Fall/Winter Projects

Texturing was done with those double rollers(my mil bought it on QVC eons ago), you can use 2 designs or one design and one plain, I did one design and one plain with 2 colors.

Jen, love the texturing and picture wall! Funny, when the painter had only the first coat of chocolate paint on the wall I thought to myself that it would have looked nice with a "textured" look! I had actually considered the sand textured paint because that wall is so in your face and isn't the most perfect wall but the painter discouraged me. She said if I ever decided to paint it a different color it would be a nightmare to paint over. I still think it would have looked cool :( Since it's such a long wall, running all the way from the living room to the end of the hall, I'm working up a plan now to include a collection of photos and have been searching online to help create a "photo wall". Spent some time at Lowes yesterday morning getting the final accessories to tackle the laminate flooring down the hall. We ran into the contractor who laid the tile in the kitchen in November and told him if we run into trouble he might be hearing from us! LOL He also gave me advice about using a different adhesive to use for the ceramic tile backsplash and now I'm confused - I thought I had everything I needed to get started :( In the midst of all this, I started stripping an old chair to refinish it and reupholstering the cushion. The cushion is easy, the stripping might turn out to be a disaster - hopefully we'll be able to make some progress soon!

Just looked into this thread. What wonderful info. I'm always helping my kids redecorate because they are so busy with jobs and kids that they don't have the time to browse and find great products. Can't wait to hear about the outcome of Jen's counter top kits. We have already done some really neat stuff with painting and delicate tatouage and lively decals for the kids rooms.

Last year I attempted an exterior tiling job which you might have seen. Just want to mention that yester day at our swap, I remembered to show the great result of a slightly laborious job but fairly inexpensive considering the result. We epoxy painted our garage floor that cleans up to a sparkling finish with just water. This would be great to keep the dust down on unfinished basement floors also.

rcn, what did the contractor tell you to use for the adhesive for the backsplash? I had a terrible time with slipping tiles outside because I had nowhere to put any kind of nailed in support for the first bottom row. I tried all different degrees of thickness to the thinset but wound up holding the first row until it dried. The manager of our local Ace hardware told me that I would have been better off using liquid nails. What's your plan for your project?

Roses, he didn't actually mention the name of the product, only that you have to mix it. I had already decided to nix his suggestion and go forward with the thinset I have. However, evidently Rick got more information than I did when we saw him and he wants to make yet ANOTHER trip to Lowes to find the "right" stuff :( I'll probably be glad that I'm taking his advice because most all DIY instructions indicate that you should start from the bottom and I really need to start from the top under the range hood. If I used the thinset I have on hand I'd probably end up standing there holding them like you! LOL Not that it helps now since your project is already finished but it's usually suggested that before starting to tile any "open" areas (like behind a stove) to nail a board across the bottom to hold the first row in place. I'm hoping I won't have to do that because the row of tiles that will be along the back edge of the stove will have to be cut and will only be a couple of inches high. I'm doing it "backwards" of what most people do, I'm starting my full tiles along the top under the range hood and cabinets :)

I spent the whole day yesterday hanging pictures in the kitchen so didn't get much accomplished and no pictures of the project yet. I can't believe how long it took me to clean the glass of the frames, measure and finally get them on the wall :( Used to be I'd just wing it but with freshly painted walls I wanted to be sure I didn't make any mistakes nailing in the hangers! The only other thing I got accomplished was changing all the light bulbs in the recessed fixtures. For almost 10 years we've restrained from spending the extra money for the proper bulbs and used regular light bulbs and the lighting in the kitchen has been horrible. Money well spent, the new bulbs make an incredible difference! Since I don't have any pictures of the freshly painted walls thought I'd at least show you the outcome of the painted counters. I love them and I hate them :( They look so much better than the original green but I had miserable problems applying the topcoat finish and when everything else is done I'm going to have to tackle one more coat and see if I can get rid of the streaking. I don't have many "before" pictures but this is the color of the counters before I started.

Doesn't give you a close up of the counters but you can see the overall effect of the darker counters. FYI, the paper "trim" on the island is for the idea I have to dress up the lower part of the island and disguise the faded cabinets, more on that later :)

Not sure how well this will show up but this is my "streaking" problem :( I complained to the company that I got the counter top kit from and they were right on top of it, responded immediately and said they would send me (at no charge) a newer product they have for the topcoat which is much more forgiving, i.e. doesn't dry as fast so hopefully I won't have streaking or ridges. Unfortunately, even though they were quick to respond that was almost 3 weeks ago and I still haven't received the product they promised to ship :(

RCN, The counters look nice as far as I can tell. I remember you talking about painting them when Ric and I were there. Talk about a picture wall you should see the wall in R_R_R office area. The entire wall from floor to ceiling is family pictures. It looks so great, I've never seen an entire wall done like that. Her sense for decorating is wonderful. And I got a really good look at the tatouage she has in her powder room it was so pretty and she used it in a way that I would have never thought of. It was low on the wall just above the back flash really pretty such a nice touch. Oh yea I saw the garage floor and now I want one, too.

Oh we crossed posted, I see the streaking.

What a difference, the black looks great. Did you use a brush, could you have used a roller?

Will the streaks disappear when you sponge the other colors on top?

I know, it's awful :((( Jen, the first three, or was it four??? coats were applied with the foam roller that came with the kit and I wasn't satisfied - I kept seeing the "seams" because the topcoat was drying too fast - as soon as I got the second row rolled on the first row was already dry!!! So then I tried a different product, Minwax Polycrylic, and thought maybe it might work better applying with foam brush - NOT! That's when I finally gave up and wrote to the company to complain. I researched a couple of different sites where people have successfully painted their countertops and some used a self-leveling epoxy but I really wasn't confident that it would work any better because some of them had trouble with that as well, plus it sounded messy AND smelly! I did hear back from the company this morning that I bought the kit from. They were apologetic, said their chemists had just reformulated the topcoat last week and they should be shipping the new product soon :) One more attempt and then I'm done! It doesn't look that bad now that I've put back the marble square that we place in the center of the island and until new countertops find their way into the budget at least it looks better than they did when I started!

Roses, I've already sponged the extra colors on :( There are three colors that are sponged over the black base - pearl, black and bronze. When I finally got the look I was going for the colors were just too "in your face" - Rick said it just looked like the cat had walked across the counter! LOL Bugged me so I applied a watered down coat of black before applying the first topcoat to mute the colors - worked like a charm, it's still a little darker than I expected it to be but still better than the green :)

I thought we could get started on the laminate flooring in the hall today but as usual it's going to be more of a project than we thought :( I got everything ready for Rick to start laying the flooring but the doorways are a little complicated than we thought. We'll try again tomorrow when we're "fresh" and see how it goes. All these DIY projects are taking much longer than we anticipated, seems like there's always a snag but as Rick says I'm a stubborn b***h and I WILL persevere - wish me luck!

Oh yes they always take longer than we expect. Right now my living room is full of laundry room shelves. Ric made them out of heavy plywood and when I painted the first two I didn't like them, thought they were too rough. I was expecting the paint to smooth them out more. So then we got some sand and seal you paint it on and it seals the wood and you sand it after. Made a big difference in how the shelves felt. All this for shelves that no one will see and will be pretty much full. I have just finished painting all of them top and bottom we will see what they feel like tomorrow. I'm thinking I may just give the tops of them a coat of poly to seal the paint and make them easier to clean. Yeah, like they might get cleaned in a year or two. LOL

I like the new color of the countertops, rcn! With the tile... if you measure (remember to include space between tiles, and you can get handy little plastic "spacers" to keep things even as you go), then you can cut your tiles for the bottom row and still start at the top. :-)

The vanity is in place, complete with *most* of the plumbing... discovered we've going to have to re-do the "U" after all (it was really close, but no cigar), so it's hooked up except for the drain. We've got all the pieces but would really prefer to hire somebody to spend the necessary time underneath the cabinet, LOL, so I've got a call in to a friend's brother who may be available... if not, will look for an actual plumber.

Here's a closer look at the countertop, which I love, especially with the "antique bronze" faucet...

Jill, it looks WONDERFUL! I've been lusting after those bronze fixtures too but not something Rick is interested in replacing when I do finally get started on the bathroom project so I'll just have to forget about it for now. Do you have any "before" pictures of the bathroom?

Yeah, I know, I've got my tile spacers all ready to go but have heard sometimes the adhesive isn't strong enough to hold the tiles in place when you start at the top - that's why they always suggest starting at the bottom so they don't slide. I saw on one of the DIY shows where they had a similar situation and used painter's tape to tape up the first row to hold them in place until the adhesive set. One way or the other I'll work around it :)

LOL Holly, your comment about cleaning the shelves reminds me of my dining room table :) We haven't eaten there for over two months - it's been a collecting area for all our notes, supplies, etc. since it's the largest flat surface I have where I can keep everything away from the dogs! I knew it was a mess but have been avoiding it until we're done and everything is cleaned up. Realized how bad it was yesterday when I was trying to rehang a painting - I had to stand on the table to get it hung and there wasn't an inch of free space! Took a breather from the projects yesterday after realizing what a hassle the laminate flooring was going to be and switched some paintings in the living room. Both are paintings done by Rick's grandmother and one is hung above the fireplace mantel and the other above the dining room table. The one above the table is probably my favorite painting of those we have and I wanted a more prominent location for it so decided it would look much better above the mantel and made the switch. A simple "switch" turned into a major cleaning - couldn't believe how dirty the walls were when I took the paintings down :( I'm off to Walmart to pick up a few more frames for placement today and hope to have photos soon!

Somehow I forgot to take a "before" but you can visualize a beige pedestal sink and matching toilet -- no storage! I did have some wicker fish on the wall (now in Joyanna's bathroom) and a fish poster plus shelf with decorative little fishies over the toilet, not to mention a crowded and messy tray holding bug repellent sunscreen etc. on top of the toilet tank. The walls look much less boring now!

I got interrupted while posting yesterday... was going to mention tha tthe PVC panels have been easy to work with. I've been cutting the planks (about 7 inches wide) with my miter saw, and even though I have to flip the panel to finish the cut (only a 10 inch blade), it works fine, cutting very smoothly. I used my dremel to make cut-outs and to rip a couple of planks vertically (jigsaw would have worked, I'm sure, but didn't feel like getting it out).

The panels we ended up using were just a bit thicker than the paneling we thought we would use, so of course the countertop was 1/8 inch too wide... had to cut the paneling around the countertop on the right side, but it looks OK (or will, once I add a bead of caulk). It was quite a feat hoisting it into place without removing the door frame...

You go girl!!! Look at Miss DIY.

Edited for spelling

This message was edited Jan 26, 2010 11:48 AM

Critter, you really are doing a great job. I never have enough confidence to work very skillfully with a saw.

Too much confidence with a saw can be a scary thing. LOL Ric

Spoken with Experience! And, Ric, I was more worried about messing up the materials, not me!!

LOL, I think that's part of the reason I'm using the dremel rather than a jigsaw... you still have to be careful with it, but it's less intimidating. And you can work slowly and carefully, which helps in trying to follow a line. I do tend to jitter around a little with it, so if I needed a really even edge I'd be using a jigsaw.

On the other hand, I'm getting better with my miter saw, and I'm feeling all empowered about it. ;-)

Jill, I've worn out 2 Dremels! So for a replacement I got a Roto Zip, more power, AR AR AR, LOL Ric
http://www.rotozip.com/SiteLanding_Page.htm

Critter, That looks great. I just love the sink/cabinet & and the wall board. Really looks good and you did such a great job. Can't wait to see the finished results. Here are my shelves all finished and ready to fill.

Wow, Holly, That's a lot of really nice shelving.

Looking good Holly, how are you finishing off the top of the shelves?

Thanks! Jim doesn't really have time this week, and I've decided I don't need to prove I can do plumbing (don't mind the plumbing, it's the lying down on the floor half in the cabinet while strong-arming something into place that I'd rather miss)... A friend's brother who is a handyman (I think he was part of the crew who did some framing in my basement, and they did a great job) is coming over probably on Sunday. He'll put in a new drain for the sink (old "U" was just too short to hook up like we'd hoped), install the toilet, maybe rip a couple of longer paneling boards for me... and then, since he charges by the day (too long to drive in from WV for just a couple hours), he'll replace 3 hose bibs (2 are leaking and you know the 3rd will follow suit), and then he'll start working down whatever "list" I come up with until he comes to the end of the day. All for probably about what a plumber would charge just to hook up the sink & toilet. Hopefully it'll all work out well. :-)

Then I can get to the fun part, working on the decorative tile border. *evil grin* I'm trying to decide if I really want to put down a layer of mastic or if I just want to go with an adhesive behind the tiles (eg, liquid nails or something similar). I didn't like the sample of the stuff that came in square foot sheets, so I'll be placing little flat bottomed glass marbles between the painted 4 inch tiles.

Holly, can't believe Ric didn't put a lovely Tuscan faux finish on the wall behind the shelves... kidding!

But if you have any of that tile left, it would look pretty cool on the top surface of the shelves. :-)

Your new laundry nook looks fabulous!!

I painted the back wall and the shelves all with the same light grey that I used on the cabinets and we will use on the molding. The shelves are approx 3ft wide and 12 in deep. Four of them have a 12 in head space the top shelf will have a 16in head space once the drop ceiling is in place. The bottom shelf is 24 in from the floor so that the pet food bin can sit under it. I was thinking that I might put a narrow cabinet against the one wall but have decided not too. After I cleaned up the old vinyl floor I realized how bad it looks so I decided to replace it. When we are done this might be the best looking and most finished area in the whole house. LOL

Thanks Critter, It isn't really tile it's paneling and I just love it. The panel has a lot of texture to it and will probably be a real dust catcher but I liked it so much that I got it anyway. You caulk the seams where you join the panels together so that it keeps the look of real tile. I did the caulking myself although there aren't many seams as the panels are 4ft X 8ft and the area is pretty small. LOL on the Tuscan faux finish. Ric did want to panel the wall behind the shelves but I thought it would look more built in if I painted the wall the same color as the shelves and it did save a few$ as I didn't have to buy another piece of paneling. The whole wall is the same color even though the light in the pic makes the top of the wall look like a different color.
I'm really looking forward to see work that you and RCN are doing. I have always wanted to tile the area behind my stove. I even had a box of tiles for the job but some how they got broken and we never did the job.

I know exactly the paneling you're talking about! They make a similar product that looks like beadboard, and it's what we were going to use before we found the PVC stuff... the bigger sheets of paneling are a little thinner, and the countertop was the right size to fit between the walls if we'd used it, LOL.

Yes I saw the bead board paneling, too. LOL
Ric hung up my ironing board holder today, too. I have a pic of it, yes I will be posting a pic of an old iron board later. LOL Mostly to show how we used that dead space next to the dryer. The picture is in the other computer and Ric is usuing it to work on taxes. We each have computers now. Picked up a rebuilt lap top for a couple of hundred pretty good deal and now we have something to travel with. We can really confuse people now as we can both post on the same thread at the same time. LOL

Yeah, what she said!!! Ric
The only bad thing about recovering all this dead corner space is all the molding has to be custom made to make the job right. The advantage is it saves a bunch of $$$ Since I make it myself. Most of my project wood is reuse.

This message was edited Jan 26, 2010 6:50 PM

This message was edited Jan 26, 2010 6:52 PM

You all likely have an industrial salvage business somewhere within your reach. Mine is eleven miles away but......when we re-roofed our house we found our plywood base to be substandard. The salvage center had 9/16 outdoor type selling for $9.00 a sheet. We bought all he had because it met and exceeded code. After the house was fixed up we put a new roof on our hunting cabin and added snow bracing all for less than half the cost of new materials. We later got 6000 good 100 year old bricks for ten cents apiece for the patio floor. New "looks old" were a dollar thirty five cents apiece. We captured a brand new Anderson window for $10.00 in a yard sale that fitted into our cabin needs. It's amazing what one sometimes finds in excellent condition at these kinds of outlets.

I ask the guy if he knew what he had in that barn and outbuildings of a small farm property. His bookkeeper son smiled and answered, about a half million items in our computer worth a dollar or more when sold. Not to shabby for "stuff" that most wreckers simply haul to the landfills and pay good money to the tipster to dump the waste. Not to shabby when you realize about a third of it turns every quarter. Not to shabby when a buyer can use good second use items for half the new cost...sometimes like the brick for three or four percent of what new would have cost.

Holly, I really like that nifty little spot for getting your ironing board stowed away.

Stormy, I knew what I wanted for a hanger and did a good bit of looking around for one that would hold the ironing board and the iron both. They had one at Walmart but I didn't like it. Then I found this one at either HD or Lowes. It was just perfect for that space. I really don't use an ironing board often so it is out of the way but also easy to get to. After Ric hung it all up I showed him my little board that sets on a table top and said can you figure out something for this? He just took it in and hung it on top of the big board. LOL The little feet just fit right over the top of the bigger board. If you look you can see that there are really two of them hanging there.
Doc, I think most of the wood scraps Ric has in the barn came from the military base. You pay $5 a load for scrap wood. Depending on when you go you can get some really good stuff. Most of the Crates are made from exterior ply wood. My chicken coop is made from a smaller one. We have several big coal bins and a large play house that were all made from bigger crates. I think the best thing that he got might have been the deck we use to have. It was a pallet for some very large heavy piece of machinery. You could see a faint circular rusty mark in it when we first got it. Rock solid and about 8'x8' and built from 4"x6"s sheeted by 2"x12"s. When he tried to get it off base he got stopped at the gate the guard didn't believe that it came from the scrap pile and thought he had someone in the wood shop make him a deck and was trying to pull a fast one. Ric had to wait for someone from the scrap yard to come to the guard shack and confirm that it really was scrap. He also loaded it on his pick up by himself using some rather inventive methods. It was too big to fit inside the bed of the truck so it sat up on the sides of the bed and came down the expressway home. We used that deck out front until the addition was built and then around the back of the house till the raised brick patio was put it. Probably 10 years.

This message was edited Jan 26, 2010 9:39 PM

doc- here's a great story about a smart guy who's been building houses totally from salvage . everybody else may like this too. Someone had posted this in Sustainable Alternatives.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/34126116#34126116

Sally, thanks for the link - interesting story!

Holly, your shelves look great and what a perfect spot to hang your ironing board(s) :)

Critter, you're amazing! I'm afraid to think about the projects I could conjure up if I had the confidence to pull out the power tools. You did a superb job making the cut to fit around the countertop and you're right a bead of caulk works wonders :) When looking at the beadboard as a possibility for the bathroom makeover, I saw where they now have beadboard wallpaper - might be an easier option for me to get the "look" without the hassle of cutting around all the obstacles!

We made some progress yesterday but work at the nursery took priority yesterday in preparation for the cold weather expected. Took measurements for a few cuts that need to be made for the laminate before installing as well as finalizing the measurements for the trim I'm going to apply to the kitchen cabinets under the island. We loaded everything in the car and went over to my father-in-law's shop to cut everything because his shop is fully equipped to handle everything. I got this idea from one of the DIY shows. They had used moulding to "frame" a bathroom mirror and thought to myself why can't I use the same idea and give the bottom of the island a little more character? All the cabinet doors have raised panels but see how plain the island looks?

So...after searching at Lowes for an economical solution I found the oak look foam moulding I needed, took my measurements and for about $50.00 (moulding and a can of gel stain) I could get this "look"! Well almost, when I originally fooled around with Photoshop to "paint" the countertop, my original intention was to use a black glaze to darken the faded paneling and give the moulding a distressed look. After thinking about it A LOT, nixed the "distressed" look and found Aged Oak Gel Stain which will hopefully match everything up to the real wood cabinets. Rick said if I really wanted a distressed look he'd be willing to kick them a few times! LOL I'm driving him nuts with all my ideas :)

Sally, I saw that on TV the man is really an artist. Anyone can build with salvaged materials but it takes and artist to do what he does. I found it all very interesting.
RCN you and that photo shop. LOL What a great way to "picture" what you are planing. I'm starting to fill up the shelves today. I think that the old metal utility shelves that I will be emptying off today will make a good place to grow more seedlings.

RCN, You are on a roll for sure! Good job!