goof-off and an old toothbrush, for all those hard to reach places

we have massive amounts of trim in our living and dining rooms. between the windows, built-ins and baseboards, we have a lot of cleaning up to do... goof off and an old toothbrush have helped millions and not taken the finish off the woodwork.

another reminder about inginuity. our wooden return air floor grille was busted into many pieces and beyond repair. we looked at getting a new one, but the size (18x30) wasn't typical and bigger than most. even a used one would cost us $200 at a reuse store. so karen found us a metal grille at a garden store and with a little trim, it fit perfectly! all we need to do is paint the wood joists black to disappear... $25 for an ornamental grille is a lot better than $200!

but as joe also learned with the 1/4 round, always predrill oak... or use a nail gun :) that stuff is hard!!

(almost)finished

before