Have you seen the commercials “ask the expert” where someone really messes up a home project? I’m sure the commercial is way more funnier than that of my life but there are times........
So last weekend my husband and I decided to replace the old bifold closest doors in our bedroom with modern, mirrored, sliding glass doors. Now this wasn’t a spur of the moment idea, as we had talked about making this change for years. I think 12 years to be exact. The bifold doors opened up into the room and took up so much space the matching night stands to our bed couldn’t be used and the small closet bifold when opened blocked the entrance door to the room. Yup so finally we were going to make a change.
With measurements in hand Neil and I trudge down to Rona in the middle of a February snow storm to get our doors. Yes I know its already April! As I was saying with measurements in hand we pick out the doors we both agreed on, well compromised on. But they are nice and sound easy to install, thats the key right.
So as we hunt for the doors we realize the size we need is not on the floor. We ask the clerk, who checks the computer, goes to a back room then comes back and says they are out of that size, they would order them for us.
Well why not, we’ve waited 12 years whats 6-8 weeks longer going to do. So the clerk fills out the necessary 45 copies of whatever ordering slip he needs and we pay in full of course and will now wait patiently for our doors.
Two weeks ago we pick up a phone message that our doors were in, Yippee!!! 12 years and 8 weeks later we are getting new closet doors. So last weekend bright and early Saturday morning we rip out the old doors, well it was like unclick them and angle them out and unscrew the old tracks, but RIP them out sounds soooo much more weekend reno warrior like! Besides we had on old clothes, Neil had his tool belt on, my hair tired back, CSA approved shoes on and ready. Maybe the title should have been Nerd and Nerdier?
It took all of ten minutes to RIP out the old doors, sand down the frames and prep them for primer. With the coat of primer on both closet door frames we’re ready to unwrap the new doors.
Neil is standing in the larger closet opening and says, this isn’t going to work. What’s not going to work I ask. The way the sliding doors sit on the track we won’t be able to open the drawers to the old built in closet unit. Oh crap!!! Well we always said one day we’d put a new closet storage system in the large closet. I guess this is the time!
With a few good whacks with a hammer, the original closet organizer is history. Yeah new closet doors and a new organizer! So off to Ikea we go and left Ikea empty handed, yes people actually looked at us because we weren’t buying anything! Try exiting Ikea without paying for anything! Go ahead try!
So back to good old Rona, where we found all the components to a new closet system that looked good, was functional and we weren’t taking out a 2nd mortgage to buy it. Of course by this time its lunch and coffee time so since we’re out.....
Finally back home. Now the old closet system is gone, but the wall behind the system was never painted. So back to the primer on the wall, the first coat of paint on the door frames and both of us sitting on the bed looking at the hole in the flooring where the old unit sat.
Hmmmm well I guess we’ll just have to cut extra pieces of flooring and place them in the hole. Well if we had extra flooring pieces to fill the hole that would have been a good idea. So Neil cuts mdf to fit the hole and I pull out the primer one more time, wait an hour and paint the wood to sort of match the floor color, if you close one eye and stand more than 3 feet away with the lights off. Yup it kinda matches.
No more work for today, time to shower, eat and head off to a par-tay! There is always Sunday to finish.
Sunday morning we sleep in, have a nice breakfast, fresh ground coffee and catch up on the news. I do manage to get a second coat of paint on the closet wall and floor before our noon hour yoga class. Boy we could really use a good stretch. Out for lunch then back home to start assembling the new closest system.
Without giving all the details of putting the IKEA like furniture together, cutting the new hanger bar to make it fit and wondering what the extra screws were for, it was 9:30pm and a new closet organizer was built and installed, the wall in the closet painted, the hole in the floor fixed and painted and the door frames almost finished.
Okay the closet doors, well they never left the box! Maybe when Neil and I said weekend reno warriors we should have added, “one weekend may not be suitable for the Johnston reno projects”.
The good news as of today, Thursday, all painting is done, the closet doors installed, baskets bought for the closet system, all clothes returned to the closet and the weekend reno warriors learned a lot. We didn’t swear or get mad when we realized all of the faux pas. We laughed and teased each other and shopped and shared food all during the project. When done with love any project can be good for the body, mind and soul.
Hmmm what to tackle next weekend?
ps--- when you take the wrapping off new doors and there is a little package of screws attached to the wrapping, its not a good idea to throw them out, cause it could take you about 20 minutes to find them.................
With peace, love and lots of luck of your next reno project;
Cathy and Neil
