Time Beginning: 47 days old
Done. This probably won't be my last 9 Month Cure post (we'll do a full house tour soon), but it is certainly time to say Thank You to all of you who supported us during the renovation and birth of our daughter. We recieved so many lovely gifts and good wishes during the final months and afterwards that it was positively astounding and much appreciated. It really helped to carry us through this time of great highs and lows, and surprised the hell out of our friends who didn't realize how serious an online community could be. Again, Thank You.
Last night we enjoyed the sweet sensation of finally being done with our apartment. Last week, in preparation for a photoshoot for the H&H section this week (whoo-hoo!), our contractors returned and we cranked up to take care of all the final, niggling details that couldn't be done by Ursula's birth, such as installing major kitchen shelving with special brackets, hanging our white felt doors and doing a bunch of toxic stuff like painting a floor and walls and sealing our bathroom tile with MiraSeal.
To deal with the chaos of having our apartment turned into a battleground again, we stayed over at a friend's house over the weekend, which was sort of a lovely little holiday after long days working on the apartment. Our friends' apartment is over 2,000 square feet and it's a big white loft in SoHo. There was so much space there, we had to run around to use it all up before we left.
One of the highlights of the weekend was stupidly using full strength hydro-cloric acid to acid clean our tile floor before sealing it (I was in a rush). As soon as the acid hit the floor it started to turn it green, bubble and release a smoke that began to fill the apartment (remember, no mother or baby were present). Running to open all the windows and doors, I watched the toxic reaction from outside until it subsided, and then cleaned it up with gloves and water after about 30 minutes.
Surprisingly, the tile floor WASN'T a hell of a lot brighter as a result, but what was really bad was the effect the vapors had on all the metal fixtures in the bathroom. The next day we noticed that a wierd rot had set in to the metal on the sconces, tap, pipes and toilet handle, eroding the shiny, chrome finish like salt water on the side panels of an old truck. We washed everything down, but the damage was done. If you don't look close, you don't notice it, but it's there on all the edges. That was my biggest bonehead move, and so I say, Don't Use Hydrocloric Acid Straight!
cj,
Just go to your local hardware store and get a 25-50ft long twine rope (depending on how much of the pipe you want covered) and voila!
I did it for my cats to use as a scratcher.
seal the tiles with polyurethane? of course that would be how to get the tiles shiny again....might have to try that on mom's bathroom tiles from the 30s...definitely won't use m.a. full strength though!
love the rope thing...i always used to tuck my towel around the pole as a child, so i didn't burn myself and so that the towel was toasty warm -- village apts always have drafts! must remember to pack slippers for thanksgiving...
can't wait to see more...and how nice for you guys that ursula spends some time sleeping!
White felt doors?
Do tell!
please, anyone. the rope? how to?
Wow, imagine what the HCl would've done to your lungs and nostrils. I wonder if your use of the stuff like that is even legal.
Yup, Ursula saves the day because I also don't get the numerous photos of the roped pipe. Nice idea but we all want to see the apartment.
Love the kitchen.....please show more of the place and Ursula.
You've both had a long, long haul. The audience is primed.
Oops. Forgot. White felt doors? Pray tell how doe you keep them clean? I really want to know because the visual seems pleasant but I shy from anything needing extreme care - I have a lovely but hairy cat.
I have that hateful hot pipe in my bathroom too. I think I have some branding on my butt from it - OUCH! Did you put anything around the very bottom of it? I'm thinking it might get "nasty" when it get's wet & whatnot from showering, mopping, etc.
AWW! What a beautiful baby in a beautiful space! I can't wait for the final "reveal."
That rope trick makes me wish I had a pipe to cover...my cats would be the happiest on the planet.
My husband works in biotech and works with HCl all the time. It is a dangerous acid that can burn your skin and lungs if you inhale it. The vapors can be fatal. When he works with HCl he has to use a respirator and work under a fume hood. Clearly there were damaging effects to Maxwell's bathroom so I doubt anyone will try this- but more than a bummer of story about the bathroom, please also remember the health and safety risks of using chemicals in your home.
Oh, and I completely feel your pain on the bathroom mishap ... I've had a couple of little fudgey things happen like that ... your friends think you're nuts because they don't see what went wrong, but your heart sinks knowing how much work/money/thought went into the original choices and knowing that you messed them up a little from the get-go is a killer ...
I missed the blessed event and so on, so...
a belated congratulations on your lovely daughter and her new home!
Congratulations! Looking forward to the H&H article. Thank *you* for sharing your trials and tribulations with us.
Congrats from me as well (on the little one and the little place...)! I am so in love with your floors (the wood and the bathroom tile), but I agree ... I wish I could've seen more pics than just the whole bunch showing the rope being wrapped around the pole.. ;-(
mirrors along vertical window insert...
rope around bathroom steam pipe.......
LOVE. IT.
Archie you beat me to it. I was expecting to see something really great and got rope.
I have to point out that the rope is really, really thick--half an inch? I tried the same thing with the heating pipes in my bathrooms, but using much skinnier rope, and it didn't work as a burn-preventer at all. I ended up buying paper-covered fiberglass shields instead (made specifically for this problem), which aren't nearly as attractive. I'm inspired to maybe try the rope solution again.
Maxwell,
I just happened to read this on HouseMade's blog about cleaning bathroom floors. They also used muriatic acid first, so maybe this stuff will help you too.
http://house-made.com/?p=226#comments
I don't know if Maxwell is using the white felt "doors" from IKEA, but the track looks to be, whatever his source IKEA does sell white and orange felt doors with track (as well as several other materials) They are available in their curtain section.
Nice, but I wish there were more pictures. Did 12 of the 19 have to be of the rope covered pipe?
Can you tell me more about those kitchen cabinets. They are quite beautiful. I also really like your bathroom sink.
I am in the midst of my own renovations and once I figure out why my pics wont upload to my blog and I am able to fix that and get them up I will let everyone see the chaos I put myself in.
What kind of rope did you use to cover the pipe? Was it easy to work with? It looks great.
Can you tell me more about the white felt doors? We are looking for a solution to a closet that is currently doorless.
I like the idea of covering the pipe with rope. Very clever
I too like your bathroom sink - i've been wanting to change out the one that was put in by the previous owner of my apt. - it is way too big with a cabinet that is flush between my tub and toilet but I don't want to loose the counter space that it provides. The one you have looks like it might be perfect for my space. Could you let me know what brand it is and where I might be able to find it. Thank you.
Where did you buy the rope ? What color is it ? How long is it ? Nice Idea ? So it is all about the rope. What a tease !
It looks wonderful. I can't wait to see the nytimes piece!
Just wanted to know was that pipe your radiator? Because if it was I was wondering will the heat (and they can get hot) be a fire hazord? I have a similar pipe in one of my bathrooms and it does get very hot but I do like the way it looks with the rope wrapped around it. Ofcourse I wouldn't try this at home w/out first knowing. But it does seem smart since that rope seemed thick and on occasion I've bumped into after a shower and whoa! yes, you can imagine. So, this to me seems like a good idea.
The place looks gorgeous (as does Miss Ursula)!
I'm in love with your floor and kitchen cabinets. The rope around the pipe is a nice, simple disguise treatment.
More on the rope-covered pipe: Your baby won't get burned by the pipes! Brilliant!
I made something simailar for my cats out of a photographer's auto pole (a tension rod that runs floor-to-ceiling) and stationed it near a high shelf. They climb it like a tree, and have a high-up hideaway.
I'm sad also about the lack of pictures. It's interesting about the pipe, but what about pictures of your living room and bedroom? This just seems like a big tease. Not nice for all of us who have been waiting.
Congrats. Congrats. I have been a loyal reader and never posted anything. It has been a pleasure to watch the major apartment works transpire. Seeing little Ursula, brings a smile to my work day!
I did the rope around the pipe thing in my apartment from hell a few years ago. I wish I could remember where I got the idea from. It was the perfect solution since the pipe got so damn hot! It was right next to the door in my bedroom so of course I kept bumping into it. If anything it makes it less of a fire hazard since it is helping to insulate it. Plus the pipe really just filled with hot water. That can't possibly start a fire, can it?
could you all possibly be more ungrateful? complaining about the photos Maxwell chooses to show, that they don't satisfy your sad voyeuristic compulsions, is the height of rudeness. He promises a house tour sometime in the future, so everyone complaining about the rope, chill!
I guess the problem I have with this whole thing is that it seems like Maxwell wants to keep people hanging (and more importantly, to come back again and again to the site). It's his site, and it's his perogative, but I think it's manipulative. Looking back on some things that have gone on here (the various issues with the contests, the posting of things guaranteed to provoke people, the latest t shirt design thing) it seems to me his priority is more to promote the site rather than create a "community" - which is fine, again it's his site and it's his perogative, but maybe we should all just keep in mind that he's really after the dollar first (despite his rants to the contrary).
He probably had to make a deal with the Times not to show the pictures before the article came out. If that was the case, I wish he had stated that in the beginning. The rope thing, when he knew people wanted to see pictures of the renovation, was nasty and a tease.
Cut Maxwell some slack.
If y'all meet Maxwell in person at one of the AT events, you'll immediately absolve him of manipulativeness. (Yes, I've met people who get through life on guile -- totally different feel.)
Everything I've seen on this site that has aroused negative comment is consistent with a very small staff of enthusiasts that has too few hours in the day and resonates more to poetry than to policy manuals. Bear in mind that our host is a new father, too; how do *you* function with a full day on interrupted sleep?
It's one thing to question a decision -- I do it all the time, probably to Maxwell's profound annoyance some days -- and quite another to impugn someone's motivations. Nice people sometimes make mistakes.
matilda - I don't believe this about Maxwell in the slightest and ditto what wende says (although I've not met Maxwell.)
Maxwell, I hope you didn't hurt yourself with the MA. And, what a bummer about the damage to the fixtures - hope it wasn't severe and maybe added character instead, if that's possible.
ditto wende and pixie, though i too haven't yet met maxwell.
i agree when i went through the slide show i thought, "wow, that's a lot of pictures of rope..."
but at the same time, i've made my own 'omigod! renovation!' slide shows on flickr, and it's hard to curate yourself when you're still on that 'look at me and my totally awesome apartment skillz!' high.
a high i usually blame on fumes, and will extend to maxwell in this case from the HCl.
also, i don't think there's any such B.S. from the NYT about releasing photos and such. firstly, their photographer comes to you and takes pictures on his own camera. the photographs are property of the Times and you don't see them till everyone else does when the paper comes out. in fact they shoot ROLLS more than they ever use and you generally have no idea what they're going to go with (i've dealt with NYT photographers twice in the past for stuff a lot like this). they really don't care if anyone else sees photos of your place or whatever they came to photograph, because they use photos to illustrate a piece of writing, which they care much more about.
he went with the rope cause he wanted to show off a cool idea. that's all. jeez...
Anybody who says that he is not running after the dollar is a big Liar. AT provides me therapy! design therapy ! what fun way to get reviews, colors, shops, people's comments, and some interesting discussions. I am a physician and I make time to get my therapy through AT! Oh yes, I am not looking to spend on the over priced stuff or even the priced stuff - a bang for my buck. I am also someone who travels a lot to various countries to help out so it is nice to keep up with home and the outside all at the same time. what better way than AT.
Thank You Matilda for reviews on the minka aire fan.
What is with the rope and pipe, sounds like a pub?
Maxwell, So sorry to hear about the mishap with your new bathroom fixtures. Just tell everyone its a nice "patina". ;-) At least the acid didn't eat a hole in the tile floor. Try talking your way out of that one.
By the way I believe Maxwell called attention to the rope trick awhile back when it appeared in one of the previous apartment tours or contests. Nothing wrong with adopting and applying a clever idea.
Maxwell,
One comment about the acid, since it is a strong corrosive, you may need to do more than wipe down the fixtures. The fixtures surface may need to be neutralized. Not sure for residential, but in the lab we purchase commericial acid neutralizers. We use them to neutralize any extra acid, but also to wash any metal that has gotten contaminated. As you sadly found out corrosives and metals shouldn't mix. This would ensure that as time goes on that any residual doesn't continue to eat away at the fixtures.
Can't wait to see a full housetour! The kitchen looks brilliant. I so want to cook there.
Hey Maxwell,
If you read this, there is a chrome polisher/restorer that I use on my car's tail pipe, and that motorcyclists swear by. It's called (don't laugh) Blue-job, and it really does work. Click my name for a link, wouldn't hurt to try it.
er, about the acid--I also work with concentrated strong acids (like HCl) in my workplace, and acid spills/vapors are no laughing matter. Before anyone uses a strong acid, they need to make sure they're familiar with all safety precautions.
i.e., never, EVER, pour concentrated HCl on your bathroom floor or anywhere else that isn't in a fume hood or incredibly well ventilated. Even a good whiff of straight HCl is enough to burn your nasal passages to such a degree that you won't be able to smell very well for the rest of your life.
in short, always dilute the stuff before you use it, and when smelling it, always waft.
and, when diluting, remember the little rhyme my high school chemistry teacher taught us:
"do as you oughta; add acid to wat-ah"
when you dilute a strong acid or base, always add it to a vessel of water, not the other way around.
why? when a strong acid mixes with water, a lot of heat is produced. if you add water to an acid very quickly, the heat may cause the water to boil, sputtering acid up out of the container and all over you. thus, when diluting an acid, add it slowly to water, allowing the solution to mix thoughourly and the heat to be dispersed throughout the liquid.
and that's my chemistry lecture for the afternoon.
I love this posting - my copy of "Apartment Therapy" finally arrived and, I admit, I've been feeling guilty that "Look into Earth-Friendly Cleaning Products" wasn't something that, if I'm honest, I felt motivated to do. Now I find that the man himself uses neat hydrochloric acid, well, I feel so much better. Thanks.
You did a great job with such little space, I can honestly say I have never seen an apartment that small around here, I can't imagine it!
Awwww, cute little baby bunting -- she is so very sweet in her little blankies!
re: Adding acid to water, just like you oughta
The adding of the water to acid or the acid to water will generate heat but more importantly it may splash out some of the liquid that is already in the container. If water is already in the container, you are splashing out water, if acid is in the container, well, you get the picture. Not a pretty one...
I asked for this, but I have to say- the two kitchen pictures doesn't really do it for me. I hope that post completion, you will at least respect the community that is here enough to really tell us about how you solved the problems that were so clearly evident in the removed post. I know that AT is partially in support of your business, and that it must be a little awkward, but all of us renovators would love to know the problems you encountered and how you fixed them, like, for example:
did you have to get the cabinets recut to fit the space (adjusted for the wallboard to make the wall straight);
the shelves look different than they did in the initial installation;
what other field fixes did you have to make?
Treat us to a little more education in exchange for our attention, please.
Disappointed but still cautiously optimistic,
A
I have just discovered your site via the NY times websie (transplanted NYer living Paris where 150 sq. foot studios are the norm, ast least for the single under 30 crowd) so I was very interested in your project -- Paris too has those unsightly water pipes, but I am wondering, as is everyone else apparently, about the heat/humidity/fire hazard... I live in 720 sq. feet and there are 4 of us, plus Mia, our kitty. For Parisiean working stiffs, that is the norm. And congratulations !
I just read the article in the New York Times and it was a great summary of your philosophy. The pictures a great too and i cant wait until you post them all on AT. I live in a 300 sq ft studio in vermont and your site has really helped me make better use of my space.
I know i'm wayyyy late to this party, but I dont understand something...the NYT H&H said that they are RENTING the apartment? Why invest $30k in a rented place? I just moved to NYC and must be missing something.
Wow, you guys. Just discovered the 9-month cure this morning and read the whole thing! As someone suffering a renovation at this very moment, I must say you guys are an inspiration... and that climactic photo of little Ursula bundled up on your bed actually made me cry. I'll send the link to everyone I know! So much love to you both. The place looks great.
I think the apartment looks gorgeous but after reading The New York Times article, I realized that you are renting the apartment, so I am pretty surprised that you spent all that money renovating an apartment that isn't even yours. Did your landlord reduce the rent or did you cut a deal with him? No offense but I just don't see the logic in renovating someone else's property.
The how-to on how to wrap you pipes with rope was already posted. It's here:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/how-to/how-to-wrap-your-hot-pipes-with-rope-015526
I don't know if it was posted, but how much did the total project end up costing?