![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-03-15-10.53.38s.jpg?resize=584%2C355\")
Ready for the patch<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-03-15-10.58.45s.jpg?resize=584%2C308\")
Patch in place<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-03-26-13.13.26s.jpg?resize=584%2C438\")
Final product<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-03-15-11.14.27s.jpg?resize=584%2C378\")
The mess we start with<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-03-15-14.24.48s.jpg?resize=584%2C354\")
Patches in place<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-03-26-13.14.35s.jpg?resize=584%2C360\")
Final product<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-03-26-22.13.08s.jpg?resize=584%2C359\")
Kitchen floor<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a> <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nMichael’s bathroom was a much bigger job. Undamaged, the ceiling is a complicated shape. Not terribly complicated, but not a rectangle. And the damage was irregularly shaped, too. I spent a few minutes deciding how to use my material with the minimum waste and most efficient cuts. Measure twice, cut once how many times?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, I think I did a pretty decent job of putting that puzzle together. It certainly would have been easier with bigger sheets. Given the number of seams I ended up with, I was happy that none had the same issue as my first patch: all my seams were nice and flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I sanded all the finished sides of the seams, taped all the seams, hit the few screws that weren’t on the seams with a bit of joint compound. The patch in my bathroom is not good. I slapped quite a bit of joint compound where it wasn’t flat. It’s not pretty. In retrospect, I should have made the patch bigger. I could have made it two inches taller without causing any more scrap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The last task, the one that I was most skeptical of my ability to do, was adding the texture. I got a sponge pretty wet and buttered it with a thin layer of joint compound. I dabbed the sponge against the wall and applied more compound as required. It doesn’t quite match the original, but it’s not bad. I got a bit better by the time I was done. I also had run out of compound, so I couldn’t improve some of my earlier efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A week or so later, I painted. I used a little 4″ roller and a brush. I thought the 12″ roller would be overkill. The paint isn’t an exact match. It’s the “pure white” semi-gloss from Glidden. The day after I painted, I found an old paint can. It turns out I used Behr before so that accounts for the slight difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, I’m not unhappy with the outcome. That’s because I have low standards. The patch in my bathroom looks bad. If it annoys me too much, I suppose I could cut it out and redo it. I don’t think I can make it any worse. On the other hand, this was my first time working with drywall and I learned some things. The next time I find myself needing to do this, I’ll do a better job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have one item on the punch list. Before this all started, the valve to the outside hose bib was accessed through a round hole covered by a disk-shaped plate. I want to make the hole a bit bigger and put a better access cover on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, the leak did have one more effect. The reader will recall that the leak was behind the range. Perhaps the same day Ralph identified the problem, I noticed that the hardwood flooring in the kitchen is damaged. I have no idea how long it was leaking before we saw water downstairs. I suspect it could have been several days. In that time, water has wicked up the grain as far as about three and a half feet from the wall. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"