ten thursday home ideas

A few things I found along the way... 

1.
stencil an accent wall instead of wallpaper. 

countertops 101

kitchen. countertops. overwhelmed.

that's maybe you.. it's for sure me. Today I decided it was time to dip my toe into the countertop materials world. I didn't drown. I did manage to float around on my little inner tube peeking at all sorts of materials. I only needed sun glasses for a few... ;) 

I'm obviously no expert.. I'm a consumer even though I'm married to a carpenter type. I looked at a ton of articles on what's trending. The info below is a consensus of what I found.

bath update

We have remodeled a fair amount of baths over the years. It's always best when the budget allows for a total gut and redo if there's rot and ick. But if a pot of gold isn't sitting at the end of your rainbow.. much can be done to update a sad bathroom. 

Paint. Paint the walls, paint the vanity. This is the quickest and most inexpensive way to update. Next... cabinet hardware. Note what size you need and head to Lowe's or Home Depot. If you like the furniture look- add feet to your vanity. They are inexpensive and fairly easy to install. ...

simple bath improvements

If you have basic “measuring” and “put things together” skills, a simple bath remodel can make a wonderful change in updating part of your home.

For example, you just want to fix an old tub surround with new tile. If you have an older home, say 30 years or more, the existing tile is probably put right over drywall. Older homes then that, you could find that the tile was set into mud and mesh. Newer homes you should find the tile installed over a concrete type sheet, Wonder Board, Dura Rock or Hardi Backer Board.

If you have tile right over drywall, it is a must to strip it down to the studs as it most likely will be water damaged, moldy and rotten. With any of the other methods, if you are careful, the tile might come off without too much difficulty. The mesh and mud method you will find the tile will be pretty stubborn to get off and you may be farther ahead to strip that off to the studs too.