home improvement Archives - Page 2 of 2

September 15, 2015June 16, 2017

Bathroom Tour and Project Plans

I am slowly working on creating a home tour which will include before and after pictures of my house as well as explanations of what I plan to do to the house in the future. This page will be “living” so to speak and will constantly be changing as the house changes. Throughout this process I will try to post reveals of rooms that have had a significant amount of change to them along the way.

Today I am going to share my bathroom with you! The bathroom is one of my favorite rooms in the house because at a glance it looks crisp and clean. On the other hand there are still some issues with the bathroom that need to be worked out.

Here is the view of the bathroom before you walk in. I know what your first impression is: mmmm carpet in the bathroom! Yes, it is horrifying and it should be gone soon! Chris and I have flooring to replace the carpet. We just need the gusto to get it done and a few more supplies. Read more about that here if you so choose (and haven’t done so already) 🙂

The main things that changed in the bathroom since we’ve lived here are painting the walls and getting rid of the old sink. Those projects were pre-blog days, and sadly I don’t have before pictures of the sink. However, I did find a picture of the walls while we were in the process of painting!

Holy ew, right?! I don’t think the walls were painted a light yellow because the rest of the house was painted plain white. The color of the walls basically blended in with the plastic on the shower, and now it is a stark contrast as you’ll notice in the photos further down.

The sink was about from the wall on the left to halfway through where the plastic drawers are now. It was retro like my kitchen counters, and the shelf inside the cabinet was rotting out. We lost the storage in the bathroom (which wasn’t useful because of the rot) but we gained a lot more space in the tiny bathroom. I would like to add some shelving to the bathroom above the toilet to gain some of the storage back. We bought the pedestal sink unused at a thrift store for $60 which the landlord reimbursed us for.

In this angle you can see the mirror which has a small medicine cabinet as well as the light above it.

I actually like the light and I think it looks vintage (in a cool way), but it needs a good cleaning and the hardware needs a coat of spray paint.

Oil rubbed bronze anyone? 😀 I spray painted the vent in flat black because it was rusty and nasty looking. The little sea horse is from TJ Maxx – gotta love that place <3 I want to add a hook below the sea horse for a hand towel

Here are what I call the toilet accessories. The q tip holder is a reused candle jar, and the jar with cotton balls is an old spaghetti sauce jar that I painted with chalkboard paint and added a ribbon. The candle is called coastal woods by Mainstays and it smells fantastic by the way 😉

Now for the not so pretty parts. The tub surround is made of plastic sheets and they are stained yellowy. They may have even come in an off white tan ish color, but either way it doesn’t look good. I have been able to get it cleaner using a homemade shower cleaner that uses vinegar, but it’s not anywhere near my standards. The caulking was also done very sloppily and is coming off in some spots around the tub.

Because there isn’t a fan in the bathroom moisture has caused some damage. The paint is peeling and cracking on the window as well as the ceiling. The ceiling is textured and I would love to get rid of it. I would like to add frosted contact paper to half of the window, and take the curtain down. This way there is always natural light coming in, but no one can see into the shower. It would also be epic to add a bathroom fan, but who knows how much that would cost or if the landlord would pay for it.

Here you can see the staining and messy caulk. You can also see a chip in the tub’s finish, and there are a few more in other spots of the tub. Funny story – there is a chipped spot in the back of the tub on the bottom and for the longest time whenever I would be getting in the shower and already had taken my glasses off I would think it was a spider. I had to put my glasses back on and double check it wasn’t a spider. Silly me. I would love to refinish the tub with a rustoleum kit as well as tiling the tub surround. Tiling the tub is probably a long shot though…

I don’t know how this happens but the surround pulled away from the caulk instead of the caulk coming apart. Either way I can’t imagine that’s very good for the wall behind the plastic sheeting.

Well, there’s my bathroom for you! It’s not as glamorous as I would like, but the projects we’ve done so far haven’t cost much money and the decorations were all relatively cheap as well. Once we put the new floor in then I will be much happier with it. The shower is really rough, but at least that can be hidden with a shower curtain.

What do you think of the space? I would love to hear ideas on creative storage solutions! Are you excited to see more room tours and the Home Tour Page?

Thanks for stopping by!

Lauren <3

July 30, 2015June 17, 2017

Garage Shopping Trip

The other day Chris and I were at his parents and we took a little shopping trip through his dad’s garage. It was a complete success. We ended up with vinyl flooring to do the bathroom and the landing at the top of our entryway stairs. We also got two different sizes of white tile to do the kitchen backsplash. I’m thinking this project will have minimal costs even though we need a few more supplies to get started.

To do the bathroom we need a special glue for the vinyl we got, which Chris’s dad will have soon after he finishes another job. For the landing we need a metal strip that goes where the vinyl and carpet meet. Chris’s dad has a few pieces of it we just need to tell him our measurements so he can cut it. To do the tile we just need to get grout and mortar. I already have some leftover mortar from my mom (not sure how much we need), and Chris’s dad might have grout.

The bathroom floor is made by Mannington and is a type of luxury vinyl called Adura. Our specific floor is called Dockside Sea Shell. I love how much it looks like real wood and it’s easier to take care of than laminate wood floors. I’m thinking it will be easier to install too. In the pictures you can see that it actually has a texture to it. There might even be enough of this to do the kitchen too. Yet another great reason to paint the kitchen cabinets white because the yellowy wood of the cabinets would not look good with this gray wood look.

The other vinyl we got is not nearly as cool, but it is still a nice looking wood vinyl. I wish there was enough to do all of the stairs but that’s unlikely. On the bright side my cat seems to like the new floors 😉

When I got home I realized the tiles are actually two different colors. Uh oh. I played around with them a little bit and came up with a pattern that I think will work. The problem is they don’t quite fit, but we can always trim a little bit off the top tile.

We already have the approval to put the vinyl down in the bathroom. Not sure if Chris is going to ask about the stairs landing or the backsplash, but we’ll see how it turns out. Even if he decides to ask permission I think hope these projects are a no brainer.

See You Around!

Lauren <3

July 28, 2015June 15, 2017

5 LOGICAL Reasons to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

The night before Chris and I were going to tackle painting the kitchen cabinets he decided that he wanted to ask permission to paint. I got really anxious because there was always the slight chance that she would (ridiculously) say no. Mind you I already had taken off all of the upper cabinet doors along with all the hardware. Did I also mention he had no part in helping with that? Ugh. Boyfriends.

I’m not going to lie, growing up I was a rule follower and I asked permission for everything. I just couldn’t stand the thought of my beautiful white cabinets being torn from my grasp when I am so very capable of painting them myself. She didn’t say no, but she did say she would have to ask her husband. Her husband said NO. AGHHHH. I was furious because I felt like he just didn’t understand, and he hardly does much with the rentals anyway. I wanted to scream and tell her to woman up and realize she doesn’t need her husband’s approval. However that probably wouldn’t solve a thing and I would still have ugly cabinets. So instead I decided to have Chris give these reasons why they should change their minds.

1. Cabinet Damage

Our cabinets have several spots where they are obviously worn down. There are scratches on one cabinet door (no idea how those got there), finish worn down near handles and edges of doors/drawers. Even after I thoroughly cleaned/degreased everything twice the edges of the cabinets are gummy feeling. A few of the cabinets feel gritty and not smooth like some of the less worn down doors. This is not unusual for old cabinets, but the damage really makes the kitchen look run down.

2. Easy to Clean and Repair

Going along with the previous point, painting the cabinets will make it much easier to clean and repair any spots that get worn out. Putting myself in the landlord’s shoes I know I would want to efficiently clean and make any repairs from the time one tenant moves out, and another one moves in.

It’s harder to see dirt and grime on the cabinets the way they are now because the color of the cabinets exactly matches grease that might splatter out of a frying pan. What kinds of dirt, grime, or food do you know of that is white and will cling itself to a kitchen cabinet? none (okay maybe marshmallow fluff? 😉 ). In another setting cabinets that hide grime are a good thing because they create less work and hide the dirt. In a rental setting white cabinets make it really easy for a landlord to see how dirty the cabinets are, and to make a quick estimate of how long it will take to clean between tenants.

3. New Update for Cheap

Or in our case a new update for $0. It really cannot get any better than that. I respect it if the landlord’s are hesitant because they really like the look of wood and they don’t want to cover it up. However, we have plenty of leftover paint and primer that they already paid for to paint the walls. It would be the same amount of work if not more to sand and re-stain AND it would end up costing them more money in the long run.

4. White Paint Opens up the Space

The kitchen in our apartment is really small and feels very claustrophobic because of the dark colors. Using light colors tricks your mind into thinking the space is actually bigger than it is. I especially noticed this when I took the upper cabinets doors off because the insides are actually already white. A decent sized kitchen is on a lot of people’s wishlist when it comes to homes, and at least white cabinets will make it not seem so cramped. Our home is located in a residential area a block or two away from the school. This means the property should really be trying to attract small families. Families generally do a decent amount of cooking so it makes sense to have a kitchen that will fit those needs.

5. Painted Cabinets are Popular

There are images all over Pinterest of painted cabinets, how to paint cabinets, and why you should paint cabinets. These days people are ditching the wood for a crisp paint job. Brains over beauty is generally the way to go. In this case painting the cabinets white is both brains and beauty. Especially in the business of rental properties it is critical to understand what a vast majority of people will be looking for in a home, and not just a select few. I can safely say that a vast majority of people are NOT looking for retro yellowy weird wood grain cabinets.

Obviously I want my living space to be appealing to me, but I also understand that I do not own it and some day someone else will have to work their style into the home as well. Throughout all of my projects I have held this mentality and that’s why it is frustrating to me that they said no to painting the cabinets. To me it seems like a well thought out business move. Hopefully after explaining these points to them they will change their minds.

If you liked this post don’t forget to share it!

See You Around!

Lauren <3

July 5, 2015June 15, 2017

Updating Counter Tops with Spray Paint

The latest home project I tackled is updating my counter tops. As you can see my counters are a very common retro white with gold specks. The edges are very worn, and have stains and cut marks where someone (myself included) used the counter as a cutting board. For this specific project I decided to go with the ask for forgiveness instead of permission approach. I assumed my landlord would gasp at the concept of spray painted counters. I’ll admit it made me a little nervous at first too.

Spray painting counters is a cheap and great alternative to replacing them altogether. To begin, I cleaned the counters, let them dry, sanded them, wiped them down again, and let them dry while I was taping everything off. The supplies I used were:

Rust-Oleum Universal Satin Spray Paint in Espresso Brown
Rustoleum American Accents Stone Spray in Mineral Brown
Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane in Satin
Sandpaper
Paint Brush
Painter’s tape
Drop Cloth, Cardboard, Newspaper etc.

I had everything on hand already except the paint and the poly. I purchased two cans each of the paint and a 1qt can of poly. In the end I used 1 can of the primer/base coat and about 1 and a half cans of the textured paint.

After prepping the surface tape everything off that you don’t want to get paint on. I didn’t tape off my “backsplash” because I am eventually going to redo that as well. To tape the sink off I put painters tape along the edges of the stainless steel. Only get tape on your sink and not the counter (it’s kind of tricky) otherwise when you pull it off you will see the counter show through. I was told after the fact that you can lift the sink up a smidge without having to undo all the plumbing. That would’ve been nice to know! After I taped the edges I laid a piece of the plastic drop cloth over top. To tape it down I pulled the edges tight and then put tape on it so no paint would get in.

When spray painting indoors make sure you have plenty of ventilation and take breaks often if the fumes start to get to you. If you cannot get proper air flow do not spray paint inside. I worked in small sections and went near a window during my breaks for some fresh air. Also, if you have any gas appliances nearby shut them off before you begin this project!!!

Now to the fun part! Begin by spraying a thin-ish layer of the primer/base coat. Let this dry again and put another thicker coat on to make the color even. Make sure to avoid puddles or drip marks on the counter. Once this is completely dry you can add the textured spray. Make sure to shake this often or the textured particles will settle at the bottom and the finish won’t be even. I did a few coats and some touch ups to achieve an even texture. As it’s drying it will look a little splotchy, so let it dry completely before deciding to do another coat.

This is what the counters looked like before adding polyurethane, and an up close of the texture. I almost liked the way my cabinets looked for a hot minute after doing this update, but that minute soon passed and I once again envisioned white cabinets.

After letting the paint completely dry add the first layer of polyurethane. Let this dry for 3-4 hours and add another coat. I did 2 coats and I could still slightly feel the texture of the paint, which I liked. The directions said to sand in between coats to ensure an even finish, but I skipped that and it looks great. After the final coat of poly let sit for 24 hours before using the counters.

Here is the finished product!

I absolutely love how the counters turned out and I cannot wait to add the backsplash and paint the cabinets. I was going to do paintable beadboard wallpaper, but my boyfriend’s dad might have some leftover tile that we could have fo FREE that would look nice in our kitchen. Comment below if you have any questions, want to let me know what you think, or just want to say hi!

UPDATE: I went back and added a 3rd coat of poly because it was discoloring when wet. The color went back to normal once the wet spot dried but I was concerned that it would ruin the longevity of the finish.

UPDATE: Check out this post for an update on how my counters are holding up! (2/19/17)

See You Around!

Lauren <3

June 29, 2015June 15, 2017

Prepping Cabinets for Paint – Step 1

Every time I go into my kitchen I let out a sigh of disappointment. My kitchen is really tiny, really grungy, and really outdated. I dream of having pretty white cabinets and counters that come clean. Here is what my kitchen looks like now so you can feel my pain and see how tiny it is 🙁

Prepping Cabinets for Paint - A Review of Mean Green | Flip This Rental

One day I realized that I can have pretty white counters and not so dreadful counter tops. I went digging on Pinterest for ideas on how to update cabinets, counters, and backsplash on the cheap. I decided it wouldn’t be too taxing to paint the cabinets since I don’t have a lot of them and the insides are already painted white (although they do need to be sanded and repainted *groan*).

The first step in creating a “work with what you’ve got” dream kitchen is degreasing cabinets thoroughly. This is an important step because if you don’t degrease then the paint and primer will have a hard time sticking and ruin your paint job, even if you sand. It would be tragic to put in all that work and still have it look like poop.

To degrease my cabinets I bought Mean Green Super Strength Cleaner & Degreaser. I usually DIY my own cleaners out of natural ingredients I keep on hand, but I had a feeling I would need something really tough since I was prepping the cabinets for paint. I like this product because it doesn’t have a powerful smell like most cleaning products and I didn’t feel like my hands were going to melt off if I got it all over. The degreaser was a fair price and I will definitely use it to clean other areas of my kitchen as well. The bottle doesn’t say that this specific product is for cabinets, but it worked great.

To degrease the cabinets I sprayed the cabinets one at a time with Mean Green and used a damp rag to scrub off the grime. The hot spots of my cabinets were the handles and along the sides of the doors/drawers. The faces of the doors weren’t too bad in most spots except near the stove and sink. It took me a few hours to do and not too much elbow grease. I didn’t keep close track of time but I would guess that time included trying to take pictures in my poorly lit kitchen. Now my cabinets are clean (but still ugly) and feel so much nicer to the touch.

Now some before and afters!

Before After

You can definitely see an improvement, and what’s left is imperfections in the wood

Before After

You can see the grime in the bottom left corner is gone and the hardware is sparkly clean. Having clean cabinets definitely shows how much abuse they have taken. Even better reason to paint!

This is after I cleaned and you can see the giant scratches and how faded the finish is on the wood

Here is my cat trying to help out 😉 Say hi Eleanor

And finally my clean cabinets in the limelight. What do you think of the color and weird grain of this wood? Are you tackling a similar project? Drop by the comments and let me know what you think!

If you liked this post, check out how I cleaned my cabinet hardware here.

See You Around!

Lauren <3