of Cream Cheese.
It initially looks a little gray but dries bright white
This clay comes in a terracotta color too.
Would be great for flower pot repairs.
Here is my first encapsulation after a overnight drying session.
It's not pretty but functional. I had to rebuild an area behind the left screw hole because material behind it fell out and I had to completely rebuild the right-hand screw hole because the chunk fell out. All of this unsightly mess is completely covered by the grille.
Larger view of the construction site.
xo
26 comments:
NEW POST JUST UPLOADED. Will try to add more photos of my project later. xo, Rosemary
We have come to the conclusion that ANY task, even what seem to at first be simple ones, always take more head scratching, time, and real effort than we would ever have imagined they would. Because you are just one person, working at it on your own, you are my hero(ine). Whom I greatly admire. You go, girl!
Mama Pea -- It's good to know I have someone cheering me on and someone who understands based on first hand experiences. I'm just getting started on today's project. I could hire someone but it's too time consuming and if my ceiling collapses I have no one to blame but myself😱 and I have yesterday's lesson to guide me. xo, Rosemary
MORE PHOTOS ADDED TO TODAY'S POST.
Good for you with the hat, goggles and mask. I did have a mental picture of you completely covered yesterday with dust and debris! Working with arms and hands over the head is sooo hard, isn't it?
Mama Pea -- At ome point in my life, I found it extremely difficult to work with my hands up but it wasn't as hard this time. I guess lawn mowing with a push mower has made my arms much stronger or maybe I am aging backwards😂 xo, Rosemary
You are a woman on a mission, Rosemary, and I understand completely! Your home will be much easier to heat when you get finished with your project. I think as we go through life, we realize that we can hire someone, but, unfortunately, they don't always get the job done the way we hoped. I'm still tweaking my kitchen remodel. I'll get done someday, lol. Good luck, Rosemary!
Thinking about working overhead reminded me of when my Dave was working under some cabinetry and he had to put his bifocals on upside down to see what he was working on.
Linda Sand -- Linda, That is truly hilarious. Thanks for the laugh. xo, Rosemary
Pam, I like to do as much as I can by myself and if I ever get stuck I'll hire somebody. My young handyman is going to do the last step with his power drill. He and I work well together. I know what you mean about tweeking after the workmen leave. Yes, you will finish one day. It's very satisfying to finish a project you've been wanting to do. xo, Rosemary
Great job! We had a similar situation in my mother-in-law's condominium, so we bought sheets of magnet vinyl and cut it to fit over the registers. Worked wonderfully!
I do admire your attitude. I realized very early in my marriage that my husband had neither the skill set to do jobs around the house, nor the inclination to learn. Thus, it fell to me to fix, install or diy everything. I've done countless jobs over the decades. Most of them not well, as I generally learn what I need to know by the end of the job, when it is too late to make use of it. You question why you take on the difficult tasks--it is because you won't settle for the slapdash answer. You could just pop a sheet of magnetic vinyl over the grill. They make them. They only take a second, but don't look nice. My inclination on this job would be to try a Dremel. I was gifted one, but haven't gotten around to trying it out, so I'm not entirely sure it would work. btw, loved the tawny owl video. My son and I have been playing Wingspan, and this is a reminder that the details of the game do relate to the real world of birds.
I don’t quite understand, if you close the louvers in the winter how does
the heat come through? Are these vents for the air conditioning only?
Is this for central heating and air? Guess I’m lost. Ha. Nevertheless I
think your amazing to tackle this project ❣️❣️❣️
Well, duh! I reread your post and saw that the louvers are for air condition only.
Guess I’ve never heard about that arrangement before.
We have central air and heat from the same ducts.
Still, I applaud you and your efforts!!
Go Rosemary, GO !!!!
Exactly, mundane needful chores, and unforeseen layers.
Adore your relationship with your home. House and Garden are joyful taskmasters.
Greatly appreciate your mention of White Pliable Clay..............didn't know it existed.
(Linda Sand, those BIFOCALS. Great story.)
Had a chore last Thursday, was to be finished, at its latest, by 10am Thursday. Who knew a layer needed to sit overnite to work correctly? It's still not done, Saturday morning, because of previously scheduled appointments !
Won't get done this morning, friend finally able to bring her husband home from hospital after WEEKS. Taking over some food. Off topic, and pure curiosity, what is your favorite food to take to friends recovering? I take a large jar of my refrigerator, pickled, chopped mixed vegetables. Sometimes, dinners frozen in my freezer. Sometimes both, if well stocked.
Horse, Hound, and Home -- IF ONLY! Magnets do not work on mine. Six are aluminum and one large one is cast iron and magnets do not work. Thanks for stopping by the cottage to comment. xo, Rosemary
mia -- Thanks for telling us about the WINGSPAN game that requires bird skills. Will look into it! So glad you enjoyed the owl video. My mother and I did all the handy work when I was growing up. My father could use only one tool -- the telephone😂 My grandfather built one of the houses my mother lived in and she used to sit on the rafters and hand him nails so she knew a lot about construction. I have been collecting tools from garage sales for over 50 years and they have served me well. I have a Dremel too and don't use it very much. I know what you mean about getting better and better with your skills as a job progresses. I have decided carpentry skills and homeownership go hand in hand. Does you son take after you or your husband? xo, Rosemary
Linda A. -- My heat is from hot water radiators so my old house had no ductwork. My air conditioning unit is in the attic and my ceiling ducts are for central air only. Now I can close them in the winter to prevent heat loss. I have been covering them in the winter with sheets of thick mylar (see thru) attached with double-sided tape. I still have to do that with one gigantic return in my hallway that has no louvers produced for its size. But that's ok. Enjoy the weekend. xo, Rosemary
I keep saying I'm going to get an oscillating tool cutting device.....watching the DIY shows they seem to cut just about anything. You can find them everywhere. Kudos to you for undertaking this job and doing so well.
Tara Dillard -- Tara, Will post photos of the white clay. I was considering gray Plumber's Putty but read it cracks with age so had to find something else that's pliable. The white craft clay that air dries seemed to fit the bill so I ordered two blocks at $12.00 for each 2 pound block. It looks exactly like cream cheese. I will probably only need one block but I think it will be handy to have on hand. You are a good friend to think about taking food for someone coming home after a long stay in the hospital. Your crunchy vegetables sound delicious. I'm not good at taking food to anyone. I'm still waiting for a kibble for humans that will provide nourishment and taste good too. Have a great weekend. xo, Rosemary
UPDATE: I have added photos of the DAS clay package, the contents, and my first repair using it. xo, Rosemary
Ladyfarrier -- I'm not that good with power tools. I have a plug in drill and just bought a small electric saw that I haven't used yet. My Dremmel has cutting abilities but I rarely use it. I really should get it out of the box more. Thank you for your words of encouragement about this project. xo, Rosemary
Be careful on that step stool/ladder! You are so industrious. I do love your blog.
Great post Rosemary. Good to shout out Reggio Registers. I bought several grills from them for a Greek Revival I owned in the 1990's.
Susan -- Thanks for your concern. The stepstool is the perfect height for this project and I'm very careful. I'm on the homestretch now, almost ready to repaint the grilles. Thanks for liking my blog. xo, Rosemary
itztru --I fell in love with the vent covers at a friend's house and had to have them for mine. I wish I had investigated the companion louvers for adjusting the air flow earlier but better late than never. They must have been perfect in your Greek Revival home. xo, Rosemary
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