Guest Lost35 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I thought it might be good to start a renovation thread as many of us are taking on projects out of sheer necessity and some of us are doing what we've always done and enjoyed, but have no one to stand back and admire the glorious results with. I've been looking at horrid white lino in my hall and kitchen since moving in (did I mention I have two big dogs who love mud?). Tonight at 7:30 I brought my little guy ("The Apprentice") to Home Depot because it just had to be done...and I am now the proud owner of two rolls of lovely (dark) lino flooring. ;D The challenges are maximizing the coverage and minimizing waste, of course, and making sure the lines appear straight (it's an old house; this is no small feat). The biggest challenge of all will be doing this whilst keeping said dogs and apprentice busy in other parts of the house. Wish me luck! And good luck to anyone else who is taking on new projects... -L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheelerswife Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I should...I stripped ancient wallpaper off the kitchen walls and removed contact paper from the cabinet shelves that was just as old - in the days before John died. It was supposed to be just a face-lift for the kitchen until we saved up money to gut the entire kitchen. Well, 14+ months later, I still have bare plaster walls in my kitchen. Sigh. Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Thanks for starting this thread! I am gearing up to do some work on my house, too. I am planning on selling it (hopefully within 14 months), so most of my projects are going to be "biggest bang for the buck". I am looking at doing a lot of painting, replacing some floor coverings (linoleum and carpet), and deck repair. Since I am moving, I can't see investing a lot in my house unless I will at least break even on any projects. Looking forward to reading your updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest look2thesky Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I installed linoleum once. Will never do it again. Omg what a nightmare. Self stick 12 x12 forevermore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lmsmdm Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Make sure you get the 100 lb roller!!!! It's a MUST! Big guy and I thought we didn't need that nifty little tool, (jeez I can't believe I am telling you all this ha ha!!) I said "I weigh more than that!" So off we went to start our project. I think I pee'd, just a little from laughing so hard as he dragged me all over the bathroom floor. Needless to say, we went back and rented the roller : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lost35 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I reno'd my bathroom about a year ago and got a bit of practice laying linoleum. This project is a bit more difficult because of the size and complexity...there are a lot of counters and doorways to consider. Luckily, I can cheat and use the existing lino as a template. I'm just finishing painting my studio/workshop, and happily, it is one foot larger either way. I can't wait to get rid of the industrial white stuff that is down now. It will really change the house! I've almost completed the inside, and this summer will be tackling a few projects on the outside. I want to seal the cracks in the block foundation, replace the eavestrouph and paint the widow and door frames as well as build a fence around the front yard. I don't know if I'll have the time or the $$ for all of it, but at least there is a plan. Maureen, I hope you find the energy to finish your kitchen. Maybe you could post before and after photos. I'd love to see them! I usually stay busy but for some reason I've had no desire lately. I'm hoping this thread will help motivate me to get some work done. -L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManutesGirl Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 We bought a townhouse and had only planned on staying a few years. Then he got sick so here I am. When we first moved in we replaced the lovely kitchen floor (linoleum with pink flowers) with tile and then replaced the countertops with granite. But we still had the ugly old oak cabinets with even uglier hardware. I painted the cabinets and updated the hardware. Was half expecting to have to hire someone to repaint what I had but it came out great. Cabinet painting kit was only $90 - much cheaper than replacing the cabinets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lost35 Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 It's pretty amazing what you can do with the right products. I bet it looks great. The workshop is painted and cleared out and the lino is waiting until Monday when little man is in school. I'm excited... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lost35 Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 The flooring is in!! Sorted out the final joint today and have four pieces of trim to put on tomorrow. The first night, I HATED it. It looked purple-ish and I have yellow/amber/grey/cream colours for walls. Didn't sleep. Decided to rip it all out. Got up in the morning and loved it. Ha. It completely changes the house. And, I didn't sweep the floor for a day and...COULDN'T TELL. 8) Two dogs, a cat and a five-year-old-boy. I think this may be the one thing to make life easier for the next few years. Next, I finish the workshop and move my tools in. Then, I make that silly-looking cupboard in my kitchen into a coolio wine rack with Moroccan Arch doors. -L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lost35 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Today and tomorrow I'm putting the finishing touches on my shop/studio space. Casing and trimming windows and doors and baseboards. It will feel good to get it done! It is such a sunny, happy space and I will finally be able to organize the garage and house and have all my tools/supplies in one spot. It will be so much easier to work on whatever it is I want to work on. I'm also going to finish the garden outside so there is somewhere to have coffee when the sun is out. It is the next step in my plan to be back to work and finally finding the direction I've been missing, work-wise. Lots of gardening ahead this summer, as well as a new picket fence in the front and a wine rack in the kitchen (priorities). That's all for now. Anyone else up to anything new? -L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 And, I didn't sweep the floor for a day and...COULDN'T TELL. Way to go! I have a lot of stuff I am need to do this spring & summer, but haven't really started yet. (I haven't swept my floor in months, BTW) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATJ Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Lost35, "Oh, by gosh, by golly .." - Are You for real??? I'm going to crawl into a deep, dark hole and will NEVER come out again! YOU put me to shame with your hands-on talents, which not only require great skill, but also big muscle power! You can proudly stand up against any big, brawny guy who flexes his muscles and extols his skills! Where in the world did you learn to do all that, and HOW did you get the sheer muscle power required for some of these tasks?? Do you have some 'magic breakfast cereal'?? - The best I have ever done was painting walls and doors, with most of the paint landing on ME. The jobs turned out fine, but I looked like some frightening creature from outer space afterwards. And I have tried to tighten some screws and handles, oiled door hinges, and changed light bulbs. But that's it for MY 'fixer skills'! The other day one of my smoke alarms went off for no reason, and I removed the battery, but it kept going. So, I tried to pull out the plug that connects it to the electrical wires in the wall. It took me at LEAST 10 minutes with all kinds of tools and ALL the muscle power I had, and several times I had to stop because I felt dizzy, faint, and my heart pounded wildly, plus my hand hurt like hell. I felt like a total idiot afterwards, because theoretically it was a very simple task, yet for ME it was a Herculean endeavor. What a WIMP I am compared to you!! Go Superwoman! You are fantastic!! Crawling back into my 'Hole of Shame' right now! ATJ ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lost35 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 A Tout Jamais, I'm a Carpenter by trade. But haven't worked other than for myself since becoming widowed. It is really good exercise if you are doing it ten hours a day, otherwise, it's pretty easy. As long as you can problem-solve, giant muscles are not necessary. Leverage is your friend. My granny was a riveter during the war...perhaps it's genetic. Ha. Anyway, aside from knowing how to do these things is finding the desire to actually accomplish them. I spent a few of the winter months doing nothing and am working at getting back into the swing of things. It gives me something to do and think about, other than the rest of it, which is always good for the soul! Justin, I'll assume you don't have a house-full of animals running amok. I read on a Leonberger site (Puppy is a cross) they will bring the garden into your house on a daily basis, and boy is it true. White floors just weren't going to be possible any longer. The funny part is, now that I can't see them, I'm stressing about what is there that I can't see, and am sweeping even more than before. Oh well. Good luck on your summer projects! -L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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