My faux painted fireplace project has been featured on a very cool blog, Remodelaholic! I really like this blog for DIY home improvement ideas. Drop by, check it out, and find inspiration.
http://www.remodelaholic.com/2011/09/restoring-a-painted-stone-fireplace/
Thanks Justin & Cassity for featuring my work. I am flattered. Keep up the good work on your site!
Showing posts with label DIY home improvement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY home improvement. Show all posts
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
How to Update an Ugly Fireplace on a Budget
One of the biggest eyesores in our house was the fireplace in the main living room. Some artistically-challenged previous owner decided to paint the stones with red semi-gloss. The tacky color scheme screamed, "Look at me -- I'm hideous!" When we bought the house almost two years ago, I wasn't sure what I could do about this problem, but I vowed to do something eventually.
Lamenting that the underlying stone probably looked much nicer, I inwardly (and occasionally outwardly) cursed the previous occupants for painting it. (I want to scream: "No amount of shiny bright red paint will make stone look like brick, dumbo!") As my husband and I were discussing how to update the fireplace without spending a lot of money, it dawned on me that I could probably create a natural stone look again. I spent some time browsing home improvement blogs and DIY forums, and finally decided to give faux painting techniques a try. I figured I could fall back on a simple monochromatic look if my art project turned into a misadventure.
My husband removed the glass doors and found that the surrounding metal cover was full of old insulation (probably asbestos) . We decided to throw away the doors and install some other kind of cover later. In the meantime, I had to do something about the unpainted bits of stone that had been hidden beneath the old cover. I used coarse-grit sandpaper and a scraper to smooth out the edges and remove drips, then applied white primer over the entire fireplace. I like Zinsser primer the best. It is a good multipurpose primer that is compatible with masonry. (Without primer, porous stone or brick will soak up a huge amount of paint.)
Following the primer, I painted a light base color on the whole fireplace. This base coat serves two purposes: it creates realistic-looking mortar between the stones, and a consistent base color for the "glaze" colors applied over the top with a sponge. I bought a gallon of Behr "classic taupe" in flat finish -- the kind without primer mixed in. (For the record, the Behr "ultra" with primer mixed in is not worth the extra money. It's thick and hard to use, and still doesn't cover as well as separate primer + regular paint.) One coat and a few local touch ups of the taupe were all I needed for full coverage. (Note: other light colors like grey could be used as the base color. Pick a color that compliments the rest of the color scheme you choose, and also one that is convincing as mortar.)
Looking at real stones and many fireplace pictures helped me select colors for the glaze coats, which are painted on top of the base color. I wanted a natural, subtly earthy look. I also wanted to compliment the oak floor and warm-tone cream walls. With this in mind, I avoided cold-tone blues and greys. I settled on five glaze colors: earthy brown, burnt orange, fossil green, coral pink, and light sandstone. Sample-sized paints were sufficient for this part of the project. I got two colors from the discount "oops" paint section at Home Depot for $0.50 each, and the other three samples for $3 each. I also picked up a multi-textured art sponge and some cheesecloth for about $5.
I channeled my inner 3 year old for this next part of the project. I smeared paint on the stones with the sponge and my fingers, and blended haphazardly with the cheesecloth. I wanted to create the natural color variations, veins, and imperfections that characterize real stone. I applied the darker colors first, careful to use a similar balance of colors on the left and right sides of the fireplace. The goal was to create a general feeling of balance without perfect symmetry. Real stones are never totally identical. When the darker colors were dry, I lightly dabbed the sandstone color over the top of all stones with a sponge to create a calcified, weathered look, using the cheesecloth to remove excess paint.
Elegant in a slightly rustic way, this folding screen from Overstock.com added a touch of Old World sophistication to our living room, and was a much better fit for our style than the old contemporary black doors:
Project costs totaled $150: $20 for primer, $30 for base paint, $10 for glaze paints, $5 for a sponge and cheesecloth, and $85 for the screen. (A roll of painter's tape, drop cloth, paint tray, and a couple brushes would add about $50 of expense if you don't already have those items.) The work took about 3 weekend days to complete. I couldn't be happier with the results. The restyled fireplace looks classic and natural with a touch of Old World charm. It is deeply gratifying that a piece of my art is the centerpiece in our shared family space. As fall approaches, I am looking forward to wood fires in our newly updated fireplace.
Lamenting that the underlying stone probably looked much nicer, I inwardly (and occasionally outwardly) cursed the previous occupants for painting it. (I want to scream: "No amount of shiny bright red paint will make stone look like brick, dumbo!") As my husband and I were discussing how to update the fireplace without spending a lot of money, it dawned on me that I could probably create a natural stone look again. I spent some time browsing home improvement blogs and DIY forums, and finally decided to give faux painting techniques a try. I figured I could fall back on a simple monochromatic look if my art project turned into a misadventure.
My husband removed the glass doors and found that the surrounding metal cover was full of old insulation (probably asbestos) . We decided to throw away the doors and install some other kind of cover later. In the meantime, I had to do something about the unpainted bits of stone that had been hidden beneath the old cover. I used coarse-grit sandpaper and a scraper to smooth out the edges and remove drips, then applied white primer over the entire fireplace. I like Zinsser primer the best. It is a good multipurpose primer that is compatible with masonry. (Without primer, porous stone or brick will soak up a huge amount of paint.)
Following the primer, I painted a light base color on the whole fireplace. This base coat serves two purposes: it creates realistic-looking mortar between the stones, and a consistent base color for the "glaze" colors applied over the top with a sponge. I bought a gallon of Behr "classic taupe" in flat finish -- the kind without primer mixed in. (For the record, the Behr "ultra" with primer mixed in is not worth the extra money. It's thick and hard to use, and still doesn't cover as well as separate primer + regular paint.) One coat and a few local touch ups of the taupe were all I needed for full coverage. (Note: other light colors like grey could be used as the base color. Pick a color that compliments the rest of the color scheme you choose, and also one that is convincing as mortar.)
Looking at real stones and many fireplace pictures helped me select colors for the glaze coats, which are painted on top of the base color. I wanted a natural, subtly earthy look. I also wanted to compliment the oak floor and warm-tone cream walls. With this in mind, I avoided cold-tone blues and greys. I settled on five glaze colors: earthy brown, burnt orange, fossil green, coral pink, and light sandstone. Sample-sized paints were sufficient for this part of the project. I got two colors from the discount "oops" paint section at Home Depot for $0.50 each, and the other three samples for $3 each. I also picked up a multi-textured art sponge and some cheesecloth for about $5.
I channeled my inner 3 year old for this next part of the project. I smeared paint on the stones with the sponge and my fingers, and blended haphazardly with the cheesecloth. I wanted to create the natural color variations, veins, and imperfections that characterize real stone. I applied the darker colors first, careful to use a similar balance of colors on the left and right sides of the fireplace. The goal was to create a general feeling of balance without perfect symmetry. Real stones are never totally identical. When the darker colors were dry, I lightly dabbed the sandstone color over the top of all stones with a sponge to create a calcified, weathered look, using the cheesecloth to remove excess paint.
Later, I used Q-tips to touch up the mortar, and a paint brush to touch up areas of the (freshly painted) wall that I nailed with the sponge. I only used one strip of tape on each side, but that was not enough. It is very hard to control a big puffy sponge that is covered in paint. In retrospect, I recommend generous use of blue painter's tape and/or butcher paper on the nearby walls.
I painted all the stones and the mantle piece before tackling the big lower ledge. That ledge was the most difficult part of the whole project because of its size. After trying a few different techniques, I realized that I needed large "features" on this stone to make it look real: long veins, large blots of color, and sizable imperfections. A real stone of that size would not look symmetric and perfect.
Elegant in a slightly rustic way, this folding screen from Overstock.com added a touch of Old World sophistication to our living room, and was a much better fit for our style than the old contemporary black doors:
Project costs totaled $150: $20 for primer, $30 for base paint, $10 for glaze paints, $5 for a sponge and cheesecloth, and $85 for the screen. (A roll of painter's tape, drop cloth, paint tray, and a couple brushes would add about $50 of expense if you don't already have those items.) The work took about 3 weekend days to complete. I couldn't be happier with the results. The restyled fireplace looks classic and natural with a touch of Old World charm. It is deeply gratifying that a piece of my art is the centerpiece in our shared family space. As fall approaches, I am looking forward to wood fires in our newly updated fireplace.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Cleaning a Messy Home: restoring order without losing your sanity
A couple recent conversations inspired me to write about how to clean your home without going insane. When I get into an no-chores mode that lasts awhile, clutter starts to accumulate all over the house. Dust, grime, and dirt build up on the floor, countertops, showers, mirrors, and other surfaces. Small piles of dirty laundry eventually turn into mountains. Looking at a monumental mess can smash my motivation to start dealing with it, which means the house becomes a place of barely controlled chaos and my mood gets correspondingly bleak. This is a familiar story to most moms of small children.
It is possible to tackle this problem, but it takes methodical discipline to pull it off without losing your mind and exhausting your energy. The trick is to divide the huge problem into a few smaller problems, and then take a systemized approach to each smaller problem. Focusing on one thing at a time keeps your energy up, allows for efficient use of time, and provides a sense of accomplishment when each task is done. Here's a practical summary explaining how to get a messy house back under control.
Clean the kitchen
If the kitchen is a total disaster, it is best to focus one day of your cleaning efforts on getting it back together. Tackle one subtask at a time, and take breaks in between tasks.
Go through the refrigerator and throw away spoiled food. Put away any clean dishes, then deal with dirty dishes. Wipe off the range hood and the stovetop to remove buildup. Wipe the microwave and other small appliances inside and out. Wash the countertops. Wipe down the front of the fridge, oven, and dishwasher. Finally, sweep up the floor, then mop with water and vinegar, sopping up excess liquid with an old towel.
Clean the bathrooms
Deal with one bathroom at a time. Spend no more than one continuous hour cleaning a bathroom before you take a break (preferably outside or in a wide open space).
I find it easiest to temporarily box and relocate items on the countertop, shelves, floor, in the shower, etc. so they won't get in my way. This lets me clean efficiently without stopping to constantly move things. Clean one fixture or surface at a time, starting with whatever looks the grossest. Save the floor for the very end. Replace and organize all the items you removed.
Deal with accumulated dirty laundry
Walk through the entire house with a laundry basket and collect the dirty clothes and towels. Throw them all into one pile. Sort the pile into individual loads, and start the first load.
Set timers to remind yourself to keep the laundry moving forward. It's harder to ignore your personal timer than it is to ignore the built-in buzzer features on the machines themselves. If you can't deal with the laundry when the timer goes off, set a new timer to go off in ten more minutes.
Lay clean clothes out flat as soon as they are dry. Create separate piles of clean laundry for each family member, rather than one huge mixed up pile. When all the laundry is done, move the piles of clean clothes into the appropriate rooms. Fold and put away the clothes in one room at a time.
It is possible to tackle this problem, but it takes methodical discipline to pull it off without losing your mind and exhausting your energy. The trick is to divide the huge problem into a few smaller problems, and then take a systemized approach to each smaller problem. Focusing on one thing at a time keeps your energy up, allows for efficient use of time, and provides a sense of accomplishment when each task is done. Here's a practical summary explaining how to get a messy house back under control.
Clean the kitchen
If the kitchen is a total disaster, it is best to focus one day of your cleaning efforts on getting it back together. Tackle one subtask at a time, and take breaks in between tasks.
Go through the refrigerator and throw away spoiled food. Put away any clean dishes, then deal with dirty dishes. Wipe off the range hood and the stovetop to remove buildup. Wipe the microwave and other small appliances inside and out. Wash the countertops. Wipe down the front of the fridge, oven, and dishwasher. Finally, sweep up the floor, then mop with water and vinegar, sopping up excess liquid with an old towel.
Clean the bathrooms
Deal with one bathroom at a time. Spend no more than one continuous hour cleaning a bathroom before you take a break (preferably outside or in a wide open space).
I find it easiest to temporarily box and relocate items on the countertop, shelves, floor, in the shower, etc. so they won't get in my way. This lets me clean efficiently without stopping to constantly move things. Clean one fixture or surface at a time, starting with whatever looks the grossest. Save the floor for the very end. Replace and organize all the items you removed.
Deal with accumulated dirty laundry
Walk through the entire house with a laundry basket and collect the dirty clothes and towels. Throw them all into one pile. Sort the pile into individual loads, and start the first load.
Set timers to remind yourself to keep the laundry moving forward. It's harder to ignore your personal timer than it is to ignore the built-in buzzer features on the machines themselves. If you can't deal with the laundry when the timer goes off, set a new timer to go off in ten more minutes.
Lay clean clothes out flat as soon as they are dry. Create separate piles of clean laundry for each family member, rather than one huge mixed up pile. When all the laundry is done, move the piles of clean clothes into the appropriate rooms. Fold and put away the clothes in one room at a time.
Put clutter into boxes and deep clean each room
To deep clean a room, it can be helpful to put clutter into boxes to get it out of the way. Repurpose some old shipping boxes if you have them, or buy a couple packs of file boxes if you don't. Go into a room with boxes and a trash can.
To deep clean a room, it can be helpful to put clutter into boxes to get it out of the way. Repurpose some old shipping boxes if you have them, or buy a couple packs of file boxes if you don't. Go into a room with boxes and a trash can.
Before you start working, set a timer for a relatively short amount of time (15-30 minutes). Stop working if the timer beeps, walk away, and do something else for awhile. Used properly, the timer will prevent you from spending too much non-productive time engaging with your stuff. Do not walk around the house to put things away during this step.
Box any clutter on the floor or horizontal surfaces. Worried you won't remember how to arrange things on a shelf? Snap a few pictures with your phone. Throw away anything that is obviously junk. Dedicate one box to truly critical things (if applicable) -- stuff like unpaid bills that absolutely cannot get lost without serious consequences. Label the boxes with the name of the room. Label the critical box, ideally with a brightly colored marker.
Once the clutter is out of the way, use a duster to remove cobwebs. Dust the ceiling fan, light fixture, door frame, window sills, all horizontal surfaces, and the baseboard moulding. Start with the highest features in the room and move down to the lowest. Use a damp rag to wipe up spills and gunk on horizontal surfaces. Also wipe off the door handle, light switch, and any finger prints on the door or near the light switch. Clean the mirrors, windows, and any display screens (monitors, TVs, etc).
Vacuum the carpet, or sweep and mop the floor. Replace any furniture or large items that were moved during cleaning. Return the boxes to the room. If trying to clean the entire house on a timeline, only unpack the critical box and save the others for later.
Unpack the boxes and organize your stuff
When all the rooms have been cleaned, start unpacking one room at a time. Additional boxes can be helpful during this step, enabling you to sort and group items more appropriately. Sometimes it becomes clear that new organizational structures are needed in a room: shelves, bins, drawers, and so forth. Write down the needed organizers on a list. In the meantime, boxes with specific labels (e.g., "children's books," "crafts," "winter clothing," etc.) can be used to group similar items. When the more permanent organizational structures are installed, unpack those boxes.
When all the rooms have been cleaned, start unpacking one room at a time. Additional boxes can be helpful during this step, enabling you to sort and group items more appropriately. Sometimes it becomes clear that new organizational structures are needed in a room: shelves, bins, drawers, and so forth. Write down the needed organizers on a list. In the meantime, boxes with specific labels (e.g., "children's books," "crafts," "winter clothing," etc.) can be used to group similar items. When the more permanent organizational structures are installed, unpack those boxes.
Things that don't really belong in a given room (kid's toys, miscellaneous paperwork, etc) should be sorted into a separate box for relocation. Finish unpacking the room before you start running around the house to relocate those things.
Summary
Approach a huge cleaning project by breaking it down into small pieces. Time is precious and distractions are constant for a mom, particularly a working mom. Use tools like timers to provide motivation and to control the amount of time spent cleaning. It is much easier to talk yourself into 30 minutes of cleaning than it is to talk yourself into a whole afternoon of continuous drudgery. Use boxes to help yourself pick up and contain clutter quickly. Tackle each room one task at a time. Try to avoid running around the house. The key is to work efficiently in short bursts, channel your energy into a specific task, and let each small success motivate you to take on the next small task. Before you know it, the whole house will be clean.
Summary
Approach a huge cleaning project by breaking it down into small pieces. Time is precious and distractions are constant for a mom, particularly a working mom. Use tools like timers to provide motivation and to control the amount of time spent cleaning. It is much easier to talk yourself into 30 minutes of cleaning than it is to talk yourself into a whole afternoon of continuous drudgery. Use boxes to help yourself pick up and contain clutter quickly. Tackle each room one task at a time. Try to avoid running around the house. The key is to work efficiently in short bursts, channel your energy into a specific task, and let each small success motivate you to take on the next small task. Before you know it, the whole house will be clean.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
DIY Bathroom Overhaul: functional repairs
In my last post about our bathroom overhaul, I described our to-do list of ten items. We divided the list into three phases, beginning with functional repairs.
Phase 1: Functional Repairs
1. Fix the leaky plumbing
2. Install a vent fan to discourage mildew and mold growth
3. Repair and paint the existing cabinets
New valve assemblies were purchased from a local hardware store, but a rude surprise awaited when he installed them. The new valves leaked too. Frustrated, he fiddled with the installation for awhile, but couldn't get the leak to stop. He finally concluded that the new hardware was bad. We noted that the new parts were stamped "made in China." We've noticed that low-quality knockoff parts are increasingly common these days, and suspect that's what we inadvertently purchased. Annoyed, he decided to order the replacement parts directly from the manufacturer of the original valves. Several weeks later, the parts arrived in the mail. Fortunately, the second set of replacement valves worked fine, and the leak disappeared. I scrubbed the rust and calcium deposits off the tub with some CLR. Problem solved.
It would have cost about $500-700 to hire a plumber for this job. (That is $200 just to get a plumber to show up, $100-200 for the parts, plus about $100/hr for labor.) As it was, we spent about $150. DIY success!
Phase 1: Functional Repairs
1. Fix the leaky plumbing
2. Install a vent fan to discourage mildew and mold growth
3. Repair and paint the existing cabinets
Unwanted moisture was at the core of all these initial problems. Leaky plumbing had stained the tub with rust. Steam from hot showers condensed on the walls, streaking them with water; we knew mildew and mold would soon appear if we didn't install a vent fan. The unpainted wood cabinets showed signs of aging from the moisture, and were damaged from fifty years of use.
DIY Leak Repair
We were spurred to action when a steady drip-drip-drip from our bathtub faucet turned into a constant stream of water. Suspecting old shower valves were the likely culprit, my husband decided to shut off the water to the house and remove them. It took a lot of patient wrenching and finessing to get the calcified valves loose from the old pipes behind the shower wall. His intuition was correct: the rubber O-rings inside the valve assemblies had deteriorated to powder, and did not seal when the knobs were turned off.
We were spurred to action when a steady drip-drip-drip from our bathtub faucet turned into a constant stream of water. Suspecting old shower valves were the likely culprit, my husband decided to shut off the water to the house and remove them. It took a lot of patient wrenching and finessing to get the calcified valves loose from the old pipes behind the shower wall. His intuition was correct: the rubber O-rings inside the valve assemblies had deteriorated to powder, and did not seal when the knobs were turned off.
New valve assemblies were purchased from a local hardware store, but a rude surprise awaited when he installed them. The new valves leaked too. Frustrated, he fiddled with the installation for awhile, but couldn't get the leak to stop. He finally concluded that the new hardware was bad. We noted that the new parts were stamped "made in China." We've noticed that low-quality knockoff parts are increasingly common these days, and suspect that's what we inadvertently purchased. Annoyed, he decided to order the replacement parts directly from the manufacturer of the original valves. Several weeks later, the parts arrived in the mail. Fortunately, the second set of replacement valves worked fine, and the leak disappeared. I scrubbed the rust and calcium deposits off the tub with some CLR. Problem solved.
It would have cost about $500-700 to hire a plumber for this job. (That is $200 just to get a plumber to show up, $100-200 for the parts, plus about $100/hr for labor.) As it was, we spent about $150. DIY success!
DIY Vent Fan Installation
The next step was to install a vent fan. This involved ducting and electrical work. A vent fan sucks moisture into an air duct, which directs the moisture out of the house via an exterior vent. The fan is hard-wired into the bathroom circuitry, and operated by a timer switch on the wall.
After crawling around in the attic, my husband announced that we had existing ductwork that could be modified to include the fan. He also decided to move the light switch into the bathroom rather than leaving it in the hallway outside the door.
After crawling around in the attic, my husband announced that we had existing ductwork that could be modified to include the fan. He also decided to move the light switch into the bathroom rather than leaving it in the hallway outside the door.
He spent a couple of miserable hours crawling around amid fiberglass insulation in the tiny attic to modify the nearby duct, then ran wires from the fan itself to the new switch location on the wall. He sawed a hole in the ceiling, and another one in the wall.
He installed the fan in the ceiling, wired it to a digital timer switch, and then rewired the light switch from the hallway to the bathroom.
It cost about $200 to buy the parts and tools needed for this step. At this point in the remodel, there was very little visual payoff for all the hard work. The room still looked hideous, but at least the plumbing worked and the room didn't turn into a steam box after a hot shower.
DIY Cabinet Repair
Painting wood cabinets is relatively straightforward, if time-consuming. Our cabinets were chipped from fifty years of use, and covered with varnish that was showing its age. We removed the cabinet drawers and doors, sanded off all the varnish, and used wood putty to repair chips and cracks. I decided white painted cabinets would brighten up the dim room. White would look fine with the existing yellow, and would also work with any new color we chose for the walls.
It took primer and several coats of latex paint to fully cover the wood grain. In retrospect, we could have saved ourselves one to two coats of paint by using an oil-based primer instead of the water-based one we chose. We could have also saved a lot of brush work by purchasing a small roller frame and ultrasmooth roller covers. Live and learn.
It shouldn't have taken more than a couple weekends to get all the way through this part of the project. As it was, we let our cabinet repair project drag on for about six weeks. The demands of a little baby killed our momentum, so pieces of cabinet sat in the garage untouched for awhile. Our progress was roughly as follows: Sand cabinets. Pause. Putty cabinets. Go for a weekend hike. Prime cabinets. Go on vacation. First coat of paint. Second coat of paint. Pause. Third coat of paint. Buy new hardware. Pause. Reassemble cabinets. That's how it goes when you have a million other things to do and lack motivation to wrap up a project like this.
This was one of the cheapest improvements we made. A can of paint, a can of primer, wood putty, and a few miscellaneous painting supplies came in around $75.
The newly painted cabinets helped brighten the space somewhat, but we still had a lot of work to do before the room would start to look good. We decided to put the rest of our improvements on hold, in favor of tackling other problems elsewhere in the house.
DIY Cabinet Repair
Painting wood cabinets is relatively straightforward, if time-consuming. Our cabinets were chipped from fifty years of use, and covered with varnish that was showing its age. We removed the cabinet drawers and doors, sanded off all the varnish, and used wood putty to repair chips and cracks. I decided white painted cabinets would brighten up the dim room. White would look fine with the existing yellow, and would also work with any new color we chose for the walls.
It took primer and several coats of latex paint to fully cover the wood grain. In retrospect, we could have saved ourselves one to two coats of paint by using an oil-based primer instead of the water-based one we chose. We could have also saved a lot of brush work by purchasing a small roller frame and ultrasmooth roller covers. Live and learn.
It shouldn't have taken more than a couple weekends to get all the way through this part of the project. As it was, we let our cabinet repair project drag on for about six weeks. The demands of a little baby killed our momentum, so pieces of cabinet sat in the garage untouched for awhile. Our progress was roughly as follows: Sand cabinets. Pause. Putty cabinets. Go for a weekend hike. Prime cabinets. Go on vacation. First coat of paint. Second coat of paint. Pause. Third coat of paint. Buy new hardware. Pause. Reassemble cabinets. That's how it goes when you have a million other things to do and lack motivation to wrap up a project like this.
This was one of the cheapest improvements we made. A can of paint, a can of primer, wood putty, and a few miscellaneous painting supplies came in around $75.
The newly painted cabinets helped brighten the space somewhat, but we still had a lot of work to do before the room would start to look good. We decided to put the rest of our improvements on hold, in favor of tackling other problems elsewhere in the house.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
DIY Bathroom Overhaul: a budget approach
Like many first-time homebuyers, we traded cosmetic appeal for a lower price when we purchased our home. The main bathroom had a hideous color scheme: a pink bathtub, brown tiles, grey flooring, and yellow walls. Damaged cabinets and ugly fixtures from the 60s were made uglier by the paint splattered on them -- evidence of a previous owner's DIY ineptitude. Leaky plumbing had stained the tub with rust. There was no vent fan, and the light switch was outside the bathroom in the hallway. A section of damaged drywall had been "fixed" with a piece of old plywood. The cheap low-flow toilet had an unfortunate tendency to plug up. The list of problems was long and daunting.
A professional bathroom remodel starts around $10,000 and goes up quickly from there. A sledgehammer project financed with a loan didn't sound appealing to us. So, how to update the ugly bathroom without going broke?
Limit the scope of the work
We limited our bathroom overhaul to a list of specific tasks:
1. Fix the leaky plumbing
2. Install a vent fan to discourage mildew and mold growth
3. Repair and paint the existing cabinets
4. Replace the cheap toilet with a better one
5. Paint the walls
6. Install better lighting
7. Remove the stick tiles and install better flooring
8. Install beadboard wainscoting to cover damaged drywall
9. Replace dated fixtures such as the mirror and towel bars
10. Add cosmetic touches such as a window valence and wall art
A professional bathroom remodel starts around $10,000 and goes up quickly from there. A sledgehammer project financed with a loan didn't sound appealing to us. So, how to update the ugly bathroom without going broke?
Limit the scope of the work
We limited our bathroom overhaul to a list of specific tasks:
1. Fix the leaky plumbing
2. Install a vent fan to discourage mildew and mold growth
3. Repair and paint the existing cabinets
4. Replace the cheap toilet with a better one
5. Paint the walls
6. Install better lighting
7. Remove the stick tiles and install better flooring
8. Install beadboard wainscoting to cover damaged drywall
9. Replace dated fixtures such as the mirror and towel bars
10. Add cosmetic touches such as a window valence and wall art
Acknowledge personal limitations
We felt reasonably confident in our ability to do these tasks ourselves. We had the greatest reservations about DIY plumbing, hence leak repair was the first task we approached. According to Murphy's Law, if a pipe breaks, it will fail in the least accessible way and cause the maximum amount of damage in the process. We knew we might have to hire a plumber if our DIY plumbing efforts were unsuccessful, and wanted to leave ourselves enough money if that became necessary.
We dislike the existing tub, tiles, cabinets, and countertop, but realized these things would be expensive and difficult to change. Tub replacement, tiling, and cabinetry require many additional skills and tools, and usually come coupled with drywall work. We decided to accept the existing features because they were still functional. This decision restricted our aesthetic freedom, requiring us to work around the color and style of these fixtures.
Generally speaking, the three big limitations in home improvement are money, time, and skill. DIY improvements can take months or even years, but they can save tons of money IF a person has practical knowledge coupled with relevant experience. Lacking the proper skills, a DIY project can quickly become a very expensive misadventure.
Keep in mind that time and effort are wasted if expended without knowledge. Starting a project without a specific goal and practical knowledge is like driving a car with no particular destination or directions in mind, yet still hoping to get somewhere. Chances are, you'll waste a lot of time and gas to get somewhere unsatisfying. Don't know a thing about a particular area of home improvement? Do a little research first. If the task is not straightforward, consider hiring a qualified contractor to do the work instead.
Don't try to save money by purchasing subpar materials and cheap tools. Americans have an unfortunate tendency to equate the words "cheap" and "economical" with each other. The cheapest product often won't last. It is not "economical" to replace a tool after a single project. Likewise, it makes no sense to guarantee a dissatisfying result by purchasing poor quality materials. Rather than settling for poor materials, reduce the project scope by postponing discretionary cosmetic tasks. If you commit to doing work, commit to doing it right. If the final result is durable, you'll be happier in the end.
Be realistic about time
It might be possible to finish a DIY bathroom remodel in a couple weeks -- in a world where you don't have kids, a day job, or other responsibilities. Most of us don't live in that world. There will be days you can't work on the project, and days when you don't want to work on the project. Are you prepared to turn part of your home into a project space for weeks or months? DIY projects often take longer than initially expected.
Think about ways to divide the project into bite-size pieces. Tackle one thing at a time, and try to leave the overall space as functional as possible for as long as possible. Recognize when you're about to hit a "point of no return," such as ripping out a wall, a major fixture, or the floor. Don't pass a point of no return unless you're totally committed to the next steps.
When the going gets tough, it's easy to stall. Assess the reason for the pause: Unexpected technical problem? Lack of tools? Difficulty choosing materials? Uncertainty how to proceed? Cost problems? Use the internet and local resources to your best advantage in these situations. Talk to the folks at the home improvement store. Ask questions on DIY forums. If totally stuck, consider hiring some help. Don't leave half-finished work sitting for long periods of time. It's depressing and demotivating. The longer it sits, the less likely it is to get finished. It's tough to recover from a major loss of momentum.
Keep in mind that time and effort are wasted if expended without knowledge. Starting a project without a specific goal and practical knowledge is like driving a car with no particular destination or directions in mind, yet still hoping to get somewhere. Chances are, you'll waste a lot of time and gas to get somewhere unsatisfying. Don't know a thing about a particular area of home improvement? Do a little research first. If the task is not straightforward, consider hiring a qualified contractor to do the work instead.
Be reasonable about cost
When crafting a budget, allow for cost growth. Don't allocate 100% of your budget for core materials and tools. Something unexpected will often happen in the middle of a major project, and you'll need money to address it. The less experience you have with an area of home improvement, the more margin you should leave in your budget.
Don't try to save money by purchasing subpar materials and cheap tools. Americans have an unfortunate tendency to equate the words "cheap" and "economical" with each other. The cheapest product often won't last. It is not "economical" to replace a tool after a single project. Likewise, it makes no sense to guarantee a dissatisfying result by purchasing poor quality materials. Rather than settling for poor materials, reduce the project scope by postponing discretionary cosmetic tasks. If you commit to doing work, commit to doing it right. If the final result is durable, you'll be happier in the end.
Be realistic about time
It might be possible to finish a DIY bathroom remodel in a couple weeks -- in a world where you don't have kids, a day job, or other responsibilities. Most of us don't live in that world. There will be days you can't work on the project, and days when you don't want to work on the project. Are you prepared to turn part of your home into a project space for weeks or months? DIY projects often take longer than initially expected.
Think about ways to divide the project into bite-size pieces. Tackle one thing at a time, and try to leave the overall space as functional as possible for as long as possible. Recognize when you're about to hit a "point of no return," such as ripping out a wall, a major fixture, or the floor. Don't pass a point of no return unless you're totally committed to the next steps.
When the going gets tough, it's easy to stall. Assess the reason for the pause: Unexpected technical problem? Lack of tools? Difficulty choosing materials? Uncertainty how to proceed? Cost problems? Use the internet and local resources to your best advantage in these situations. Talk to the folks at the home improvement store. Ask questions on DIY forums. If totally stuck, consider hiring some help. Don't leave half-finished work sitting for long periods of time. It's depressing and demotivating. The longer it sits, the less likely it is to get finished. It's tough to recover from a major loss of momentum.
Be honest with yourself
It's easy to confuse reality with fanciful aspirations. Take the time to assess your personal skill level and real experience before taking on a complicated project. Never touched wiring before in your life? Don't start pulling apart an electrical circuit with the assumption that you can figure it out once it's already dysfunctional. If you do not already have the skill set to tackle something, take the time to educate yourself about it first. Many areas of home improvement are straightforward enough to learn from the internet, or from a class offered at a local hardware store. YouTube contains an amazing amount of useful information.
Most importantly, take your lifestyle and personality into account before deciding to start a complex DIY project. If you are always busy, can't tolerate mess, get frustrated easily, or require work to be done on a tight schedule, DIY projects can be very upsetting. If, on the other hand, you enjoy the opportunity to learn new skills, want to produce tangible results with your own efforts, have a flexible approach toward time management, and the ability to tolerate temporary disarray, DIY work can be quite satisfying.
Our personal progress
We approached our to-do list in three phases based on time and cost constraints. The first phase was targeted at functional essentials (items 1-3 on the list). Phase 2 efforts were intended to add cosmetic appeal and improved function (items 4-8). The final phase is strictly cosmetic, intended to make the bathroom look finished and aesthetically pleasing.
We spent approximately 4 months accomplishing the first phase, then put the project on hold due to other things going on in our lives. We began the second phase nearly a year later, and took about 3 months to complete it. We are just entering the final phase.
In the coming weeks, I will post more details and photos of the work. For now, suffice to say that I'm happy to have a fully functional and more attractive bathroom, and thrilled that we didn't have to spend a fortune on it!
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