This morning, while Clara was busy with her routine, I tackled a few cosmetic repairs in the bathroom.
I set out to fix some small imperfections on the walls:
A few days earlier I applied spackle to some cracks and uneven areas in the drywall (we used Dap Crackshot). Although we were thrilled with the overall bathroom renovation, the drywall work showed that it was our first real attempt at mudding and taping. In the rush to get paint up, a few spots didn’t get the attention they needed. Now that we’re preparing the house for sale, we’re making those small corrections to present the rooms as neatly as possible — the kind of finishing touches buyers notice.
After the spackle had fully cured (it’s important to let it dry completely), I got ready to sand. Here are the supplies I used:
- Dap Crackshot spackle
- 100-grit sandpaper or a sanding block
- Minimal clothing — fewer layers help avoid covering them in dust
- Patience — let the compound dry thoroughly before sanding
Sanding spackle creates a lot of fine dust, so keeping clothing to a minimum prevents a bunch of laundry afterward. Work in a private space if you prefer and wear what makes you comfortable. The process itself is straightforward: apply spackle with a flexible putty knife, allow it to dry completely (often a few days depending on depth and humidity), sand the area smooth with 100-grit paper until the patched area blends with the surrounding wall, and clean up the dust. We vacuum the residue while it’s dry so it doesn’t smear onto floors or fixtures when wet.
Once the sanding was done, the next step is to prime and paint the patched areas. I plan to use the same type of roller that was used on the rest of the room to better match the texture; rolling helps the patch blend in more naturally than a brush stroke might. Fingers crossed for a seamless result.
And on a different note, here’s an update on that asparagus plant the folks at the garden center insisted I couldn’t kill.
It’s not thriving — a reminder that some plants are harder to keep alive than others. You win some, you lose (or, in this case, you kill some).