Mac Daddy Putty Knife
I wrote yesterday about how I replaced the sheet rock and mudded J’s wall. Today I sanded it and realized that I needed a larger putty knife to make the final coats of mud nice and smooth. Yesterday I used a 3 inch putty knife, and I thought it was big.
However, when the boys and I went back to the home improvement store today, I found the Mac Daddy of all putty knives. This thing is 14 inches long. It is awesome!
I glopped the mud on the new sheet rock with the 3 inch putty knife and then used the 14 inch putty knife and ran it down the wall to smooth out the mud and remove the excess. I then cleaned off the putty knife of the excess and ran the Mac Daddy putty knife back up the wall with a final smoothing action. It is the most smooth wall I have ever seen (with the exception of needing to dry and then some light sanding).
I remember when I was excited over a new toy. I can tell that I am a grown-up now. I get a big “high” from making our home neat and fixing any problems. (However, I think B is going to fix our newest problem that was discovered this morning - our hot water heater is leaking from the faucet. Aahhh, the joys of home ownership… When I was mowing the grass yesterday evening, I noticed some water dripping out of a pipe that was coming out of the brick exterior of our home. Turns out that the pipe was linked to the pan that holds the hot water tank in our attic. Thanks Mom for the troubleshooting! You are the daughter of a carpenter!)
Many years ago when B and I purchased our first home, we decided to purchase the tools that we needed each time a new project arose. This has been an invaluable resource, especially when the same projects recurred (fixing a bathroom tile, grouting, changing spark plugs, etc.). We have borrowed very few tools, and when we did borrow them, it was usually something very big - pressure washer, chain saw, carpet cleaner (that I need to return 
) etc. - and almost always was something borrowed from the parents, mine or B’s. It is nice to look in B’s well organized, peg-boarded, labeled garage and find almost everything that I could possibly need for a project. Good job, B, maintaining such an organized, and well supplied garage.
All total, the trip to the home improvement store both yesterday and today has cost me roughly $30. I don’t know how much a professional sheet rock person would charge to fix a hole in the wall, but I’m pretty sure I have come out ahead. I have a Mac Daddy putty knife that I know how to use, remaining premixed mud, and 3/4 of the sheet of sheet rock left over.
Confidence gained in home repair… priceless.
Plus I get to look forward to watching B agonize over where to hang the new putty knife, since his garage is so organized, and the new putty knife needs its “spot.”