Monday, April 16, 2007

Ways to drive your husband wild

Just say at 9:00 p.m. on a Friday night, "I thought we could hang up the mirror in the hallway and the map in the office tonight?"
So we started with the mirror. We opened all the packaging and find out the the hardware needed to hang the mirror is not included with it. No problem because I have bought several "heavy art" hanging kits. These kits include heavy duty wire and screws and anchors and more! But the mirror explicitly states that it should not be hung by wires but that it should be hung onto anchored screws with the d-rings already mounted on the back. No problem because I have bought many styles of anchors - plastic ones, molly bolts and toggle bolts. But which to use??? So we pull out the scale and weigh ourselves and then weigh ourselves holding the mirror (scary huh?) The mirror weighs 35 pounds. So we decide to go with the plastic anchors (that claim they can handle up to 50 pounds). We measure and measure and measure and measure because this is a one time thing -- And then in go the the plastic anchors and one takes . . . and one does not bite into the sheetrock. Hmmmmmm . . .
Well on second thought maybe we did want it 1 inch higher. So now we start again with the molly bolts. These are more heavy duty than the plastic anchors and we get them both in and we hang the mirror, but . . . the head of the screw is just not very big and although the D-ring is setting on it . . . it just doesn't seem like it would take too much for the d-ring to be knocked off the screw head. Hmmmmmm. . .
So Trent says, let's just unscrew the screw and add a washer, so that it creates a lip that the d-ring just cannot slip over. So we do one and then while doing the other the molly bolt strips and the screw won't come out or go back in for that matter (so much for heavy duty right?) and now the molly bolt is stuck in the wall. And for those of you who may not know, you do not pull out a molly bolt that has been expanded because it will leave a seriously big hole in your wall and may even crack the sheetrock if . . .say you use the back of a hammer to pull it out . . . which is what i did upstairs while hanging something else and Trent is still patching it. So we got the hacksaw and sawed the head of the screw off and pushed the molly bolt into the wall (may it rest in peace). And now it is midnight and there are four holes in the wall and no mirror! So I start looking online and found this cool site
Kevin Kelly Cool Tools and he describes these anchors and we decide we better call it a night on the mirror and move onto the map. Ten minutes later the map (with wires and nails and a studfinder) is hung (although it is an inch offcenter of the piano). So we move the piano an inch and it is now perfectly centered. And it is 1:30 a.m. and we are done! Hooray! (well done until tomorrow).
I went to home depot, bought cool new toggle bolt screws and hooks to go on the screws so the mirror can hang a little lower and 10 minutes later the mirror was hung. See, honey? wasn't that easy? and don't they look awesome???


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