3 Month Anniversary

It's been 3 months already!  3 months ago we were spending our first night in the house.  Time flies when you are working yourself to death.  :)

The house has gone through so many changes and is finally starting to feel like our home.  Overall things have gone smoothly (I know things could have been a lot worse) and there have been only a few bumps in the road so far.  Having said that, I am exhausted.  Everyday I wake up and see what needs to be done.  Living through an update is hard on the mind.  It is a constant to do list reminder.  When the kitchen is finished I will be taking on client work again and will be taking a break from the house.  There is a 12 month to do list but nothing urgent needs to be done.


Here is a list and a look back on what's happened over the past 3 months.  I plan on writing posts about each room when they are finished but for now here is a quick review.

Design Doubt

Happy Thursday!

Do you ever doubt your design plan?  Or you start putting your pieces together and things just aren't working for you?   Sometimes I visualize a design and I am so confident in it.  Example:  The outdoor seating area.  I saw those pillows and knew that the green door left by the previous owners would make a great table and the rug I saw on overstock.com would be a great base to bring everything together.   And I love that area and the colors.

DIY Lantern

Photo Credit: Ever & Anon

A few months ago I wrote a post named "Let's Talk Lights".   Its kind of funny so if you haven't read it, I recommend you do.  :)

 I mentioned in that post that I was putting the same light fixtures up through out the main living areas.  You saw the new lights in the hallway and now you can see the new kitchen lights.  No more ugly florescent!!

Before

Coastal Fabrics

Happy Monday!  Today I want to tell you about some beautiful fabrics and fabric websites I have discovered.

Over the past few months I have been on the hunt for great fabrics.  This is never an easy task.  There are not many fabric stores anymore.  Everyone knows about Joann Fabric, Hancock and if you're lucky, a Calico Corner is in your area.  Problem is, they all carry what I call generic fabrics.  Some of them are good quality and have pretty patterns but you see them everywhere.  I am always looking for different.  My goal was to find fabrics that coordinated but were not too match-matchy and were coastal but not too beachy. Blue, which happens to be both mine and Blittle's favorite color,  plays a huge part in our decor.  If you have ever been to the Caribbean or other tropical island you know that the shades of blue are endless.  It is amazing how many colors the ocean can be.  I have decided to focus on teal/turquiose and navy for our main living areas.  Pinterest played a huge part in my research but I also have been ripping out magazine pages with new fabric websites to check out.  I spent hours on the internet searching for the perfect patterns and colors.

 Here are some of the fabrics I have found and are considering for curtains, pillows, and cushion covers.

DIY Butcher Block Countertops

January 2016 Update: Visit our new blog www.brianandkaylor.com  


In yesterday's post I talked about how we came to the decision to have butcher block countertops. (Read about it here)  Today I am going to tell you how we did it.

This is a really long post but if you are considering doing butcher block countertops yourself, it is worth the time.

Our New Countertops

Let me start this post by announcing butcher block was not my first choice.  It wasn't really my second or third....because I didn't have a second and third....LOL.  I was head over heels in love with a beautiful countertop and there was no other that could live up to it.  If you remember back in my Kitchen Inspiration post I talked about a dream home that had my close to perfect kitchen.  Here is a reminder.

Waterproofing Under the Sink

January 2016 Update: Visit our new blog www.brianandkaylor.com  


Weird things happen under the sink. If you have ever lived in an older home, then you might have had to replace part or all of the cabinet base.  Over time all the small (or big) plumbing leaks, spills, and moisture takes its toll on the wood.  The area under our sink in the new house was in BAD shape.  Swollen and falling apart.  Our house was a vacation home and never had full time residents and in the past 9 years, they weren't even using it as a vacation home.  It had been sitting empty for a long time so small things like plumbing leaks were neglected and caused problems.

This is what it looked like when we bought the house.

Since our base was so bad, we cut out the entire base area.

Then we replaced it with a piece of plywood.  I caulked all around the edges, primed and painted it the cabinet color.

To prevent future water or moisture damage I wanted to waterproof the area.  Some people put vinyl tiles or contact paper down but there are several things I don't like about those options.  First, I wanted real waterproofing.  No cracks for the moisture to get into or edges for it to get under.  Also, I wanted a seamless look.  Tile and contact paper don't match the cabinet color perfectly and are obvious.  I like things uniform and consistent so I bought this.

Its like plastic in a can.  Strange and fascinating all at the same time.  Rust-oleum just released a waterproof product that seems to do the same thing but I had already purchased the Plasti Dip when I saw the Rust-oleum product so I stayed with the Plasti Dip.  It is about $8 a can and comes in many colors including gloss (clear).  Before using the product be sure you have fixed all leaks, caulked any gaps if you replaced the cabinet base, and protect areas that you do not want exposed to over spray!  I taped off a 6 inch rim and taped off the sides of my cabinets to protect them.  I also covered my floors in front of the cabinet with a blanket.  (Excuse the bad photos.  These are all iPhone photos because I have been too tired to worry about the good camera.  Sorry folks...I get to be lazy sometimes.)

WARNING:  This stuff stinks!  Very powerful.  I wore my full chemical safety face mask that I use in the paint booth.  I opened windows and I turned the vent on high.  Be sure to have plenty of FRESH AIR ventilation.  Turning on the vent over the stove will not be enough.  A good way to help bring in fresh air is to put a small fan in an opened window to blow in outside air.

I put two coats waiting at least 4 hours between coats.  Super easy to work with except for the smell.  Now I have a water resistant base under the sink that will be durable enough to handle any water leaks and moisture for many years.  This also makes for easy clean up if you keep cleaners or the trash under the sink.

Can you even see it?!  It looks like any other cabinet base but it does feel different.  If you look close, you can barely see the edge where the texture changes.  Here is a close up.

You wouldn't  know that this base is different than the others if I had not told you!  LOVE!  Just another idea for you DIYers looking for a better option to deal with the moisture problems under the sink.  This is easy and affordable so anyone can do this.  If you don't have previous water damage this project is super easy!  Just tape off and spray!

Here is another reminder of what a little work can do.

Click here to see the finished kitchen.