melev

Two years ago, I was in the midst of wrapping up the construction of the new fishroom, getting it ready to set up the 400g. I did my best to keep the mess out of my livingroom with giant sheets of pink foam and plastic sheeting. The new sheetrock that faced the livingroom and dining area needed to be taped, textured and painted, but it was left unfinished. Once the livestock was in the tank, I really wasn't motivated to get it done because I knew dust would end up in the water without a lot of effort to seal it off, and then again my home would get hit with the sheetrock dust. So I ignored it for a long time, as it didn't bother me at all.

Since I'm awaiting a new tank from Marineland, I figured I really should tackle this project. My buddy needed some extra cash, and I hired him to help me get it done. I supplied all the stuff, and helped out somewhat, but it freed me up to focus on other necessary duties while he worked.

I've hated this stupid piece of sheetrock work (one ugly furdown) that hung in the hallway. Not only was it useless, it was 1" higher on the right and bugged me for the past 10+ years. I knew nothing was in it like wiring, but I imagined it might tie the walls together. Turns out, it did absolutely nothing and came out quite easily.

Tarps were hung during each visit to contain the dust and debris. Towels were placed on the carpeting.

It took a total of three separate visits to get the walls mudded, sanded, textured and ready for paint. So the tarps were hung, taken down and hung again each time.

The seam around the ceiling was finally filled in.

The sanding made the biggest mess.

The cocoon I built was great, but it made it hard for Bobby to breathe. He came out of there white from head to toe. If he asked for something, I slipped it to him under the plastic, not letting him out until it was done.

It was pretty neat looking, actually.

Once he was done, the mess was cleaned up and I painted the walls to match the rest of the house. I had half a gallon of the paint leftover from the original paint job, and it was enough to complete the project.

Now all I need is woodwork and a new tank.

Even with all the preventative measures, I'm cleaning up residual dust, which reminds me why I put this off so long. It's nicer though, and the area on the right is now ready for the 60g cube. It'll go where the blue barrel is.