File this under "it happens every time"

Nothing is ever easy with an old house.  Simple home projects always require at LEAST three trips to the hardware store.  We've replaced nearly all the light fixtures in the house and every single one of them posed a unique challenge because of our old, 90 year old ceiling junction boxes.  But, since we like challenges and have  always managed to figure out a work-around, I wasn't too worried about the overhead kitchen light.  We'd figure it out.

Saturday, we took down the ugly, old fluorescent light so we could prepare the ceiling for paint. This is what we found:

 

I know.  Yuck.  A quick trip to the hardware store to get some pre-mixed plaster and some sanding supplies.  Most of the spots were easy to patch and sand, but the area around the ancient junction box was just impossible.  We decided to go see if we could find a ceiling medallion big enough to cover that spot.

 

 

This is what we came home with.  Not my favorite, but it was the biggest they had and it would cover the spot. It's amazing how your standards change the closer you near the completion of a project.

 

We brought it home and made sure it would cover all the  bad plaster and fit around the box in the ceiling.  It fit perfectly.  The patching and prep work was finished, so I got out the ceiling paint and got started. 

 

A note about the ceiling paint.  I  have a brand that I really love.  One coat and done.  No roller marks.  No smell. However, when we were in the paint department picking out the shade (I never paint my ceilings white.  What fun is that?) an older gentleman recommended another brand.  It was on sale--$3 less than "my" paint.  He told me that he was a painting contractor and that was the best paint he'd ever used.  So, naturally, I saved $3 and brought home a can of the "best paint he'd ever used."

 

I am not exaggerating; it may have been the WORST paint I have ever used.   Smelly and drippy and didn't come CLOSE to covering with one coat.  You could see every roller mark.  Took two coats and some touching up.  Grrrr.

 

Finally, the paint was dry and it was time to install my lovely ceiling medallion and my Pottery Barn light fixture.  You guessed it.  Problems.  We got the whole thing hooked up and the last step was to stuff all the wires into the light, screw the fixture onto the base with three little black screws.  But the decorative medallion made screwing the tiny little screws impossible because the screwdriver was angled too steeply. 

 

We had to un-install the light and go out to a different hardware store to see if we could find a flatter ceiling medallion that would allow us enough clearance to finish installing the teeny tiny screws.

 

We came home with this:

 

 

Actually, I like it better.  It's simpler and fits my plain jane kitchen much better than the ornate one did anyway.

 

Back to the light.  Again, we got it all installed, everything was going smoothly until Tom put in the last tiny screw. All of a sudden, the whole light fixture started moving.  We couldn't figure out what was going on, so we had to take the entire thing down again.  Once we got the ceiling medallion down we saw that a big chunk of old plaster had dislodged.  Apparently, that was the only thing that was keeping the ceiling junction box in place because it was  threatening to fall right out of the ceiling.  Defeated at last.

 

The handy man is coming to take a look this afternoon. . .  

Comments

[Leslie]

I like the medallion and hope you guys get it all figured out today. I'm cleaning out all the dust and gunk around our hot water heater before the new one arrives. It is a rather neglected area.
our hot water heater "blew" right after I had sprinkled vinegar over baking soda on the Waldorf Astoria cake I was making for Tom's birthday. The cake was abandoned and sat fizzing on the counter while I ran off to the basement to help get the water turned off and sop up the rusty water before it ran into the piles of sorted laundry on the basement floor. Amazingly, when I finished stirring the cake together 45 minutes later and baked it, it came out OK. A little flat, but not as bad as one would suspect.

[Allyson]

Ahhh, the joy of owning an old house! I know EXACTLY how you feel, Kim! The real question is this: have you ever had MUSHROOMS growing out of your bathroom's tile floor?no, no mushrooms in the bathroom but plenty of spiders in the basement

[ellen b.]

Good Grief Charlie Brown! We have found so many interesting things redoing parts of our old house in Washington. Surprises around every corner. Hope all is well soon!It's always an adventure to see what's behind the paneling or how many layers of paint, etc.

[Kyle]

I recently replaced the ceiling light in our dining area. Even a decade-old junction box proved to be troublesome.Tom reminded me of that. We've had similar difficulties even in the new houses we've lived in. But problems in the old houses are usually more interesting at least!

[Jill]

Oh, Kim, what an ordeal...

[Pam]

Praise the Lord! and Halelujah!!! I am glad that we are not the only ones this happens to!!! WE have never done a project here that something went just right. ;-)) sorry about the paint, been told that one before too! But we just tell ourselves, "Look how nice it will be when it is done!" That's what we been saying alot these days with this new siding on the house job we are doing ourselves.... looking forward to the pictures of your new kitchen.Pam, I think you are just having too much fun at our expense! hehehe Spoken like one who really understands! I'll post pictures once it's all done.

[Susie]

Sounds like a real challenge. Glad you have a handyman to come to the rescue!
xo

[Rebecca]

Oh no! How discouraging!
I'm certain that it will be beautiful when you're done.

[Everyday Mommy]

Oh, Honey! What a story to tell. And, I love the 2nd medallion. It really seems like "you" :) Eager to see pictures!