At the beginning of last week our bathroom looked like this: Obviously, I showered at the gym for most of the week, and Phil got to know a tiny shower in the basement of the building where he works. The problem was that the tile was bowing out from the walls due to a moisture problem. It turned out that the previous DIY-ers had used sheetrock instead of the proper tile backer-board. Thanks guys. We opted not to DIY this one, so we wouldn't make a similar mistake. Instead, we called in an … [Read more...]
How to install (and grout!) self-adhesive vinyl tile
August 2, 2009 by 3 Comments
1. Sweep thoroughly.2. Clean your floor really well with soap and water.3. Use a staple gun to secure the edges and any other chipped loose spots.4. Apply an embossing leveler. Mix this up in very small batches. Work quickly to smear a thin layer over the floor. Let dry.5. Determine the center of the room. You want to start laying the tile at the center and work out from there.6. Place (BUT DON'T ADHERE!) tiles from the center to the edges to test it out. You want the last tiles at the edges to … [Read more...]
Kitchen Remodel Pt. 4: Painting and a New Floor
July 28, 2009 by 3 Comments
Here's our kitchen when we first moved in. I didn't like this pass-through window, the wallpaper border, the color of the walls and cabinets, or the floor. Whew. A lot of work needed to be done. Over a year later, I love all those things (or their absence)!Step one was removing that quaint wallpaper border, as detailed here. Next we tackled the paint job. I followed John and Sherry's advice on How to Paint your Kitchen Cabinets. It was a lot of work. Cabinets before, dingy, yellowed … [Read more...]
Kitchen Remodel Pt. 3: History
July 26, 2009 by Leave a Comment
In the process of moving the fridge in order paint the cabinets and redo the floor, we uncovered some kitchen history. Our kitchen used to have yellow walls and gray tiles. Lovely. (Not.)Stay tuned--the kitchen remodel reveal coming next week! … [Read more...]
