Ralph Lauren & Behr Paint Coupons (10% Off Discount)

We recently had a visitor to the site looking for Ralph Lauren Paint Coupons, and we daily get a couple of folks looking for Behr Paint Coupons.  I’ve scoured the web and found no such coupons available (save for several expired or VERY time-limited Behr Coupons).  Perhaps Mr. Lauren & Mr. Behr are just a little stingy on the discounts…

In any event, if you’re looking for these coupons, your best bet is to get a Home Depot coupon (available at a few links below).  Alternatively, you can use a Lowes coupon or any other home improvement store coupon, as Home Depot honors competitors’ coupons.  Lowes does as well, good to know only if you’re interested in buying something other than Ralph Lauren or Behr Paint, both of which are only sold at Home Depot.

Here’s a few links to check out.  Hope this helps you out!

• 10% off at Home Depot when you sign up for Home Depot Moving
• 10% off to Lowes (a free one and a place where you can buy them)
• $10 off $25 purchase using your Visa at Lowes

What do you think?  If you find additional coupons for Ralph Lauren Paint or Behr Paint, please leave a comment below with the links in them.  Also, leave a comment if any of these coupons expire.

Image courtesy of Incase Designs.

Kitchen Countertop Material Comparison

Close your eyes and list as many kitchen countertop options you can. How’d you do? There is a lot to choose from! This post will cover your options and help you make a more informed choice.

Laminate Countertops

Laminate countertops (often called Formica) are very common. Builders often install laminate to keep costs low. It is one of the cheapest options available with prices range from around $5 to $30 per square foot. Laminate is low maintenance and will resist most stains. It’s easy to clean and available in many colors and patterns. Knives and hight heat can cause noticeable damage.

Granite Countertops

Jocie and I choose granite countertops. Granite is a hard, durable surface. It won’t take stains (when properly sealed). Knives won’t damage it and you can place hot pans directly on it. It’s a great natural stone look.

But it’s not cheap. Estimate spending between $45 and $100 per square foot. And plan on sealing your granite about once a year to keep it stain free.

Butcher Block

Butcher Block will give your kitchen a warm, rustic feel. It’s great for cutting or chopping produce. And most scratches can be sanded or scraped away. For this reason it’s best not to refinish the surface. Otherwise your working to keep the finish nice and not even enjoying your countertop. Butcher Block should be kept clean and treated with mineral oil periodically. It’ll run you about $40 to $65 per square foot making it a great option.

Stainless Steel

A lot of popular appliances are stainless. Why not the countertop too? Stainless is a tough material that will stand up to high heat and won’t ever stain or rust. It will also give your kitchen a very professional, contemporary look. Unfortunately, stainless will show scratches easily. Be sure to install with a solid sub-layer to help avoid dents. Stainless isn’t cheap either. Prices range from $100 to $200 per square foot.

Solid Surface

Solid Surface countertops have a lot of great benefits. They are available in a wide range of colors and patterns including stone like finishes. Any countertop seams can be eliminated or hidden. Solid Surfaces are non-porous meaning you won’t need to seal (and reseal) them to protect against stains or germs. The finish can scratch but can usually be removed with buffing and sanding. And the price start around $45 per square foot.

Tile

Ceramic or Porcelain tile is another countertop option. Tiles are inexpensive and available in many different colors and patterns. While tile can withstand high heat, they are prone to cracking and chipping if your not careful. Be sure to seal the grout or it will quickly become discolored. Prices are low, starting around $10 per square foot.

Concrete

Many modern kitchens are beginning to incorporate concrete countertops. They can be dyed and textured to many different styles. Concrete is somewhat stain and heat resistant depending on what type of sealer is applied. And be sure to reapply it on a regular basis. Pick an experienced installer else cracks can develop down the road. Prices are higher ranging from $60 to $120 per square foot.

Limestone

Limestone is another natural stone look available in many colors. The hardness depends on the variety chosen. But all withstand heat very well. Limestone is very porous meaning it can stain even when properly sealed. Prices start around $60 and go as high as $100 per square foot.

Marble

Marble is available in many different colors and will look great. But it’s tough to keep it that way. It’s more porous (like Limestone) making it less stain resistant even with regular sealing. Marble is not heat resistant either. And to top it off, scratches easily. Combined with high prices ($50 to $100), it doesn’t seem like a good investment.

Quartz (Silestone)

Quartz is a very hard material (harder than granite) available in many natural colors. It’s a non-porous material which prevents stains without sealant and makes it easy to clean. It’s heat resistant so feel free to put hot pans right on the countertop. Be careful around corners as they can chip. Prices are mid-ranged from $50 to $100 per square foot.

A lot of these countertops require a sealant (and reapplication over time). I’ve always used Stone Care sealant and it works great. It’s quick and easy to apply and didn’t change any of the colors. Amazon sells Stone Care sealant for $10.67.

What do you think? How many could you name? What did you install?

Image courtesy of Allen Chu

Before & After: Milwaukee Bungalow Kitchen Remodel from Beth @ A Cotterpin House

This week’s Before and After is brought to you by Beth @ A Cotterpin House.  

Beth and husband recently renovated the kitchen in their 1929 midwestern style bungalow.  They’ve created a beautiful space on a tight budget of only $6000, managing to install fantastic granite tile countertops and a great looking backsplash (two of our favorite parts of their remodel).

As a result of  Beth’s submission, OPC will make a $25.00 donation to Habitat for Humanity in her honor. (See below – Habitat is receiving matching donations through June 30, making OPC’s contribution in honor of Beth worth $50.00 to the organization.)

Also, Beth’s article is now entered into our Before and After contest for $50.00 to the home improvement store of her choice.  We’ll select a winner by community vote in October.

Before & After: Bungalow Kitchen Remodel by Beth

Our house was built in 1929 in Milwaukee, and is your typical Midwestern bungalow – small, compact, but efficient.  Everything you could need is all on the first floor, with extra storage upstairs.  We moved in two years ago (almost to the day!) and loved the character and charm of both the house and neighborhood.  The house has had only two previous owners- which was turned out to be both good and bad.  Good in that the owners prior to us took good care of the house because they spent so much time here- but bad that they hadn’t changed anything since 1960. 

The kitchen was the main example-  with two doorways leading into the kitchen, there was no room for the extra counter space we needed, and no ideal place for the refrigerator.  The wall with the stove was too short to hold both appliances and the opposite wall had two doorways.  The only solution was to place the refrigerator in front of the the double windows looking out over the garden- which cut on the light quite a bit. The counter was also too short, and pitched forward, so anything round placed on the surface would roll to the floor.  Finally, the linoleum- which held up great for 48 years- was a horrible orange pattern.

On a limited budget of $6000, my husband and I knew we would have to do much of the work ourselves.  Luckily, my father and brother-in-law were both great help in installation.

In total, we pulled out flooring, built a half wall to move our sink, put down Pergo flooring, ran electric lines for extra lighting and a new garbage disposal, ripped out cabinets, installed new cabinets, installed large granite tiles for our counter tops, installed back splash, and painted on our own.  The only professional help we’ve gotten so far was the plumbing lines for moving the sink.  It took a bit longer than we expected (it usually does)- but we’re happy how it turned out, and that we stayed in our budget!

Before Pictures:

After Pictures:

Thanks from OPC

Beth, thanks for submitting an article to us & supporting a great cause. Your kitchen remodel is fabulous!

Habitat for Humanity Quick Fact

Habitat’s busiest building season is the Summer.

To encourage donations in early Summer 2008, Habitat has sponsors committed to matching every donation, dollar for dollar, through June 30, 2008. For every $1.00 donated, Habitat will receivee $2.00, up to a total of $3,000,000. 

From Habitat’s site:

We are working harder than ever in these days of warm temperatures to build as many houses as we can. That’s why, as part of the 2008 Habitat Challenge Campaign, every donation we receive will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to our $3 million campaign goal.

That means that your support right now can help double the resources we have available to serve families in need of a decent, affordable place to live. That’s right! DOUBLE! But only until midnight EDT June 30, so don’t delay.

If you’ve been considering donating, now is the time.  There’s only 2 days left to take advantage of the matching donation event.  

You can contribute online right now, using Habitat’s online donation form. 

Submit Your Own Article for the Event!

Article submissions can be sent in virtually any format to oneprojectcloser@gmail.com.

You can also show your support for Before and After supporting Habitat by displaying a one of these Before and After graphics in your sidebar.

What do you think?  Let Beth know what you think about her project… And let us know if there’s any way we can make the event even better!

Home Depot to Recycle CFLs Across the Nation

There’s been a lot of buzz around the home improvement blogosphere about the dangers associated with improperly disposing CFLs.  Most of us know by now that CFLs contain a small amount of mecury, a toxin that causes all sorts of bad problems, all rooted in mercury poisoning.

The NY Times reported this week that Home Depot will now offer CFL recycling at all of its 1900+ stores across the United States. 

Home Depot is to be commended for taking action on this important issue as the US moves towards energy efficient lighting.  From the article:

Home Depot’s program, which will accept any maker’s bulbs, will bring relatively convenient recycling within reach of most households. Mr. Jarvis estimated that 75 percent of the nation’s homes are within 10 miles of a Home Depot.

I suspect that with Home Depot’s move on this issue, other retailers will follow.  According to the times, Walmart has already sponsored take-back events, where people in the community can safely return used CFLs.  Home Depot is the first very large retailer to provide a 365 day program.  With 2x the stores, I think Walmart will be looking to follow suit.  After all, there’s big money in bulbs.

What do you think?  Do you recycle CFLs?  Where?

Image courtesy of herms671. 

Metal Gauged Spreader Alternative for Self Leveling Mortar Over Radiant Heating Wires

If you’re pondering how to get self leveling mortar to spread evenly over electric radiant heating wire (or, in fact, any other fragile surface), this article might give you just the help you were looking for.

We recently faced this problem in our basement, where we’re laying a retro-fit electric radiant heating system over a concrete slab. The instructions on the side of the self leveling underlayment we chose indicated that you need to drag a guaged spreader through the underlayment as you pour it in order to ensure that it spreads out evenly over the surface. The problem with this approach is that the spreader is highly likely to pull up the heating wires while you’re dragging it over the surface. In a worst case scenario, the spreader might even cut/knick a heating wire, which would render the heating mat useless.

You might be thinking to yourself, “But isn’t this stuff to supposed to be self leveling? Why do we even need to drag a spreader through it?” That’s a good question. The answer is that even though it’s called self leveling mortar (or underlayment, or cement), it really is only self leveling to a point. The reason it doesn’t completely self level has to do with other forces present in the material that make it tend to hold together rather than spread out completely. The best way to visualize the problem is to picture pouring a moderately thick pancake batter into a large pan. The batter is self leveling to a point, but not entirely. Now, if you drag a fork back and forth through the batter, you can eventually get it to cover the entire pan bottom. The same concept holds true for spreading self leveling mortar over a substrate.  If you drag a spreader through the mortar, you will eventually spread it out sufficiently to cover the entire floor. 

In order to preserve the heating mat, a metal guaged spreader is simply not an option.  So we considered attaching a squeegee to the end of an extendable pole and using that to spread out the mortar.  The squeegee is flexible, and not likely to damage the wires.  This was somewhat successful; however, it still left high and low points in the surface.  The reason?  It’s a little easier to conceptualize from the pancake analogy:  If you used a spatula instead of a fork to spread out the batter in the pan, the likelihood of pushing the pancake mix into one area (thus creating a hill and a valley) is much higher.  The squeegee acted like a spatula.  It was better at spreading out the mortar, but it still created a slightly uneven surface.

Finally, we arrived at the conclusion you see in the picture at the top-right of this article – a squeegee with gaps cut into the rubber to create teeth.  When we poured the self leveling mortar over the next area of radiant heating wires, we dragged the modified squeegee back and forth over the mortar as we poured.  The holes between the teeth prevented the squeegee from pulling too much or too little mortar into one area.  The result: a perfectly level floor, even over a very large 250 sq. ft. area.

Note that in our example, the radiant heating wires were actually hot glued to the slab at short intervals.  This created a strong bond between the heating wire and the slab, and was necessary to ensure the heating wire didn’t come up as we were dragging our improvised spreader across it.

Using this squeegee method is only one part of achieving a level floor.  For more information, see my article on achieving level floors using a self leveling mortar.

Electric Radiant Heating – Where to Buy and How to Get Started

If you’re new to radiant heating, this job is relatively easy to do yourself with just a little persistence and effort.  PexSupply provides all of the materials needed to install Electric Radiant Heat (just follow that link for their electric radiant heat sales page).  If you don’t know exactly what to buy, we highly recommend starting with one of their SunTouch Electric Radiant Heat Kits (see the lower left of their page for complete kits).

Note!! You can get a 5% discount by using coupon code STOUCHNOV5 at check out.

PexSupply is a Suntouch reseller, one of the more popular brands of radiant electric floor heat.  Suntouch publishes a detailed installation manual that you can print to get started with your installation. 

What do you think?  Was this article helpful?  Have you had any successes or failures with self leveling mortars?

Is DuraCeramic better than Ceramic Tile

My brother and his wife are remodeling their kitchen. They’ve taken the time to carefully investigate all the different aspects. And I was really curious when they began talking about DuraCeramic for the kitchen floor.

What is DuraCeramic?

DuraCeramic basically falls in between laminate floor and ceramic tile. It is manufactured as 16 inch square tiles that can be scored into 8 inch squares. DuraCeramic is available in many different colors and patterns.

DuraCeramic Benefits

DuraCeramic has several advantages that make it an appealing choice. It’s warmer than ceramic and not nearly as hard (meaning it’s easier to stand on – a common complaint of ceramic tile). DuraCeramic is fast and easy to install. Since the tiles flex, they can accommodate an inconsistent sub-floor. Joints can even be grouted to look just like ceramic tile. And because the floor is composed of individual tiles, it’s easy to replaced any damaged sections.

DuraCeramic Disadvantages

Now here’s the downside. DuraCeramic is obviously not as resilient as ceramic tile. Dropped items can cut and chip tiles especially at the corners. My brother also said the price tag was much higher than ceramic tile. I’ve also heard varying reports about cleaning. Some say it takes brushing on hands and knees. Other say cleaning is a breeze. Tile texture can make cleaning that much tougher.

After doing the research, my brother and his wife decided not to install DuraCeramic. I think the high price tag coupled with poor durability changed their minds.

What do you think? Know anyone with DuraCeramic floors? Will the floor last?

Image courtesy of laRuth

Refurbished & Reconditioned Table Saws: Dewalt, Bosch, Delta, Makita, and More

If you’re looking for factory reconditioned (refurbished) table saws, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve researched all of the factory reconditioned table saws available on Amazon.  The results of my research are below.  In summary, you can purchase several refurbished table saw for approximately 20-50% off retail (big box) store prices.  With most table saws costing between $300-$600 retail, the advantages of a reburished saw are significant - anywhere from $100 on up!

Most (if not all) of these reconditioned table saws carry a full manufacturers’ warranty, just as if you had purchased it new from a retail outlet.  If you prefer to buy the new version of the tool instead of a refurbished model, you can find the [new] link after each refurbished table saw listing where the new version of that saw can be purchased.

Finally, don’t forget that some refurbished table saws will require you to purchase the stand separately.  In some cases, a $70 stand makes the savings of going with a refurbished model significantly less.  This is required if you’re not going to mount this saw to a bench, and makes the saw easier to use.  Each one of the pages on Amazon for these saws offers several recommended accessories.  Look there for the accessories that make the most sense for your purchase.

Best Table Saw for Homeowners – Jet 15 Amp BenchTop

This article is one of the most popular on the net for buying a reconditioned table saw… What that means is that most people get here and the recommended table saw is out of stock (because reconditioned saws are only available in very limited stock).

Fortunately, Jet manufactures an inexpensive, high quality new table saw that costs about the same as most reconditioned models: the Jet 708315BTC 15-Amp Table Saw. The Jet saw comes at a very discounted price and ships for free from Amazon.  Here’s some of the major features:

• 10-inch benchtop table saw
• Belt-drive operation and 15 amps; cutting capacity up to 24-1/2-inches; 5/8-inch arbor
• Steel corner posts; assembly required
• Includes saw, miter gauge, rapid wing extension, rear outfeed support, 2 wrenches for assembly
• 27 by 20 inch table; 62 pounds; 1-year warranty

Most notable in this list of features is the 15 amp motor.  Other standard DIY table saws offer only 8-14 amp motors, which will not provide sufficient power to cleanly rip through heavy lumber, like hardwoods, and may even struggle through long 2-by lumber as the blade heats up.

Other Factory Reconditioned Table Saws Available on Amazon

(For the items below, note that the Regular Price indicates a manufacturers’ suggested retail and/or a price quoted online by a major tools retailer).

Refurbished Dewalt Table Saws

Factory-Reconditioned DEWALT DW746R Woodworker 10-inch Left Tilt 1-3/4 Horsepower Intermediate Saw (No Fence), 115-Volt 1 Phase Current Price: $662.99. Regular Price: $1100.00.  Savings: $437.00 [DW746 New]

Factory-Reconditioned DEWALT DW745R Heavy Duty 10-Inch Compact Job Site Table Saw with 16-Inch Max Rip Capacity by DeWalt – Current Price: $289.99. Regular Price: $369.00. Savings: $80.00 [DW745 New]

Factory-Reconditioned DEWALT DW744R 13 Amp 10-inch Portable Table Saw – Current Price: $510.99 Regular Price: $599.99. Savings: 80.00 [DW744 New]

Refurbished/Reconditioned Bosch Table Saws

Factory-Reconditioned Bosch 4000-N-RT 10-inch Worksite Table Saw - Current Price: $359.95. Regular Price of the 4100-RT: $534.93.  Savings: $170.00

Factory-Reconditioned Bosch 4100-RT 10-inch Worksite Table Saw – Current Price: $429.95. Regular Price: $534.93.  Savings: $110.00 [4100-RT New]

Refurbished/Reconditioned Skil Table Saws

Factory-Reconditioned Skil 3400-20-RT 3.0 Horsepower 10-inch Table Saw – Current Price: $154.48. Regular Price: $311.58.  Savings: $150

[Note: Regular Price is MFSR and not reflective of true regular price.  This saw is not available new at most retailers.]

Refurbished/Reconditioned Makita Table Saws

Factory-Reconditioned Makita 10″ Table Saw w/ Stand 2703X1 – Current Price: $299.95. Regular Price: $350.52.  Savings: $50 [2703X1 New]

Refurbished/Reconditioned Delta Table Saws

<None Available at this Time>

Refurbished/Reconditioned Porter Cable Table Saws

<None Available at this Time>

Search for Refurbished / Reconditioned Table Saws Note Listed Here

We try to keep this list of table saws current.  You can always search for other tools available on Amazon.  Just click on any of the links above and use Amazon’s built in search functionality.

What do you think? Have you ever purchase refurbished tools from Amazon / another online retailer?  What was your experience?

HVAC Maintenance Cost Worth It: A Contractor’s Recommendations

Fred ran a post about a great experience with a local HVAC contractor earlier this month. One reader, Scott, had a few questions about annual maintenance and warranties. He was curious if they were really worthwhile. A buddy of mine has been in the HVAC business for some time. Here is what he told me.

Is HVAC Annual Maintenance Worth the Cost?

A maintenance contract is key to keep your HVAC system working properly. It extends the life of your equipment and ensures your unit will operate efficiently.

A typical service contract includes service twice a year. The technician should preform several diagnostics including freon charge, filter change and making sure that all parts are in good repair.

And there are other benefits like discounts on all repairs and parts (% based on level of contract). Also, contract customer calls often receive higher priority over other service calls.

Other Recommendations

Get a good media filtration system installed. The filtration system will keep the equipment cleaner (especially the evaporator coil) preventing future problems and repeated cleanings. Duct cleaning typically costs $225 per system and coil cleaning costs at least $250. A filtration system is a one-time cost of approximately $500. Other benefits include improved indoor air quality and fewer filter changes (once every six months).

What Can the Homeowner Do?

Homeowners can apply “paint on sealer” to all accessible duct joints. This seals their ducts better than tape preventing air leaks and dust problems. It also holds much longer than any tape. Amazon has a great deal for 1 gallon of duct sealant for $19.95.

If a homeowner has a gas furnace for heat and an air conditioning only outdoor condenser, I suggest that they get a winter cover for the unit to protect and extend the life of the unit. Amazon also sells Air Conditioning Weather Wraps for just that purpose.

My buddies name is Pat Riley. He agreed to let me post his name and contact info in case anyone has questions or concerns. You can reach Pat at 443-765-1767 or email him at patrickriley1084 at comcast.net. Just put One Project Closer in your subject line.

What do you think? Do you agree with Pat’s suggestions? What’s your experience been?

Image courtesy of Sylvar

Rental License Requirement | Baltimore County, Maryland

Rental properties.  Some swear by the investment; others swear off, due to the horror stories.  Fred and I found ourselves landlords by path of least resistance.  When we were in the very first months of dating, we were both house hunting, and since it was too early to know whether “We” would continue as such (for those who were there, no comments necessary regarding our on-and-off history), we both went ahead and settled on houses of our own.  One month and two miles apart. 

So when we DID finally get it together and get married, we owned one more house than we needed.  The market was still on the rise, and we’d realized a tremendous value increase in my townhome.  We decided to hold onto it and rent it for the foreseeable future.  We screened potential renters for a few months (I’ll post THAT whole experience separately), landed with our current renters who just signed on for a 5th year this spring, and never looked back.

Until Baltimore County Council Bill 87-07.  We heard it was coming and received notice in the mail just before leaving for an oversees vacation a few weeks ago.  By July 1, 2008, all landlords of single-to-six-dwelling housing units must now apply for a LICENSE to rent property in our county. (Apartment complexes already had separate legal requirements on the books.)

Why?  Well the up-side is that the Council is trying to address the “slum-lord” mentality in some areas of our county.  With aging structures, some renters are living in substandard conditions. 

The down side is that landlords like Fred and me – with our 1989-built townhome – are lumped into a new requirement that costs us an extra $200+ every three years, from now on. 

Don’t get me wrong: we fully support requiring landlords to maintain reasonable living conditions for their tenants.  We just believe that the existing rental laws already covered those sufficiently.  In fact, rental laws in Maryland prior to this bill were already MORE in favor of the renters than of the landlords.  For our part, because we love having good renters, we provide them with rent-breaks and upgrades to the home every year they re-sign.

So getting the notice that we had to apply for a “rental license” by July 1 or face $1000 a day (yes, three zeros) fines for failure to comply was a bit of a slap in the face.  We try really hard to be superb landlords – we even give Christmas gifts each year (and last year added a wedding gift on that occasion)!  But we, like the aparently-heartless-ghetto-lords in our county, now have to apply for, and then reapply every three years for, a rental housing license.

Obtaining or renewing a license requires a home inspection (this year’s cost: $150) which is a very quick check on the electrical, plumbing, appliances, smoke detectors, window/door function, and general safety items in the home.  Our inspection (last Wed.) lasted 15 minutes.  Easy money for our inspector, no?  The county also charges an additional license application fee ($50 this year for our single-dwelling); requires the inclusion of photos of the front and rear of the house; and requires completion of an application that also addresses items like lead paint abatement (which doesn’t apply at all in our case).

For us, it’s an extra hassle and an extra expense.  I drove the application packet to the county court house on Thursday because I wasn’t willing to risk a “lost in the mail” situation.  But OF COURSE we passed the inspection and have everything in order.

It’s sad that the county has to mitigate potential retaliation by landlords upon their renters for reporting unliveable or unsafe conditions.  If we were failing to maintain our house, our renters would be completely within their rights to report us.  But we would never get there.  Instead, we now have this additional expense to maintaining the property; and that expense is going to get passed on to our renters.  We’re not interested in losing money just to hold onto a second house we will never otherwise need.

The good news, for any of you who are in our situation and haven’t gotten through the process yet, is that I was able to handle the whole matter in four days.  (And I’m happy to answer questions for any others of you who are down to the last minute with this requirement, since I’ve been through it.) 

But the negative side is that it makes leasing a property in our county more work and more expensive.  We’re not charging our renters for my time running around to get the application ready and submitted, but I’m sure other landlords are figuring that in, too.  In an area that’s already very costly, it adds to the living expense for renters.  With the prices on everything else going up right now, it’s a shame that this expense is added this year, too.

What do you think?  Should all landlords be held to an inspection/rental licensing requirement with their county?  Or should the system work to handle actual problem situations, case by case?

Before & After: Konnecto Flooring in the Kitchen and Family Room from Mary @ NotBefore7

The first article selected for this Summer’s Before and After series supporting Habitat for Humanity is brought to you by Mary @ NotBefore7.  

Mary (and husband Eric) recently installed Konecto Flooring in the kitchen and family room of their new home, a recent foreclosure in need of some serious TLC.

As a result of her submission, OPC will make a $25.00 donation to Habitat for Humanity in Mary’s honor. Also, her article is now entered into our Before and After contest for $50.00 to the home improvement store of her choice.

Before & After: Konecto Flooring by Mary

We recently purchases a foreclosed home, so every room has a Before/After story to tell. 
 
Located in the back of the house was a kitchen and family room area.  The two rooms are basically one big area, but separated by a railing in the middle of the room and different flooring.  The family room had carpet and the kitchen was covered in vinyl flooring.  Both needed to be replaced. 
 
Another issue was the pantry in the back of the kitchen. (located on the far side of the refridgerator)   It was only about 12 inches deep (of usable space) and it made the doorway into the dining room very tight.  In fact, if the pantry door was opened, it blocked the entire entryway into the dining room.
 
Before (while standing in family room)

Before (while standing in kitchen)

 
Our goals were to brighten the room and to open up the space in order to create more of a Great Room area.
 
Brightening up the room wasn’t too difficult.  We painted the entire area with Sherwin Williams paint color, Cottage Cream.  It is a very neutral yellow color that brightens without overpowering a room. 
 
Our next step was to paint the trim and molding, as well as the fireplace, with semi-gloss white.  It made a huge difference to have bright white trim, especially at the fireplace.

Our final step in brightening up the room, was to remove the ceiling fans and add recessed lighting.  We added 10 lights so far, but are going to add 2 more and install a new ceiling fan.  We are huge fans of recessed lighting and it definitely paid off in this room.
 
In order to open up the space, we began by taking down the banister which was separating the kitchen and family room.  This helped brighten up the area too because the banister was so dark.  Immediately, we knew we had to choose one type of flooring for both rooms so the two areas could become one large area.
 
We wanted durable and easy to clean flooring because we have 3 little children.  In the past, we have installed laminate wood flooring (such as Pergo) to achieve these goals.  Unfortunately, laminate flooring is not water-proof and therefore, it will not stand the test of time in a kitchen, especially with little ones.
 
Konecto flooring was our answer.  It is an easy to install and waterproof laminate flooring.  Each floor plank is flexible and can be cut with an exacto knife.  Adhesive is not required for installation because it comes pre-packaged with adhesive striping as part of each individual plank.  More about the easy three step installation can be found on their site.  Truly, this flooring is amazing.  I can’t speak highly enough of it. 
 
We choose a style from the Prestige collection because it has an aluminum oxide finish which will help protect the flooring.  It has a different feel than a traditional laminate wood floor.  It has a “grainy” finish to it with true cracks and crevices in the finish.

I think the finished look is beautiful.  We have been complimented on our “wood floors” numerous times.

 

The final step in creating a more “open-space” feel was to remove the useless pantry that was closing in the doorway to the dining room.  Unfortunately, there was an air duct behind it, so we still have a “bump-out”, but the open doorway into the dining room was well worth the pantry removal.
 
After (standing in kitchen):

After (standing in family room, complete with kiddos):

 

We are very satisfied with the results so far.  Clearly, our 1980’s kitchen needs to be the next project on our remodel list, but as Fred states here on his blog, at least we are One Project Closer to the end!

Thanks from OPC

Mary, your floors are fantastic… truly an amazing before and after story, and an excellent one to kick off the event.

Habitat for Humanity Quick Fact

Even with the downturn in the US housing market, in the last three years building costs internationally have risen more than 17%. This increase must be met with increased monetary donations in order for Habitat to continue its oustanding work across the globe.

OPC will donate $25.00 this week in Mary’s honor. Admittedly, that small amount only scratches the surface of the enormous need. We hope you will consider donating monetarily or through volunteering with a Habitat program in your area as you are able. If you choose to donate, you can find Habitat’s online donation page here.

If this post inspired you to donate or volunteer, please leave a comment below and let us know. We want to honor all those people who are participating with us periodically throughout the summer.

Submit Articles for Early Summer!

There are 12 Sundays left this Summer and we’ve received very few articles for the first few weekends, with many folks planning to submit articles later in the Summer.

We would very much appreciate additional articles submitted early (even if they technically don’t comply with the project being completed in the late Spring/early Summer).

Article submissions can be sent in virtually any format to oneprojectcloser@gmail.com.

You can also show your support for Before and After supporting Habitat by displaying a one of these Before and After graphics in your sidebar.

What do you think?  Let Mary know what you think about her project… And let us know if there’s any way we can make the event even better.

Next Page »