We’re just finishing up a project to install picture frame molding below the existing chair rail in our dining room.  Thought I’d post what we did to install it in case it’s useful to someone else.

Step 1

Decide on the spacing to use for the picture frame molding so that it’s fairly consistent & symmetrical around the room.  Don’t worry too much about the placement of outlets, etc. in relation to where the molding will go.

For our dining room, since the chair rail is so low, we decided to use the following spacing for long, skinny rectangles on the wall:

• 2″ from the bottom of the chair rail to the top of the picture frame molding
• 2″ from the bottom of the picture frame molding to the top of the base board
• 4″ between vertical pieces of picture frame molding and corners, door casing, etc.

For help visualizing what would look right, use painters tape where the molding will be.  (Just remember to remove it relatively soon to avoid damage to the wall!)

Painters Tape to Visualize Spacing

Step 2

Use a compass to draw guide lines on the wall where the molding will go.  These lines should be parallel to any existing trim, etc. in the room.

Draw Guidelines for Molding

Step 3

Using the guide lines drawn on the wall, individually measure the exact length needed for each piece of trim.

We found that it’s not uncommon for each side of the frame to be a slightly different length, most probably because the house is old and not everything is exactly square.  We decided it was more important that the frames look level and square on the wall next to the existing trim rather than that they actually are level and square, so we used the exact measurements taken from the wall for each piece rather than assuming anything.

Step 4

For each piece measured, cut the ends of the molding at a 45 degree angle.  For this, we used a compound miter saw.  Even though our frames weren’t completely square in some cases, we only had one where we had to modify the angle from 45 degrees.

In the case where an outlet was positioned in the path of the picture frame molding, we cut it at a 45 degree angle and left a gap of about 3/4″ between the edge of the molding and the outlet covers.

Molding Around Outlets

Step 5

Starting with the top side of the frame, attach the molding to the wall with construction adhesive and a nail gun so that it’s aligned with the guide lines.  After the top side is attached, install the two vertical pieces of molding, followed by the bottom piece.  For each piece, we found it really helpful to test fit first to make sure the length and corner miters aligned correctly.

Our walls are plaster and we were concerned at first about using a nail gun for fear that it might cause the plaster to shatter.  We tested in a closet and didn’t have any problems, so we decided to use it for attaching the molding.  It worked great, with no damage to the wall, but we found that the construction adhesive was still needed to help the molding stay attached to the wall in the places where the wall was a little wavy.

Attaching the Molding

Step 6

With all of the molding attached to the wall, fill the nail holes, sand the edges off of the molding, and apply caulk around the edges of each frame to fill in any gaps between the molding and the wall.  We also used a really small amount of caulk to help fill in and smooth out the corners of the frames.

Step 7

Prime and paint the walls & new molding.

Since our walls were plaster, we needed to prime the walls with a concrete primer and the molding with a wood primer.  If we do this project again, we’d probably choose to prime the walls and molding before installing the molding to avoid all of the cutting in that was needed for the 2 different types of primers.

We chose to paint our picture frame molding and the wall behind it a semi-gloss enamel in the same color as the rest of the trim in our house.  For the outlet covers, we bought some unfinished wood ones that are being primed and painted the same color as the molding so they’ll blend in nicely.

Painting the Picture Frame Molding

We recently decided it was time to install a new dishwasher in our kitchen. This is the second one we’ve put in (we replaced the one on our old house too) and the process was pretty similar in both cases.

Here’s a copy of the installation instructions for the Bosch SHX43M0xUC dishwasher we just installed. We wound up making a few modifications to the process because of the location of our electrical and water supply lines. Here are the steps we followed in case anyone else finds them useful:

Removing the Old Dishwasher

Remove the kick plate panel by first removing the screws connecting it to the dishwasher.

Removing the kick plate

Flip the breaker for the dishwasher and verify that there is no power going to it. This took several tries for us … we had two breakers labeled “Dishwasher” and neither of them actually powered the dishwasher.

Locating the breaker for the dishwasher

Disconnect the electrical from the dishwasher by removing the junction box cover, removing the wire nuts connecting the hot and neutral wires to the dishwasher, and disconnecting the ground. Then loosen and remove the strain relief connecting the electrical wire to the strain relief plate and feed the wire through the strain relief plate to completely disconnect it from the dishwasher.

Unhooking the electrical connection

Locate the shut-off valve for the supply line and turn off the water supply.

The shut-off valve for the hot water supply

Disconnect the supply line from the dishwasher. In our case, we had trouble loosening this connection from the old dishwasher, so we chose to disconnect the supply line from the copper pipe in the basement and feed it up through the floor in order to remove the dishwasher. We were then able to remove the braided supply line from the dishwasher after it was pulled out from between the cabinets.

Detaching the supply line

Disconnect the drain hose. It’s a good idea to have a bucket handy for this part to catch any water still in the drain hose.

Detatching the drain connection

Remove the screws from the brackets attaching the dishwasher to the counter top.

Remove the Screws Connecting the Dishwasher to the Counter

Adjust the leveling feet and slide the dishwasher out from the opening in the cabinets, being careful not to scratch the floor. We found it useful to use the cardboard from the new dishwasher for sliding the old (and new) dishwashers in to and out from between the cabinets.

Removing the Dishwasher

Installing the New Dishwasher

Unpack the new dishwasher and remove the kick plate panel. It was so cold when ours arrived that the inside was covered in frost.

Unpacking the new dishwasher

Adjust the front leveling feet to the approximate height needed for the installation and connect the drain tube to the back of the dishwasher.

Adjusting the leveling feet

Test fit the dishwasher in the opening to verify that the electrical and water supply line connections can be made. When sliding the dishwasher into place, feed the drain tube into the cabinet under the sink, leaving any extra tubing coiled behind the dishwasher. If necessary, mark the location of new holes to be drilled for running the water and electrical lines to the dishwasher. Slide the dishwasher out and drill the new holes. Then put the dishwasher back in place.

Relocating the electrical and water supply lines in the basement

Make the electrical connection by connecting the strain relief to the strain relief plate, feeding the electrical wire through it, and clamping it tight so that the electrical wire is held in place. Then, connect the hot, neutral, and ground wires to the dishwasher and replace the junction box cover.

Making the Electrical Connection

Connect the hot water supply line by attaching a 90-degree elbow joint to the dishwasher using thread seal tape and then connecting the braided supply line to the elbow joint.

Connecting the Hot Water Supply Line

Connect the drain tube to the drain under the kitchen sink. Our set-up is a little different than the typical arrangement where the dishwasher drains through the garbage disposal or kitchen sink drain, but the idea is the same.

Connecting the Drain

Finish leveling the dishwasher and attach it to the counter. Our dishwasher had a screw in front for adjusting the back leveling leg which made the process of leveling it much easier.

Attaching to the Counter Top

Restore power and water to the dishwasher and check for leaks by starting a cycle and then canceling it so that the dishwasher fills and then drains.
Install the kick plate by screwing it in place.

The Newly-Installed Dishwasher

We took advantage of the warmer weather last weekend and decided to open our swimming pool for the season. This was our first experience with doing any real swimming pool maintenance since we moved in last fall and we debated about hiring a local pool company to open it for us, but, once we figured out that all they would really do was pull the winter plugs, replace the skimmer baskets, and prime the pump, we started reading about our equipment and decided to try opening it ourselves.

As it turns out, there’s nothing complicated about opening a swimming pool, even if you’ve never done it before. So, I thought I’d post the steps we followed in case anyone else finds themselves in a similar position. We also found this How-To page (and others on the same site) to be a pretty good reference for opening a swimming pool and for pools in general.

Step 1
Remove the winter cover from the pool. If the winter cover is the tarp variety, this includes pumping off any water that’s accumulated on the cover over the winter. It’s best to start on this early since it can take some time. We also found that it’s helpful to start rolling the cover back as soon as the water level starts to go down. This helps to keep the water on top of the cover deep enough for the pump and makes it easier to start filling the pool before the cover is completely off.

Step 2
Remove the winter plugs and replace the skimmer basket and eyeball return jets. This will release the anti-freeze into the pool.

Step 3
Inspect the pool equipment and replace the plugs on the pump head and filter. At first, we didn’t know where the plugs would be, but it is apparently standard to store them in the basket inside the pump head for the winter.

Step 4
Start filling the pool to normal operating water level. Since this will take a while, it’s not a bad idea to start this before the winter cover is completely removed from the pool.

Step 5
When all of the water has been pumped off of the pool cover, remove it, hose it off, and store it for the summer. We’ve been told that this is the most important part of opening a pool because it’s difficult correct the problems caused when the yucky green water and algae on top of the cover get into the pool.

Step 6
Using a pool leaf rake, remove as much debris as possible from the surface of the water and the bottom of the pool.

Step 7
Scrub the sides of the pool with a curved brush and shock the pool water. At this point, don’t be worried too much if the water is cloudy.

Step 8
Prime the pump by filling the pump head with water from the pool and replacing the lid. Your filter may differ, but the owners manual for ours said to first backwash the filter by setting it to “Backwash” and then starting the pump and running it for 2-3 minutes. Then, stop the pump, change the filter setting to “Rinse”, start the pump back up and run it for another minute or two until the water runs clean. Then, stop the pump again, change the filter setting to “Filter”, and start the pump back up. Run the filter for the next 24 hours on the “filter” setting, repeating the backwash and rinse steps every time the PSI increases by 10.

When we first attempted to start our pump, it buzzed, but wouldn’t start up. Since the pump had sat outside all winter, we think something must have corroded causing the impeller to not be able to turn. We disconnected the pump from the pump head and turned the impeller by hand a few times, which freed it up and it’s worked fine since then.

Step 9
Shut the pump off to let everything settle over night. Then vacuum the sides and bottom of the pool and start the pump back up to continue filtering the water.

Step 10
Periodically, check the chemical levels using test strips and add the appropriate chemicals to balance the water. Don’t be alarmed if it takes a few days for the water to clear up. Our pump ran for about 3 days before we could see the drain on the bottom of our pool.

Between the last house we lived in and this house, we’ve had our share of wallpaper removal experiences and it’s become pretty obvious that no two wallpapers in no two rooms are the same. Our attempts to remove wallpaper in our bathroom at the old house took weeks experimenting with just about every wallpaper removal technique we could find and we still wound up spending most of our time scraping wallpaper fragments off of the dry wall with a razor blade and had some fairly significant damage to the wall board. Needless to say, it wasn’t a positive experience.

Last week, though, we had some great luck getting the wallpaper border off of our bedroom walls. Even though our success is probably due more to the prep work completed before the wallpaper was hung, we thought we’d share our method for removal in case it helps anyone else. As a reference, the border we were removing was strippable wallpaper that was hung on a painted plastered wall.

Supplies:

• Tiling sponge (the kind with a scrubbing surface on one side)
• Painters tool or putty knife
• Spray Bottle
• Vinegar
• Paper Towels
• Water

	Step 1: Remove the top (vinyl-like) layer of the wallpaper. This leaves behind a second tissue-paper-like layer on the wall.
	Step 2: Fill the spray bottle with a vinegar and water solution. I didn’t measure the mix that we used, but I would guess it was about 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Spray the tissue paper layer left on the wall with the vinegar and water solution. Make sure that it is wet enough to completely soak through the tissue paper in all places. Use the paper towels to wipe up whatever runs down the wall.
	Step 3: Give the vinegar & water solution a few minutes to soak into the paper on the wall. Then use the putty knife (or painters tool) to scrape it off the wall. If there are any stubborn sections, try spraying them again with the water & vinegar mixture to help loosen the glue.
	Step 4: With all of the tissue paper layer scraped off of the wall, spray it down one more time with the vinegar and water solution and scrub any remaining glue off using the large tiling sponge. We found that the kind with a coarser scrubbing side worked really well to remove any small remnants of paper or glue left on the wall after the scraping was complete.

When it was all said and done, we had a few spots where a little of the paint had come off with the wallpaper, but it was nothing major. With another coat or two of paint, you won’t even be able to tell there was ever a border there!