Monday, March 3, 2008

Stalled

What I'm supposed to be doing today:



Why I'm not:


Ugly, isn't it? I'm hoping that's just a little mildew, and not some sort of toxic mold that's going to cause my kids to grow third eyeballs and require a home equity loan to repair. I have put in calls to the various drywallers I rely on in situations like these, and now I'm sitting by the phone in the pathetically optimistic hope that one of them might actually call me back today. Is it just a local thing, or is it virtually impossible to get a drywaller everywhere?

If I can't get someone out by tomorrow, I'll be trying my hand at the repair myself. And why? Because I can't live with this anymore:


Do you see the 30-year-old sheet vinyl floor? That is the last vestige of the 1970s in my house. This is the kids' bathroom, and when we looked at this house nine years ago, I immediately decided this would be the first thing I replaced. (I was kinda wrong about that.)

Here's a close-up:

Trust me: it's even uglier in person. It is at least clean, though. I spent the morning ripping out the baseboards and scrubbing everything in reach with bleach solution. Do you have any idea what collects under the baseboards in a boys' bathroom? Neither do I, but it's disgusting.

I finally reached my limit with this floor before the holidays, when I tripped over the curling edge of the vinyl while washing my son's hair and nearly landed in the shower with him. I saved myself by grabbing the shower curtain, which yanked the curtain rod down, and the curtain rod whacked me on the head while the wet, mildewy shower curtain wrapped itself lovingly around my face.

I fully intended to tile the bloody thing three months ago--right before I was inundated by uninvited relatives who took over my house for two months and left me on the verge of screaming hysterically at them to just get the hell out of my house already! I didn't, however. The last of them finally left in February, we're back from our ski week, the kids are in school, and now I can finally get to work--or so I thought. See "drywaller" above.

So, since I'm stuck by the phone and cannot work on the bathroom, I need another project. Hmmm...what could I possibly do?

11 comments:

...Sarah said...

We had mold in our closet. I used bleach and water to clean it up. I will keep my fingers crossed for you that it is just on the outside of the wall.

Anonymous said...

Oh yuck! We have the same floor in our bathroom, I hate it too. I'm very fearful that there are all sorts living underneath it.

knottykitty said...

Ick. That will teach you to be so ambitious and energetic! Hope it's just the moisture icks and nothing more. Now go find some nice, dry, soft yarn to play with!

sophanne said...

I've got nothing except sympathy. With a lull in the construction market, maybe you'll find help sooner rather than later.

Melissa Morgan-Oakes said...

Sheet rock is wicked easy to hang. I'll fly right out and show you!

The A.D.D. Knitter said...

Yup--Drywallers are in demand here, too! We have some hideous water stains that my mother always points out in a very 'subtle' way when she's visiting...

Sharon said...

Hm, what can you do indeed...this evil enabler has just sent you a package...(tee hee)

Seriously, though, I hope you can get someone to come out and help you deal with the ick.

Anonymous said...

Actually, I thought the vinyl floor looked pretty good in the close-up. The room shot with the missing baseboards and the mildew, not so much. And if it had tripped me and done all that stuff it did to you I probably would have burned down. So you can congratulate yourself on having the patience of a saint. Good luck with the drywaller.

Crosswords are a good time-killer ;-)

Anonymous said...

Darn, wish I could come help. It's a major pain having to do it yourself, but helping someone else makes it a lot more fun. Maybe a nice mocha and some knitting while you wait?

Tammy said...

I just found a similar spot behind the toilet in the boys bathroom. No surprise... they miss the trash can and laundry basket too. UGH!

DH says he's gonna fix it... He gets a week then I'm calling a pro.

I don't sound irritated do I?

Khalila said...

I haven't even dared to take the moldings off of our boys' bathroom to redo it. It scares me just thinking about it. You should probably just spin or something. I'm guessing the uninvited family doesn't know about your blog? :)