Hang Your Hat

I have been MIA for a little while but I have a good reason.  I have been working on a new project, and I am finally ready to reveal it.  I would like to introduce a brand new podcast, Hang Your Hat.

Hang Your Hat is a research based podcast that combines my tendency to rabidly devour knowledge, and my love for the home.  Essentially, I am taking all of the research I already do on home based topics for my person edification, and sharing the results of that research with the world. 

I plan to release a new episode of Hang your Hat every two weeks, and there is an introductory episode available now.  You can find it on itunes, or download it directly from the website.  I hope you enjoy it.

Halloween Playlist

Halloween season is back, and I am ready to set the mood.  I have created a Halloween playlist that is suitable for the whole family (although it may be a bit spooky for very young children).  If you are a member of Spotify simply click below to gain access.  If you are not a member of Spotify, you can still make your own version - all of the songs in the playlist are listed below.

Enjoy!

Coat Closet Mini Makeover

We took a quick break from our bathroom remodel, to get some perspective before putting on the finishing touches.  During that break we tackled a quick and easy project - our hall closet.

In a tiny hallway type area, just off our foyer we have a small coat closet.  It is about 24 inches by 34 inches with 8 foot tall ceilings.  On the right side of the closet there is a large wooden box in the closet that forms a low shelf.   It houses our A/C intake vent and cannot be removed.  Prior to this mini makeover, the closet had a single hanging bar for coats, and a shelf that was so deep only Firebeard could reach things on the back of the shelf without a step stool.  Soon after moving into this house the closet was regulated to storage closet status, because it was so impractical to use, and I began to research alternatives.

In a previous post I shared the inspiration for our hall closet makeover.  We were inspired by several of the beautiful and functional coat closet makeovers on pinterest, particularly those that used hooks for hanging coats and bags rather than hangers.  We put that inspiration to use, and here is the result.

What was involved in the transformation?

Preparing the flooring for hardwood

We are slowly replacing the flooring in most of the house with engineered hardwood, so we decided that since we were already doing some work in the closet we would do some of the prep work for the new flooring.  We pulled up the carpet (but didn't cut it out), removed the tack strips and baseboards, and cleaned the sub floor.  The carpet stayed peeled up while we painted and was laid back in the closet when we were done to help protect the subfloor from wear and tear until we can install the new flooring.  We decided not to reinstall the baseboards since we would need to pull them back out when it was time for the new flooring.

Painting

We tried a couple of different colors in the closet before settling on Soft Mint by Behr.  In the tiny dark closet most of the mints we tried looked too dark.  Soft Mint is a really pale mint, but in the dark closet it looks much more vibrant than it does on the paint sample.

All of the trim, the shelf, and the ceiling is painted in BM Simply White.

Adding Support and Reducing the Shelf Depth

I wanted hooks installed along two walls in the closet, so we added an extra board along the back wall to screw the hooks into.  We were able to nail the additional board into the studs, so the hooks, being screwed into the board, will be able to hold more weight than if we had simply used a molly to screw them into the drywall.  It also adds an additional measure of support for the shelf.

We reduced the depth of the shelf by about 6 inches, so that I could reach the back of it.  It also makes it easier to step into the closet to hang things up.

Installing Hooks

The hooks, which are gold colored metal with a pretty decorated ceramic ball at the top, were from World Market.  I found them for only $2 a piece.

We decided to install the hooks on only two sides of the closet, leaving the right side of the closet (where the box for the air vent juts into the closet) free.  This gave us room for 5 hooks, each spaced about 6 inches apart.

Adding Mini Shelves

On the right side, above the air vent box we decided to install mini shelves to hold small items like sunglasses, and mail.  We used Ikea's Bekvam Spice Racks ($4 a piece), which we had originally gotten for a different project, but didn't end up using.  They were a great size for the closet, because they are only about 4 inches deep and don't project very far into the tiny room.  We painted them BM Simply White to match the rest of the trim in the closet.

We had a hard time finding anchors that would fit the built in hangers on the back of the spice rack.  We finally found that 50 pound EZ Anchor drywall anchors fit perfectly.

The Door

We decided to add a few special touches to the door as well.  The edge of the door was painted in Folk Art Chalk Paint in Vintage Mustard.  I love the little peek of color when we open the door.

We also decided to try our hand at painting the hardware rather than replacing it.  We used Rust-Oleum Universal spray paint in oil rubbed bronze.  If the finish holds up pretty well, we will use the same technique for the hardware in our hallway, and I will create a tutorial.

Finishing Touches

Now:  Clean, neat, and a place for everything.

We added a basket for shoes at the bottom of the closet, and a small basket for dog things on the "shelf" formed by the air vent's box.

At the moment we have a small basket on the upper shelf holding umbrellas and rain jackets.  I'm hoping to find two taller baskets that can fit in the closet side by side to make better use of the space.

We have left the baseboards out of the closet for now, since the new flooring will be going in soon.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Hurricane Preparation

Every Floridian knows how to prepare for a hurricane; gather food, hoard water, and seriously consider buying a generator for twice as much as they normally cost.

After hurricane Hermine came through last week, I realized that my hurricane preparation game was a bit lacking.  I have since updated my hurricane preparation list.  The updated list is below, and I hope it helps everyone who uses it to be a bit more comfortable after the storm.

Preparing for a Hurricane

The Basics

• Gather Water:  If you rely on a well for water, the power to the well, and therefore the water from the well is likely to go out in a bad storm, so having extra water on hand is a must.  While municipal water is less likely to stop due to a storm, it can be contaminated, in which case bottled water is still a must.  While you can certainly go out and buy a bunch of bottled water, you can save a bit by filling up the drink bottles you already have.  Bonus Tip:  If you freeze your bottled water before the storm, the frozen bottles can be used to keep perishable food cool a little longer, and when the ice melts you will have a cool drink.
• Buy Food that doesn't need to be refrigerated or cooked:  I am not a huge granola bar fan, but when you have no power and no refrigeration they suddenly become surprisingly tasty, and they are better for you than most of the junk food that doesn't need refrigeration or cooking.
• Ready a Cooler for Perishable Food:  A cooler with a bunch of ice or ice packs will probably keep your perishable food cooler longer than a fridge without power.  Prior to the storm make or buy extra ice or freeze a bunch of ice packs to stick in the cooler with your most precious perishable foods so they can survive a little longer.  Bonus Tip:  Really nice coolers actually keep food cooler longer.  We have a Yeti that we put through it's paces when our fridge broke a few months ago.  It kept ice frozen for 3 days.
• Gather Candles, Matches, Flashlights, and Batteries:  Again, the power is likely to go out, but we still need to see.  I was shocked to see just how dark some areas in my house were without electricity, even in the middle of the day.
• Ready the Get-a-way Car:  If it gets really bad you might need to get out of dodge (or, participate in an evacuation when the local authorities indicate to do so).  Make sure at least one car is in good working order and fueled up.

Stepping up the Prep

• Have cash on hand:  When stores open up after a hurricane they may still not have any way to run credit cards (power may have been restored, but phone or cable lines used by credit card processors might still be down).
• Do laundry and wash dishes prior to the storm:  You don't want to be caught the day after storm with no power and no water, with a sink full of dirty dishes and no clean underwear.  What would your mom say?
• Charge Phones/any other rechargeable electronic device you might need:  The ability to call out and check the news in an emergency is priceless.  Bonus Tip:  Check out solar charged battery backups for small electronics (like this one from Amazon).  They allow you to keep your phone charged even when the power is out, and are surprisingly inexpensive.  
• Stock up the First Aid Kit:  In a bad emergency getting to the hospital may not be immediately possible.  Make sure to have at least basic first aid supplies on hand in case of illness or injury.  My basic list includes;  bandages, antibiotic ointment, pain killer, and anti nausea/diarrheal meds.
• Pick up prescription meds:  If you have been prescribed prescription medication you should probably keep taking it even after a hurricane, but the pharmacy may not be open for pick up.  Think ahead and pick them up early.
• Have an established plan that everyone is on-board with:  This is especially helpful for making small children feel prepared and confident when the power goes out.  Sharing dialogue about what will happen and why can give participants in your plan a psychological boost because they're not victims of the weather, they're actively addressing the weather and taking control of the situation.

Hard Core Prepping

• Buy a Camp Stove and Fuel:  With a camp stove you can cook food and boil potentially contaminated water, solving part of the lack of power or clean water issue.
• Buy a Camping Water Filter and iodine tablets:  Unlike the water filer you probably have in your fridge right now that just makes your water taste better, a camping water filer will actually filter out many contaminates.  When combined with iodine tables unboiled water becomes relatively safe to drink (although boiling is still recommended if possible).
• Actually buy that generator you keep talking about:  While a $3000 whole house automatic backup generator may be tempting, a considerably smaller and less expensive one can still keep your fridge running, power a few fans, and run a hotplate (although maybe not all at once).  It can help make the time after the storm considerably more bearable, and if you buy one when there isn't a hurricane bearing down it might even be reasonably priced.

Do you have any other hurricane preparation tips.  Please share them in the comments.

(This post contains affiliate links, all opinions are my own.)

We got hit by Hurricane Hermine

Very early Friday morning, Tallahassee, FL, where I live, was hit by hurricane Hermine, a category 1 (weak) hurricane.  Since then I have heard it described as "devastating," and compared to hurricane Katrina (the 2005 hurricane that leveled immense damage on Louisiana).  I have seen pictures of boats tossed up on shore, and houses waist deep in water.  I have also heard the question "Why would anyone live in a state that is constantly being destroyed by hurricanes?"  

While Hermine certainly caused flooding and destruction, I don't feel that the media's depiction of Hermine is consistent with the experience of most of the people that lived through the hurricane.  Hurricane destruction tends to be worst right on the coast, and in flood zones, and thats is were the media takes all of their aftermath photos - where the destruction is worst.  Most Floridians don't live in those areas.   I would like to give a less sensational perspective.

Hermine was the first hurricane to hit Tallahassee directly in about 30 years.  Tropical storms are fairly common, but direct hits from hurricanes - not so much.  Local schools were closed on Thursday and most businesses closed around noon on Thursday in preparation for the hurricane.  Only a few costal areas were evacuated.  We didn't start to get wind or rain until Thursday night, and went to bed like normal that night expecting minimal damage from a storm with such low magnitude.  The kids slept through the hurricane.  Firebird and I got up to check on things a few times, but for the most part we also slept through it.  When we woke the following morning we had no power, and this was the view outside our bedroom window;

Limbs down in the backyard after Hermine

Some of the limbs in the yard were pretty large.

We had a lot of fallen tree limbs in the yard, some quite large, and small twigs and leaf litter everywhere.  Initially it seemed like the damage was pretty minimal.  It wasn't until we went in the front yard that we started to understand the extent of the damage.  This was the view from our front yard;

Tree on my neighbor's roof

Then we went online (thanks cellular data service), and this is what the power outage map looked like;

Power Outage Map - the red areas are without power

More than 70,000 people were without electricity, and those with wells (rather than municipal water supply) were without water too (the well pumps need electricity to work).  Trees were laying on power lines and across roads.  Electric poles had been toppled, and live power lines were laying in the street.  The city was projecting that it might take days to restore everyone's power.  

We ventured out of the house the day after the storm to get some food, and stopped at the first place we came across with power - Walmart.   None of their refrigerated or frozen food was for sale - the backup generator to keep the refrigeration going had failed, and a ton of food was wasted.  Likely hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory.  We grabbed some food that didn't need cooking or refrigeration and headed straight back home.  

Refrigerated food goes to waste after power outage.

In our neighborhood and around the town we found that the damage from the storm was extremely variable.  Some houses looked like they suffered from nothing more than a thunderstorm, and some, like our neighbor's, looked like they had been hit by a hurricane far stronger than Hermine.

Some houses looked untouched by the storm.

Others just needed a bit of cleanup 

Some homes had serious damage.  This house had two large fallen trees that blocked the road

We counted at least 4 fallen trees in this yard.

As of this writing it is Monday night, about 4 days after the storm, and 18,000 people are still without power (down from 70,000).  Some wells were damaged or are still without power and as a result those residents are still without water.  My family was one of the lucky ones - we regained power about 24 hours after the storm, and we are doing fine, but for others, recovery from the storm could take weeks or months.

So, was Hermine "devastating"?  Should we be comparing it to Katrina?  No and no.  For a category 1 hurricane Hermine caused a surprising amount of damage.  Category 1 hurricanes are not much stronger than tropical storms, which are not much stronger than bad thunderstorms.  I expected Hermine to cause the kind of damage that we saw in our own yard - lots of broken and fallen limbs.  Herman caused a lot more trees and power lines to fall than her category would have suggested, and I believe as a result, we (meaning the residents of Tallahassee) were not as prepared for the extent of the damage as we could have been, and neither was the city itself.  That being said, comparing it to Katrina is completely inappropriate - Katrina was truly devastating, it, and the flooding that resulted from it destroyed the homes of thousands of people and came close to destroying one of our country's oldest cities.  Hermine knocked down a lot of trees, damaged several homes, and made us lose power for a couple of days.  While it will probably take several months for Tallahassee to fully recover from Hermine, the damage from the storm is ultimately temporary.  

New Ikea Favorites

The new 2017 Ikea catalog is out and as always there are a few gems hidden among the plastic bins (who am I kidding - I love Ikea).  Here is a sample of a few of my new Ikea favorites.  Bonus:  They are all under $30.

Enighet Candlestick - $12.99

The Enighet Candlestick is beautiful, simple, and classic.  It would look great on a table by itself, but also lends itself to decoration.  The bottom tray would be a great place to arrange a few holiday decorations.

Harliga Glass Dome with base - $9.99 (Multiple Sizes Available)

We are planning a Harry Potter themed party for the Girl's birthday this year.  The Harliga Glass dome would be perfect for a spooky specimen in a potions display, and at $9.99 a piece, I might actually be able to afford presents after paying for the decor.

Viktigt Carafe with glass - $14.99

When I saw the Viktigt Carafe I immediately thought "nightstand water dispenser".  I think it would be especially nice in a guest bedroom.

Gladom Tray Table - $29.99

It is a table, it is a tray, it is perfect for the small seating arrangement on my front porch.  I love that it is not only a great size for a side table, it can also be used to easily bring stuff into and out of the house like snacks or drinks.  Also, I am a sucker for multiple purpose furniture.

Have you spotted a new favorite in the Ikea catalog?  Let me know about it in the comments.

WIP: Ginny's Cardigan

• Pattern:  Ginny’s Cardigan by Mari Chiba, size 44 ¼ 
• Yarn:  Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool  in 60
• Needles: US5
• Made For: Me

You might think that with all of the work I have been doing on the house that I have been neglecting my other pursuits, like sewing and knitting.  The truth is that I still try to sneak these in whenever I have a bit of downtime (e.g. when I am too exhausted to stand).  Ginny’s Cardigan if from the Unofficial Harry Potter Knits Special issue of Interview Knits that was published in 2013.  The issue features several great looking patters inspired by the Harry Potter books, and even has a few good patterns for men.  

Ginny’s Cardigan is a DK weight stocking knit cardigan with a lace owl motif on the back. I have been knitting it for a few months now, and I am finally nearing the sleeve.  So far the knitting has gone very well, and I have found the pattern well written and easy to understand.  The designer has also written a few helpful blog posts to assist in altering it.  The only alterations I have made so far are changing my needle size to get gauge, adding a few extra short rows to the bust shaping, and lowering the bust shaping slightly to accommodate my curves.  I really love how it is turning out so far, and I am excited to finish it. 

Miracle Grout Renewal

When we first started our mini bathroom remodel we decided not to replace the flooring.  Retiling an entire bathroom, even a small one, isn’t really in keeping with a “mini” remodel.  For the most part I have been pretty happy with that decision.  Our tile is white, so it actually goes with our new décor pretty well (even if the scale of the tile is way too big for the small bathroom).  The one thing about the floor that has been nagging at me is the state of the grout.  Next to all of our clean white surfaces, the grout was looking pretty dingy.

Before:  Clean but stained and dingy looking

At first I tried to clean the grout with standard floor cleaner.  When that didn’t work I switched to bleach.  When that didn’t work I switched to serious scrubbing with abrasive cleanser and a toothbrush.  I tried everything, but the very clean grout remained stubbornly stained.  Finally I gave up on removing the stains, and moved on to covering them up.  There are several methods and products available to cover grout stains, some with better reviews than others.  I decided to go with a product that had both rave reviews and a reasonable price tag, Polyblend Grout Renew.

Grout Renew (Snow White)

Polyblend Grout Renew is an epoxy stain and sealer made specifically for grout.  I got it at my local Home Depot for about $13.  It looks a lot like paint, smells a lot like paint, and can be applied like paint.  The directions recommend using a toothbrush to apply product to the grout, but most of the reviews I read recommended a small paint brush, so that is what I used.  The difference in the color of the grout before and after the Grout Renew was applied was like night and day.  After just one coat there was a significant improvement, and after the 2nd coat it looked brand new.  It took me about an hour per coat, and when I was done I had enough product left over to do at least one more bathroom of the same size.

Before:  20+ years of discoloration 

Half way through the application of the first coat.  The difference is startling. 

Polyblend Grout Renew comes in about 35 colors.  The color I used was Snow White, which dries a very light grey, but when wet was almost exactly the same color as my tile.  Despite my best efforts to get the product on only the grout, and trying very hard to remove all that I got on the tile immediately with a wet rag, the fact that I couldn’t see the product on the tile while it was wet means that I missed a bunch of it.  When it dried it became visible on the tile, and looked pretty messy.  I was able to get it off my hard slick tile with two Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and a lot of scrubbing , but I don’t think it would come off of porous tile as easily (this is your warning). 

Grout Renew dried on the edges of the tile.

After the tile clean up, looking brand new!

Bottom-line, would I do it again?  In a heartbeat!  I got grout that looks brand new for $13 and a couple of hours of work.  I would recommend it to anyone that has stained or discolored grout that is otherwise in good shape.

After:  The grout looks brand new!

As a finishing touch, we added a new bath rug.  We found this one for only $8 at TJ Maxx.

This post contains affiliate links.  All opinions are my own.

Unappreciated Details: Cabinet Interior

After we finished making the outside of our bathroom cabinet beautiful the inside looked a little, well, gross.  The paint was yellow, there were stains, and the floor of the cabinet had some previous water damage.  So we decided to give the inside a makeover as well.  

Before:  Yellow, stained, and water damaged

After:  Clean and Bright

First we pulled up the water damaged floor of the cabinet, and discovered that the AC duct simply let out under the cabinet.  The air wasn’t shunted toward the vent at the front of the cabinet at all.    The floor of the cabinet also had VERY little support from underneath.  Firebeard fixed both of those problems by installing floor supports on either side of the open duct and vent, reducing the space that the air could fan out.

Removing the floor of the cabinet 

Discovering the open duct and lack of floor support

We decided to replace the very thin floor with slightly thicker plywood, but that gave us another problem.  The new thicker flooring didn’t bend.  We had to cut it into 3 pieces to fit it into the cabinet.  Fortunately we had already planned to cover up the plywood flooring with vinyl, click together “wood” flooring that would protect from future minor water leaks better than wood alone.  My parents had given us some or their left over vinyl flooring so this part was free.  Since the new plywood floor and vinyl flooring was thicker than the previous flooring the cabinet lip no longer covered it.  We installed some quarter round shoe molding to take up the additional space.  We also painted the inside of the cabinet to freshen it up, and cover a few stains.  

Installing the New Cabinet Floor

Since we don’t have a lot of floor space in this bathroom, I placed a small laundry basket inside the cabinet to collect clothes after bath time, and I still had enough room under the cabinet for extra towels and a few supplies.  I will admit I had to get rid of a lot of older towels to make everything fit, but it was worth it.   If you are looking for a place to donate your gently used towels, shelters (either human or animal) are often in need of them.

Stocked with Supplies

Converting a False Drawer Front

Over a month ago we started to give the cabinet a little facelift.  We planned to paint it, and change out the hardware- nothing serious.  It should have been a weekend’s work at the most, and had we stopped there it would have been, but instead, we decided to be clever.

When I was little, my sister and I shared a fairly small bathroom with very little countertop space, and no drawers.  At some point my Dad installed a tilt out drawer behind the false drawer front in front of the sink to add a bit of storage, and since then, every time I see a false drawer front (like the large one on the kid’s bathroom vanity)  I feel like it is a waste of valuable storage space.  It seemed like an ideal time to remedy the wasted false drawer front space when we began working on the bathroom vanity.  We bought a kit by Rev-A-Shelf on Amazon that could convert false drawer fronts into tilt out drawers for $20 (enough for two), and that is where the trouble began. 

Rev-A-Shelf - 6572-14-11-52 - 14 in. White Polymer Tip Out Sink Front Trays and Hinges

While we were waiting for the kit to arrive we got ready  for it.  Removing the false drawer front from the cabinet was surprisingly easy.  I expected it to be securely attached to the vanity, but when I got under there  wasn’t much holding it in at all, just a couple of pieces of wood screwed to false front that fit snugly against the cabinet frame.  The wood swiveled out of the way releasing the front.

The false front had been painted to the front of the cabinet at some point, so I also had to use a razor blade to separate the false front’s paint from the rest of the cabinet.  Then the front popped off – easy as pie.  Note the raised bit of wood on the back of the false front, that will become important later.

When the tilt out drawer kit arrived the cabinet was otherwise ready to go.  We thought it would take 30 minutes to an hour to install the kit, and then we would be done.  Hubris, pure hubris. 

I calculated the placement of the tilt out hinges to within 1/32 of an inch based on the instructions provided with the kit, then, being very confident of my measurements, we quickly screwed everything in and closed the door ready to start on our next project.  The drawer front was too high, much too high.  We were a full 1/4 of an inch off (enough that it was noticeable), despite very careful measurement and direction following.

We took everything off, repositioned, reinstalled, and reclosed.  This time the drawer front was the correct height, but the raised piece of wood on the drawer front hit the cabinet frame before it closed.  The next time the hinges hit the raised piece of wood on the back of the drawer front.  We had to cut off a chunk of the raised portion to make the hinges fit correctly.  After several more attempts our cabinet was doing a very good impression of Swiss cheese, and the drawer front was no longer hitting the frame, the hinges were no longer hitting the drawer front, and everything was at the correct height, but the drawer did not close all of the way, it stood out from the cabinet about as far as the raised portion on the back of the drawer front was thick.

It was now obvious that the makers of this kit had assumed that the false drawer front that the hinges are attached to would be flat.  To compensate for the raised portion of our cabinet front we needed to install the hinges father back in our cabinet than the instructions indicated.  However, there was no space to install them further back, so we had to improvise.  I came up with the plan, and Firebeard implemented it.  The basic idea was to attach additional blocks of wood to the drawer glides to either side of the tilt drawer opening that could then be used to screw the hinges in place.  We got two lengths of 2x4, approximately 6 inches long, routered out a channel on the backs of each block that would fit over the drawer glides (and still allow the drawers to slide in and out) and allow the wood to sit flush with the cabinet opening, and then glued (and Screwed) the wood blocks in place.  We were then able to install the hinges farther back in the cabinet, allowing the drawer to close all of the way.

So now we finally have the new tilt drawer in place, and I will admit I really like having it.  It is a great place to hide the toothpaste and toothbrushes, it can be taken out easily and washed, and the countertop is less cluttered as a result.  Would I put another one in?  Even though I have another kit ready to be installed I haven’t decided if I will actually install it yet.  It was just such a giant waste of time and energy that I am not sure if it was worth it.  If you decide to put one in yourself, here is my advice;

• Use the instructions to get a general idea of how everything is installed and where everything should go
• Don’t use the actual measurements in the instructions, there is just too much variations in cabinets for the measurements to be completely accurate
• Get a helper (or two) to hold things in place while you mark where all the holes need to go
• Expect to install the hinges more than once, and for the installation to be a far bigger pain in the butt than the helpful kit indicates

If you have any helpful tilt drawer installation tips, or just want to share an installation horror story tell me about it in the comments.

This post contains affiliate links.  All opinions are my own.

Completed Cabinet

I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th, whether you celebrate American Independence or not.  I am happy to say that in my house we took a little break from the home remodeling projects and actually did a bit of relaxing.  We decided to stick with tradition this year, and did all of our normal 4th of July activities.  First was dinner - burgers/veggie burgers.  I make a cake that the kids refused to eat.  Then we moved on to the annual Nerf war, which, as dictated by tradition, only ends when the losing child begins to cry.  Finally the combined blood sacrifice to the mosquitoes (lest they suck out our souls), and fireworks.  It all ended at about 10pm with all of us literally dripping sweat (Florida), and smelling strongly of exploding gunpowder.  Good times.

I actually felt good about relaxing this 4th of July rather than guilty for slacking off because we are nearly at the finishing line in our mini bathroom remodel.  Today I finally get to reveal the last of the big items in the remodel, the bathroom cabinet. 

Before: Dated, dreary, and dirty looking

Now:  Brighter, and whiter yet more colorful

The bathroom cabinet has been nearly complete for quite a while, the only thing that was stopping us from completing it was the installation of a tip out drawer in the place of the cabinet’s false drawer front.  This sounds easy enough, but it was a complete nightmare.  I will go into the tilt out drawer a bit more next time, but for now, bask in the pretty completed cabinet.   

The color is Everglade Green by Clark + Kensington, color matched to Valspar’s Interior Satin wall and trim.  We wanted to match the dark blue of the shower curtain and actually took the curtain to several stores before we found Everglade Green.  Initially wasn’t completely sure of the color (while it was the closest I could find it still wasn't a perfect match) so I just got a small tester can.  I ended up painting the entire cabinet with just the tester (total cost $4).  I may eventually polyurethane over the paint if it starts to wear a little too fast, but for now it is holding up pretty well.

Franklin Brass P15510-SS-B European Steel Bar Style Cabinet Pull Handle, 3-inch (10 Pack)

We also changed out all of the cabinet’s hardware.  The old stuff was just a bit too frumpy for our sleek new look.  The hinges are super basic chrome hinges from home depot similar to these.  They were about $1.50 each, or $6 for entire cabinet.  The European Steel Bar Style handles, by Franklin Brass were another Amazon steel.  We got 10 for $16.99, about a $1.70 each (as of this writing they are currently $26.00 for 10, or $2.60 each).  I am pretty happy with the quality of these and would definitely get them again, however, they were not as shiny as I expected them to be.

Total exterior transformation cost $18.50, not too shabby.

This post contains affiliate links, all opinions are my own.

Lucky Fish

Tropical Storm Colin came through town earlier this week, dumping a ton of rain, and filling the little lake by our house to over flowing.  We stopped by the lake on our nightly walk last night, to see how well it had drained in the intervening days, and came upon a surprise.  It seems that several little fish that had been living in the lake had been flushed out by the draining water.    We discovered them while they were valiantly attempting to swim back up the spillway into the lake, and away from the gaping maws of the blue herons and egrets that laid in wait next to the shallow stream formed by the draining water. 

The kids immediately sprang to action attempting to return the little fish to the deep waters of the lake.  Fire Beard ran back home in search of nets to assist in the rescue attempt.  I even got in on the action, but quickly found that the kid's fish rescuing prowess far exceed mine.

In the end we rescued about a dozen fish, and hope they are happy back at home.

Adding a Pop of Color

Despite my love of a clean, refined white room I could never have a completely white room in my own house (even if I didn't have kids, and a dog tracking dirt in the house).  While white rooms can feel beautiful and serene, they too often feel drab and cold.  Colorful rooms on the other hand feel energetic and warm, but too colorful rooms can feel overwhelming and claustrophobic.  In my own house I like to marry the clean look of a white room with eclectic pieces and pops of color that give a room energy and personality.

Adding Color to the edge of a door  - inspiration from Apartment Therapy

I was looking for ways to add pops of color to my mostly white hall bathroom when I came across this article from Apartment Therapy.  It details several ways to add color by painting the edges of objects a color that contrasts with the color of the rest of the object.  When I saw the above picture of the edge of a door painted neon orange, I knew I had to do this to my own room.

Here is the result:

A subtle hint of color from the now dark hallway.

I painted the edge of the door  Seaside Villa, in Home Decor Chalk Paint by Folk Art because I had it on hand and it was the perfect color.  Chalk paint tends to be a bit softer and more prone to scratching than traditional acrylic paint, so I am a bit concerned that it will not hold up over time.  I used Folk Art Home Decor Clear Wax over the paint to protect the finish, and I have had good luck with the durability of this paint previously, but only time will tell how well it will do for this application.   The door (and the rest of the trim), is painted in Simply White by Benjamin Moore, a slightly warm white that contrasts nicely with the cooler Seaside Villa.

This mini project really gave me a lot of bang for my buck.  The only cost to me was a little time, but the impact of this small change is surprisingly big.  It is hard to describe the difference this small change made, but I can say that somehow the room now feels more playful, and complete, and like details are a priority.

If you have done any surprisingly impactful small projects, or know a clever way to add a pop of color to a room, let me know about it in the comments.

At What Height Should a Shower Curtain be installed?

How high up should a shower curtain be installed?  It depends on the length of the shower curtain/shower curtain liner being installed, the height of the tub/lip of the shower, and personal preference.  However, in an effort to figure out the appropriate height for the shower curtain in my own bathroom, I created a simple equation that can be used to determine the minimum and maximum appropriate shower curtain height that you can use in your own house. 

Here is how it works:

Shower Curtain Height Measurements

First determine the length of the shower curtain/shower curtain liner.  To make things easy I am going to assume that the shower curtain and shower curtain liner are the same length.  Here in the US the standard shower curtain length is 70 to 72 inches (178 to 183 cm) and square, but it is getting easier to find shower curtains that are not the standard length.  In my case my shower curtain was 71 inches (180 cm) long.

Next determine the shower curtain hook/ring drop.  This is the amount of space between the top of the shower curtain and the bottom of the shower curtain rod when the shower curtain is hung on the rod with whatever hook/ring you will be using.  Depending on your shower curtain hooks this amount may be negligible, but if it is more than .5 inches (1.3 cm), or you are working with very tight tolerances,  it should be taken into account when figuring out the shower curtain height.  In my bathroom the drop was about 1 inch (2.5 cm).

Then determine the exterior interior height of the tub or shower lip.  To determine the exterior height measure the distance between the floor outside the tub/shower and the top of the tub/shower lip.  My tub was 14 inches (36 cm) tall.  To determine the interior height measure the distance between the inside tub/shower floor and the lip of the shower.  The interior height of my tub was also 14 inches (36 cm).

Last determine the amount the shower curtain liner should overlap the tub or shower lip so that it does not allow water out.  In a shower you generally want the shower curtain to overlap the lip of the shower by at least 1 inch.  Minimum overlap in a tub is generally 3 inches (7.6 cm), since tubs are curved and the shower curtain liner usually cannot hang straight down a little extra overlap length is needed.  Maximum overlap should still leave the liner about .5 inches (1.3 cm) from the floor so that it will not be stepped on.  Subtract .5 inches (1.3 cm) from the interior tub height to determine the maximum overlap.

 Now put all of your measurements in the below formulas:

• Maximum Shower Curtain Height = Shower Curtain Length + Shower curtain hook drop + Height of tub/shower – Minimum shower curtain liner overlap
• Minimum Shower Curtain Height = Shower Curtain Length + Shower curtain hook drop + Height of tub/shower – Maximum shower curtain liner overlap

In my bathroom the maximum shower curtain height = 71in (the shower curtain length) + 1in (the hook drop length) + 14in (The exterior shower height) – 3in (the minimum overlap for a tub) = 83in (211 cm)

The minimum shower curtain height in my bathroom = 71in (the shower curtain length) + 1in (the hook drop length) + 14in (The exterior shower height) – 13.5in (the maximum overlap for my tub) = 72.5in (192 cm)

Since my bathroom will be used by children, who are liable to splash water out of the tub accidently, I decided to go with a bit more than the minimum amount of overlap as a safety measure and hung my shower curtain rod 80 inches (203 cm) from the floor.

Within the range of Minimum to Maximum shower curtain height how do you determine how high you should hang your own curtain? 

Here are a few considerations that may help you out:

• If there is an extra tall person in your household (like Firebeard in my house), make sure that the shower curtain is hung at least a couple of inches higher than they are tall or they are likely to hit their head on the rod every time they get in the shower.
• Is the front of your tub/shower especially ugly?  Hang the curtain a bit lower to hide it.
• Is the front of your tub/shower good looking?  Hang the curtain a bit higher to show it off.
• Want to make the ceiling appear higher than it actually is?  Hang the curtain as high as possible (even consider buying an extra long shower curtain or a long window curtain to hang at ceiling height) to give the illusion of extra height.

What about width?

Most tubs and showers are about 60 inches wide.  The average shower curtain is 70 to 72 inches wide, or 10 to 12 inches wider than the average tub/shower.  This allows the shower curtain and liner to overlap the shower by a few inches on each side to keep water from escaping.  If your shower is significantly wider or narrower than 60 inches, you may need to find a specially sized or custom shower curtain.  If you have a wide shower, or just want a fuller looking shower curtain, an alternative to custom curtains is to use two shower curtains or two standard window curtains in place of just one. 

Now a bit about my own new curtain rod and curtain.  

Screw Mounted curved curtain Rod by AQ

Installing the Screw Mounted Rod

Curtain Rod

I went with a screw mounted curved curtain rod by AQ that I found at my local TJ Maxx for $16.  This was an especially good deal, because screw mounted curved rods are surprisingly hard to find.  Most of curved rods I found in my price range were tension mounted rods.  I specifically sought out the screw mounted rod rather than the tension rod because I felt that it would be less likely to fall on the head of the child that inevitably tugs the curtain getting into the shower.

Double Glide Roller Shower Curtain Rings by Utopia

The Hooks/Rings

Utopia Double Glide Roller Shower Curtain Rings / Hooks, 100% High Quality Stainless Steel, Polished Chrome, Set of 12 Rings (Chrome)

I got double glide roller shower curtain rings by Utopia for $7 on Amazon.  This is the first time I have used this style of hook/ring, and I love it.  They are easy to get on and off the rod if needed (but do not fall off), and I can easily take off the liner to clean while leaving the curtain in place.

The Liner

InterDesign Mildew-Free PEVA 3 Gauge Polyester Shower Liner, 72 x 72 - Inch, Clear

The liner is a Mildew-Free PEVA 3 Gauge Polyester Shower Liner by InterDesign which I also got on Amazon.  It was only $5 when I got it.  While I think it may be one of the cheapest liners available on Amazon it is still relatively substantial considering the price, and hasn’t tried to attach itself to anyone trying to take a shower yet like some cheap lightweight liners will.

Odyssey shower Curtain by Danica Studio

The Curtain

Danica Studio Cotton Shower Curtain, Odyssey Print

Now the pièce de résistance, the shower curtain, which was the inspiration for the entire bathroom.  The shower curtain is Odyssey by Danica Studio.  I also got it on Amazon, and it was $50.  $50 is more than I would normally spend on a shower curtain, and I debated this purchase for a while, but in the end I feel like it was worth it.  Everytime I see it, it makes me smile.

Once the shower curtain went up the bathroom really started to feel more complete, and I could start to see my vision for the room coming together.  Even though we still have several things left to do, it is starting to feel like we are on the downhill side of an unexpected mountain climb, and I can’t wait to get to the bottom.

(This post contains affiliate links, but I have not been paid to review any of these products)

Listen while you work

I like to listen to podcasts when I am working on a project, or driving, or brushing my teeth, or awake.  I listen to a lot of them, but sometimes have a hard time finding new ones to listen to that I enjoy.  In an effort to spread the word about great podcasts, here are a few of my current favorites;

The Allusionist

http://www.theallusionist.org/

The Allusionist is a unexpectedly funny podcast about language and etymology by Helen Zaltzman.  My favorite Episode is #2 Bosom Holder, which is about the language surrounding undergarments. 

Lore

http://www.lorepodcast.com/

Lore is a podcast about folklore and real life scary stories by Aaron Mahnke.  Lore walks the line between fantasy and reality, and makes you feel as though for some scary stories,  maybe there really is more than meets the eye. My Current favorite is Episode #31, Lost and Found, which is about finding dead bodies.

Surprisingly Awesome

https://gimletmedia.com/show/surprisingly-awesome/

Surprisingly Awesome is about things that seem boring, but are actually really cool if you know more about them.  It is hosted by Adam Davidson, from NPR’s Planet Money and Adam McKay, former head Saturday Night Live writer.   My current favorite is Episode #3, Concrete, and it’s surprisingly important contribution to modern civilization. 

The Black Tapes

http://theblacktapespodcast.com/

The Black Tapes is a docudrama about finding the truth behind a collection of unsolved paranormal mysteries.  It is hosted by  Alex Reagan, but has a full cast of interesting characters.  Since this is a serialized drama, I recommend that you start at the beginning of this series so that you get the whole story.  

Do you love a great podcast that is languishing in anonymity that the world needs to know about?  Tell my readers about it in the comments – spread the word.

Quick Tip: Removing Chipping or Peeling Paint

We have had a lot of chipping and peeling paint to deal with in our new house, and as a result I have had many opportunities to experiment with the different ways to remove it.  My new favorite way to remove chipping or peeling paint is a real blast – of heat.  Ha, ha, ha!  (I know, I’m a dork).

What do you need?

• A heat gun if you have one, or a blow dryer with a high heat setting
• A scraper – Either stiff plastic or metal.  If you use metal remember that it can easily gouge soft wood.  I like to use a painter’s 5 in 1 tool.

How do you do it?

Heat Guns Soften the Paint

Using the heat gun or blow dryer warm up the paint until it is slightly soft.  It might take a little trial and error to figure out exactly how warm you need your paint to be.  Too little heat and it won’t be any easier to scrape, too much heat and the paint will get gummy and smear.  Make sure to keep the heat guns moving to spread out the heat (and prevent scorch marks).

The softened paint scrapes of easily.

Then scrape your paint – it should come off with significantly less effort than when the paint was cold.

We sand anything that we can’t scrape off, and then if possible scrub the crap out of the painted object with an abrasive pad and a vinegar and water solution.  Anything that is left after that just gets painted over (if it hasn’t come off after all of that it is probably going to stay attached).

So far this method has yielded the best results in the least time for us, which is important for a person with high standards and limited time. 

Do you know a better way?  Let me know about it in the comments.

DIY Countertop Refinishing

Regular Readers know that so far our mini bathroom remodel has not been as mini as we had anticipated.  Things have cost more than we planned, taken longer than we planned, or just not gone to plan.  But the way our bathroom countertop looks now makes me feel like it was all worthwhile.  It was the kind of project that I need every once in a while to restore my faith in DIY – a quick win. 

Before - Unattractive Laminate

After -  my Mom Thought we installed marble 

I really am incredibly happy with our new bathroom countertop, and really excited to share it with you all, so let’s get started, by taking it from the beginning;

One of the things that I knew I wanted to do when we started this mini bathroom remodel was update the countertop.  The old countertop was a sandy colored laminate.  It was in good shape, but it added nothing to the space.  Initially I had visions of granite and marble dancing in my head, but a limited budget put the cabash on that pretty quick.  I considered a lot of refinishing options, from using a countertop restoration kit, to building a new one out of planks, to covering the existing countertop in concrete.  I also considered faux marble, which looks beautiful when done correctly, and pretty terribly when done poorly, and decided that my artistic skills were not quite up for it.  I finally came across what looked like a pretty simple countertop painting and sealing technique on Designing Dawn.  The technique basically involved sponge painting a variety of colors in layers (true artistic talent not required), and pouring on a thick sealant called Envirotex Lite.  Her results looked pretty amazing, and she even had a follow up post showing how well it had held up over time (very well).  I was sold.

The entire process started by taping off the area that would be painted, and draping everything the Envirotev could drip on in plastic so I wouldn’t have a giant mess to clean up later (since I am messy and couldn’t drape the entire room in plastic I still had a bit to clean up – it doesn’t come off of things easily).  Then we sanded and primed the existing laminate countertop.  We started with a general purpose primer which was a complete disaster (you can read more about here), but the second primer we used (Zinnser Bin) worked like a charm.  For the record, my primer recommendation for this project is Zinnser Bin, but Primers should always be selected with the surface they are priming and the medium that will cover them in mind. I would also recommend sanding prior to taping, because the sanding dust gets caught in the tape.  This wasn’t a problem for us since we had to re-tape everything anyway (see priming post).  We also ended up removing the sink entirely even though we didn't originally intend to (again see the priming post).  I would remove the sink from the start if I was doing this over again.  The sink really isn't hard to remove (or put back on), and it makes the surface much easier to work on.

1st Disastrous Priming Attempt while the sink was still in place - Looking pretty sad

After the 2nd Primer Attempt and removal of the sink - Looking much Better

Next was the artistic painting which I was most nervous about.  Once the primer was fully cured I laid down 3 coats of my base color, Benjamin Moore Simply White in Satin.  I waited the recommended recoat time between coats, so this took a while. 

Three Layers of of Base Color Applied.

Then it was time to let my inner artist free.  I put a bit of each of my 3 paint colors in a plastic container and added a bit of water to thin them out.  Then I dampened my sponges before dunking them in my thinned out paint. 

Paint Colors Used to Create the Faux Stone Look.  Clockwise from the upper left BM Moonshine, BM Simply White, and Grey Craft Paint.

To make my pattern I started with my darkest color and basically dabbed it all over the countertop using the kitchen sponge.  Then I did the same with the medium paint, and the base color paint, letting some of the color that went before peek through each time.  I didn’t let the paint dry between the colors so they ran together a bit, which I felt made it look even more natural. 

The first of my 3 colors applied, and not looking super promising.

While the paint was still wet I sprinkled super fine glitter over the countertop to give the finished product a bit of depth, like real stone.  I was pretty reluctant to bring glitter into my house because, as my sister’s friend says “Glitter is the Herpes of the craft world – once you get it you can’t get rid of it,” but it made the finished product look so good that it was worth it (even if I keep finding glitter around the house for the next 3 months).  Then I let everything dry.

All three paint colors and glitter applied - starting to look pretty nice.

Confession time:  The next morning after painting I decided that the left side of the countertop was too lite and I did a bit of touch up painting.  This was a mistake.  The newly applied paint just didn’t blend well with the previously applied paint.  I should have left it the way it was, and now I regret touching it up.  If you do this yourself reconsider touch up painting.  Maybe wait a day or sleep on your touch up painting decision.  If you do decide to do some touch up painting keep in mind that the newly applied paint probably won’t blend perfectly with the initially applied paint and make sure you are ok with that.

Environmental Technology 16-Ounce Kit Lite Pour-On, High Gloss Finish

Ok, so everything is taped, draped in plastic, and artistically painted – now it is time for the magic sealing ingrediant - Envirotex Lite.  Envirotex Lite is a two part reactive polymer compound (a resin and a hardener) that is mixed in two stages, then poured on top of whatever you are sealing.  Basically you pour equal amounts of the resin and hardener in a mixing container, mix for the prescribed period of time, pour it into a new mixing container, and mix it again for the prescribed period of time, then pour it on whatever you are sealing and spread it out so that it covers the whole surface.  We found some of the directions for this product kind of insane, but we followed them to the letter, including timing the mixing, switching containers, the whole nine yards, and we had absolutely no issues with the product hardening properly and found it relatively easy to apply, so at least they work. 

To use the Envirotex Lite, you mix it up per the directions, pour it on, then spread it out (we used cheap plastic putty knives which we have been able to reuse).  It was pretty easy to spread out with the putty knives, but it doesn't easily flow over the surface you are covering.  It is more like moving corn syrup than water.  You also have to work pretty fast because the mix starts setting up pretty fast, and once it starts to set you shouldn't move it any more (more on that below).

Amazingly Smooth Glassy Horizontal Surface actually reflecting!

Since Envirotex lite is really made for horizontal surfaces, the vertical surfaces we needed to cover were a bit more of a challenge.  When we poured the mix onto the countertop we poured a bit extra near the vertical surfaces then used our putty knives to lift and spread the mix onto the vertical surfaces like we were icing a cake with really thin sticky icing.  The result was very well covered vertical surfaces, but unlike the perfectly smooth glassy horizontal surfaces the vertical surfaces are a bit textured.  This really isn't a big deal.  I had to try very hard to get this texture to show up in a picture as it is pretty hard to see.  The pic below shows the texture in literally the worst possible light.

Vertical Surfaces are textured.

When the Envirotex starts to set up bubbles will form that need to be popped.  According to the  directions you can use a blow torch to pop the bubbles or blow on them.  We got a blow torch for this purpose, but ended up just blowing on them and it worked fine on our relatively small application.  If I were using the Envirotex on something larger I would go the blow torch route.

One thing that we learned while attempting to pop bubbles is that you should not touch them - AT ALL.  This is what happens if you do;

Be warned - DON'T TOUCH THE BUBBLES or THIS will happen!

Our bubble touching mess was so bad that we ended up putting on a second coat of the Envirotex the next day right on top of the first.  The second coat looks fantastic.

The Finished Countertop!

Want to know exactly what we used to make this happen?  Here are the details;

• Paint:
  • Primer:  Zinnser Bin
  • Base Color:  Benjamin More Simply White
  • Medium Grey:  Benjamin Moore Moonshine (similar to, but slightly darker than our wall color)
  • Dark Grey: Anita's All Purpose Acrylic Craft Paint in Grey
• Painting Supplies:
  • Paint Brush- To Lay down the base coat and primer
  • 3 Clean kitchen sponges – To Layer my paint colors (in retrospect natural sea sponges would have probably been easier to work with)
  • 3 Disposable plastic containers to hold paint (something clean from the recycling bin works great)
  • Water to thin the paint
  • Painters Tape
  • Plastic Tarps (we used cut up garbage bags)
• Finishing Touches:
  • Tree House Studios Extra Fine glitter:  Super small glitter used to add a bit of depth and sparkle like you see in real stone
• Sealing Supplies:
  • 2 4 oz boxes of Envirotex Lite (we ending up doing 2 coats – 1 box per coat)
  • 4 flat bottomed cylinder plastic containers (2 per coat for mixing the Envirotex)
  • 4 wooden stiring sticks (2 per coat for mixing the Envirotex)
  • Cheap Plastic putty knives (for spreading the Envirotex over the countertop)
  • Hot Breath for popping bubbles

Let me know what you think, and if you would consider doing it yourself in the comments.

(This post contains affiliate links, but I was not paid to review or use any of the products mentioned.)

Avatars

The countertop I had started working on last time is finished and looks really fantastic, but I won’t be talking about it in this post.  I really want to do it justice, and just haven’t had enough time this week to do that.  I did want to make sure I got in another post this week however, so I will be telling you about the family’s new avatars. 

Recently I have been working on updating the about page, and realized that it would be nice for my readers to have a mental image of who they are reading about.  The problem is that I don’t often show anyone’s face on the blog.  That’s because there are a lot of creepy weirdos out there, and I don’t want to make it too easy for them to figure out what me are my kids look like, and do their creepy weirdo thing.  Enter the Avatar.

An avatar is a symbol or figure that represents someone in a computer game.  While this isn’t exactly a computer game, the blog is on a computer, so close enough.

The kids already had the perfect medium for making avatars – Lego!  So I asked them to help me make some Lego minifigures that really reflected our family.  This is what I got back;

The Family Avatars

Let’s take this one by one.  Starting on the left we have Firebeard.  Husband, father, and Star Wars droid wrangler?  The likeness really isn’t too bad, but I have no idea what is going on here.  Perhaps the combination of the superhuman strength and and the hammer imply modern day Thor like abilities but with droids instead of goats.  When I asked the kids, they told me, “It's just fun.”  At least it is better than the drunken stormtrooper minifig they keep trying to use as his stand in for board games.

Firebeard

The little black figure is our Boston Terrier, Earl.  I think the food represents what Earl would like to eat, rather than what he does eat, even so, I am glad that clouds of gas are difficult to represent with Lego. 

Earl

Next is me, Gerwerken.  My figure is by far the plainest, lacking any outrageous accessory.  It looks pretty much like me, except that I rarely wear pants.  In one hand I have a coffee cup, and in the other I have the plans for “Taco Tuesday,” which sounds innocent enough, until you realize that in the Lego Movie the Taco Tuesday plan was basically the plan to take over the world, enslave the population, and crush creativity.  Was this a subtle hint that they feel crushed under my authoritarian regime, or just a bid for me to make tacos on Tuesdays?  When I asked the The boy about it he said, “that's what you need when you work in an office building job.”  I’m not sure what that says about office workers.

Gerwerken

Now the Kids, both of whom are riding dinosaurs.  I wanted to know what this might mean psychologically for them so I looked it up.  Dinosaurs symbolize the fear of no longer being needed or useful.  Perhaps Thomas the Tank engine caused a lot more psychological damage than I realized.

The Boy is on the right with the raptors.  He is holding a video game controller and a can of soda.  While the can of soda is wishful thinking, overall his Avatar is eerily accurate.

The Boy

The Girl is in the middle.  She is riding a dilophosaurus (the kind of dino that spits acid in the Lego Jurassic Park game), dressed as a princess, and holding a lightsaber.  Somehow, the little plastic figure gives off the impression of leading a marauding horde into battle.  So, it’s pretty accurate too.

The Girl

Stay tuned for updates to the about page using our highly accurate avatars, and don’t miss next week’s post on how the countertop turned out – it will be worth it.

Primer on Primer

This weekend we started refinishing our bathroom countertop, and like nearly every other aspect of this Mini Bathroom Remodel, things didn't go quite to plan.  This is the story of how we discovered that not all primers are created equal, and I discovered the primer that I will be using on all shiny surfaces from now on.

The current countertop in our bathroom is a sandy beige laminate, that is very likely original to the house.  While it is not the worst looking laminate countertop I have ever seen (our Master Bathroom Countertop is significantly worse), it doesn't match with the rest of our updated bathroom, so we decised to refinish it, since it was an inexpensive alternative to replacing the countertop.  Initially we considered overlaying the countertop with concrete, as was done here, but eventually we settled on painting and sealing the countertop, because it was (at least theoretically) faster and less messy than concrete.

The ORIGINAL countertop - sandy beige.

Since laminate is a hard, slick surface, paint has difficulty sticking to it, so we made sure to prepare the surface for the paint by roughing it up and thoroughly cleaning it.  I started with a 150 grit sandpaper, and finished with a 220 grit.  There really wasn't much visible difference after the sanding, but the countertop felt subtly less slick.  After removing all of the sanding dust I thoroughly cleaned the counter top, first with my normal all purpose cleaner, then with a calcium, lime and rust remover.  I have seen a lot of people use TSP to clean countertops and cabinets prior to painting.  Personally I wouldn't use TSP to clean any interior surfaces because it needs to be really thoroughly rinsed off with water, and generally I don't want to be using that much water on an interior surface.  And because anything that is worth doing is worth overdoing, as a last step before paint I used a de-glosser, also known as liquid sandpaper, to further remove the shine from the countertop.  Oh, and we also lifted the sink out a bit so I could paint under the lip – no shortcuts here.  Then it was go time. 

Sanded, cleaned, sink elevated, taped and ready to be painted.

I had a giant container of Kilz Hide-All Primer (similar here) left over from another project so I decided to use that.  It was after all primer, and it had worked perfectly fine on other projects, and as they say waste not want not (foreshadowing anyone?).  This is what it looked like after the first coat – not too shabby.

After one coat of kilz hide-all primer

After waiting the prescribed recoat time I went back in for a second coat, and that is when things went wrong.  As I began painting I accidently scraped the dry surface with a fingernail.  The paint didn’t scratch – it completely came off.  I tried to simply fill in the hole with more paint, but as I did so additional paint began to bubble up.  I decided that perhaps I hadn’t waited long enough – paint drying times are not exact after all.  So I carefully scraped off the bubbling paint, and still more carefully patched the hole I had made with more paint. Then I left the mess to dry ever longer.

Several hours later (around 10 o’clock at night), I went back to the bathroom to put on the second coat of paint before I went to bed so that it would be ready for its 3rd coat in the morning.  Before I got started I gently touched the dry paint and it came off in my hand.  Tired and frustrated at a day wasted, I began scraping off the paint.  It was so poorly adhered that it came off in wide swaths, and only 10 minutes later I was done.  The countertop looked exactly as it had before I had started painting.

Kilz hide-all primer coming off in strips.

After ten minutes of scraping the countertop is back to it's previous state.

To ward off nightmares of endless repetitions of painting and scraping and repainting, I began my research into primer types and their applications that night.  I had seen examples online where countertops had been successfully painted so I knew it could be done, but most of the time the bloggers that had done the painting didn’t specify the type of primer used.  I had to go a bit deeper and ended up searching on the major Primer Manufacturer’s websites.  On the Zinsser website I found a likely candidate, Zinsser Bin, which was touted as ideal for hard slick surfaces.  Zinsser Bin is a shellac formula primer with an alcohol base.  This primer cures in about 45 minutes (once all of the alcohol evaporates), and water based paints can be used on top of it.  I decided that I would go straight to the hardware store the next morning to pick some up, and had mercifully paint free dreams that night.

The next morning Firebeard helped me remove the sink completely (it was a pain to work around) and I sanded and cleaned the countertop again before we headed to the hardware store.  I was able to pick up a quart of the primer for $13, and had it shaken at the store (apparently alcohol based paint separates pretty easily).   I also picked up some cheap foam brushes to apply the primer because it does not clean up with soap and water.  When we got home I set to work.

Re-sanded, Re-cleaned, re-taped and sink removed - Ready for round two

The Zinsser primer was much thinner than I expected but went on pretty easily.  The whole bathroom smelled like alcohol for about an hour after painting, but it was by no means the worst smell we have encountered in this mini remodel.    Below is what it looked like after application.   It seemed about the same as the Kilz primer after its first coat, so I wasn’t holding my breath expecting success.  I was in fact expecting another failure, and wondering if home depot would take it back as defective. 

After a coat of Zinsser Bin.

After an hour I nervously came back into the bathroom and gently scratched the countertop – nothing happened.  I couldn’t believe my eyes, surely this was a fluke, so I scratched a bit harder – still no damage.  The primer stuck!  It worked!  Finally something had gone to plan!  I was so excited I think I might have danced a little jig.  We were back in business.

So I have officially found my go to shiny, hard surface primer – Zinsser Bin.  And until it fails me, or I find something better, I am going to preach it to the masses in blog land.  Zinsser Bin is, as far as I know, the best primer out there for shiny hard surfaces.  If you are planning to paint your laminate countertop, save yourself a headache and a day of wasted work, and start with this stuff.

Zinsser B-I-N Shellac-Base Primer, 1-Gallon, White

Next time I hope to show you the finished, refinished countertop in all of its shiny glory.  Until then, please let me, and fellow readers, know about your favorite primers and their ideal applications in the comments.

This post contains affiliate links.  All opinions are my own.

Caulk Up

I finally caulked the bath tub, and it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

Newly Caulked Bathtub looking mighty fine!  Tub spout not fully installed.

This was actually my first time caulking a bathtub, so I am not going to give you a play by play on my caulking technique (it was pretty bad).  I am however going to tell you why my bathroom caulk looks good now despite my poor technique, and a few lessons I learned along the way.

Before I took the plunge I read a LOT of tutorials on how to caulk a bathroom.  Here are a few:

• http://www.familyhandyman.com/bathroom/remodeling/how-to-re-caulk-a-shower-or-bathtub/view-all
• http://www.wikihow.com/Caulk-Shower-Enclosures
• http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20050103,00.html

There are a few things that nearly all of the tutorials seem to agree on, like using painters tape, and caulk that is supposed to be used in a bathroom, and there are a few things that the tutorials seemed to disagree about, like the angle the tube of caulk should be cut at, and angle that the caulk should be applied.  I decided to use the advice that the tutorials all agreed on, and do what felt right for the rest of it.

To angle or not to angle that is the question.  Also - Check out our mad graphic design skills :)

Here is what I learned:

1.  Initially you should cut the smallest possible hole in the tube of caulk – you can always cut it larger.

I cut the hole on the tube of caulk too big, and as a result the caulk came out MUCH faster and thicker than I had anticipated.  It was a bit of a mess.

Hole cut MUCH too large.

2.  Use painters tape to define your caulk lines (and protect you from excess caulk).

This SAVED me.  If I had not done this the caulk that I applied would have looked SOOOO much worse than it did before I removed the horrible preexisting stuff.  As I said previously, I used too much caulk, WAY too much caulk.  As I was smoothing the caulk into the grooves it belongs in, the excess caulk built up on the sides of the tape.  Since the tape was easily removed, this was not a problem at all.  Had I not used the tape, all of that excess caulk would have gotten all over my tile.

Defining those caulk lines

3.  Wide painters tape is better than narrow painter’s tape.

I used thin painters tape, and it was amazing, but because I had so much excess caulk some of the excess still ended up on my tile.  Had I used wider tape I think all of the caulk would have stayed on the tape.

4.  Keep a wet rag nearby.

If you can get a wet rag on errant caulk as soon as possible it cleans up pretty easily.  Looking at my completed caulking job you would have no idea that wayward caulk got all over my bathtub.

5.  A finger is a surprisingly good caulk applicator.

I saw a lot of different tools recommended to smooth the caulk out once it was applied, from specially designed professional implements to plastic spoons to ice.  I just used my finger, and it turned out great.  I was able to tell how much pressure should be applied, and my hands were able to catch the caulk that didn’t pile up on the tape.

6.  Keep paper towels nearby – a lot of them.

All of the caulk that piled up in my hands (see #5) had to go somewhere.  Many paper towels were needed to contain it all.

7.  Work Quickly

While caulk is pretty fresh it is easy to manipulate, adjust, and correct.  As soon as it gets a “skin” you might as well leave the mistake, because trying to correct things will just make them worse.  The good news is that if you have all your supplies ready to go, caulking goes remarkably quickly.  I went from applying the tape to pulling it back off in under 30 minutes.

Check out that beautifully applied caulk.

Finally, the hardest of all the lessons I learned.  Tape will pull epoxy paint off tile.

As frequent readers know we painted our bathroom tile with a Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit.  Despite waiting more than the prescribed 3 days to allow the paint to cure, and despite our excessive prep work, the painters tape used to apply the caulk removed the tile paint when it was pulled off.  This was REALLY upsetting to us.  The bare patches of tile were like emotional black holes, sucking all of the happy feelings out of the room and threatening a permanent fugue state.  Firebeard immediately mixed and applied more of the paint to keep us all from falling into pits of despair.  I didn’t get a picture first.

With the amount of work that we put into painting the tile, we had hoped that it would last for a least 2 or 3 years while we were doing work on the rest of the house.  Right now it doesn’t look like that is going to be likely.  But on a positive note, the caulk should last for many years to come.