Wood filler, that is. Not (just) blog filler. I picked some up Elmer’s Wood Filler at Cliff’s, because I was going to in some way need it to fix the damage to the bookshelves. But, first I had to get rid of the screws that were sticking out of the wall. I thought about trying to pull the screwheads through the plywood, but I didn’t want to cause more damage. I couldn’t hammer push them back into the wall because the bookshelves (and the screwheads) abutted an old plaster wall which probably didn’t leave room for a 2″ screw to camp out.

So, I broke out my trusty vice grips and bent the screws back and forth until they snapped. It was surprisingly easy. Then, I took a nail set and punched the screw in until it was recessed aroud 1/4 inch.

Then, I applied my Elmer’s wood filler over each of the damaged areas. I slightly over-filled each area so I could get it perfect with sanding.

 

 

  

Once dried, I sanded with 120 grit paper until the wood filler was flush. Then, I sanded the entire area with 220 grit in preparation for (re-) painting.

 

 

  

This project (all 10 sq. feet of it) reminded me how much I hate painting. Perhaps it’s because I was tasked with re-painting the exterior of our house as a teenager. (After finishing one side of the house I had had it — I hired a friend to do the rest and did computer consulting jobs to pay him.) Anyways, back to the project at hand. Another benefit of keeping in touch with the previous owners is that I could ask them what paint they used. They kindly left a list of all of the paint colors used in the house. I’m sorry I asked. I went to the paint store and found out that the paint used on the shelves is some special import from Holland and it costs — get this — $25 per half liter. For those not doing the math at home, that’s $189/gallon, assuming there’s no price break for larger quantities.

Fortunately I only needed a small amount, so I took my 500 ml container and some less exotic (Benjamin Moore) primer they suggested and went home. I wiped down the area with some tack cloth (which, by the way, is not the most pleasant product to use since it leaves your hands feeling like you dipped them in tree sap), masked the area, and then primed the un-painted stripe in the middle.

 

 

Masked and primed.
  

The infamous Dutch paint.

Painting was pretty straight-forward, though for $189 a gallon you’d think they’d make a paint that was a little less finicky. Cleanup involved one of those uh-oh moments: when washing out my brush, I realized that I had forgotten to buy any paint thinner. I wrapped my paint-covered hand in a paper towel and ran to Cliff’s to grab some. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should support your local hardware store. They’re “there when you need them.” Driving 30 minutes to Home Depot with a paint-covered hand doesn’t sound very appealing.

Painting was pretty straight-forward, though for $189 a gallon you’d think they’d make a paint that was a little less finicky. Cleanup involved one of those uh-oh moments: when washing out my brush, I realized that I had forgotten to buy any paint thinner. I wrapped my paint-covered hand in a paper towel and ran to Cliff’s to grab some. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should support your local hardware store. They’re “there when you need them.” Driving 30 minutes to Home Depot with a paint-covered hand doesn’t sound very appealing. 

 

All painted! 

 

 As you can see from these pictures, I added another old-work electrical box (it’s orange and has no back because it’s only for low-voltage applications) for “future expansion.” There’s a matching opening in the cabinet below to feed any wires through.

Now it’s time to wait and watch the paint dry…