Positive Progress, Finally

Coated all of the interior walls with gesso to seal up the illustration board that had its top layer of paper removed when the wall fabric was stripped. I rummaged around in the fabric stash and decided that the wall covering will be unbleached muslin. I have plenty of that on hand. Now all I have to do is figure out the best way to adhere it to the gessoed boards. Suggestions welcome!

Here's a tip that works well with all kinds of paint containers. Use a piece of thin plastic bag, doubled, between the lip of the container and the lid. The lid won't stick, and the plastic is easy to replace. Works for screw tops or pound-in paint can lids. See how clean the inside of the lid is?

  

With the pale ivory of the unbleached muslin on the walls, the white woodwork didn't seem like such a good idea. I'm going for neutral, not antiseptic. I auditioned a few colors before settling on Ceramcoat's Dolphin Gray. Painting acrylic craft paint over a satin finish is a bit tricky. The first photos shows two coats of acrylic. The undercolor can still be seen.

After four coats of paint, the surface is smooth and rich. There's a bit of muslin near the bottom left. It works well with the paint. The acrylic has a matte finish. I'm thinking maybe a coat of clear satin polyacrylic would be a nice touch. With the door panel flat on the table, it was easy to fix the broken bits.

Here's where we were when the workmen quit tonight. The walls are gessoed and waiting for the muslin. I think they will be glued in place first so the muslin can go on in three pieces to minimize seams.

Still haven't decided about moving the right wall back 3/4" but am leaning in that direction. When the front is framed, it will be awkward to have two different thicknesses in the side walls. Both gaps (former fireplace and shelf unit) will be covered by furniture, but in the interest of craftsmanship, they will be filled before the muslin goes on. The wainscoting in back has only two coats of paint, and the side and top window trim is elsewhere being painted.

The work table turned out to be too big to use on the upper level. Will have to cut one down or make a new table. I do like the idea of making this a work area.

Oh, yes ... now the picture seen through the window is beginning to bug me. It's a dark scene made darker by the gray window framing it. The picture itself is darkening with age. Time to replace it!