Preparing the Canvas - Part 1

Did you ever have one of those projects that required you to take 30 steps backwards before you can begin? Let me try to explain my current project and progress addressing it.

The reason I started this blog in the first place, was to describe how I intended to build a studio space in my home. Back in 2009 I purchased a smaller ranch house and needed to create a space in it where I could set up easels and such. I use one of the three bedrooms as a home office space but still needed an area where I could break out the oil paints and messy stuff. The basement seemed to provide the most logical solution.

However, the basement had several "issues" that needed to be addressed before I could feel really motivated to do creative work down there. First off, the two windows on the South side of the house appeared to have had some leaking problems over the years. Over time, the resulting moisture issues created the dreaded efflorescence problem on the painted walls. As I looked around, this was only one of the many problems that needed to be addressed before a studio set-up could even be considered.

The first step was to correct the leaky window problem. I decided to replace the old swing-open windows with more secure and efficient glass block windows. That meant tearing out the old windows as well as replacing the "too shallow" window wells outside.

Here are some before and after shots of the replacement process.

The old window....



And the new glass block window...




The old window well, which was too shallow and allowed rain to drain into the basement window...



The new window well, which is about 8 inches deeper than the originals....



Next up was how to fix the paint damage on the South wall. The leaking water and moisture had caused the paint to blister and turn nasty over time. I decided I was going to have to remove the damaged areas and repaint using masonry waterproofing paint. This in itself presents several more problems. If I grind or sand the wall, the basement and most of the house will be covered in dust! Do I use oil based waterproofer or latex based? If the oil based type is selected and used, how much odor will it give off?

Here is a couple photos of the moisture damage...





To prevent the inevitable dust storm, it was neccessary to build a plastic dust retaining wall so I could catch most of the mess that would be created by grinding and sanding. So, I framed up a section about 6 feet from the wall to be painted and masked it off with thin plastic sheeting. I also framed in a small door area for access....





Ok, after much grinding and sanding with a belt sander, the nasty stuff is gone. In the photo below, I am rinsing the acid etching liquid off the wall with water in preparation for the waterproofing paint. I made the decision to use Zinsser brand oil based water proofing paint. The instruction suggest using a brush for the first coat and rolling the second coat with a thick nap roller cover.

here is the mess....





Next up, I will reveal the newly painted wall...and the additional plans I have for it!