Lighting Makes a Difference

by Sheila

 

One of the ways you can update a home is to replace lighting fixtures.  I have been doing this recently at my Cairo investment property to give it a fresh look and more importantly, to improve the available light in the space.  This isn't difficult, nor does it have to be expensive.  You can spend lots of money on light fixtures, and that may be worth it to you, but you can find reasonably priced options at your local home improvement stores, online and even at salvage and thrift stores.  Hardwired (built in to the wall wiring) fixtures can be converted to plug-in and vice-versa pretty easily.  There are tutorials online for this, or you can hire it done

I salvaged this light from my Son's condo.  I painted it with stainless steel appliance paint and I love it!

Ambient lighting is also known as general lighting and provides the overall lighting for a room. These are most often your overhead lights.  Task lighting does what it says; gives you the light to perform specific tasks within a space, such as a lamp for reading or under-counter lights in a kitchen. Accent lighting highlights certain elements of your decor, such as a wall-mounted picture light or outdoor lights that shine on featured items in your landscape.  All of these are important and should be considered in your overall lighting plan, combining function and style.

I am not a lighting expert and have made a few mistakes over the years with some of my choices. Here are some of the things I have learned:

Light bulbs are hard to keep up with these days.  I know that I generally do not like the "blue" or cooler light color of many of the new energy efficient bulbs.  I know they are getting better with this, but it can really affect the color in a room.  Also, some of these are dimmable, but not all, so be sure you check that if you want to be able to control the amount of light in a space.  

The downstairs bath "before".  How 'bout that orange?



A close-up of the overhead light.  Interesting...



David took pity on me and lent a hand.  Thank you!

 

He installed this overhead chandelier ($48) and wall sconce ($52) last night.

 

Do you miss the globe light and the orange?  Not me!

 

Also, some lights are hotter than others.  Hot can lights are not a good choice for an Arizona kitchen. I put these as can lights in a rental and it was an issue.  Be sure to ask when you purchase lighting if this is a concern for you. 



Hall wall sconce "before".



And the new wall sconce.

Dimmers are critical for controlling ambience.  These are also easy to install and well worth it.  I put them  EVERYWHERE.  Be sure that the dimmer you choose will dim the light fixture and bulb you are using.  Not all dimmers are created equal.  Also, make sure you select the right dimmer for your switches (single switch operation = single pole dimmer).  



I add dimmers everywhere.

Installs in minutes!

 

Lighting is one of the most important features to create a mood in the evening hours.  A glaring overhead light is not nearly as conducive to a relaxing dinner party as dimmed lighting and candles. On the other hand, if you are cooking and can't see what you are doing, you need to consider additional task light to get the job done.  Is there an area in your home where the right light would improve your use of space?  I am on the lookout for a reading lamp in my den.  There's always something...

Kitchen Backsplash; An Instant Kitchen Update

by Sheila

This is the tile I finally decided on.  These tiles are attached to a mesh background to keep them evenly spaced and easier to install.

Now that the cement countertops are in at my Cairo investment house, it's time to finish off the details in the kitchen.  Nothing adds pizazz like an attractive backsplash.  I hemmed and hawed about which one to pick and was pretty stuck on a classic subway tile, but in the end it just seemed too blah with the basic white tile floor and beige countertops.  I brought home a dozen different options to look at in the space.  Most were too dark, many were too busy, and for some the color just wasn't quite right.  In the end, I selected a mosaic with white (gloss) and grey/green (matte) glass tiles and beige travertine tiles mixed in the pattern.  A mosaic in this instance is when small tiles come attached to a mesh to create a tile pattern - usually one square foot.  This makes the installation much easier than if you had to line up each individual tile yourself.

I have done my own tile work, both floors and back-splashes.  But for this project I hired my favorite handy tile guy, Pepe.  He is a master with tile, even using a dremel tool to make intricate cuts around trim work or other obstacles.  He is fast (which I am not) and sometimes time is money.  It's important when you are doing rehab work for investment to know when doing it yourself is costing you, and this was one of those times where I felt it was worth hiring the work done.  

My costs:

$256 - tile (32 square feet @ $8 per square foot)

$12 - grout (non-sanded, left over from cement countertops

$13 - mortar (or mastic) 

$200 - labor  (This also takes into account the tools you wouldn't have to buy when you DIY)

$481 - total

The mortar or the "glue" that sticks the tiles on the surface.

 

Grout goes in-between the individual tiles once the mortar is set.  This gives a finished, seamless look.  You can use a contrast color, or choose one that blends in.

The tile and the walls before installation.

 

These walls were just begging for a pretty backsplash!  The two tiles in the background were under consideration, but didn't make the cut.

 

And the backsplash in place.  I really like it.  Now I just need to get in the light fixtures, GFCI's, appliances...

 

I am pleased with the results.  It adds an instant update to the kitchen, and adds protection to the walls.  The hardest part was selecting the tile.  While $8 per square feet seems kind of expensive, and it is compared to floor tile, you have to realize that you only need a relatively small amount of tile. I think it was well worth it.

Five Steps to Choosing Paint Colors

by Sheila

Paint is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to transform a space.  As some of you know, I am in the process of updating a new investment property to turn it into a Vacation Rental.  One of the biggest changes I will make (in terms of overall visual impact) is painting every square inch of the interior, and some of the exterior.  The tricky part is selecting the right color(s).  Here are some of my suggestions to consider when selecting paint.

1.  Look for inspiration.  This might be a fabric that combines colors you love, art that is hanging on your walls, or a photograph that speaks to you.  Take this with you to the paint store to help you begin your color selection.

This pillow is my inspiration for the downstairs bedroom.  Paint color is Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams (sometimes looks blue, sometimes green).

 

2.  Start a board on Pinterest. I started one specifically for design ideas for my investment property (called Cairo Design Ideas)  and I put my color and other design ideas all together here.  I can add to this and browse for inspiration whenever I need it, and it is all at my fingertips.
 

My Pinterest Board for this house project.  I have become a Pinterest junkie.  We learned at Blog World Expo that the average person spends one hour and seventeen minutes on this site at a time.  Wow!

 

3.  Bring paint swatches home and tape them up in the actual room you are painting.  You will often see differences in paint that you didn't see in the store.  Does that beige color look too pink or too green in this room?  Eliminate it.  Too light or dark?  Keep in mind that color intensifies when you paint an entire wall or room, so when in doubt, go lighter.  Also, you can have the paint store mix a color you like with 25% or 50% less intensity, making it a lighter shade.  I sometimes do this with my samples (see #4), custom mixing a color I really like, and then have the paint store color match it. We recently visited my son and daughter-in-law in the house they have just moved into in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  She has mixed her own paint color and has the formula saved with Sherwin Williams under her name "Margo".  This is a great idea!  Lowe's will save your paint formulas also with their "My Lowe's card".  They need to scan the paint bar code and the color mix bar code in order to for this to work, so keep an eye on this when you are checking out.  
 

Yes, I really did go through all of this to pick a very neutral color; Benjamin Moore's Muslin.

4.  Once you have narrowed down your choices, get samples made of the possibilities you are considering.  Don't skip this step.  They only cost around $3 and it will save you time and money in the long run, by helping you select a color you really like.  Paint these samples either on a large poster board that you can move around to look at on different walls, or use my method and just paint a large swatch right on the wall.  Hey, this means I better get the job done, so I don't have to look at splotches on my walls!  The color will look completely different depending on the light and the other colors in the room, so this will help you decide. 

Can you tell this room needed paint?  What a yucky orange-brown!

5.  Buy quality paint.  I like Valspar (Lowes) paint & primer in one, Behr paint & primer (Home Depot) for wall paint and Benjamin Moore Advance for trim.  My daughter, Elizabeth is a serial painter (like me) and she recommended this Benjamin Moore paint which I really like.  I recommend you select one paint color for trim throughout your house and stick with it.  It unifies the space and makes touch-ups easier.  There are other good options as well, but these tend to be my go to selections for paint.
 

This paint dries very hard and goes on smooth.  My only complaint is that with the dark colors in this house, it is taking two coats.  Way more time and money!

On our recent visit to see my son and daughter-in-law, we painted the living room in their new home. We changed it from a dark red to her very own color mixed "Margo" paint.  It transformed the space from a dark, bold room to a light, open, welcoming space that works much better with their furniture and style.   

Margo's formula for the color named after her!

The supplies...

b

Margo & Ty's dark red living room "before"

Margo at work.  We used Lowe's Valspar paint & primer (yes, they color matched from the formula we gave them)  and it covered beautifully in one coat! 

The rest of the crew at work.  Tyler and David are the roller operators.  I think Charlotte is attempting to paint Papa's leg.

The youngest painter in the crowd - my granddaughter Charlotte.  How could we have managed without her?

Color selection made - it's time to get to work.  See my blog posts I Love Paint I and I Love Paint Part II for more info on painting and let your transformation begin!

DIY Cement Countertops Part II

by Sheila 

Last week I documented the process of creating cement countertops up to the point of pouring them into the forms.  To see the beginning of this project, check out Part I here.   Here are the final steps of the process. A beautiful finished project if I do say so myself! 

This is the slab after the forms are pulled (allow several days for cement to set).  Note the dark caulk which will peel right off, but has provided a rounded edge on the top.  Remember, in this process, the top of the counter is on the bottom of this form.

 

And then the grinding begins.  You need a wet grinder and starting with a turbo cup attachment, progress through 100. 200, and 400 grit.   You work in a circular motion to polish the cement and expose the aggregate.

Once you have used the turbo cup and the 50 grit polish pad on the grinder, you may need to add a "slurry" to the slab to fill in any small holes you may have.  These holes will be from the small aggregate stones flying out as it is polished and/or from air pockets that were present as it cured.  A slurry is the cement mix you used for the counter with the small stones sifted out.  We used old window screen to sift the dry mix.  Then the cement is mixed with water and rubbed onto the surface of the slab.  It looks like you have just destroyed all your hard work grinding, but this grinds off quickly once it has set (24 hours). 

 

Here is a close-up of the slab once the grinder has done its job.  You can see the black glass, a little of the clear reflective glass, and the aggregate stones exposed.  The surface is smooth as glass!  Beautiful!

And now for the other three slabs!  Alec uses a squeegee to clean the water off to see how the surface is coming along.

 

Once the slab is polished it is time to move it in place.  This is when you call in the extra muscle.  We estimate this slab to weigh 300+ pounds.  So I got my Dad and my Granddaughter, Camryn. to help.  She is obviously supervising.



She loves to help!  I think this is where she said "go faster, faster!".

The slabs are in place, and here you can see the seam.  We used a non-sanded grout, as this seam is less than 1/4 inch.  I chose a contrasting darker color that I also plan to use on the backsplash tile.

 

The sink is epoxied in place and clamped to 2 2x4's to hold it in place.

We taped off the cabinets to protect them from the sealant.  Also clean off all grit or dust prior to sealing with a damp  microfiber towel.

The cooktop side as well.  Protect everything that you don't want "sealed".

The sealer is a product that is specifically designed to seal concrete, sold at the same place as the countertop cement mix.  Follow the instructions carefully to avoid "bubbling" and open your doors and windows for ventilation.

I had a few spots that "bubbled from the sealer, but I sanded them lightly with steel wool.  You can see the shine of the smooth, sealed surface.

Looking good, huh?

Once that is dry (24 hours), a high quality carnaubacar wax is applied.  Wax on, wax off in a circular motion, just like you would do a car.

You can see the glass here in this edge detail.



The new countertops in with the sink and faucet.  You can see the 2" exposed polished edge with this under mount sink.  Looks great!



Here are some of the backsplash tiles I am considering.  I might also just do a simple subway tile, but any of these would work.



This is Alec's bar top prior to install.  Note the sink cut out and the plumbing ready to go.



This is the bar top installed.  The earthy brown is pretty, and I love the glass backsplash with it.  Nice job!

 

Alec's bathroom vanity - his first cement countertop.   It's a light color with cobalt blue glass.  He also built the vanity cabinet base, framed the mirror and made the light fixture as well. Also installed all the tile. Pretty impressive, huh? 

 

In summary, this project cost a total of $940, or $21 per square foot.  However, I have left-over materials that I will likely use on other projects; enough cement to do an outdoor bar top and more, grout for my backsplash project, enough glass for another project and left-over lumber.  Cheap granite in this area is about $40 per square foot, but those quotes go higher quickly when you add in the linear feet of finished edges and finished sink cut outs.  I love granite, but as a creative alternative, cement is awesome!   

I really appreciate the help of my Dad (who is always available when the going gets rough), Alec's buddies (who were called in to move slabs around) and David for the faucet install (Thanks Honey - I hate plumbing). 

You can see why I was so glad for Alec's help.  He is an artist!  I could not have done this without his expertise and the time he devoted to this project.  We have worked on many projects together over the years, and we always have fun! I owe him big for this one.  When are we going to demo your kitchen, Son?

DIY Cement Countertops Part I

by Sheila

My son Alec has what we sometimes refer to in my family as the "genetic defect".  He likes to do projects and fix up property, and he has recently taken this to a whole new level.  He has become an expert at DIY Cement Countertops.  He started with his bathroom vanity counter, and progressed to his upstairs bar top.  He is going to do his kitchen next, and I was gracious enough to offer up my Cairo property as yet another test zone.  He agreed to help me (this really means that I will assist him, as I have no idea what I am doing, but I am willing). And so the fun begins.  

Now don't get the wrong idea here.  This is a lot of work.  It's messy.  There are a lot of steps involved.  It takes lots of muscle to move the countertops around to polish them and put them in place (as in call my son's friends and my Dad).  It takes patience and time to have your kitchen torn apart. But, if I haven't scared you off, I think it's a really beautiful, affordable option for a durable counter surface.  

There are a number of tutorials for concrete countertops available online.  Alec watched a lot of You-Tube videos, also.  He recommends starting with a smaller project and then working your way up. This was our process:

 

The kitchen "before".  Hard to see the chips in this old formica, but they are there, making it look dingy and worn.

 

After removing the old countertop, sink and cooktop, we cut plywood to screw down as a base for the cement to rest on.

We then made "templates" out of 1/8" plywood strips.  These strips are glued together with a glue gun and used to build the forms and strategically locate stuff like the sink, faucet and cooktop within the form.

Here is the master at work.  He is marking out the location of the sink and faucet.  Note the glue gun heating on the counter.  Makes it seem kind of like a craft project, huh?

 

Yeah, that's me, lest you think I didn't get my hands dirty.  I am cutting out the cooktop and sink openings in the plywood with a jigsaw.

When the concrete is poured in the form, the bottom surface will become the top.  Therefore, it's really important to know which side is what, so that you polish the front edges and not the back, etc.  This is where detailed labeling comes in handy!

 

No sense polishing the back edge against the wall!  Label all edges.

The forms are made from melamine, providing a smooth surface.  The blue tape lines here are creating a clean line for a bead of caulk all around what will become the top edge of the counter.  This makes for a softer edge/corner and less grinding later.  The tape will be removed after caulking and prior to the pour.  The caulking will easily peel off after the cement is hardened and removed from the forms.

A close-up shot of the taped off area for the 1/4" caulk line to soften the finished edges.

3/8" rebar and 4x4" metal grid provide extra strength and stability within the concrete.  This is tied together with additional wire.  This one is for the sink.  Also strategically placed, because the faucet has to fit in along the narrow edge as well.

An easier one - the long slab with no cut-outs. Note that we used a sheet of plywood on sawhorses for pour tables.  These were covered in plastic and leveled before we poured.

This foam is cut to the exact size needed for the sink and cooktop cut-outs.  It is then screwed directly to the base of the melamine form to hold it in place.  A large washer around the head of the screw keeps it from disappearing into the foam.

 

I chose to add black and clear reflective glass to the cement countertop mix.  This will give it a little sparkle, but remain very neutral.  I didn't add color to the cement either - yielding a "bone" white/beige color.  There is no limit to the colors you can add, or the glass sparkle.  Alec used broken up beer and wine bottles in his bar top, giving it a beautiful brown, earthy color.

Best to used mix specifically designed for this purpose.  This is from a local supplier in Phoenix.

This is when it gets fun; mixing the cement, adding the sparkle.  Remember making mud pies?  This is a giant one!



Glass added.  There is "aggregate" or small stones already in the mix that will add color and texture, so this is just added sparkle.

After it is shoveled into the form, a screed board is used to level it off.  A 2x4 using a back and forth motion does the trick.  This is when you definitely need extra hands.  I really am working here, but stopped to take photos!

 

An old sander is used against the edges of the form to vibrate the air bubbles out of the cement.  The more of this you do, the smoother your concrete will be.  Work your way around all of the edges several times.  I thought my teeth might vibrate out of my head at the end of this day ;-)

This is the mess at the end of the pour day.  107 degrees in Phoenix.  Good thing water is involved, so we could squirt each other to stay cool!

 

This project so far has taken two long days. I am kind of glad that my son and I both have to go to work so that we can get some rest!  He works like a madman.  Check in next Wednesday for the grinding, installation and the finished product!