Project Who Needs A Hero: Day 2

So it was day 2 of my “Anything you can do I can do … at least competently” crusade. On Day 1, I actually went out and bought the junk I needed. Twice. Because I screwed up the first time I’m double cool. Now I actually had to DO the darn thing.

First was to put up the mesh patch. It’s self-adhesive, so just stick that sucker on like a band-aid. Then I broke out the compound.

Smear Smear Smear

I quickly learned that reading directions is one way to make sure a large area goes more smoothly…literally. With small nail holes, using a tiny putty knife and scraping away excess was all I needed. But this is an 8″ by 8″ patch, plus surrounding area. So I had a lot of ground to cover, and it’s difficult to make sure it’s smooth.

If I’d read the directions first, I would have known that smearing the compound on, then wetting the knife and smoothing it again makes for an easier go. So…noted. Wet the knife, ladies. Wet it good.

Due to the area I had to cover, I had to do two coats just to make sure the mesh was covered. I let them dry for a couple hours between each coat, because I wasn’t about to screw this up with impatience. I did sand between each coat, but only lightly to even things out. The third (and final) coat was to even out whatever areas I couldn’t get smooth even with a wet knife and sanding.

Ready for paint!

So far, not too bad, right?

Tomorrow, I’ll show you the finished product, and a little something extra I decided to tackle before Sam came home. The guy who figured out I was up to something, but couldn’t figure out exactly WHAT I was up to.

I leave you with this conversation we had on the phone before he came home…
Sam: What are you up to today for your super-secret project?
Me: I can’t tell you. We’ve been over this. It’s a surprise.
Sam: Oh, come on. Just tell me.
Me: Do we have a wet saw?
Sam: Uh…no.
Me: Darn. Do you know what it costs to rent a jackhammer?
Sam: What do you-
Me: Never mind. I’ll just call and ask.
Sam: What the hell?
Me: Oh! I remembered. How do you remove a toilet?
Sam: Please no…
Me: *banging on counter with spoon* Crap, that’s not good. Gotta go!

*click*

Kat

Edited to add: Check out the full, completed project HERE!