A Swerve....

When I first started this blog, I said, "Although my little Florida bungalow will be the primary focus of this blog, I'll no doubt often swerve into related areas -- decor, architecture, the 50s, the 60s, vintage fashion, and great memories...  Come along with me, if you'd like. It'll be fun!"

I had no idea one swerve would take me into auto repair.

Before

We have a 1998 Chevy Blazer. We got it used about 12 years ago or so. As you might expect with a vehicle that old, some misfortunes have occurred, including catastrophic clear coat failure on the hood.  This wasn't such a big deal when my husband just drove the vehicle back and forth to work. But now he has a pickup truck for work, I've inherited the Blazer, and I'm embarrassed to be seen in it.

Until and unless I become a best-selling author making beaucoup money, there's not a new car purchase, or even a used one, in the foreseeable future. And frankly, I'd just as soon not spend my retirement on an auto paint job.

So I've been reading up online about DIY clear coat repair and auto painting, and I decided on a plan of action. Beneath the clear coat -- where it has peeled and some places where it is intact, the paint has oxidized. I wondered if, beneath the oxidation, the color was still there. Back in the old days, before clear coat, when auto paint oxidized, it could be buffed out.

After Googling and reading, I concluded buffing wouldn't do the job. I needed to remove the clear coat and sand the paint to get rid of the oxidized areas. Once the whole hood was more or less the same color, I could reapply clear coat.

The Project Begins

I don't have a lot of time to spend on the project -- just parts of each day. But I've been at it -- sanding -- for two days, and there has been some progress. Today, I remembered reading online about somebody who had scraped off their failing clear coat with a razor scraper. I found one I had stashed away for house fix up, and I tried it. It removed a lot more clear coat than sanding.  I have just a little more to go, and then I'll go back to sanding to remove more oxidation and smooth out the color.

There are a couple of areas where the finish is completely gone, and I will have to prime and paint them. And I may yet end up painting the whole hood before clear coating. That is a laborious process, from what I've read -- paint, let dry, sand. Paint, let dry, sand. Over and over. This is to remove something called "orange peel," which I assume is a pitted textured surface caused by tiny bubbles... but I don't know for sure. Then the routine is clear coat, let dry, sand. Clear coat, let dry, sand, over and over... Sigh...

Thank goodness for my little Black and Decker palm sander!

In any case, even if I just prime and paint the two (so far) small problem areas, I'm not fooling myself into believing the thing can look like it did new.

Here's how it looks on day two of the project. The red-circled areas are those places where the paint is gone; will have to be primed and painted. But before that, the rest of the hood will have to be sanded until the oxidation is gone. And it is getting there.The areas of oxidation, lighter than the original paint color, have darkened considerably with sanding. In the photo above, I swabbed the hood with a wet cloth to simulate clear coat, and some of what you see is reflection; but there is still considerable discoloration.

Obviously, I've still got work to do, but I think it will turn out okay.

In any case, can't possibly look any worse than it did when I started. Will post an update when the project is finished.

* * *
There are two other car projects. One day a few weeks ago, the dash lights didn't come on, and I thought there might be a short or something, so I banged on the dash to see if that would help -- and knocked a hole in it. The broken part tumbled down inside.  I have since found out from e-bay that the broken piece is called a bezel. Hubs knows how to remove it, so I want to rescue the broken pieces and glue or fiberglass them back on, fill and sand the cracks and spray-paint the repair. I also want to order a dash grill -- only about $10 on Amazon -- and if its the wrong color, I'll spray it, too!

Lastly, I need to repair the  handle on the interior side of the driver's door, and repair the door panel, which has defied all my efforts to fix it.  I can't used the arm-rest to close the door -- it just pulls the door panel away from the door. This means I have to start the car, roll the window down a little and grab the door itself to close it. Cumbersome, and it makes me feel vulnerable, being unable to close the door immediately after getting behind the wheel....

I recently watched a YouTube video on how to remove and reinstall a door panel for my model SUV, and what a revelation! It's all one piece! I thought that above the arm-rest was one section, and below it another -- and on mine, the front part of the lower section was still attached to the door. Wrong. It's still attached to its top half!

So, I bought a fiberglass repair kit and I'm gonna fiberglass the sucker back together, then reinstall. There are a couple of bolts hidden beneath the arm-rest, but the part of the door panel they bolt through is gone, so I will have to fabricate some kind of little tab and drill a hole to reattach the bolts.

My last project for the foreseeable future (and this can wait, it's not that important) is to replace the fabric of the sun visors and remove the lighted mirrors. They are covered by a hinged "door" that turns off the two lights on each side of the mirror when they are closed -- and both have dropped off and are in the glove box. I'm not going to hunt for mirror replacement with little doors intact -- I never understood the purpose of lights that close to a mirror, anyway. It's the same principle with a lighted makeup mirror. All they do is shine in your eyes and prevent you from seeing your reflection!

Will post the resolution of these other projects when they are completed, too.

UPDATE!  Well, the door panel is repaired, but now my driver's side door handle doesn't work (the interior one) and the lock won't work. It's electrical and I think it's draining the battery!

Stay tuned as the drama continues!

* * *

Videos and websites I found helpful:

How To Install Replace Door Panel Chevy S-10 Blazer 4 Door 95-05
https://youtu.be/fS8_IxMcUpQ
   This was most helpful....

Fix/Repair Peeling,Flaking or Burnt Clear Coat For $15
https://youtu.be/qxgD9N-Q58Y
   This is what saved me lots of time by suggesting clear coat removal by scraping with a razor blade.

The $50 Paint Job
http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html
    Thought this was fascinating -- roller painting a car?!? -- but I don't know whether I could find Rustoleum that would match my vehicle's paint. Spray paints in rattle cans at auto parts stores will be a likelier match.

Yay! Tub Surround Delivered!

Work starts on the bathroom soon!

When I Say MCM....

...I mean a lot of different things. Architectural styles -- Wright's Usonian and Prairie styles, Pierre Koenig's flat-roofed, glass walled Case Study beauties, with minimal ornamentation, furnishings, and motifs from the period following World War II, dubbed, among other things, the atomic age or the space age (from atom bomb testing and the space race between the USA and the USSR). It means the popular music of the 50s and 60s -- from Your Hit Parade to Jimi Hendrix; Sassoon hair cuts and Mary Quant fashions, and Mustangs, Camaros and Volkswagen Beetles.

But much of the time, MCM, as it refers to houses and decor, means things I remember growing up -- some from my parents' houses, some from my friends'...

Recently, some images were posted in one of my MCM online groups that I found especially attractive and evocative. That happens pretty often on my groups, but these images were particularly striking. I messaged the posters, Mr. Brown and Mr. Wagner, and asked permission to bring the photos here. (Many thanks, gentlemen.)

The first two are two views of the same room, a living room, and it is such a sweet room, who could resist it? Yes, there are bigger, more breathtaking MCM spaces with soaring ceilings and walls of glass -- but this one especially speaks to me.  I don't know what the rest of the house looks like, or the exterior, but it might be what's come to be known as "mid-century modest" --  smaller, sometimes tract homes, as opposed to big houses with big name architects and big name builders...  But still, so evocative of the era.

B.Brown

Part of it is without doubt the colors -- the warmth of the orange sectional and green and brown walls.  Of course, with the Internet, you don't know whether the colors are being rendered accurately or not. Nevertheless, in this image, they are the colors that inspire me, and that I want to duplicate in my house. I can't recreate this room, but that's not necessary, anyway. I want to recreate the atmosphere, the slashes of light, the lack of clutter...

Here's another view:

B.Brown

The lack of clutter and the warmth continues, and the atmosphere of the post WWII era is captured in the console TV, the pinch-pleated drapes topped with a wood cornice, and a tension pole holding LP jackets. Just a great room all around.

And then we come to a kitchen that I could well have visited numerous times as a teen in Alabama, at least, as far as color is concerned. I'm not sure when this house was built; the architect was an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, which no doubt explains the quality that evokes a yearning in the viewer. The whole house has this appeal.

The computer screen  has rendered the primary colors (counter and walls) as orange and pale green. In fact, the home's owner says the counter tops are Chinese red. Those colors combined with the rich brown of the wood cabinets makes this kitchen a place where you want to stay and visit.

And although there are lots of things visible -- books, canisters, spices, and more, the clutterless feeling comes across unmistakably. I've seen pictures of kitchens with far fewer items on display that looked far more cluttered.

HGTV kitchens with their granite countertops and subway tile back-splashes look coarse and cumbersome by comparison to this room that somehow manages to be both sweet and sophisticated.

K. Wagner

It is absolutely certain I could not duplicate this kitchen, or anything close to it, in my house. But, like the living room above, this space serves as both instruction and inspiration. Although phase one of my kitchen (below) won't look anything like this, eventually, I hope to have orange laminate counter top and back splash -- already have a sample of orange Wilsonart laminate from Lowe's to keep me focused!

The kitchen, Phase One: 

My photo editing skills and my vintage 1999 photo editor leave  a lot to be desired, but this image gives an idea of the minimal amount of "fix-up"-- refinishing the cabinets, painting the walls, refurbishing the tile and installing new flooring. A nice little blank canvas to bring my non-clutter to, I hope. But if the book marketing techniques I'm learning pay off, and the author-services jobs keep rolling in, maybe it won't be too long before the kitchen above becomes this kitchen...

...complete with black appliances and and chrome accessories...

(Lowe's, Etsy)

My amateur photoshoppin' of the living room maybe -- maybe -- shows just a hint of the inspiration and vision that so attracted me to Mr. Brown's living room, but of course lacks the warm of reality, of the play of shadow and light, the subtle color variations... Maybe, when I make it to the Living Room phase of my home's OFMCM makeover, I can make photos what will better capture what I'm after.

 

Meanwhile, all this MCM-ing is making me nostalgic! I believe I'll bring some '50s and '60s music over from YouTube.... Y'all enjoy!

We're On Our Way

ebay

Well, the tub surround has been ordered and will arrive within the next seven days. When it does, I'm off to local hardware stores and lumber yards for furring strips (we may not need more than three), backer board (four pieces), adhesives and fasteners. Also, framing and casing for the window. We've almost decided to use vinyl lumber and molding for the window. It costs a little more, but it's invulnerable to water damage. It comes in stark white, and the baseboards and door facings in the bathroom are cream colored, but the vinyl can be painted.

The way I'm planning to do the bathroom doesn't look very MCM.

This is what a bathroom in a small, suburban ranch house in the early 60s looked like: Lots of ceramic tile, colors we now call "retro" (pink, turquoise, sea-green, along with neutrals like gray and black); sometimes with Formica countertops. 

The Real Awakening Blog

It's probably been a long time since our little bathrooms looked like they did when the house was built in 1957. The only thing "retro" is the Pepto-Bismol pink walls in the  hall bath, revealed when the 1990s floral-striped wallpaper started peeling off....

Lowe's

In any case, my plans for the space include a the new tub surround discussed in the previous blog entry, and vintage-style sliding glass shower doors.  Walls will be painted light brown -- a somewhat desaturated cafe au lait... Vinyl floor tiles with a faux stone look in browns with touches of green...

Here are a couple of before and projected-after images.



You can't tell in these images, but the faux marble vanity is a cream color with (thankfully) not much marbeling. When the tub is refinished, the vanity will be refinished as well -- both in glossy white. The vanity cabinet will be painted a semi-gloss dark brown, and get new hardware.

ebay

The wire shelves above the toilet that my husband took upon himself to install (for towels and other storage) will disappear. Since there's so little MCM in the room, I'll be looking to accessorize with vintage items, and one will be a shelf above the toilet like this (though I would prefer atomic starbursts instead of the scrolls....)

And I still love the idea of using a vintage telephone stand, like the one pictured at the beginning of this entry, to hold a plant on the top and for storing rolls of tissue below.

Ace Hdwe

I love the look of the "Futura" bath hardware set by Franklin Brass. It is aptly named  We would need a towel bar, towel ring, recessed tissue holder. We also plan install a grab rail on the end wall of the tub enclosure (opposite the faucet).

ebaty

I'll be on the lookout locally for a vintage metal mesh trash can -- these are sometimes way overpriced on e-bay and they can arrive damaged. E-bay has a refund policy for damaged merchandise, but its best to avoid that, if possible. And if the items purchased locally are a bit worn or rusty, no matter. A little sanding and some spray paint will do the trick. Metallic spray paints look so much better than they did just a few years ago.

Lastly, I'll be looking to gradually supplement our white bath linens with beige, sage and olive...  It may not be fanciest decorating job, but it will certainly be an improvement over the worn, damaged bathroom we have now.

Here's Hoping...

...that in the next few weeks, we'll get started on one of the two of the major projects facing us with our house -- replacing the tub surround in the hallway bathroom. Like many houses from the mid-20th century, this one has a window above the bathtub, and in the almost 60 years since the house was built, the wood frame and sill have sustained extensive water damage. Even worse, the is water damage behind the tub wall.

Best we can tell, ceramic tile was applied directly to the plaster walls in the tub area, and leaks behind the wall have led to some rotted furring strips on the outside wall. Fortunately, the studs on the inner walls don't seem to be damaged, but we won't know for sure until we remove the tile.

It seems unlikely that we can find the milled woodwork in the same pattern to replace the window facing, but very similar patterns are available at surprisingly reasonable cost at the big box home improvement stores. (I always thought millwork was very expensive; glad I did some price shopping!) Furring strips are quite cheap, and we won't need many. We will tear out the ceramic tile and the walls behind it, and replace them with backer board and a five-piece tub surround (three major pieces plus corners). These are available in various plastics for various prices (from fifty bucks to over a thousand). And apparently, a cut-out for the window is easy to do. (Just measure twice before cutting!)

The finish is gone on the tub, and we'll do a DIY refinish job with a Rustoleum or similar kit. Apparently, these DIY kits available today are a vast improvement over those from just a few years ago. Success depends greatly on how well the surface is prepared -- i.e., cleaned and sanded. Really, really sanded. We will see how will my little palm sander works for this job.

Once the tub wall and surround, window facings and tub surface are complete, we will install a sliding glass shower door salvaged from my late parents' retirement cottage. Aluminum framed with frosted glass, it is very much in keeping with the age and style of our house.

The last major bathroom change will be the vanity. The faux marble sink and homebuilt cabinet supporting it will be replaced. With what is uncertain right now. We didn't use the cabinet, so I'm considering an ordinary wall-hung white lavatory of vitreous china, possibly a pedestal model, if one can be found compatible with the style of the house, and for a reasonable cost. That should give the bathroom a larger and more open feel. The three-door medicine chest (husband's purchase; I hate it) will be replaced with one that mimics a mid-century model. (1950s "Satin Glide" model on the left, current model on the right; several manufacturers make similar items.)

Replacing the sheet vinyl floor with vinyl tiles will be a relatively easy job. I want a beige-green marble look. It will have to be carefully sealed to prevent water seeping into the seams.

The tacky floral striped wallpaper will come down off the walls, any holes or cracks will be spackled, and the walls painted cafe au lait.

Futura-syle linen hardware (two towel bars and a towel ring along with a toilet paper holder) will fit right in with the simplicity of the decor. And the piece de resistance, if I can find it, will be two original 1960s paint by numbers paintings (or prints made from them): the flamingos and snowy egrets set. Talk about Old Florida meets Mid-Century modern!

Love how this lady used a repurposed metal mesh telephone table for towel storage, though I think rolls of tissue might fit better.  Pink bathroom at Retro Renovation  Also like the little tray on the toilet lid holding soaps. So naturally I'm on the lookout for some vintage metal mesh accessories for the bath. Like so many other things from back then, they are small -- perfect for small rooms. (I also love the gold atomic stars she stenciled on the wall, and I'm keeping that idea in the back of my mind...for something. Who knows what!)

There's a lot of work to be done, but nothing particularly difficult, even for an ol' broad with bad knees...

And after that! On to the kitchen! I have finally come up with a color plan for the kitchen that is MCM out the ying-yang -- avocado and orange! It was inspired by photos posted on one of my MCM groups by members showcasing their authentic 1950s houses (one designed by a student of FLW). But I remember visiting in homes back in the 50s and 60s with orange Formica countertops and walls of olive or avocado...

Can't wait!

That's it for now. Will post occasional reports as the work progresses.