Sep 29, 2008

Tale of Two Woes

On Saturday, I thought I’d take advantage of the nice weather by doing some winter weather proofing... namely, putting weather stripping around the front door so that I couldn’t see daylight through the ¼” gap on the one side. Keep in mind, I’ve *never* bought weather stripping nor have I installed it. How hard can it be, right? Just peel and stick. Yeah, right.

After a trip to Menards, I arrived home with ½ x ½ “ foam weather stripping. I pressed it in place along the top and side. Door won’t close! Well crap shoot. No amount of shoving, pressing, or cussing helped to get the door closed.

So I IM a friend who tells me I could trim the stuff to size. Uh no… I wasn’t about to start trimming a $3 piece of foam stripping with a utility knife in *hopes* that I’d get it to the right size. So then he says they make smaller sizes. Off to Menards I go again.

Why is it I can never go to Menards and just get what it is I went for? I came home with another brand and size of weather stripping, two door sweeps, saw horses, and pepperoni sticks. I was hungry, ok? LOL

I removed the other weather stripping (which was a much better brand) and pressed the cheap crap stuff in place. Yes, it’s narrower and softer. No, the door STILL does not close! Well, what the heck?!

Did I mention that while trying to get the door closed, I broke the lower bracket of the cellular blind that hangs on the door? No? Yes, I did. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but it was after I broke it that I realized the cord of the blind was also broken which means I can’t raise or lower the blind properly and it hangs there lopsided!

By this time I was pretty frustrated. Just imagine the scene in Sweet Home Alabama where Jake (Josh Lewis) tries to close the blind on his front door and it won’t cooperate. He eventually has a little “fight” with it and ends up mangling it and pulling it off the door, throwing it to the floor. That’s what I felt like doing.

What to do, what to do? I decided to take the latch plate off and move it about 1/8” so I could get the door latched. This involved chiseling out the door jam and filling the holes where the old screws were. Now, it’d probably have worked a bit easier if I a wood chisel. Such was not the case... instead I used a hammer and a metal paint scraper. Ingenuity at it’s worst. But hey, it worked.

Since I had to let the wood filler dry, I thought I’d put the door sweep in place. First measure. Draw the lines. Go out to the garage and get the hack saw. Oh yeah… they make it look so EASY on TV. The metal strip on the sweep is very flimsy when it comes to using a hack saw on it. I ended up bending the strip slightly. Frustrated that it wasn’t sawing like it should, I ended up using my pruning shears (Please do not try this at home!) to cut it the rest of the way. In my eyes, it looked crappy (Think I’m a perfectionist?), but at that point I really didn’t care. I went back into the house and placed it against the door.

In disbelief, I gazed at a sweep that was ½” short! A little guy in my mind is dancing around laughing at me and reciting “Measure twice, cut once! Measure twice, cut once!” A debate starts: Do I put it on anyway, or do I trash it and start over? After all, if I trashed it I’d have spent about $10 that I might as well thrown out the window. What a learning experience!

Do you think I need new doors? Yes! Until I can get them replaced, this will have to do. By Sunday, I finally got the door closed all the way and latched. I still haven’t decided what to do about the door sweep. I’ll probably put it on anyway, rather than go buy another one and start over.

*sigh* I should’ve just re-arranged my bedroom like I really wanted to do.

19 comments:

GoldenAngelsWorks said...

OH Meari... I can just see this whole thing happening in my head...

We all have days like that... some more than others.

Kristin said...

I've had moments like that when doing house repairs. {{{Hugs}}}

Nancy M said...

Entertaining story Meari! Oh sorry, I guess it wasn't told for our amusement. Hope your next project has a better ending or you may not be the *do it yourselfer* anymore!

Vicki said...

Oh my...sounds like some of the adventures I've had when trying to do home improvement projects. Glad you were finally able to get your door closed...that's pretty important. ;)

CJ in OK ;-) said...

OK I knew there was a reason I rent. I am trying not to laugh but the way you write it I can just see you. So sorry you are having so many struggles. CJ(ok;-)

Gabi said...

Gosh, that could have been me. Hopefully your next project is more successful. {hugs}

Sharon said...

That was not a good day! But I know you will fix it!

Lisa said...

What a sitiuation, Meari! See? the next time you have to do this, you'll remember what to do and what *not* to do, lol. I love that you are so self-sufficient. :-)

Lou's addictions said...

lol... you sound just like i do when i try DIY, i really shoulld learn to leave it to my husband lol... BTW my 2 year old loves the songs on your blog.

Terry said...

What a day! Glad you still had your sense of humor at the end of the day. I give you tons of credit; I wouldn't have even attempted it so you deserve a medal for giving it a try!

Anonymous said...

I guess the crop-a-dile wouldn't have helped? *Shucks* I thought that was THE wonder tool of the year!
;)
Petra

Annie said...

Oh dear, I can just see you fighting that darn door! At least you got it shut eventually. Thank goodness the weather was nice for you!

Carolyn NC said...

Ouch! Sorry it took so long and didn't quite turn out as expected. Been there, done that, too - no fun.

Ruth said...

lol Sorry, isn't it sad that in that one crucial moment "rearranging the bedroom" seemed like such a better alternative?

You know this means that your next "repair day" will go really smoothly--- you're owed afterall.

:)

Gillie said...

Loved the story! I'm so sorry, but congratulations on sticking it out!
gillie

Rachel S-H said...

I would have been the same way, seriously.

Debbie Jo said...

Just love those "easy to do in a few hour" projects. Yeah! Great getting the door to close and using the door sweep anyway. I love reading your blog!

craftypatty2 said...

Ohhh Meari I am so sorry to hear about your bad experience with the weather stripping.... I hope it keeps old man winter at bay!
HUGS
Patty Smith

Susie Q said...

Boy can I feel your pain! Just make a really thick draft dodger to go under the door for a while ;)