Foam Rollers!

Foam Rollers! Wow they are game changing!  A bit ago I wandering through the paint aisle waiting for my Navy paint to finish being mixed and I saw the foam roller.  Had a “what the heck” moment and stuck it in the cart.  I’d heard that they were great for furniture and trim but I was a skeptic and kept to my non-foam rollering ways.  I redid the dresser for the boys’ room and let me tell you I am an advocate. 

I found a great deal on this dresser at 10$.  It was quite unattractive when we bought it but I was optimistic in its potential.  I decided on Rich Navy by Glidden as the color and I chose a flat finish for two reasons.  The first is because it is forgiving and hides the imperfections well.  The second was because matte navy is beautiful and bold without being overpowering which I thought would be a nice addition to the boys’ room.  

I reused the knobs and spray-painted them black.   I used Rustoleum’s Hammered Black Spray Paint.  It has really great coverage and it’s pretty durable. 

The paint went on smooth and even. Not a brush stroke in sight!

Thanks for reading!

Valerie

The Downstairs Bathroom (Part 2)

After the shower was installed there was still a lot to do in the bathroom.  So I began by patching the sheetrock.  I was able to get all my cuts out of one full piece of sheetrock (it was a personal win ha).  When I put up sheetrock like this I like to tackle the large pieces first and then build out ward to the smaller pieces.  It helps later on when you are mudding as well since the joins tend to be more even.

 Sheetrock is up!

 This is where there had been some water damage.  To patch this I removed all the bubbled areas and then scraped away any small debris.  And it was ready for mud and tape.

  First coat of mud is up

 The first layer I like to keep very thin.  Mainly to attach the tape for other coats.

 Second Coat

 Third Coat

Ready to sand! I like these hand sanders because they are so easy to use.

Thanks for Reading!

Valerie

The Downstairs Bathroom (Part 1)

The downstairs bathroom has been a pain in the neck from day 1.  It was ugly but usable (so we thought) when we moved in. We later found out from a neighbor who had rented the house that the shower had leaked constantly.  Another lovely discovery that the previous owners "forgot" to tell us about... hooray for honesty!  

A week after we moved in there was a horrendous stench in the basement and for the life of me I didn't know what it was.  At this point it was just Spencer and I in the big empty house so we never (and I mean never) used the downstairs bathroom.  So I didn't think the smell could be from there because we hadn't ever used it.  Boy was I wrong!  The stench was because the drain had backed up, leaking kitchen sink contents all over the bathroom floor, laundry floor, storage room and a little in the bedroom.  It was shock and horror to say the least!  To temporarily fix it we had a plumber come and tare out the shower and cap the drain and then did some major scrubbing and carpet cleaning.

Here is what we were left with

We talked to a few different plumbers and tilers (for the shower pan) and the bids to do a shower bath combo or just a shower were actually pretty similar (within 200$).  For that amount we decided to do the bath and shower combo.  To prepare for plumber we had to take the walls back to studs, remove the tile and frame a wall so the unit would fit snug. 

 Tile removed!  I like to keep the work-space clean with buckets 

I use garbage bags as well but buckets are better for large pieces of tile... no rips :)

 Two walls finished (or unfinished haha)!

Wall is framed and ready for the shower unit

Thankfully the plumber came the very next day to get it installed. I love it already! Our bathroom downstairs has been a pain in the neck since the beginning and now it is almost fully functional and attractive it is a dream come true.  It was one of those projects that you want to do so badly but for one reason or another you couldn't get around to it.  More to come!

Thanks for reading

Valerie

Aquarium!

We got an aquarium!  It's something that we have been talking about for a long time and a few days ago we finally purchased one!  By scouring our local classifieds we were able to get a great deal on the tank, stand, equipment and decorations.  There were two filters but unfortunately neither were working when we put everything together. After some frustration we were able to get one to work, so we purchased another.  The two before didn't match and now they do! I do love matching! :)

 Sorting out all the parts and building

All set up and getting the water ready for fish

We decided to go with an aggressive tank mainly including African Cichlids.  Most are babies so they haven't shown their colors yet but when they do it will be a gorgeous rainbow!  I'm really pleased because it has finally given the odd end of the family room downstairs a purpose. It fits the space nicely; with a couch and side tables it will round out beautifully!

 One of the electric cichlids; they are beautiful

Behind him there is our sucker-fish.  He is such a lovely color

 Fish are in and its ready to go!