Ch-ch-ch-changes... Part 2: The Bad News

The trim defeated me.

I REALLY wanted to save the trim in this house - it's the original, never-been-painted (mostly), solid wood trim.

I tried, I really did.

I ignored the fact that it would be in pieces in my house (or more likely my parent's garage) for months (if not years), waiting for me to refinish it.

I ignored the fact that trying to get it to match (or at least go with) the new wood floor colour would be, um, interesting.

I ignored the fact that I'd have to find a source for matching trim, to fix areas where the trim was missing or damaged - and the $$$ associated with that.

I ignored the fact that, in adding closets and rooms, I'd need to find matching doors - and trying to find solid wood, 5-panel doors would be either impossible or expensive, if not both (and let's not even talk about the hardware).

I ignored the fact that every designer paints wood trim white, and that there is probably a very good reason for that.  I also ignored the numerous 3-am wake-ups, with me lying in bed trying to convince myself that, yes I could have a kitchen with white cabinets and stained wood trim.

But I couldn't ignore the fact that, out of the 20+ pieces of trim we removed on day one (and yes, we were being oh-so-careful), 20+ pieces chipped, cracked, broke or fell apart.

The trim isn't un-salvageable, but it's un-salvageable by me.  I can ignore a lot, but I can't ignore the fact that fixing every *#&%* single piece of trim in the entire *#&%*house, before refinishing and re-installing every *#&%* single piece of trim in the entire *#&%*house, is a task that I am simply not up to doing.  Like many other things, it came down to time vs. money (and sanity), and in this case, time won out. 

And so the trim is taking a trip to the dump, which also saddens me, but it can't be burned (it does have a finish on it), I can't see anyone else wanting it in the dribs and drabs it's coming off in, and I can't see keeping it, waiting for inspiration to strike.  I HATE throwing things out, but I can't think of anything else to do with the damn stuff :(

Speaking of not wanting to throw out useful things... anyone know a good use for window sash weights??  They were never removed when the new windows were installed (oh, and that's a post unto itself), and there are apparently four per window.  There are 12 windows.  That's 48 HEAVY bits of metal, that must be somehow useful for something.

Have I ever told you that the Pack Rat Gene runs in my family?