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I worked on the computer room ceiling again yesterday. The joint compound was dry, so now it was a matter of smoothing it.

At first I tried sanding. It was difficult to get a smooth surface. The sander kept leaving tracks. Besides that, there was a LOT of dust. Yuck.

Next, I tried a wet sponge. It worked, but it took a whole lot of rubbing. By the time the joint compound started wearing down, the paper on the drywall was getting wet.

I went to the store for some more options. I saw something called a “rasp”. It was like a cheese grater for drywall. It scraped the joint compound off, but also scratched the paper.

Next I tried a scrubbing sponge. It worked great! The joint compound got soft from the water, then scraped off smoothly from the scrubbies. Nice. I used the scrubbing sponges on the whole ceiling. But I was very sore by the time I finished. And it wasn’t entirely bumpless. I was going to work on it some more today, but Denis really wants to take a shot at it. I wouldn’t mind that. Not at all.

I tried to smooth the computer room ceiling yesterday, but it didn’t start out very well, so I decided to go shopping instead. I thought maybe I could find some tools that would work better than the stuff I first tried.

While I was out, I also decided to get a replacement for my bathroom window curtain. The old curtain was actually an IKEA shower curtain. It was a rubbery material, so I had just cut it down to size. Over the years, the sun degraded it a little, and it was splitting in several places.

Looking around in IKEA, I decided to get another shower curtain. This one is polyester. I never open the bathroom curtain or move it at all, so I decided to just cut it to length. It’s raggedy at the bottom, but you’d never know it.

I never got back to the ceiling. Will I ever figure out how to smooth the bumps? Ugh!

I spent almost all of yesterday applying joint compound to the computer room ceiling. I had read some pointers and helpful hints, and was worried about my technique. But in the end, you just have to do it. My work is rough right now. I plan to sand it today or smooth it with a damp sponge. I’m hoping the ceiling won’t be too lumpy when I’m done. In my favor is the fact that my house is old and the walls are made of plaster and are all lumpy.

So lumps = character? Awesome!

My plan for my most severely water damaged ceiling (the one in the computer room) was to cover it with drywall and start with a new surface. Putting drywall on a ceiling is kind of tricky. And it’s definitely not a one person job. I am deeply indebted to Denis who helped me accomplish the task. I definitely owe him dinner.

I’m not the best drywall screwer-inner in the world, but I’m sure they’ll stay up. My work is sometimes ugly, but always sturdy. It’s been that way since I was a kid playing with Legos. My creations were not elegant, but they could survive a fall down the stairs.

Anyway, this will be a great way to start with a fresh, smooth surface. …If I can mud it properly. Wish me luck!