The Flooring Decision

I did quite a bit of research on flooring. I new it was going to be vinyl but there are quite a few options out there.

Some of them:

1. Sheet vinyl - that's pretty much what I had before, so not an option

2. Vinyl tile you glue down

3. Peel and-stick tiles

The big warning about vinyl tile is that you should not install it on particle board. Because the underlayment (new word I learned) IS particle board and I do not have the skill nor the energy to rip it out and replace it, I decided not to go for vinyl tiles.

I finally found this product:

It is called Allure and it's by Trafficmaster.  They claim it's "The Easiest Floor Ever". The advantage is that you don't stick this to the floor.  The sections overlap and stick to each other (See the gray bits?  They're sticky.) This also makes it pretty waterproof. Important in a bathroom. I wanted to post a link to the Trafficmaster web site but they don't seem to have one.  Strange...

I bought the flooring at Home Depot.
About $50 for a 24 square foot box. The bathroom is only 40 square feet so, with tax, $120 total.

Installation was fairly easy, although exhausting.  It took me 12 hours to lay the floor. If I was a man with strong muscles it would probably not have taken as long, but cutting through this stuff with a utility knife is an amazing workout!

Floor in!

I'm sick as a dog this week, but the floor is in!
I still have a few finishing touches to add, but I'm happy.

And the light fixture arrived. I'm a little afraid to open the box. I hope everything is in one piece.

I Ordered a Light Fixture!

48" bathroom light bars are very hard to find. None of the local lighting stores have any, so I ended up ordering online.  Crossing my fingers that something with this much glass will arrive in one piece.

Santa Hat Brownies

How cute are these? Wish I'd found them before I took boring brownies to a party last night.

Recipe at Daisy's World:

http://daisyt13.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/santa-hat-brownies/

Progress...

This is where it started.

This is where I left it last night.

Guest Bath Continued

Yesterday I went from this
to this

and then this

Ready for flooring.  Yay!

I primed the floor with Bullseye 1-2-3 primer from Zinsser because that's what I had and it's an all-purpose primer. After doing a bit of research for this post however, I found that there are actual waterproof primers out there, which probably would have made more sense.
I really didn't have to prime the floor for the flooring I'm using (more about that in a future post) so I should be OK.  Or I may go out and buy different primer...

Since I had a bit of primer left in the paint tray, I got started on the red walls.



I had an "Aha!" moment yesterday.  It will be a good idea to paint the walls before laying the floor.  No need to worry about drips. Duh!

Today's mission: finish priming the walls and get started on the cabinets.

Now you see it...

Now you don't.

I got the strong 18-year old home for Christmas break to take out the toilet this morning.  Now to get rid of the rest of the nasty floor.

(How do you like my little drain hole cover?)

Fall Wreath Napkin Rings/Place Cards

From Little Birdie Secrets, yet another fun tutorial.

Yummy Looking Chicken Sausage Rolls

Don't these look scrumptious?

Recipe and photo by A Spoonful of Sugar:

http://www.aspoonfulofsugardesigns.com/2011/10/chicken-sausage-rolls.html

I've gone and done it now!

Reached the point of no return, that is.

There is some water damage. Crossing my fingers that I won't have to replace the subfloor.




I'm also going to have to deal with two layers of linoleum.

The vinyl tiles I'm considering:

It's a dark bathroom with no windows. Lighter is better, I think.

Faux Candles

These are not real.  They're made with real wax and even have a vanilla scent.
They flicker like real candles.
But they're remote controlled!
Love it.

Amazing!

(I bought the set of 9 candles at Costco for about $30.)

Cabinet Hinge Redo

The cabinet hinges in my house are all a copper-ish color. I was planning to replace them. Lots of them. 3 bathrooms and a kitchen worth.

First I went to Home Depot. Then Lowes. Then Ace.
No luck.
So I put my little sample in a baggie and started doing the rounds of the cabinet hardware specialists. Here I was told that these hinges were not in production any more. I would have to change the doors in order to fit different hinges. Not in my skillset at this point, I'm afraid.

"Why didn't you look online?", you ask?
At first I didn't because I wasn't sure I'd know which was the right thing.
After my store strike-out I did utilize the powers of Google.
I found them!
In the same coppery color I already have. Strike-out.

Hence, this solution.

Before:

After:

I'm a little worried about the paint wearing off where the hinge actually "hinges", but I think the colors are so close that it shouldn't be very noticable.

(I used Universal Metallic spray paint from RustOleum. Tricky new can design to figure out but I'm happy with the result.)

Knobs

I bought these knobs and drawer pulls for the guest bathroom makeover but thought I'd try them out on the master cabinets.
I haven't decided whether the cabinets need to be repainted or just scrubbed down. The previous homeowners painted them with an oil-based paint so repainting will probably be a real pain.

Anyway...

Before

After

A small improvement, I think.

Back to DIY

I'll probably be putting my house on the market within the next couple of months. The decor needs some help. DIY help because I don't want to spend a ton of money.

The first project will be the guest bathroom. I'll post photos as I go, but here's one to give you an idea of what I'm dealing with.

Early 90's at it best!

Books Read in 2010

If you can recommend any for this year, please leave a comment. I'm always on the lookout for new reading matter.

Split Second - David Baldacci
Until I find you - John Irving
The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood
Simple Genius - David Baldacci
The Summons - John Grisham
The Colour of Water - Angela Green
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder - Rebecca Wells
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
Scarpetta - Patricia Cornwell
The Pact - Jodi Picoult
The Almost Moon - Alice Sebold
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Hour Game - David Baldacci

My favorites:The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
The Lovely Bones
The Pact

My Least Favorites:The Colour of Water
Until I find you
The Year of the Flood

I bought myself a nook for my birthday in October.

Our library is rapidly expanding its ebook selection and it really helps not having to fit library visits into my hectic schedule as well.

Tortellini Sausage Soup

Thanks to a bloggy friend, I recently discovered ourbestbites.com.
Mostly recipes, with a couple of crafty things thrown in.

Last night I made Tortellini Sausage Soup.
It was really, really good.

You can find the recipe here.