Here we go! We've officially started the big renovation. I intend on documenting everything as we go from old bedroom to fully functional home darkroom. Let's start from the beginning...
Step 1: We cleaned every surface thoroughly. The goal here was to remove any existing dust, dirst, grease, or any other build-up so that the spackle and eventually new primer and paint will adhere.
Step 2: Patched all exiting holes, cracks, or imperfections in the walls. In our case, there were many holes that needed help. We used a 4" putty knife ($6) and DAP Drydex Time Indicating Spackle. What's beautiful about this stuff is it goes on pink and dries white. The color indicator tells you when it's time to sand. I think it takes all the fun out of it, but my wife loves it.
Step 3: We sanded the walls. I used 150 grit sandpaper and a 6" Random Orbital Sander ($40, already had one) connected to a shop vac. I love these things. They work very well, as long as you keep fresh sanding discs on them. They buffed the walls beautifully, and took away 90% of the imperfections.Step 4: We sanded the woodwork. For this particular room, we've decided to forgo the dark 70's stain on the woodwork and paint it all white. As you can see in the photo, we have trim as well as a built-in shelf. What's not picured is a built-in set of drawers as well (upcoming photos). The white will go a long way in updating the look.
Step 5: We primed everything. We're using Kilz 2 latex primer ($17/gal) because it locks out moisture and adheres extremely well.
Step 6: Painted the walls. We're using a deep reddish tint in Behr Eggshell that we found in the "Oops!" section of Home Depot. Normally $22 paint, paid $5. The red will be great with displaying photos once complete. As much as this is going to be a darkroom, it's also going to be a gallery.
Step 7: Taped around trim. We used 2" removable blue painter's tape ($10 for a 60 yd roll, which will do a few rooms). The stuff stays on fairly well, but the key is it won't peel off existing paint like some masking tapes will.
Step 8: Painted the trim. This is quite a pain. Even with the primer, it took 3 coats, and still remained a little streaky. In hindsight, we probably should have taken more time to sand. We're using Behr Swiss Coffee (almost white) Semi-Gloss ($23/gal) I know a lot of people tell you just to sand just enough to take the gloss off, but if we had to do it all over again, we would have sanded more. Especially with a darker stain. Better adhesion and less bleeding.Next time I update, we should be reporting some flooring details. We're planning on keeping the concrete and painting it with a gray enamel. Should be fun. I will also show you the "after" photos of the walls and trim. So until next time!
