7/31/19:
(Above: Me, priming the kitchen spice-cupboard. [Picture taken without my knowledge!])
Building Summary: Today I got started by further consolidating and gathering the priming supplies. These supplies included: a drop cloth from the farm’s garage, a paint brush / paint tray, the primer, some paper towels, latex gloves, implements for opening / mixing the primer, safety-wear (goggles, because I was to be doing a lot of eye-level work), and the shelves that were to be primed. After setting up the drop-cloth and shelves on the front deck of Jacobhouse, I began with the priming. First, I painted the top side of the bathroom and bedroom shelves, then I moved inside to prime the spice cupboard, bathroom closet, and bedroom shelf area. This was followed by my turning over the original shelves and painting their reverse side*. To finish off the morning, I cleaned up the paint brush / tray, sealed the primer can, and then went over to Padre’s studio pylons and tamped around them a little bit.
Commentary: Painting is always a welcome reprieve when it comes to construction. Not so much because I like moving a dripping brush up and down and side to side, but more because it is a visual representation of accomplishment. I can see where I have painted, and I can see how much I have left. It is refreshing to simply observe and gauge my progress rather than wonder at it.
As for an additional highlight – aside from those which were applied in Jacobhouse today – I do believe I have one of exceeding interest. It occurred last night around dinner time** when Padre and I were looking at Youtube videos of how to create a concrete-formed countertop. In the video we watched, the builder showed us how to create a form, what materials to mix and pour (without rebar!), and then he showed us how sturdy the resultant countertop was via his stepping onto the un-supported surface. No cracks occurred, and it remained a solid block. So, between being able to make a countertop to my desired dimensions, the possibility of personalizing its surface***, and the sheer durability/inexpensiveness of the materials, I believe that concrete countertops may very well end up having a place in Jacobhouse.
Here is the video that Padre and I watched: How to make a Concrete Counter Top in 1 hour!
Final Note: Tomorrow I intend to begin painting over the primer I laid down today with what I’ve been calling ‘liquid turquoise’.
*After I did this, I used all left-over primer in the paint tray to smooth over any especially rough spots in my paint jobs. This smoothing primarily occurred in the spice cupboard and bathroom closet.
**A highlight in its own right, as can be seen via the twitter post.
***With dry-sanded tile grout. Pouring small amounts of this substance into any sort of pattern before pouring the concrete, will produce visual alterations in the final surface.
No ‘wonder’ needed every day is a step closer to completion.