Category Archives: water damage

Countertop On A Budget

One of my final projects for the kitchen in my house was to update the tired, stained, and downright ugly countertops. Of course, being on a tight budget meant that I wouldn’t be able to replace them with the style I was looking for brand new.

After a bit of research, I found the Giani Countertop Paint kit and purchased it for about $75 via Amazon. The instructions were very easy to follow, and I finished the project in a weekend. For someone with a more artistic hand, I believe you would very easily be able to draw in more detail than I was able to with mine.

So here is a quick reminder of what the kitchen looked like in September 2013, when I first moved in.

IMG_0251.jpg

Step 1.

The first step to the transformation was putting down a base coat to cover the existing countertop. I won’t lie, part of me considered stopping here, just because the solid black looked so SLICK.

Step 2.

Apply your first color with a sponge. The kit comes with a round pourus sponge to add texture and dimension to the counter. You start with one color and sponge away, but be careful to leave enough canvas for additional shades.

 Step 3.

Switch up the color! You can continue with the sponge until you reach your desired combination of colors. In a few areas I actually went back with the base black on the sponge to break up the tones.

Step 4.

Once you have applied the colors to your preference, it’s time to add the top coat/sealant. The kit includes a roller for application, and it was extremely simple to do. That’s it!

IMG_0250.jpg

Here’s a final before/after shot. I am so in love with how this project turned out. I completed the transformation nearly two years ago, and have had very little, if any damage to the paint or countertop. When following the recommendations, you don’t want to use any harsh cleaners or leave water/liquid on the counter for long periods of time. After cooking, I would wipe everything down with an antibacterial wipe and be done.

Bonus Update!

Now, I have to brag about my drop in utensil holder. One of the best outcomes of the water damage in my kitchen was being able to replace the space between the refrigerator with a custom cabinet ($60 on the return shelf at Lowe’s) and a chunk of countertop that I got for free! I had a friend cut two holes into the countertop for me before I painted. Once the painting project was complete, I set the counter on the long open cabinet and dropped in the two metal canisters I had purchased from Amazon.

They sit perfectly in the hole, and give me extra space around the stove and outlet area. Since the cabinet is long, I use that to store my cookie racks and cutting boards. The canisters have just enough of a lip to be secure, but I can still take them out to wash any grease splatter or crumbs that may have accumulated.

Tagged , , , , ,

Flooring: Part 2

This post goes up a little late, but the kitchen flooring is complete! I decided to install the TrafficMaster Allure vinyl tile flooring sold by Home Depot. This type of flooring is known as “floating” because it does not attach to the subfloor or any walls, but is intended to expand and contract across your flooring as your home’s environment changes.

The idea behind this product is simplicity and affordability. The box literally boasts, “The Easiest Floor Ever!” but I’m here to inform you, this is not the case. Nothing about this installation was easy. It wasn’t messy, as some other types of flooring installation could be, but that is the only positive thing I can say about the process.

The tiles are extremely hard to cut, and deceivingly crooked coming out of the packaging. No matter how careful I was in placing each new strip, there would be a tiny gap in between each section. The frustration of seeing the cracks, and attempting to correct the placement caused my helper an I to spend almost 5 hours working on half the room.

Eventually, we determined it was impossible to install the tile sections without the cracks and began to trudge on. Certain corners of the floor were bent in the package and there are now one or two spots that keep popping back up. I haven’t found a solution to this problem yet, but I’ve read that there are special glues that be can poured under the corner and at some point I will track one down and give it a whirl.

The overall look of the tile is very nice, which is why I chose it. It was affordable as I mentioned above, and came with a 25 year warranty. My best advice to anyone looking to use this style of product in their home, is choose the room wisely. If you will need to make cuts around appliances or cabinets, like I did, go with something else.

This style of floating vinyl comes in a sheet of three 12″ x 12″ squares rather than the interchangeable planks the brand installation videos show you. I attribute the dimensions of the product to the difficulty we had when installing because we were not properly prepared for the headaches of having to cut the tough sections and the possibility of slicing a tile in half right in front of the refrigerator.

I do quite like the feel of the vinyl, much more than the previous linoleum flooring that came with my house. But I would still advise anyone intending to use this product to plan for a very long installation process (and buy a vinyl tile knife).

Also, the replacement trim and quarter round have been added throughout the house, which leaves only my bathroom floor to be finished!

Another post to come soon!

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,