Home Again: April 2014

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Redo On The Cheap

My bathroom has not had an update in 23 years. This was the year I put my foot down. A real DIY project. Of course members of the family saw nothing wrong with reaching into the back of the tank to stop the water from running in the commode. Cracked seat. No problem. Duct tape. A vanity that was over 40 years old. Just a real UGH. Not to mention just plain dingy. I had it all planned in my head. First I had to patch and paint ceiling and walls. Not my favorite. Remove the commode. I won't even go there. Now remove the vanity that refused to come off the wall. The only way was a sledge hammer and a reciprocating saw. Yikes! What a mess. Okay. Now I'm running over to Lowe's to get started. I had visions of a brand new hi tech water efficient commode. Done. Now to the vanities. Dear God! What kind of garbage are they selling. Great savings on the one that has the door hanging off. My fine period furniture in the shop doesn't cost this much. And I'm selling solid wood! Finally went to a locally owned plumbing house, My Brothers Place in Wilkes-Barre and found a nice bargain and better quality.

Supplies

We used Veranda Prefinished Vinyl Wainscot found at Lowe's. You get 6 pieces in a pack so best kept to small areas. On the package is a regular woman like you and me installing the base trim and chair rail which is sold separate and the pre-cut wainscot pieces. No sweat. Yeah right. Think again. Floors are sloping, walls are not straight, and corners are a nightmare. You really need to have some form of construction skills. You also need a ton of liquid nails and silicone to fill in what doesn't fit.

The Start

Bead board going up. The blue paint I used for many years is Lowe's American Traditions sterling silver blue. A gray blue which goes well with anything of stainless steel. Now it's Valspar.

Thanks Mom

When my Mother passed I took this mirror she had over her sofa since the 1970's. It sat in a hallway covered up for 10 years. But I just knew one day it would be used in the right spot. Well that day has come. I couldn't buy this quality today.

Almost Done

The only thing left to do is a little corner molding work and a new floor. I'm going with the new vinyl that looks like wood. This stuff is amazing. Far cheaper than ceramic. The cost? A little over a grand to give this a fresh look. And it only took me and my dear brother-in-law 3 days. Not bad.

Embellish

I wanted to keep this clean and give it a coastal feeling. My son is a photo journalist so I dug up some of his work when he was covering an international swim meet in San Fran. Perfect.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Happy Easter

Friday, April 11, 2014

Don't throw those away!

My neighbor called me over to look at her vintage 1960's patio chairs she was throwing to the curb. My heart stopped! The cushions were in bad shape. Because of the odd sizing you would not be able to walk into Home Depot to replace them. It would have to be a custom job. We ordered four Euro shams from VHC in the Seapoint pattern to give it a beach feel. Topped them with accent pillows. We did save the cushions from one chair to use as a template.