Update: How has the peel and stick tiles held up?

It has been 7 months since I remodeled the bathroom. If you don't remember what it looked like before, check out this post.


Before installing the peel and stick floor tiles, I was curious as to how it would hold up. So I thought I would share with others my own experience with them. A few things to note with this bathroom - it is our basement bathroom, but don't let that fool you. This space gets used like any other bathroom in our home. The floor has not received any sort of special treatment so this is a real life scenario. This bathroom is home to the cat litterbox so the flooring does take some abuse, and it also serves as the main bathroom next to my husband's office, which sees some traffic.


The result? Still looks as good as the day it was installed! I have not seen any ripped tiles or signs of wear. There is one tile that has started peeling up, but I will mention that this was likely to victim of user error. When I first installed the tiles, I had a bad habit of starting to apply to sticker and then deciding it wasn't perfectly straight and peeled it back up before it was fully pressed down to start over. This tile in particular was repositioned more than once, and I believe this corner is the spot that I lifted in order to reposition.

Overall I'm happy with the outcome. I would definitely do it all over again if needed. I like that the solution is not permanent so that if I change my mind I can remove everything.


One more thing - I have not excessively washed this flooring. Meaning it has been swept and spot cleaned with a damp rag, but I haven't used a wet mop on the entire floor. I will admit that within the first week of installing the floor my son peed all over it, which I cleaned up right away, but I was pleasantly surprised that none of those stickers had any issues.


Would you try using a peel and stick floor tiles or just go with the real deal?


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Learn how to paint cabinets and save money!

It is no secret that I prefer spraying paint with a professional spray gun versus a brush and roller. Mostly because it is so much faster, although it does involve more prep work to spray. When I refinish kitchen cabinets though, the majority of the time I am brushing and rolling the cabinet frames and spraying the doors and drawers.

What does this mean to you?


As a homeowner, if you want to learn how to paint in your own home and save money in the process, I would like to introduce a new service offering for kitchen cabinets. I am offering to teach you how to paint the kitchen cabinet frames, walk you through the entire process of cleaning, sanding, prepping and priming beforehand, and to be on standby for any questions.


In addition to learning a new skill set, you will benefit from substantial cost savings!


How do you qualify?


The following criteria is needed to participate in this program:

• Willing to follow my step by step process and not skip any steps
• Must use the paint and primer that I provide
• Be available in person and go through the entire process in your home
• Must complete the project in a timely manner (not more than a week as we will be working together)
• Desire to learn how to paint
• Willing to take direction
• The cabinets may not previously be painted, as that will require that they be stripped first so a different process will need to be used
• This is for paint only, as of this time I am not offering this service for staining
• The option is only for kitchens or large bathrooms, not for small bathrooms unless there is more than one.

What is the process?


The same process will be used for requesting a quote as normal. If you wish to participate in the project, I will remove the cost for the frame painting portion in the quote and there will just be a small fee for supplies. All supplies including paint, primer, and rollers will be given to you.


Once a deposit is received and your project is on the calendar, you will be contacted by me a couple of weeks prior to getting started. At this point we will meet to discuss colors and go over any questions.


On the first day of the project, you will need to be available to go over the step by step instructions. We will actually work together from start to finish on one part of the cabinets. This includes cleaning, sanding, cleaning, prep (taping off and masking), and then applying the first coat of primer. I will be instructing you how to perform each step and then you will proceed on your own from there. This should not take more than an hour or so for the demonstration and any questions. The entire work should not take more than four days to complete, even less if you have a helper.


I will be available for a follow up where I inspect the work to make sure it is progressing as expected. There will be a final inspection when the cabinet doors and drawers are delivered.


Not only will you get the gratification in knowing that you were able to update your own home, but you will gain a new skill set that can be applied to other areas in your home if you so choose! Its easier than you think, and you can achieve it! I will also be there to help walk you through everything, and as we all know having a guide to do something makes the task seem less daunting.


Is this something you would be willing to try? I would love to hear your input!


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Why you should hire an Interior Designer

Let me start off by saying that I am not an Interior Designer. Sure, I know what I like and implement that in my own home after doing a ton of research, but I don't actually have Interior Design experience to stand behind my decisions. A lot of people ask for my opinion on choosing cabinet colors or ask my opinion on how to upgrade different areas in their home. I can provide my opinion, but it is not backed by any sort of formal training.




In fact, you may be surprised to know that I hired an Interior Designer for my own home. When we first bought our home it was horribly outdated and we knew it needed a complete redesign. I spent hours researching paint colors, flooring options, lighting options, stone and tile, countertops, etc. I also knew we were planning to spend THOUSANDS of dollars on this remodel, and I wanted to make sure it was done right. So I hired an Interior Designer. She confirmed (or politely denied) my decisions that I had planned to make and also picked out the wall colors, cabinet colors, confirmed flooring options as well as tile and stone work.


Interior Designers are not cheap. You are paying for their training and experience but you can spend as little or as much as you want. I had picked an Interior Designer who was known for making quick decisions because I had already done a huge amount of homework on my own and knew my own personal style and what I wanted my home to be, but needed some guidance. You can also hire an Interior Designer who will start from the beginning and get to know you before discovering your style, your home needs, and what you hope to accomplish.

What can an Interior Designer do for you?


1. Save you money.

Have you ever picked out a paint color, just do get your walls painted and realize it looks horrible? Now not only have you wasted time and money but it all has to be redone. Hiring an interior designer right away can make sure that you make the right decision the first time. This applies to furniture, paint, fixtures, anything.


2.  Secure a home improvement contractor that you can trust.

It is great to have connections and sometimes you can get discounts. For example, the Interior Designer I worked with had a contractor account at Sherwin Williams. They allowed me to use that account to purchase paint and supplies with their discount.


3. That extra attention to detail.

Sometimes when you are too close to something (like your home) you may not see things that could be missed. For example, I have an open concept home and my Interior Designer observed that there were several different ceiling heights and variances throughout the space. She recommended that I paint the walls and ceiling the same color. Since a lighter neutral color was chosen, you really wouldn't notice that it was all the same color. If we painted just the walls like we intended to do, we would have a stark contrast where the wall meets the ceiling. Another advantage - we were painting ourselves and painting the ceiling the same color as the walls meant we didn't have to tape off or cut in where the wall met the ceiling!

4. Help you with the Big Picture.

An Interior Designer will ensure the home flows and looks more pulled together as well as making it functional, organized and tranquil. Even if you know that you only have the budget to remodel one room in your home, hiring an Interior Designer in the beginning with give you insight on the project as a whole, and you can implement different projects when you are ready. I have been in homes where each room has a different theme or completely different color scheme or style from the rest of the house, which always seems like an afterthought and interrupts the flow.


5. Make selling your home easier.

If you plan on selling your home, hiring an Interior Designer can add visual interest to your home to increase appeal and home showings which can make for a faster turnaround time on the market. Hiring an Interior Designer can give you the WOW factor you were hoping to accomplish that you might not do on your own.



I hope you found this info helpful.  Please consider an interior designer for your next remodeling project!
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Painting both sides of a door at the same time

I have painted more six-panel doors in my life than I ever thought possible. Painting doors is not in my service catalog, so how did I get so lucky? I painted almost all of the doors in my own home, all of the doors in my sister's home, and doors and trim in my father's home. So I guess you could call me a seasoned veteran when it comes to painting doors.

This blog post is dedicated to the heavy solid wood six-panel doors because that is what I'm familiar with. More expensive than hollow core doors, but well worth it in my opinion, even if it means dealing with heavy doors.

One helpful tool I have found for removing doors from the hinge without unscrewing it, is the spring hinge tool. This tool allows you to remove the pin in the hinge so that you don't have to take the hinge off the frame. I purchased mine at Sherwin Williams.  My husband is obsessed with this tool, it was a real time saver after spending hours trying to get the bottom hinges off with a hammer and nail.  It might seem easier just to unscrew everything but then you risk having to re-hang the door if the holes become too loose or if the hinges get mixed up when you put the door back on.

I use a spray gun for painting, as there is a lot of square feet involved when painting doors and spraying the paint is so much faster than applying by hand. Work smarter not harder, right?


After taking the door off the hinge and removing all the hardware, I clean the door from debris and gunk using disinfectant wipes. Then I give it a good sanding and wipe down all the sanding dust (do this on both sides). Now it is ready for primer and paint.


When I painted the doors in my home, I was on a tight timeframe. My twin babies were in the home, and we normally shut the door to their bedroom at night so that they wouldn't wake up from any noise. I wanted to limit the number of nights I was taking a risk of waking sleeping babies. Also, with all the doors off the hinges this meant zero privacy in the bathrooms... I'm sure anyone looking for bathroom privacy was very eager for the door painting project to be wrapped up as quickly as possible.


Okay so how can I paint both sides of the door without having one side rest on fresh paint?  Well I had an idea and my husband helped me implement. I used very long screws and drilled two on the top of the door and two on the bottom. I knew nobody would ever see the very tops or bottoms of the doors, so I never even bothered to fill the screw holes and paint. But the screws gave the door extra length, and I rested the screws on top of wood pyramids that my husband helped build out of 2x4s, but you could also rest the screws on sawhorses as well. The door has to be raised just high enough off the ground so that it doesn't touch.

So now that the door is supported by screws and resting on wood, I primed one side, flipped it over and then primed the other side. That way I could finish both sides at a time. Then I did the same thing with paint and let it dry.


I let the door dry overnight and then removed the screws and rehung it on the hinges. That's it! Easy enough, right?

Are you brave enough to tackle painting all the doors in your house? Was this tip helpful?


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Thinking about having your cabinets painted?

Are you thinking about having your cabinets painted? Does your kitchen need an update? Are your existing cabinets in good shape but in need of a color change? Keep reading for more information on my process from start to finish that should help answer some of the most frequently asked questions I receive.

THE QUOTE PROCESS
First off, lets start with the quote process. I always give free estimates, so it can't hurt to ask! I will need several pictures of the kitchen as well as a count of the doors and drawers. I also need to know if the drawer face comes off and if any repairs are needed or if you have any damaged areas. The reason I need to know if the drawer face is removable is because it saves me time in painting the drawer, as I don't need to wrap the drawer to prevent overspray getting inside the drawer. If the drawer face comes off it saves me time which means it saves you money, but if it doesn't come off that's okay too.

A general idea of how you want your cabinets refinished is good to know. Its helpful if you have inspiration pictures too. You don't need to know the exact color, just in general are you thinking white or a lighter color or going dark or maybe a two tone look? Staining is an option as well but does come with a bigger price tag.

My estimate always includes the cost of supplies - paint, primer, sealer, sandpaper, cleaning supplies, etc. The quote does not include additional costs such as if you wanted to change out the hardware or if you need to fill any holes to allow for new hardware, matching a specific color from a certain brand, etc. I am always willing to provide those estimates if you let me know upfront. If you just want a basic quote to get started I can give you the standard price and we can go from there.


DISCOUNT AVAILABLE


The quote you receive will have two different pricing options. I offer a discount for the homeowners if they choose to remove the doors and drawers and then do the installation themselves.  This saves me time and of course saves you money.  I'm more than happy to remove the doors and drawers for you if you select that option, but I will say that the majority of my clients are willing to do it themselves to save on the cost. Its easy enough to do and I help walk you through how to label each door and drawer so that you can identify where it goes when its time to install. Basically, you would just use painters tape to number each door and drawer and apply it to the removable item, and also painters tape with the coordinating number which would remain on the permanent structure somewhere inside the cabinet or drawer frame.


If you decide to move forward with the quoted price, we will set a date to meet in person in your home. We will review the contract together, look at sample boards, take before pictures, and collect a $500 deposit fee which is required in order to get you on the calendar. Once I receive the deposit this is when the date is confirmed. This ensures that your date gets locked in, and gives both of us an agreement that the work will be started then. Of course I understand if an emergency comes up and it needs to get moved, but please keep in mind that cabinets require a large block of time in my calendar and its harder to move dates around at the last minute.


I use General Finishes enduro poly commercial grade products, and stick with their milk paint line of colors. The most popular cabinet colors are White Poly (true white), Antique White (offwhite) and Alabaster (a mix of true white and Antique white). Most of my clients choose one of the white colors for their main cabinets, and use other colors as an accent for the island or similar.  If you can't decide on the spot, you can keep a few of the sample boards which are actual oak cabinet doors so that you can see the color in different light throughout the day. Color matching to any Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore is always an option as well.

Also its important to note that I can not completely eliminate the grain in oak, but the painting process does a very good job of filling in the grain. This will be shown to you on the sample cabinets.



IN HOME PAINTING
I always hand paint the frames of the cabinets, unless requested to have them sprayed. The advantage is that its costs less, and you are able to keep your items in your cabinets - I just ask that you push everything back out of the way. To prepare for my arrival, it is helpful if you are able to move any items out of the way that may be in the way of the painting the cabinets. Removing larger items from the countertops is helpful. If you can relocate the refrigerator, stove and range that is a huge help. If not, I can work around it and we can discuss in detail at the consultation.


When I arrive I will start by either removing and labeling the cabinet doors or if you have already done this I will load them into my vehicle. Next I get to work on cleaning the cabinets. Prep is an important step in the paint adhering, so I make sure the cabinets are clean. Then I sand the cabinet frames in order to give the paint a better grip. The cabinets are once again cleaned and wiped down. At this point, I start taping off any areas that need to be protected from paint. Once all of the prep work is done, the priming process starts. In general, the second day will be priming.  The third day will be painting. The fourth day will be painting and touch ups/tape removal. In total, as a minimum there are 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of paint applied. On the final day at your home when the painting is done I remove all the tape and clean up any areas. It is helpful if you have any additional wall paint on hand, I can touch up any spots that the tape may have removed if any.

I am typically in home for 3-5 days. Your cabinets are still usable during this time but won't have any doors on them. The paint is dry to touch after an hour or two. They will need a full 28 days for the paint to fully cure however.




OFFSITE PAINTING
After the cabinet doors are removed, I take them to my workshop for the prep work and painting. I do this because my workshop is equipped with my spray booth and cabinet door drying rack. The doors are first prepped (clean, sand, clean) and then the inside of the cabinet doors are sprayed with two coats of primer and three coats of paint. After sufficient drying time, they are flipped and the same process is used on the door fronts. Spraying the doors leaves a nice smooth finish.

Once both sides of the doors have been painted, I contact the homeowner to arrange a day and time to drop off and install if necessary.  The doors typically take about 7 days to finish once they are removed from the home.


When I drop off the doors and drawers I always bring touch up paint for the homeowner in case something happens down the road or in the time it takes for the paint to cure. Its helpful to know that you are able to touch up anything in case life happens. I will also provide door bumper pads, as the previous ones are always removed before painting (and in most cases they are brown anyway) so new white or clear pads are provided.


I will also ask if I can take pictures once its all put back together. This is optional, but always nice to see the difference in before and after pictures!


Having your cabinets painted is a great way to update your home! Its also helpful to know that the process doesn't take as long as you may think, and having your cabinets refinished can be affordable. I hope this post answers any questions you may have, or helps to understand the process better.


Edit: New services offered include replacement doors and drawers and/or concealed hinges. Ask me if this is an option for your home! Also, another option is being offered where you can save money on your cabinet refinishing by painting the frames yourself, with my step by step process and guidance. Learn more about the process in this blog post.

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Home Gym DIY Tips

Happy New Year everyone!  My name is Ben and I am the husband of the famous Jess of Flipping Unbelievable.  Jess has graciously let me guest blog today to talk about one of the few areas left in the house that hasn’t been magically transformed into an HGTV-ready set-piece.  I would like to share with you tips and tricks for changing the nether region of your basement into a guy home-gym.

We already had most of the equipment shown in these photographs but they were spread haphazardly across the basement and were seldom used because it was not a pleasant environment to work out.  The first step was cleaning and organizing the basement so that we could rip out a whole wall of shelves. The first picture is the finished main area.  The second picture above is a secondary space but you get a good sense of the before and after.  I added additional lighting as well so it didn't look like a dank basement of despair.

We used the remaining wood shelving brackets to mount mirrors.  Mirrors are key, they help you perfect your form and see your results from working out, which is why professional gyms have them everywhere.   Mirrors can be found on the curb, on Craigslist, or they can be leftovers when you wife remodels every bathroom in the house.

Rubber floors are also crucial. There is nothing worse than the sound of metal weights hitting concrete in the middle of a deadlift.  This was the most expensive component of the home gym (about $2.80 per SF) but is totally necessary.  Although expensive, they are readily available at any improvement store and come in interlocking squares.  Skill level:  Literally Toddler.   My 4-year son put the flooring in with me, he thought it was a puzzle.

I can’t say enough about these cup holders.  Jess complained about her water bottle rattling in the treadmill cupholder so I was going to build a nice platform to put stuff on.  I wandered around Menards for an hour and then I had an epiphany.  These cupholders can be found in the automotive section and were like a buck apiece.  And duct tape is basically free so this was a very cost effective solution to our problem.   I recommend adding cup holders to every pole in your house.  Not only are they practical but they look great!

The entertainment center includes a power strip, bluetooth speaker, and cable TV.  I mounted the TV on a swivel bracket so you can watch it on the treadmill or in the weight room section.  Having a TV is a must-have luxury, it creates the same ambiance as a professional gym.  The beauty of the home gym is that there are no retirees forcing you to watch Fox News while you get your sweat on.

Finally, you have to name your gym. Naming your home gym is quite easy.  Feel free to experiment with the following Mad-Libs, any combination from each column will work.

Column 1                                         Column 2      Column 3

            Your First Name                               Iron                 Works       

            Your Last Name                               Pain                Station

            Your Street Name                            Sweat             Zone

            Your City Name                               Muscle           Factory

            Mascot of Your Alma Mater             Meat               Castle

Jess offered to make me a sign to christen the new gym space.  I told her to make me a sign that looks like it was forged in the fiery pits of Mordor.  This included not using some lame font.  

She understood exactly what I was looking for. We got some excess metal at Re-Store.  Then she sprayed black letters using a block font stencil and added fake rivets.  It looks pretty good.

So there you have it.  A DIY guide for creating the perfect space to plan on performing squats on a routine basis but ultimately doing a few bicep curls before hitting the beach in the summer time.  Enjoy!

Peel and Stick Floor Tiles

I'm on a mission to get rid of all the white tile in my house. I think the original owners must have gotten a deal on bulk white ceramic tile because it is EVERYWHERE.

For my downstairs bathroom remodel, I knew I needed something budget friendly and quick and easy.  Tile removal can be labor intensive and expensive. I didn't want to leave the tile as is, but I knew my options were limited.  My first thought was to paint the floors with a stencil.  I read no less than 100 DIY tutorials and blogs that did this, so I felt like I knew the pros and cons.

• Pros - easy to do and very inexpensive.
• Cons - not sure how long it will last and no matter what it would not be perfect.

That last statement was the hardest for me to ingest. There is just no getting around bleed through with a stencil, it will happen. Being the perfectionist that I am, I wasn't sure if I could live with that.

Then I found peel and stick tile flooring. I saw all the different designs and knew this was the best option for me:

I did some research on this product and like anything there are pros and cons.

• Pros - easy to install, relatively inexpensive, easy to replace a damaged tile, easy to cut to the size you need for partial tiles, and removable if you don't like it or live in a rental unit
• Cons - longevity (the company I ordered from says it lasts 7 years), somewhat time consuming to install depending on how much of a perfectionist you are.

After looking around I decided to order my tiles from Bleucoin. I ordered from Etsy, you can find the link here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Bleucoin

They are shipped from India, but my tiles arrived in 5 days. There are different patterns to choose from but the main reason I picked this business is because I liked the fact that you can order tiles based on the size of your existing tiles. This was important to me because it meant the original grout would still be visible, making the tiles look more realistic.

I ordered the Encaustic Moroccan style from Bleucoin in matte finish. I read in the FAQ section that the matte finish is recommended for flooring as there is a slight texture to it. The tile is a darker gray so I knew it would work well with my dark gray grout. Before ordering its important to measure the tile.  Mine was just under 8". And when deciding if I should order the 7.9" or 8" tile I went with the 8" knowing I could overlap slightly on the grout and it would cover the tile completely. I did not want the white to show through if I missed an edge.

The first step to applying the tiles is to clean the floor really well.  The key to a job done right is all in the prep work. After the tiles were clean and dry I started on one end of the room with the full tiles and dove in. It is just like a sticker, you peel the back off and stick it on the tile, making sure to press down for the best adhesion.

The full tiles were the fun part. That job went really fast and was super easy. After all of the full tiles were done, it got a little more time consuming to install the partial tiles. I know it wasn't necessary, but I measured and cut a template for each stencil before applying the actual tile. I saved the backings from the tiles and used that as my template.

First I did my best to mark the backing with a pencil and cut it to size with a scissors. I love these tiles they are easy to cut with scissors. No fancy tile cutting tools are needed. If it needed to be altered I did that on the stencil and tested the fit. Once it was the correct size, I used the backing as a template and traced my actual stencil. Here is a lesson that I learned - don't trace the back of the stencil, trace the front otherwise it won't fit when you flip it around...

I would say this project took me about 6 hours. I did this project when my toddlers were home, so there were a lot of interruptions, but this is an easy enough project to stop and start at any point, unlike if I would have done a painting stencil because I would have had to worry about paint drying during breaks.

The tile cost me $260 for 88 squares. When counting your tile to figure out how much you need, if you have a lot of partial tiles you can't assume 3 small partial tiles equals one tile, because you can't piece the tiles together due to the design. I could usually piece together two partial tiles from one of my full tile stickers, but that was the limit.


The finished product:

I am not sure if this will last 7 years as the company states, but I'm okay with that. I didn't intend this to be flooring to last a lifetime and, honestly, I change my tastes so often I'm sure in a few years I will grow tired of the design. I like that I can always remove the tiles if I do grow tired of it and maybe soon the white marble tile with gray grout will come back in style. I will update this blog post on the durability of the flooring as time goes on. For now I'm happy with how it turned out, the floors are my favorite part of the bathroom remodel and I'm dreaming up ways to use this product for other areas in my house.

Do you think this is something you would try or have you already?  I would love to hear your experience!

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