leangreen.org recycled renovation on a low-budget ration

In an attempt to keep progress moving with materials we had on hand we took on finishing the walls in the downstairs bathroom. On a not too recent weekend (circa 2008) we found some cheap oak flooring leftovers on craigslist. With some ideas about what we could use them for we went and had a look. Much of the pieces were rejects due to knots or other aesthetic imperfections which didn't bother us much so we loaded it all up, drove it home and then shuttled it upstairs (blurry picture included to show the precarious wood stack). And there it sat becoming a makeshift, multi-level, wobbling sort of table/obstacle, a tablestacle - that sounds too anatomical, how about obstable. The obstable remained in place (albeit with frequent rebuilds from various collapses) until Jen came up with using it for the walls of the downstairs bathroom.

Once a firm decision was made we started planning and then attaching. In preparation we had to fir out some of the studs to get a level plane as well as add some nailers since many of these pieces are shorter than the 16" on-center span of the studs. Initially I tried using my pneumatic stapler to attach the pieces but found that shooting through the tongue I couldn't get a steep enough angle to keep the staple out of the way of the groove for the next piece. This led to the tedious process of pre-drilling the tongue and hand nailing using finish nails...slooooow. Fortunately while relaying this to my neighbor after the first day he let me borrow his propane powered pneumatic finish nailer that sped things up considerably.

Now we are trying to come up with a nice way to hide the hydronic tubes that run directly behind the toilet, but for now we are happy to have warm wood walls!

During Brian's first full week of disemployment we walled in the bedroom and bathroom. Walls are pretty cool. They are bright and smooth. They reflect a lot of light. Brian commented several times that he hated drywall. Unlike the precision of carpentry and framing, it makes a mess and it's imprecise. You still need to measure twice and cut once. In fact, we've been measuring 3x and cutting 4x (wasting mis-cut pieces of drywall in the process). Planes fit in your head differently than a 2x4. We measure holes for light fixtures, fans and outlets and then place them on the board upside down and backward, not realizing it until we've lifted the board onto the ceiling and whaddya know, it would only fit if it was upside down and backward. We've screwed up enough pieces that we now have the proper amount of caution before cutting.

We've discovered there are many types of drywall: 1/2" and 5/8" (you must check this before you put up the board...another lesson), gypsum, greenboard for moisture-prone areas (no one uses this anymore), DensArmor fiberglass mat board for moisture-prone areas, and cement board for moisture-proofing areas. Where the walls don't meet up so well, we will install trim or use a lot of mud. At least that's what we tell ourselves. It's hard to know how forgiving we can be with the gaps since we've never really mudded before. This week, we continue the drywall-a-thon. We rejoice as we curse.