Giving Thanks for Doors

We have been planning the big remodel of our basement for the past couple years.  The girls and I have studied color schemes, shopped bargain basements, and drawn plans.  We settled on a retro theme, with a black and white checkerboard floor.  I salvaged a piano lid that hopefully could become a bar.  We envisioned a soda fountain.  We found a huge chalkboard globe to sit on an end table and I bought a large chalkboard map of the U.S.  Finally, we decided to turn the exterior side of the bathroom door into a chalkboard.  Plans were really shaping up.

I was sure that I would be able to complete most of this during my summer break.  As I began buying boxes to pack up the basement, and visiting flooring shops, I decided that Halloween might be a more realistic target for completion.  Today is Thanksgiving and we are not ready to throw that inaugural party.   Why is it taking so long to get this done?

Back in July, everyone pitched in to pack boxes and carry them upstairs.  Les and I  purchased the tile and hired someone to lay it.  We had a plumber come in and disconnect the sink. Les and Bob cut up the old countertop that had been serving as a makeshift bar.  This was quite a feat as it was caulked to the wall.  Julio painted the walls and ceiling.  Les removed the baseboard and took it to the garage to repaint. 

It was time to begin working on the door.  The existing door was paneled and wouldn't serve as a good surface for a chalkboard.  So,  I bought a new, smooth door.  This was in mid-July and it was warm enough for us to work outdoors.  Les decided to cut the notches for the hinges before we painted.  I'm not sure what went wrong.  But, suddenly Les and Bob were hatching a plan to reinvent the door.  Bob offered a piece of 1/8 inch plywood from his garage and he and Les decided to nail this to the front of the old door.

Cassie took me aside and reminded me that the new door was only 29.99.  Couldn't I please go and get another?  I assured her that Les and Bob had a good plan.  No need to worry.  Bob brought over the plywood and it was cut, glued and tacked to the existing door.  The girls and I enthusiastically sanded and applied three coats of primer.  That plywood was really dry.

Upon inspection, Les decided that the nail holes should have been caulked.  After caulk was applied, the girls and I again sanded and applied more primer.  The chalkboard paint was difficult to apply.  So, this became my solo task.  I told the girls not to worry that the caulking still showed.  The door would hang in a poorly lit corner of the basement.  Nobody would notice.

The weather was getting cooler and the door was moved into the garage to rest on sawhorses.  The old baseboard was placed on top of the door.  At about that point, the contractor began laying the tile.  This took several weekends to complete and we didn't think much about the door.  The floor looked incredible, better than I could ever have imagined.  The next step was to complete the baseboard.  We decided to move the sawhorses inside so that we could work in the evenings.  Sadly, someone had placed the baseboards on top of the door before the paint was dry.  They were stuck fast and the black paint on the door peeled away when we picked up the boards.

Les patiently purchased more chalkboard paint and, while I was driving to and from ballet rehearsals, he and Lacey repainted the door.  Finally, the day arrived to hang the door.  I sent the girls down to help, while I made dinner.  Within a few minutes, the girls were both upstairs again, explaining that now would not be a good time to go downstairs.  It seemed that not only had we painted the wrong side of the door, but the new transom in the bathroom was too high.  The door wouldn't close.

We decided to pay the 29.99 for another door and start over.  The next afternoon, Les went to all major hardware stores in the community.  They were all sold out of smooth doors.  I assured him not to worry.  The basement was far from finished.  We didn't need the bathroom. 

A couple days later, two tiles fell off the shower wall in our master bath.  This couldn't be happening.  I couldn't handle a bathroom renovation while the contents of the basement were in my living and family rooms!  I suggested the basement shower for the interim.  No problem.  Les decided to get out his power saw and cut off the bottom of the door so that it would fit.  I was upstairs grading papers when the fire alarm went off.  The saw blade had gotten stuck in the door and was smoking like crazy.  My siblings and I have experience clearing smoke from a basement.  But, this was something I've never done with my spouse before!

A couple days later, Bob and Les decided to move the hinges to the other side of the door.  Great idea.  The door could be hung, chalkboard side out!



The bathroom door!

Les then decided to wall off part of the basement.  I was skeptical because I was reluctant to add more time.  However, his plan sounded great - a room with double doors that could serve as a storage room for toys.  Les took the week off, and he and Bob started.  They framed the walls on Sunday and planned to put up the dry wall on Monday. 
 
On Monday I got home just in time to hear Les remark that he might be able to find a screwdriver flat enough to slide under the door.  Okay.  I had to go downstairs.  Both the dry wall and the doors were hung.  And, Bob was trapped in the new room.  They had somehow missed the big red and white tag on the door that said to remove the screws before hanging door.  These screws were holding the tops of the doors into the frame and the doors couldn't open.  I knew the guys would figure it out so I went upstairs and left Lacey in charge.  Bob eventually emerged, no worse for the wear, and the next morning he came back to help again.

Doors are kind of a strange topic for Thanksgiving.  But, I realized that I should stop and be grateful for all the time with friends and family that these doors have given us.  If I had paid to have all the work done, or if everything had gone without a hitch, we wouldn't be making all these memories.  Every time that we use these doors, we will chuckle.  And, we will have stories to tell for years.  Stay tuned because tomorrow we start building the bar.

And the doors are open!