I hate construction work in my house

[FPAlpha]

So i decided to renovate my kitchen and that included painting the wallpaper in a different color and laying in a new linoleum floor.

Well.. painting some walls shouldn't be a big deal right? Apart from color selection it's easy right?

Well.. i have a rough wallpaper in the kitchen meaning you can't just slide a roller up and down and do your own Mr. Miyagi training like you would with an even, smooth wall. On top of that i couldn't dismantle my fitted kitchen just for painting so i had to contort and balance on the ladder like someone from Cirque du Soleil.

Well.. reward was an evenly painted kitchen (where i had to spend quite some time spotting the blank patches i missed and painting them with a brush) and my right hand, especially the palm hurts like a motherfucker.

So some time later, i.e. today, i am laying and cutting in the floor.
I am sweating like rarely before in my life,my back hurts and my knees hurt (even with the pillow i'm using to kneel on the floor) and it's going so slow.
Already made some minor cutting mistakes but the decorative strip on the floor i'm putting in at the end will thankfully cover it up.

This is me saving a buck and not calling a professional craftsman even though i would have the money easily after i had gotten my sizeable tax refund. I wanted to feel all manly and do it myself and i'm regretting it now.

So basically.. i hate working around the appartment and avoid it whenever i can.

Thanks for reading.. rant over (will make a longer break now and hopefully finish this damn floor today.. new furniture arrives on Wednesday).

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

If it was me, I wouldn't have painted over the wallpaper. Eventually wallpaper will start to peel off, it always does.

Otherwise, it can be pretty rewarding doing work like this yourself.

 

[FPAlpha]

Well this one was on the walls for 20+ years and has only peeled at some tiny places that are easily repaired with some glue.

So i just decided to repaint rather than strip the whole thing and start from scratch (including reparing the wall and smoothing it out at places).

Gave up.. my knees hurt like hell and there's only two places i need to cut in shape (most complicated one around two pipes).

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Do you have a roto-zip, or the German equivalent, for cutting those tiles?

 

[FPAlpha]

I didn't have any tiles to cut since i only did my kitchen floor and am laying down a simple linoleum/PVC floor, basically a large carpet.

All i needed was a sharp boxcutter and a straight, metal ruler but it still was hell. I hope my knees get well overnight since tomorrow evening i'll have to finish up some loose ends and glue down the decorative strips.

Still no fan and i've got 2 big lamps to install on the ceiling too where i need to drill new holes to fix them (but this has no time limit thankfully).

 

[auntiehill]

^Kudos to you, bud. My house needs serious work but I haven' the funds, the skill or frankly, the nerve to attempt any of it. I would love to put new linoleum down in our two upstairs bathrooms or fix the electrical problem in the mater bath, but I haven't any DIY skills or money to pull it off.

 

[FPAlpha]

Yeah well.. DIY is something no one should fear.

For example i've never laid down linoleum/PVC before but actually it's not that complicated. I googled a bit so i wouldn't get some nasty, secret surprise and it turns out there were none.

All it took was some preplanning so i don't make the wrong cuts and then off you go.. turned out pretty good, made some minor mistakes but thankfully the floor strip will cover most of it and the others are not that noticeable.

However i stay away from dangerous stuff like electrical wiring.. attaching a lamp is easy but installing new wiring and such would either get me killed or burn down the house

So it's basically just grab the stuff and go at it.. no one was a master on his first attempt. You just need to find a spot you can work on where the mistakes are not that noticeable.

When i moved into my current place i nearly had to remodel from the ground up, i.e. living room, bedroom and corridor (basically everything but the floor). It was hard work and you can see the mistakes if you take a closer look but you can also see the area where i have learned and gotten experience and they do look better.

However i still had to pay the price today.. went to bed all fine, stood up fine in the morning but shortly after in the office i really felt my back and legs.. muscle soreness like hell!
Wanted to continue this evening but i guess i'll skip it.. i can hardly bend down much less work on my knees.

 

[Namikaze]

FPAlpha,

For what it is worth at this point in your work, any nearby retailer with a hardware section should carry protective cushioned kneepads to prevent the kind pf pain you're experiencing during this project. They retail for $10-$15. I implore you to invest.

Namikaze

 

[FPAlpha]

Yeah well.. the knee pain was temporary. I have used some pillows to kneel on so the worst was kept away (not like my father who years ago laid in a new floor in the bedroom and living room without such pads or anything else and nearly did permanent damage to his knees).

The only thing that was painful was the heavy muscle soreness in my back and legs. I was planning on doing some work in the evening after i was finished in the office but no chance.. i could hardly bend down much less work on my knees.

 

[Jiangnan Freak]

I am not doing it personally right now but the noise is killing me.

 

[NCC-1701-B]

I redecorated my bedroom, hanging patterned wallpaper in a house where not a single wall is straight - on any plane - is a nightmare.