Home Update

I should be studying...but...I decided to do some work to my place. I can't stand the nasty brass firebox cover on my fireplace. So, I have been planning to paint the mahogony wood white and spray painting the brass cover black. Today, I started by cleaning up the entire thing. Years and years of dust have accumlated in every nook and crany. Apparently, the former tennants were fond of candles on the mantle. After much scraping, goo gone, wiping and vaccuuming, I was ready to start painting....or so I thought. I discovered that much of the brass firebox cover still had the original protective plastic layer. I had to scrape it off in spots because it had been on so long, it had melted. Nice! Former tenants were also apparently fond of hanging stockings I assume from the mantle..in a different spot each year because there were nail holes all over the top. Someone had carved the initials "A A" in the top edge of the mantle. I had to spackle with wood filler and then sand. After cleaning all that up, I started the spray painting of the firebox. I used black high heat spray paint designed for bbq grills. It worked out great! The fine spray left a nice layer on the carpet. Grrr. Fortunately, that came right up. I have to say, it looks a million times better. Thank goodness it's a beautiful warm day out...I was able to leave the windows open all afternoon. I replaced the electrical outlets and covers in the dining room. Next up is painting the mantle wood white which won't happen until next week.