We are using the early summer to try to get loose ends tied up on the first floor and get more rooms into the "100 percent complete" column. This weekend we started work on the pantry and hall closet.
It seems like there should be only a small amount of work needed to finish these spaces. However, as anyone who has looked past winter coats and hangers can attest, closets are often neglected areas of a house since they are not visible on a daily basis. Our pantry was in dire need of refreshing due to staining on the walls, tired shelves, and holes I made in removing baseboard trim.
It started with emptying the pantry and hall closet. All of the progress we had made in the living room and dining room was immediately undone as we had to put the contents of the closets somewhere. Oddly, we did not have a scrub brush in the house to wash the walls, but I was able to dust out the cobwebs and get a coat of paint on the ceiling of the closet and pantry. I also patched the holes in the drywall from baseboard removal.
The pantry posed an additional challenge. The door was previously a bi-fold door that we did not care for. I suggested a sliding barn-style door, but Maggie wanted a regular door so she could hang things from the inside of the door. Fortunately, the door opening was a standard size and I was able to find a three-panel Alder door at Menard's that closely matched the Hickory kitchen cabinets. Unfortunately, I needed to cut mortises into the door jamb for hinges. I took very careful measurements, including measuring for the bottom hinge four times as I could not quite get the layout correct. The layout time was well-spent, as my chisel work went smoothly and the new door fit on the first try. The door was slightly wider than the opening, so I rented a power planer from the local hardware store. Three passes and the door swung shut. I probably should have only taken two passes, but I was worried that the door would swell over time and bind. The lesson here is to take one pass at a time, re-hang the door, and see how things look. On the bright side, I was able to buy a scrub brush when I returned the planer.
I now have several weekends of priming, painting, shelf building, and baseboards to look forward to. Nobody will ever see the back of the closet or pantry, but I will know they have a new coat of paint and give us a clean slate.
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