How I Spent My Summer Vacation
In this:
And before you get any ideas about bath bubbles and luxury and somebody to bring me cold drinks, (note to self:train dog re: drinks). There was none of that, for sure. But there was an adventure in that tub you see – as there’s apt to be when you combine me and um, ‘handy’.
But first let’s explore the ingredients:
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Bathroom tub that desperately needed to be re-caulked.
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Husband at home whom, in theory only – thinks he can tackle this task.
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Knowledge about the requirements for proposed task: Zero.
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Current household members who have never used caulking gun: 1
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1 tube of I’ve never done this before, but what the heck – I bought it: caulk.
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re-read items 3 and 4.
Any guesses what happened here? I’m no holmes on holmes. We’ve established that today.
I thought I was doing well at first, I did a little test strip and thought pfffff…. I’ve got this. So I dragged a line of caulk all the way around the tub.
But then when I’m done I thought: “ wow, that’s a lot of caulk”
There’s probably a skill in getting the right pressure with the gun and the speed at which you drag the gun across the crack, but big surprise – I have no idea of what that may be. So, I thought I’d just smooth out the stuff like the instructions said.
What they don’t tell you: You will get caulk everywhere. This stuff dries fast. too fast. It says it dries in 3 hours on the label.
Liars! that’s all I’m saying.
So. I started to wipe things down with a cloth and that only makes things worse. Ever have one of those moments where you think OH, Shit.
I had one right about then.
I mean,I had caulk everywhere and because the more you wipe the more it seems you just pushed it around – you never actually removed the..
OMG this stuff dries fast! Why didn’t they tell me how fast this stuff dries?!! **OMG, OMG, BW is gonna kill me if I wreck her bathroom.. **
But I figured I was in so deep (literally) there was nowhere to go but up and I wiped and wiped and managed to get the caulk in the corners afer a while instead of oh,** every where else ** and after sweating in the 90 degree heat in a bathtub with wet feet and about 2 rolls of paper towels full of caulk on the floor at my feet I think I managed to redeem myself fairly well:
It’s not a perfect job, but it looks much better than the mouldy and yukky mess that was there before and also we didn’t have to pay a guy $100 to do this like last time and I learned a lot about caulking a bathroom tub. I’d rate it a 7/10. We’re not winning some bathroom caulking awards with this job that’s for sure. But, considering at one point I was at** level 10 of OMG OMG OMG,** I’m happy to have salvaged this.
Now, BW – I know how a supportive wife you are, but I gently remind you that now is not the time to ask whether it will hold water, if I could have done a better job or like the case with the light the other day, say you “hope it stays up”. Positive reinforcemnt please – goes a long way. Consider this your complimentary tidy husband tip of the day. ?
And after all that excitement (You have no idea – years off my life) I put my feet up and drank beer in the sunshine for the rest of the day. Well…..not exactly:
I painted the kitchen door.
Before:
After:
And then…because I need a hobby, I cleaned the fridge. Not some half-assed fridge cleaning either but I took the entire fridge apart and cleaned it all out and then put it back together.
Sorry ladies – I’m taken ?
Also, I walked the dog **twice today. ** After sitting in the bathtub knee deep in caulking I needed to stretch my legs so after dinner thedog and I went out and enjoyed what was left of what I’m sure was a very nice day.
Now, I wonder what tomorrow will bring…