One Project Closer Comment Policy

Well, we’re 600 posts into this blog (can you believe it?!?) and we think it’s about time we finally implemented a comment policy.  Why now? Well, in the recent past many of our posts have become the target of comment spammers… and we’re tired of it.  Will a simple policy fix it? Probably not totally, but we hope folks will take it seriously.  So here goes!

First… We love most comments! What’s a good comment? It’s one that adds to the conversation, or just says something nice about what we’ve written. It’s even those comments that challenge what we write, or disagree with us altogether.  80% of all the comments we get are these type of comments…

What’s a Bad Comment?

So what’s a bad comment? Well, that’s easy too:

1. Any comment left for the primary purpose of selling a product or service, or otherwise getting someone to leave this site to go to another one, where that other site earns money on the visit, or
2. Any comment that is inflammatory, or otherwise nasty.

What Not to Do…

If you’re leaving a comments like this, you know who you are… but we’ll give you some specifics:

1. Don’t leave comments where the name in the comment is not the name of the author, but rather a product or service. For instance, a comment where the name field is Single Bathroom Vanities and the link goes back to a place that sells bathroom vanities would violate this policy. We’ll either spam that comment (which removes it and reports the URL and e-mail to a central spam elimination authority), or we’ll unlink it.  Either way, it’s a waste of our time.
2. Don’t leave comments with links in the comment that are designed to move people away from this site to another site. The only exception to this policy is if the other link legitimately adds to the conversation… For instance, if we make a claim that another site clearly refutes, linking out to that site would be fine.
3. Don’t leave comments that are inflammatory.

There are a few grey areas that are pretty standard in the blogging world that are OK. Here’s one: let’s say you run the blog Designs by Jane, and your name is Jane. It’s fine to use a name like Jane @ Designs by Jane. Now, if you’re trying to push picture frames on your blog, and intead of using Jane @ Designs by Jane, you use Jane @ Cool Picture Frames, that wouldn’t be OK, because Cool Picture Frames isn’t the name of your blog.

So that’s pretty simple right?  We thought so…

(photo credit: celluar immunity)

Review: Craftsman 6ft. Floor Cabinet

This is the second post in my Craftsman Tool Storage series. Craftsman provided us element from their Garage Storage System, and if you haven’t seen it, check out the Craftsman Workbench Review. Today, we focus on the Craftsman 6ft. Floor Cabinet.

The only problem with owning lots of tools is finding good storage for them. The best tool storage is organized, customizable, secure, and rated for heavy equipment. The Craftsman floor cabinet does just that.

Where to Buy the Craftsman 6 foot Floor Cabinet

We are really impressed with this storage cabinet. The all steel construction makes this a high-quality addition to any garage or basement. The cabinet provides lots of space and is competativley priced at $239.99. Craftsman products are available from Sears or Craftsman.com. Here’s the link:

• Craftsman 6ft. Floor Cabinet

Craftsman Floor Cabinet Review

Storage Shelves
This cabinet has a total of three steel shelves. Two shelves are adjustable between 7 different positions for great versatility. Adjusting a shelf location is easy.

• Just remove the two fasteners from the front of the shelf.
• Rotate the shelf upward and out of the notches along the backside.
• Move to the desired location and reverse these directions.

The middle shelf is fixed in place for the door locking / latch mechanism. Unfortunately, that means this cabinet is not suitable for tall equipment (unless you don’t install the shelves). Additionally, you can place items inside the cabinet on the base or even on the topside.

Quality Construction
This floor cabinet is made from high-quality, steel with a baked enamel finish. It’s very durable. Each shelf is rated to hold 50 lbs. and is secured in place with nuts and bolts for total confidence.

Cabinet Dimensions
Here are the floor cabinet external dimensions.

This cabinet weighs 126 pounds so grab a friend before you try to move it. Each shelf provides 32″ wide x 17″ deep storage and with my setup each shelf has at least 17″ clearance.

Assembling the Cabinet
This cabinet went together without a problem. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. You’ll need a few tools including 3/8″ and 7/16″ socket, flathead and crosshead screwdriver, and a square. Make sure to hand tighten the bolts until instructed to fully tighten. This allows you to square the cabinet. All of my hardware was included but in case you’re missing something, call 1-800-4MY-HOME (1-800-469-4663). There’s one thing to keep in mind while you assemble:

• There’s a wall bracket to ensure the cabinet doesn’t tip over. That means you’ll want to locate the cabinet near a stud or have masonry screws/bit at hand.

Benefits of the Craftsman Floor Cabinet
Here’s some additional features to keep in mind:

• The cabinet includes four, height-adjustable, feet so you can make sure it’s completely level and up off the floor.
• Shelves are easy to adjust and it doesn’t require you to move the cabinet.
• There’s a simple locking mechanism for security. Two keys included.
• This cabinet features two holes (with rubber guards) on the backside- perfect for running power to charge cordless tools.
• The doors overlap and latch, ensuring they stay closed.

What do you think? Do you own the Craftsman floor cabinet? What’s your experience?

Before & After: Staircase Remodel By Kate @ Centsational Girl

Our next Before and After comes to you from Kate @ Centsational Girl – a blog all about “fabulous, for less, one DIY project at a time”. Kate and her husband transformed a blonde oak staircase from dated and dreadful into a dramatic entryway. I think her amazing pictures speak for themselves.

For winning, Kate gets a $25 gift card to Lowes, Home Depot, or Amazon. And, we’ll make a $35 donation to Habitat for Humanity in her honor. And, of course, she’s also entered into our end-of-Summer contest for a $150 gift card.

Check out Kate’s great Before and After and this week’s Habitat Quick Fact. At the bottom, you’ll find details for submitting your own entry.

Staircase Remodel by Kate

Where to begin?  First, I must explain the problem.  The staircase was natural blonde oak.  Dated and dreadful.  NOT the first impression I ever wanted to give my guests.  What was a girl to do?  Replacing it with European style iron railing was the cost of an automobile.  Fixing it seemed too daunting.  Enter Rhoda.  I love Rhoda!  Rhoda at Southern Hospitality blog stained her entire oak staircase a lovely dark shade, from top to bottom, and planted a big seed in my inquisitive brain.  Why if Rhoda could do it, then perhaps I could too.

The before…

Step One: After all the prep work, taping off the balusters and laying down carpet protection, I stripped the existing varnish off the staircase with Klean-Strip.

Step Two: Sand, sand, sand, then sand again. I spent about 4 hours just sanding until my fingers cramped and refused another stroke.

Step Three: I cleaned off the sanding residue with wet wipes, then stained the upper hand rail with Minwax Gel Stain in Walnut. When the stain was applied to the oak, it gave me too much of a stripe-like effect. Darker was much better, but the product only took me half way to the look I desired.

Step Four: I did something unconventional, and a bit daring. I glazed the wood with two coats of semi-opaque Burnt Umber acrylic craft paint. Using the glazing effect with the semi-opaque craft paint, rather than latex paint, helped to preserve the visible grain of the wood.

Step Five: With the help of a dear friend, and professional painter, we primed the bottom of the stairs with oil based primer, then finished it with two coats of ‘Swiss Coffee’ oil based white paint for durability.

Step Six: To the upper railing only, I applied one coat of Minwax Wipe On Polyurethane.

The amazing after…

I am loving the dramatic deep finish of the railing up against the white balustrade. We also added the wallpaper paneling, a chair rail and molding ourselves.

Thanks from One Project Closer

Kate, this is a beautiful remodel! Thanks so much for sharing it with us and supporting our Before and After series.

Habitat Quick Fact

From Habitat’s site:

Gulf recovery effort
Within weeks after Hurricane Katrina barreled across the Gulf Coast, Habitat for Humanity International and its affiliates had started building houses and rebuilding lives. Still, there is much work to be done. Each month, Habitat affiliates and volunteers start working on 52 more homes. For perspective, consider that before the storm, Habitat built 57 homes a year along the Gulf Coast.

Three years later, people still talk about what was lost. But most often, they also talk about what’s possible. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit our Volunteer Opportunities page, and contact a Habitat affiliate directly to volunteer.

How to Enter our Before and After Contest

There’s still time to submit an entry. Send us an e-mail at beforeandafter@oneprojectcloser.com.

Review: The Hyde Pivoting Pressure Washer Wand Makes Deck and Fences Easier to Wash

The nice folks at Hyde sent us over one of their new Pivoting Pressure Washer Wands to try out and review…  Since we were planning to pressure wash the wood privacy fence during our recent rental property renovation, we figured we could put it to good use.  (Actually, our handyman Andy put it to good use…)

Unfortunately, Andy didn’t get any pictures, so we borrowed the one to the right from Amazon.  Anyhow, Andy gave us his thoughts on the wand, and I get the pleasure of relaying them to you…

The Hyde Pressure Washer Wand’s Claim to Fame

The Hyde Wand has one (and only one) claim to fame… A pivoting head. Seems too simple right?  It’s just a little swivel mechanism at the end of the wand… no big deal.

Except that it is a huge deal. Here’s why…  Have you ever tried to pressure wash the top of a privacy fence?  If the fence is six feet high, using a traditional wand, you’d have to be at least two feet above the fence to get the top rail washed.  That means you’d be standing on a ladder… which you’d have to move every few feet. With Hyde’s wand, you can accomplish this step while standing on the ground by simply swiveling the nozzle down.

The benefits don’t stop there… most of the time when you’re pressure washing a fence, you have to constantly move side to side to get all the nooks and crannies.  With the Hyde wand, you can simple turn the second handle and the wand pivots nearly a full 180 degrees to accomodate.

Right Angle Pressure Washing

Even while spraying at a right angle, the wand maintains full pressure, making it an excellent asset for reaching around tight corners or small spaces.  This was particularly useful on a privacy fence where you need to wash the fronts and sides of every board.

The Hyde Wand Uses Your Existing Nozzles

The Hyde wand actually extends your existing wand.  Any nozzle you use on your current wand will work on the Hyde Pivoting Wand, which makes the Hyde suitable for any application.

Areas for Improvement?

The only issue with had with the Hyde Wand was a small leak when we first connected it.  This was easily fixed with plumber’s tape.

How to Price a Rental Property – Maximize Earnings But Remain Competitive

One of the challenges of being in the rental business is overcoming the tension between the desire to earn as much as possible – at minimum making enough that it’s worth staying in the rental business – while not pricing yourself so high that your properties sit empty for any significant amount of time.

When I was ready to advertise our townhouse most recently, I found that I was most objective when I kept the cost of an empty rental in the forefront of my mind, even as I researched how much we could possibly charge.  Sure, I was proud of our house, the work we had done; and I DID believe it was in a great neighborhood in a great location.  But my pride and joy could not over-rule my common sense when it came to pricing it.

$$$

Keeping up with the Joneses … or at Least the Complexes

Since our rental is a two-bedroom townhome with a fenced backyard, a finished basement, community amenities, and totally-new upgrades, I started my research with the local apartment complexes.  Our house should command more than a two-bedroom apartment in one of them, for sure.

Once I established that baseline (in my case a minimum rent of $1285), I went onto Craigslist and perused the other rental ads, looking for comparable houses in the area.  What I found was three or four other two-bedroom and three-bedroom places, ranging in rent from $1300 to $1500.   Those in the higher range had been listed longer, while the one for $1300 disappeared after a couple of days, and I assumed it was filled.  But pride aside, our place looked nicer than that one and had the fenced yard, so we aimed just slightly higher at $1375 and decided right away that we would charge a pet fee of $25/month per pet (and an additional security deposit – we learned THAT lesson last time!).

We ended up with two roommates, one of whom has a dog, so – voila! – $1400/month it is!

$$$

What’s the Bottom Line?

We achieved immediate occupancy; the tenants took keys less than a week after my first ad ran.  With that fast a turnaround, I was tempted to wonder whether we could have asked a little more.  However, I reminded myself that if we had posted the rent just $50 higher, while we might have gotten it, we would have knocked ourselves out of some of our prospective tenants’ price-ranges.   Including those who actually became our new tenants.  And with even one month’s delay in occupancy, we would actually have netted $850 less for the next 12-month period:

$1400 x 12 = $16,800

$1450 x 11 = $15,950

It was worth it to us to rent right away instead of targeting a higher per-month rate and missing out on getting to choose our renters from a pool of good people, rather than waiting around for somebody, anybody to please come rent.  It’s the fine balance between greed and practicality. 

$$$

Those other Empty-Rental Costs…

Aside from just the dollar figure, there are other costs we had to consider when we named our price:

1. Property Maintenance – as long as our house sits empty, guess who’s mowing the lawn, checking the mailbox, dusting, and whatever else?  Yep, us.  And we have our own place we can barely keep up with, thank you very much.
2. (Un)natural Disasters – if a pipe starts leaking, a tree branch falls, or a neighbor’s cigarette starts a mulch fire next door, we don’t want to find out about it days after the problem starts.  We want to know right away.  And (good) tenants are there to tell you about that sort of thing, so you can address issues while they’re still small and not have a huge, preventable mess to clean up.
3. Vandalism & Break-ins - Our rental townhouse used to be my house.  I lived there alone when I was single, and I felt quite comfortable in the neighborhood.  However, even in the nicest of areas, there are “those people” (whoever they are) who scope out vacant properties to damage (or sometimes inhabit!).  Maybe it’s fun to be destructive; maybe “they” have anger that needs to be channeled somewhere.  Whatever the motive, we don’t want our place to be the one that gets hit.  We actually did keep that in mind when we advertised.  The house had already been vacant for two months while we renovated, and we knew all the neighbors were quite aware of that (it’s hard to miss a petite white girl hanging out the second-story while replacing windows, as it turns out).  Once the work was done, we wanted people – good people, for sure, but PEOPLE – in there as soon as reasonably possible.
4. There Goes the Neighborhood – this last item was less of a consideration for us this time, but it IS a consideration.  If a community has multiple rentals in it, and more than a few are sitting empty for any noticeable period of time, that neighborhood starts to feel like it’s in decline, even if it really isn’t.  And once it has felt like a declining neighborhood for a while, it actually becomes one.  Because prospective tenants don’t want to dodge tumbleweed or hear only the echoes of their own voices.  They want to see an active and vibrant community – even if they only plan to stay for a year.  So being a responsible landlord and getting your place filled benefits everybody, not just your own bank account.

UV Light Changes Hardwood Flooring Color

If you’ve just finished installing hardwood floors, or are in the market, you should know that hardwood floor may change color. Sunlight affects each wood species differently, but most will darken over time until it’s fully seasoned. This post will focus on how sunlight will affect your floor so you can make in informed choice.

Discoloration Caused by Sun Light

Sunlight contains Ultraviolet type A and type B rays (UVA & UVB). These rays can bounce off water, sand, and even penetrate glass. Many people know that UV light can cause skin cancer, but it can also change the color of furniture, carpets, hardwood flooring and artwork. In short, UV light can cause your furnishings to take on a prematurely aged look.

UV Effects on Hardwood Flooring

UV light causes wood to change color, especially exotic species. Depending on your type of wood, UV exposure may lighten or darken your flooring, but most tend to darken. The effects are very evident where area rugs or furniture cause an uneven change in color. Typically, color changes occur more rapidly at first and are indistinguishable after 3 – 6 months (depends somewhat on exposure).

It’s tough to find the effects of UV light on specific wood species. I’d encourage readers to comment with their own experience.

• Cedar - sunlight bleaches out unfinished cedar floors and causes them to darken after a finish is applied.
• Brazilian Cherry - darken relatively quickly.
• American Cherry – darkens to a deep red.
• Teak – turns darker brown.
• Yellow / Red Oak – slightly lighter over time.
• Maple - lighten over time.
• Brazilian Walnut – darkens causing a more uniform look.
• American Walnut – lightens over time (nathalie comment).
• Brazilian Ash – little change over time.
• Purpleheart – turns more of a brown.
• Tigerwood – darkens quickly! (nathalie comment)

UV Window Films Protect Hardwood Flooring

One way to counteract UV rays is to block them. If you prevent them from entering your home, they can’t damage your hardwood floors. New windows have lots of innovative features like double and triple pane glass, inert gas insulation, and non-conductive window frames. UV blocking films are an important feature you should consider when replacing your windows.

These films can also be installed on pre-existing windows. You can opt to have a professional install them, or tackle the project yourself. Either way, UV films not only protect you and your family, but they also protect your home and furnishings by blocking up to 99% of these rays.

What do you think? Has your floor changed color? Do you have a UV coating on your windows?
Image courtesy of back_garage

How to Advertise a Rental Property: Craigslist & Simple Website Save Money and Impress Tenants!

What is the most effective way to advertise a rental property?  Fred and I had to answer that question in late July, after completing two months of renovations on our townhome following our prior tenants’ move-out in May.

The Old Way to Advertise

Five and a half years ago, when we found THEM, we went the Pennysaver, two-county’s-newspapers, and one major newspaper (for us, The Baltimore Sun) route.  It worked; our renters were great, and they stayed five years!  But it cost us several hundred dollars to run the ads over the course of the 3 months we were looking.  And as Fred mentioned in a prior post, we discovered by trial and error that it’s very hard to find good renters in the dead of winter.   So I actually stopped advertising for a while, let the house sit for a few weeks, and then paid for more ads closer to Spring.

And the New Way…

Flash forward to this summer.  NOW we have Craigslist!  It’s free, everyone knows about it, we were able to include MUCH more information about what we required of tenants, and we posted pictures!

But we thought we could go one better.  Craigslist only allows space for 4 pictures and we had done a lot of work and wanted prospective tenants to see ALL the great features of the house.  So Fred set up a separate single-page website (he linked here to OPC because we could; but any well-done page would’ve been just as good).

The fact that I had the hotlink in my Craigslist ad made our property stand out among the many others also out there.  And the details about the property and our expectations weeded out people who weren’t the right match.  It’s a small townhouse, but not one person walking through made that remark.  They already knew what they were coming to see, so it was just a matter of whether the location, timing, and cost were right for them.

And our new renters signed the lease with me 5 1/2 days after my first post on Craigslist! So, yes, it worked quite well.

Rental Advertising Tips

1. Price Logically – I perused the existing Craigslist lineup before we ever posted.  I wanted to get as much as was fair in the market while still remaining price-competitive.  At our price point, we had the best rental available.  Most of the rest were condos or condo-townhomes without basements owned by major rental companies.  Not nearly as nicely renovated.
2. The Cost of an Empty Rental – Might we have been able to eek out a little more rent if we’d advertised a higher rate?  Possibly.  But we had to consider at what cost.  For every month we don’t have it rented, we lose that money and we have a house sitting empty.
3. Include Pictures – I was amazed at how many people don’t do this!  If you want your ad to stand out, let people SEE the place!  (And if it’s in shameful shape and you’re embarrassed to post a pic, that’s your cue that it’s time to do some work before re-renting.)
4. Think Like a Tenant – include as much information as you can so you help them make an informed decision before they come out to the property.  There should be no “bad surprises” when they arrive; that’s no way to start a landlord-tenant relationship.  Don’t forget to list things like laundry facilities, the dishwasher, whether the property has a yard (and a fence), major roads nearby, and any perks that come with renting.  These things take your ad beyond the standard “3 bedrooms/ 2 baths” ads that are all around yours.
5. List Your Requirements Up-Front – for us, good credit and references were a must.  We also ran a criminal background check just to make sure we weren’t bringing violent offenders into the neighborhood.  We do want to maintain a good relationship with the neighbors all around that property, too!  And for the first couple of days, I got a flood of calls about housing vouchers and Section 8 housing – for which we were not approved – so I tacked that note at the end of the ad.  (Another perk to Craigslist – you can edit your post anytime!)
6. Refresh Your Listing – Craigslist in our area allows you to re-post an ad (thus bringing you back to Page 1 of the search results) every 48 hours.  They just ask that you delete the old ad, which I happily did.   And I didn’t have to re-post it a 3rd time; we snagged our renters on the second run!
7. Consider standing up a temporary web page – for the small time commitment, we got a big pay-off.  The web page is much more attractive than the Craigslist ad and allowed us to load it with pictures.
8. Include a Cell Phone Number – I had one person email me.  Everyone else called my cell.  Because they had questions, wanted to schedule a showing as soon as possible, or wanted to get a feel for how I’d be as a landlord.  Trying to do all that through email (even though it does give you more anonymity and privacy) takes much longer.

I can’t believe how much easier it has gotten to lease a property, just in the last five years!  It was so easy, in fact, that Fred and I were out again this week looking at potential new rentals to buy.  Cooler heads prevailed, fortunately, and we’re just sticking with the one for now.  But I’m sure we’ll add more in the future.

The Craigslist Ad

Here’s the text from my Craigslist ad:

$1375 / 2br – Townhome w/fenced yard, newly renovated

2 Bedroom / 1 1/2 bath Townhouse in Parkview Trails Community. Available immediately, upon approval of application!

 

All appliances new within the past 4 years, stainless kitchen, laundry room in the basement. Plenty of storage, large closets in both bedrooms, wood flooring on half of the main level, new flooring in the full bath, brand new carpet everywhere else. Central A/C. Freshly painted throughout. Fenced back yard w/brick patio and new landscaping. New roof, windows, patio slider and water heater all added this summer to make this place as energy-efficient as we can get it, so utility bills are low! Home Owners Association fees covered by landlord and include pool, tennis courts, and more.

 

 

Pets welcome (some restrictions apply), and kid-friendly home and yard. Also great for working professionals.

 

 

Security deposit based on credit score. (Looking for a minimum of 650 from at least one tenant.) $30 application fee covers our cost of tenant screening w/credit check. Non-smoking in the house (back- or front-yard ok).

 

 

Convenient to Ellicott City, Catonsville, 695, Rt. 29, I-95, Rt. 40, I-70.

 

 

We (landlords) live just a few minutes’ drive away, so we guarantee quick responses to maintenance issues or any other items that could arise during your stay. We want you to enjoy living here!

 

 

For more information, check our web page: http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/for-rent-2br15ba-townhome-great-neighborhood-1375mo/ or call Kim at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

 

*not approved for Section 8 or housing vouchers*

Replace your Indoor AC Coil – Picture Guide

I recently wrote about the new R-410A freon, cleaning your outdoor air-conditioning coil, and water leaking from my indoor HVAC. These recent posts were spurred on by the fact that my indoor AC coil was rusted. Condensation built up around my indoor coil because it wasn’t draining properly. Well, this past week a good buddy and another friend came over to replace my indoor AC coil. I was able to observe a good bit and take a few photos along the way.

Let me start by saying, this project is not for DIYers. There’s a lot of specialty equipment and specific know-how for properly managing freon. I know this task was beyond me, and recommend you find a reliable HVAC contractor for this job. If you’re looking for a contractor in the Baltimore area, I can pass along a name and number.

Installing a New Indoor AC Coil

The install began by trapping all the freon in my outside unit. Next came the demolition. Here’s a picture of my old HVAC setup.

This picture shows the front panels removed from the furnace and the old coil removed.

Here’s a picture looking down into the furnace.

The new coil was a different size, so they had to construct a ductwork seat that would account for the change. This picture shows them installing the ductwork reducer.

And here’s the new coil seated on top of the ductwork. Just about everything was secured with self-tapping sheet metal screws. An impact driver makes it easy to screw into sheet metal.

The new coil also features a front access panel. I was excited to learn that if I’m ever suspicious of my indoor coil, I can remove a few screws and take a look. You may not be able to see it very well, but the new coil also has a plastic drain pan (meaning it won’t rust). The new coil is seated level on the ductwork as the drain pan is already sloped to direct water toward the drain.

This picture shows the ductwork elbow that is installed above the new coil. This elbow is curved, rather than a sharp 90° angle. That’s beneficial because it helps keep air moving in the right direction.

Freon lines are flexible copper. This picture shows the new line connecting to the existing copper freon return.

Here’s another feature I was excited about. It’s a clear drain trap. Not only can I see if water is moving through it, but I can also use the brush to remove any clogs.

This is a picture of a freon filter. Whenever you cut freon lines, a filter should be installed to remove particulates.

And here’s a picture of the new indoor AC coil installed. Notice all the foil tape to help prevent air loss.

What do you think? Ever replace your indoor AC coil?

Level a Concrete Slab and Heating Wires with Self Leveler

Henock writes, “I want to level my concrete basement family room/bedroom to match the hight of the tiles I have in the hallway.  I want to pour at once, but where would I stand as I level it with slotted squeegee?  The room is aprox 12 by 10.  Should I divide into squares and work that way?  Besides I am hoping to stain it later and will not mind having markings (connection points that may show up do the division) instead of one big continue concrete floor look. What do you think? How long do I have to wait before removing the barrier (2 by 4) to continue and pour the next area? I will be using the [Levelquik] RS (avaialbe at homedepot)”

Henock, thanks for the question.  We’ve worked extensively with Levelquik over concrete and should be able to help you with this one…

Some Self Levelers Aren’t Suitable for Wear Surfaces

The first thing you need to know is that not all self leveling underlayments are suitable for floor surfaces.  Levelquik warns against this on the bag, and on their technical data sheet (look under limitations). In other words, even if you seal it, it isn’t designed for foot traffic.  The underlayment is relatively soft.  Even foot traffic during construction will generate a fair amount of dust in the room.  It scratches easily and will eventually wear down.  While we have never used a self leveler as a wear surface, others can be used this way.  Quikrete is one such example… Their Fast Setting Floor Resurfacer and Standarad Floor Resurfacer can be used for this.  Here’s a link to their products’ technical data sheet.

Self Levelers are Expensive

Even if you go with Quikrete, it’s probably not the most economical way to raise a floor.  One bag of will raise a 50 square foot area only 1/8 of an inch.  For our nearly 1000 square foot basement, we had to use 60 bags of LevelQuik just to get 3/8″ over the heating wire.  In your situation, you’ve got about 120 square feet.  If you need to raise that 3/8 of an inch, you’ll need about 8 bags.  At $30/per, that’s $240.

Alternatives: Tile? Vinyl? Concrete?

Instead of relying on an SLU for the surface, you could lay tile or vinyl over the existing floor. Steps for this are pretty simple (but outside the scope of this article). You could use an SLU if you need to level an uneven surface first, but I generally wouldn’t use it just to raise the floor. You could also pour real concrete, but it would need to be 2″ thick to get a good bond so then you’re talking about demo’ing the floor. Seems like an unreasonable solution.

As far as a plan to stain the SLU, Quikrete supports this but I would be skeptical about getting the color you want.  You should come up with a way to test it first.

Something to consider here as well is resale value.  You said the basement is a family room/bedroom. Would it make more sense to install carpeting or tile in this area?  In our area, we think a stained concrete in the basement wouldn’t be considered a selling feature.

How to Pour SLU Effectively

While we don’t think the SLU solution is right for you, we still want to answer your questions…

If you were spreading a 10×12 room, you can probably stand in an adjacent room and use the squeegee from the doorway.  If you decide to divide the room with temporary barriers, you can remove the boards once the SLU starts to set up.  In the case of Levelquik RS or Quikrete’s Fast setting product, that’s probably about 45-60 minutes.  You said you were planning to use Levelquik RS.  For this size job, that’s probably OK, but keep in mind that RS starts to freeze 5 minutes after pour, with an additional 5 minutes of work time.  As long as you follow a structured process to pour the self leveler, you’ll probably be fine with RS.  For added safety, look into Levelquik’s ES (Extended Setting) product, or Quikrete’s Standard Floor Resurfacer.

Finally, we used Levelquik ES in our video tutorial on using an SLU over heating wires. Might be worth a look if you’re still heading down this path.

Thanks for the question, Henock!

Before and After: Powder Room Power Up By John & Sherry @ Young House Love

This week’s Before and After comes to you from one of the most popular decorating blogs on the web.  John and Sherry at Young House Love recently redecorated their half bath powder room.  The project is great, and shows how you can go outside the bounds of a single wall color to create a dramatic effect.

For their winning submission, John and Sherry get $25 to Lowes, Home Depot, or Amazon.  And, we’ll make a $35 donation to Habitat for Humanity in their honor.  They’re also entered into our end-of-Summer contest for a $150 gift card.

Read below John and Sherry’s submission for this week’s Habitat Quick Fact, and to find out how to submit your own entry into our contest!

Powder Room Stripes by John & Sherry

We recently spent under five dollars and added a ton of posh personality to our tiny half bathroom in less than four hours.

Yup, we painted cream on cream horizontal stripes on the wall! It used to be the same tone as the hallways and the adjoining den (Wishes by Glidden) but we decided to amp it up in that jewel box of a bathroom with some lighter stripes to make the room feel a little more expansive (horizontal stripes have a way of creating that effect) and a heckova lot more interesting. Here’s the bathroom before our little paint intervention:

The entire project took less than four hours one evening, and the steps were really simple:

Step 1: Divide & Conquer- Measure the full length of your wall and divide that number by twice the number of stripes that you want to have minus one (ex: our ceiling is 98″ tall and we wanted six horizontal stripes so we divided 98 by 11 (6 x 2 = 12 – 1 = 11) to get the thickness of each stripe. Ours came out to about 8.9 inches.

Step 2: Make Your Mark- Use a ruler to mark off every 8.9 inches starting from the floor and working up to the ceiling (we made two small pencil marks on each wall, one on each side).

Step 3: Tape It Off- Grab some blue painter’s tape and connect your pencil markings to create taped off stripes (once the tape is in place rub it a few times so you know that it’s flush with the wall for cleaner lines). The main thing to remember is that the tape should go outside the marks for the stripes you’ll be painting but inside the marks in the negative space that you won’t be painting. This might sound confusing, but just ask yourself if you’re taping off the stripe or the negative space as you go, and make sure the taped stripes are the right distance apart (ours were 8.9 inches) while the tape for the negative spaces is closer (once you remove the tape both areas will be the same width).

Step 4: Roll With It- Grab a good roller and some slightly lighter or darker paint (subtle is key for this look, so just going a shade or two away from the wall color makes for a soft layered look). Then apply two even and thin coats of latex paint between the tape that’s further apart to create your stripes. You’ll also need to use an angled brush to cut in near the base molding and the ceiling.

Step 5: Take It Off, Baby- This is a very very very important step. It’s crucial that you remove every strip of tape as soon as you’re done with your second coat of paint while the paint is still wet (assuming the coverage is good enough that you don’t need a third coat). Waiting to remove the tape until after the paint has fully dried will cause peeling and uneven lines that are less than crisp (which will make you want to cry after all that taping). In short: as soon as your roller is down, start pulling that tape off the wall for a clean stripe that looks seamless and sleek.

There you have it. Horizontal wall stripes. Easy eh? Oh and we used a quart of Valspar’s Honeymilk for the stripes because we actually had a $10-off coupon to Lowe’s. And thanks to that $10 off coupon, this entire project came in at just… (drumroll please)… $2.48. Gotta love that bang-for-your-buck upgrade!

We really like how our crystal tear-drop chandelier (a cheap-o Urban Outfitter’s score from a while back) looks even more dreamy with the soft stripes around it.

And our $9.99 art somehow feels even more spa-like with the tone on tone stripes:

We also feel particularly lucky that our stripes ended up framing our wall sconces perfectly (of course this is something you can ensure by starting your stripes in that area and working up or down to tape off the rest of them so nothing cuts through your lighting at a funny spot).

So there it is. Our under $5 bathroom makeover. We’ve always had a soft spot for stripes (take our blog’s background for example, or our recently striped porch) and I guess we just had to bring ‘em into our tiny half bath to fully embrace the linear love.

Thanks from One Project Closer!

We can’t say enough thanks to John and Sherry, who publicize our little Before and After event each year to their much larger audience.  Their work is fantastic, and if you aren’t already a subscriber at Young House Love, you oughtta be… go subscribe today.

Habitat Quick Fact

October Fifth is Annual Habitat Day… from Habitat’s site:

The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October as annual World Habitat Day… from Habitat’s site:

On this day, we reaffirm that adequate shelter is a basic human right and we focus on the conditions of cities and towns around the world. We also use this day to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

…read more…

How to Enter our Before and After Contest

Just send us an e-mail in any format to beforeandafter@oneprojectcloser.com.

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