Saturday, June 21, 2014

This was another day spent on the fireplace wall.  After he got the mud dry and sanded we went to Home Depot and got a texture spray.  We came home and Jer sprayed the texture on the new wallboard above the fireplace opening and below the hearth where he had replaced the old fake brick with wallboard and mudded and sanded it.  So now the wall was textured. 

Then Jer had to cut a little chunk out of the right window sill so the mantel would sit flush with the wall.  Then he cut some 2x2s to fasten around the fireplace opening to hold the mantel on.

 He secured them to the wall with screws and then we lifted the mantel up and set it over the 2x2s and Jer secured the mantel to the 2x2s on the wall!!  What a victory!  That was a major achievement to me.  We have had that mantel for months and months and now it FINALLY is in place!  After all the measuring and sawing and working out little details it finally is there, surrounding the fireplace.  It's a wonderful miracle.  I look at it and marvel.  

When the mantel was secured completely Jer applied caulking in all the joints so that the mantel would be one with the wall with no spaces or cracks. 

And here it is all finished, secure and ready to paint.  

Not only was this a physical work but just as much a tough mental exercise, working out all the details of how to correct so many little problems.  I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have it done and so beautiful.  And then the man took a well deserved rest and read a little.