Backsplash

I knew that I wanted white subway tile for the backsplash. In fact, I wanted it over the entire back wall behind the sink. At 21 cents a piece, it's a reasonable option. We used American Tile 3x6 porcelain subway tile in Snow White.

I had gone to my local Habitat for Humanity Restore and purchased adhesive and grout for about 25% of the original price. This project was by far, the most economical one we have done.

Neither one of us had tiled previously, but DH got the hang of it quickly.



This is actually them installing my awesome Domsjo IKEA apron sink.

The wet saw and straight cut tile saw borrowed from our friend made all the difference in the world. Once we got going, it went very quickly and smoothly.












We had to run the first course of 2-3 rows and let them sit for 24 hours. Then we were able to build upon that foundation of tile, so to speak. With the team work of me cutting and him laying, it made for an evening's worth of work. I grouted the next day and voila!




By the way, doesn't that sink rock?!!

Peace,
Maria

Granite Countertop

I had a dilemma. Because of the funky layout in the kitchen, custom countertops were way out of our budget. I needed to figure out a way to maintain the layout and work with the one inch thick plywood that was currently on my countertop. I didn't want to buy a new piece of laminate with inferior pressed wood under it. I lifted the existing tiles off - some of them with my bare hands they were so loose.











Then we laid the hardy back cement board down over the plywood. It is a great product with graphed out lines for easy cutting. Just score it with a special tool and snap like drywall.
Every 6 inches there is a marked circle where to put the screws in. Use the ones that are especially made for this product. The last thing you need is a screw lifting out and cracking your tile or grout.









Next we laid out the absolute black 12x12 granite tiles.



Our friend, Mark, (pictured left) had a wet saw that we could use to make all of our cuts with.

The biggest snafu was the edging.

At first we thought to use a new product by this company:
http://www.schluter.com/139.aspx

Really great product, perfect for our needs. But, we didn't have the time to wait for the corner pieces to be ordered and we were not sure that we could make the cuts well enough on our own.
So we decided to use a black granite chair rail piece:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xiy/R-100664289/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Also a great product, but trying to make mitre cuts was IMPOSSIBLE!!!
After a few attempts and about $20 in wasted material, we were at a loss.

Then my DH had a stroke of brillance. We had put up a bit of the glass tile on the back splash and there was a couple of rows cut off from the mesh backing. He put it up to the edge and came up with this idea:




Awesome. And very custom I might add. I loved it. So, after a lot of adhesive, cutting and grout, we had this:





Back splash and wall of tile to follow!

Peace,
Maria

Remodeling II

Ok, so I am going to attempt to get this all down. There has been so much going on around here that I'm not sure I can remember it all during this whirlwind of activity.

The cabinets have all been painted white. My friend Peter helped me accomplish this monumental task. In some instances, we needed 3 coats of primer and then 3 more coats of paint. We did use the newest product from Behr - Ultra Premium, Primer and Paint in one. I used a primer sealer first and then used that paint over it. I would not reccommend using it on bare wood without some sort of sealer primer first. It's a great product, but it doesn't give it enough 'tooth' on its own.

This is a before pic (excuse the mess - it makes it more authentically 'before')


















I took off the original hardware and sprayed it. I know that many might think that is not authentic, but all the other cabinetry got new hardware and I was trying to make it all cohesive. It helped bring out the detail in the fabulous latches. I will add the entire countertop project step by step soon!

Peace,
Maria

Paint

I have some 'down time' on posting since we will be working on the kitchen and mudroom for the next week and a half. I will update the process as I get pics taken and can show a finished product.

In the meantime, I will share some of the 'pre-blog' projects we have completed.

Mostly, it's just paint. Boring coats of paint.

Yet, how instantly a fresh color can transform a space, giving it new life and ownership.

Choosing colors can be tricky. Look at a shade in the wrong light and when you get it home on the walls, you could be in for a surprise. My rule of thumb, especially with the children is to choose a color, but I chose the shade or tone. My oldest girl wanted a purple and green room. We chose the lightest lavender and a fresh, springy green that just hints at yellow. With the right accessories, any color can compliment another and with bright white trim, the colors really 'pop'.

I love white trim, but I'm limited in this house. The trim that was painted is ok to repaint. I have 'carte blanche' in the kitchen/laundry room/mudroom which are the work horses of the house and therefore 'my domain' (DH is adamant about leaving all the other wood untainted by acrylic). The rest of the house has unbelievably gorgeous woodwork that has never seen the likes of a paint brush. We are not going to start now. Despite my yearnings to see white trim with fresh color, after painting the trim and windows and doors in the back section of the house, I'm done! It's painstaking work, and although I enjoy it - I can't imagine having to re-coat every few years to keep it looking fresh. No thanks. I'll maintain the integrity of the original wood and keep every guy that walks in here happy. What is it with men and wood?

Anyway, here are some photos to fill the dead air whilst I lay granite tile.


Third floor bedroom - dubbed 'the princess room' BEFORE




Another bedroom - BEFORE



Third floor stairs after they had their 30 year old carpet removed and before they were painted.

Remodeling Part one

The entire back section of the house is under construction. On the day we closed, the realtors were joking that my DH would most likely be bringing a sledge hammer to the settlement. He was that pumped to bring walls down.

First, it was a wall that closed off the back entrance to the house in the 2nd floor hallway. Previously, there had been a need for a private entrance to the third floor apartment. The removal of the wall was dramatic as it allowed light to pour in from the south facing side into the hallway and even down into the main foyer. My camera was not quick enough to capture any 'before' shots. He beat me to the 'click' so to speak.

The second to come down was the wall in between the kitchen and what was a bedroom for the first floor apartment.



Then it looked like this



Pretty soon, it started to look better.




This week, we had company in from out of town. Everything is on hold till the weekend. The kitchen is painted and the cabinets as well. Next is countertops and backsplash.

Laundry Room

We've been working on the laundry room this week. It is indeed the epi-center of work aside from the kitchen. The majority of energy goes into laundry. I wanted it to be cheery. It was previously the kitchen to one of the two apartments that were in this house. The ceiling is low as it was an addition and there is a 2nd floor porch above it. This is what it looked like 2 weeks ago after we tore out the sink, cabinets, and the acoustic drop ceiling.









We had a drywall pro come in to hang the ceiling. The joists were, let's say, less than plumb and true. He had his work cut out for him.
He did a great job and then we painted.


Now, it looks like this:






Yes, I have a chartreuse and turquoise laundry room. Anyone who doesn't like it can come join me and complain in person whilst we fluff and fold 14+ loads a week!

The floor will go in this weekend.

Next time, the mudroom!

Peace,
Maria

Welcome!

This is my blog to document the renovation of our new-to-us old home. It is a Sears kit home, a "Magnolia" and we got it for a steal. Get it? Steal Magnolia? HAHAHAhahahaha....ha............ha, ahem. Anyway, I will post pictures and hopefully document this event as best as I can since renovation usually consumes my time. I want some sort of virtual scrapbook to share with friends and family. If you are a Sears home groupie or an HGTV addict, you may be interested in our little journey. Thanks for taking the time to read.

Peace,

Maria