Easy DIY Bathroom Updates

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bathroom-vanity-green-bayWhen a total bathroom remodel is out-of-the-question, you don’t have to resign yourself to living with an outdated, ugly bathroom. A few inexpensive and easy DIY bathroom updates can be done in the course of one weekend (perhaps even one afternoon) to bring your old bathroom into the modern world.


Wall Paint

Change the wall color and you can transform the room and set the mood you want for the bathroom. For relaxing tranquility, you can choose a calming pale blue or sea-foam green. Those colors also work well for creating a beach atmosphere in the bathroom. You may want to start your day off on a bright note with a sunny yellow. Consider some of these wall paint color options for you DIY bathroom update.


New Faucets

Often called the jewelry of the kitchen or bathroom, installing new faucets on the sink, tub and shower can give a beautifully updated look to the room. Go modern and sleek, or old school traditional or anything in-between that reflects your taste.


Mirror Mirror

Sometimes you don’t have to spend anything for an easy DIY bathroom update. Re-painting the existing mirror frame or etching a design into the mirror can create a new look for the powder room. A new shape or sized mirror can also shed new light into a dreary room and don’t forget that over the sink is not the only place where a mirror can be placed.


Lighting

To see the bathroom and yourself in a whole different light, install new lighting to update the room. Form, function and beauty are easy to achieve with the right bathroom lighting, and not all lighting has to be installed overhead in the ceiling, a lamp or wall sconce make perfect decorative sense in a bathroom too.


Bring in Furniture

If the bathroom space is large enough, add a piece or two of functional furniture that also add to the overall updated look of the room. Cabinets or shelving for storage, a vanity table and chair for comfortably getting ready in the morning. Re-purpose existing furniture pieces or buy ready-made pieces to update your bathroom.


New Flooring

New bathroom flooring can be installed in a weekend and with the option of installing a new heated floor to keep your feet toasty-warm during during the cold winter months, flooring is a great idea for an easy DIY bathroom update.

Pros & Cons of Vinyl Kitchen Flooring

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There was when vinyl kitchen flooring was all the rage, but as with any home building materials, vinyl flooring fell out of the consumer’s good graces. Vinyl was replaced with indoor/outdoor carpeting, stone, tile, laminate and the always-popular hardwood. But vinyl has come full circle and is once again a popular and sensible choice for kitchen flooring. If you are considering re-placing your existing floor with vinyl keep these pros and cons in mind.


Pro Vinyl Kitchen Flooring

Vinyl is easy-to-clean. Crumbs and other debris can easily be swept up with a broom and spills and stains are easy-to-remove with a string mop and bucket of warm soapy water. The modern flooring cleaning devices that vacuum up debris and mop with a squirt or solution and cleaning pad are also acceptable cleaners for vinyl kitchen flooring.

Vinyl is easy-to-install. Vinyl comes in a long role like carpeting or in small 12 x 12 inch tiles that are very easy-to-install. Some of the 12 x 12 inch vinyl tiles come with adhesive backs and a peel-and-stick installation method that makes it a cinch for novice do-it-yourselfers to install.

Vinyl is inexpensive. Compared to the many other flooring choices, vinyl is probably the least expensive, but that doesn’t mean the product is made cheap or looks cheap. A variety of vinyl grades allow you to compare quality and thickness to get the right floor for your household.

Vinyl is durable. Footstep after footstep, year after year, vinyl holds its own. As with any flooring material, the better the quality product you start with the longer it will last under normal wear and tear.

Vinyl is versatile and decorative. There are a wide range of colors, styles, thicknesses and textures to choose from in vinyl flooring. Shiny or matte finish, realistic looking stone pattern, cushioned or not and the list of choices goes on. Vinyl is also versatile enough to be used on other surfaces besides just the kitchen floor. Use leftover vinyl from a home improvement project to create decorative wall art for the kitchen, re-cover a countertop surface or re-face cabinetry.


Cons of Vinyl Kitchen Flooring

Thin vinyl can tear. Care has to used when installing it or moving furniture around on it. Heavy furniture left in place for a period of time will cause permanent indentations in the vinyl.

Vinyl with high-gloss shiny finishes is slippery when wet and some types will need to be waxed regularly to maintain a high-gloss shine.

 

How to Prevent Bathroom Mold

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green bay bathroom cabinetsMold thrives in warm, damp, humid locations and the home bathroom provides the perfect environment for mold to grow. The frequent use of hot water for bathing and the typical lack of air circulation in most home bathrooms sets the stage for unsightly and toxic mold to grow. Not only does the growing black mold look bad on the walls and ceilings of the bathroom, the mold is toxic and can cause a variety of health problems if not removed. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and bathroom mold is easier to prevent than to remove. Use the simple preventative measures to keep your bathroom free of dangerous mold.

 

Increase Air Circulation

Keep a window cracked in the bathroom at all times if possible to allow fresh air to circulate continuously within the room. If that’s not possible, open the window for a few minutes after bathing to let moist air escape. Turn on the exhaust fan or place a small portable fan in the bathroom when bathing or other wise using the facilities to help keep the air dry and circulating.

Leave the bathroom door open when the room in not in use.

 

Open Shower Curtain

After each shower stretch open the shower curtain to allow the water to drain off and the plastic to dry. The damp, warm plastic of a folded shower curtain is a prime spot for mold and mildew to grow.

Once a month take the plastic shower curtain down and run it through a regular machine wash cycle along with a couple of towels and liquid chlorine bleach. This will clean away any mold spores and help prevent them from growing during the shower curtain’s life span.

 

Bleach Cleanser

A bathroom cleanser containing bleach is the best defense against mold; bleach will kill mold and prevent it from re-growing. Use a spray cleaner containing bleach on all tub, shower and sink surfaces and all other harder surfaces that are bleach-safe. Use a toilet bowl cleanser that contains bleach as well.

Mix up an inexpensive bottle of mold prevention by mixing one part liquid chlorine bleach and nine parts water in a spray bottle. Spray shower stall, shower curtain or doors with the weak bleach solution after each use to help prevent mold spores from forming.

 

Laundry

If wet towels, wash cloths and clothing are left on the bathroom floor or in a hamper in the bathroom for a few days, mold spores will form. Spread damp towels and clothing over a chair or door to dry and do laundry often to help prevent bathroom mold.

 

This post sponsored by: Replacement Windows Toledo Ohio.

Bathroom Storage Ideas

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Bathroom cabinetry green bay, wiBathroom real estate is at a premium when a family must share one or two small bathrooms. Even when a bathroom is spacious, there always seems to be a need for more storage or countertop space to hold all our grooming and beauty essentials. Instead of remodeling the room, look around and see if you can use the space differently or bring in unexpected items and create more storage in the existing space.


Paper Towel Holder

A paper towel holder, the type that stands upright on one end, is a space-saver in a small bathroom. The paper towel holder can be placed on the floor and used to hold and store extra rolls of toilet paper. Decorative baskets or small bins are great storage solutions for toiletries and grooming aids. Place the baskets on the floor, countertop or under the vanity.

Look Up

Look up for storage solution ideas in a small bathroom. A shelf above the bathroom door or commode can be used to store towels, wash cloths and various other toiletry items. Hooks placed on the back of the bathroom door or on the wall behind the door provide a place to hang towels or bathrobes. A couple of floating shelves and an over-the-door hanging hook will also create storage space in the bathroom.

Re-Purpose Furniture

When more storage is needed inside the bathroom, re-paint an old chest of drawers, nightstand or bookshelf to match bathroom décor and place it in the room to hold towels and toiletries. If there is no space for a piece of furniture, install self-adhesive hooks or a clear-pocket shoe bag on the back of the door and use as storage and keep things organized.

Get Organized

Getting all the grooming products organized is a very cheap and easy way to update the look of a bathroom, plus it cuts down on time spent in the bathroom when you don’t have to search for products. Purchase suction cup holders for shower storage, they work well to hold small items like a bar of soap, razor and loofa sponge.

Wire racks that hang over the showerhead provide instant storage space for shampoos and the like. The open wire racks allow shower products to drip dry too, preventing mildew from growing on the bottom of bottles. Small holders with suction cup attachments work well to hold small items like a bar of soap, razor and loofa sponge.

 

Preparing for a Green Bay Winter

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Is your home ready for another Wisconsin winter? Fall offers perfect weather to get those chores done before the blustery days of winter set in. Make a DIY fall to-do checklist so you can enjoy a warm, cozy home all winter. Start your winter home maintenance checklist with these easy DIY chores, then add a couple last minute chores of your own.

Get the Wood

Whether you heat the entire home with a wood burning stove or just like sitting by a warm fireplace on a cold winter day watching the Packers play, you’re going to need wood. The earlier in the fall you get the wood, the better. If you cut the firewood yourself, fall provides the perfect temperatures for making a trip to the woods with a chain saw. If you purchase fir wood, do it early in the fall to avoid the winter rush of customers to the wood supplier. Also, wood needs time to dry out so it will burn better and longer.

Seasoned hardwood is best for long-term heat and pine is best for the quick-igniting kindling. Store the wood off the ground, away from the house (to keep termites away from the structure) and cover the top, but leave both ends uncovered so the wood pile will have air circulation to continue the drying process.

Service the Equipment

Certain pieces of equipment are used only during the winter, then stored for the remaining three seasons. If you wait until the snow falls in winter to get out your snow blower, you could have a problem. Get out that snow blower, plow, generator or whatever type of winter-related equipment you own in the fall and test it to ensure it’s in working order. Have any mechanical problems fixed before the rush of winter and get prepared with a supply of gas for all your small engines.

Insulating Against Cold

Exterior doors, check. Windows, check. Everything has been weather-stripped, caulked or otherwise insulated against the cold so the interior of the home will stay warm and cozy. How about the indoor electrical outlets and light switch plates? Have you insulated them? An unbelievable amount of cold air can enter a home through un-insulated electrical outlets and switch plates. Fortunately, it’s an easy DIY fall to-do list fix. Purchase as many foam gaskets for switch plates and outlets as needed, turn off your home’s circuit breaker, then go from room to room and remove electric outlet covers and switch plates. Place a foam gasket in each one, then replace the covers. For outlets that are not being used, place a child-proof shock-guard in each outlet to prevent even the tiniest amount of cold air from entering your home.

Kitchen Backsplash Options

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Custom Cabinets Green BayThe backsplash can be the ‘WOW’ factor in your kitchen and let your personality shine with all the available options. Kitchen backsplashes can be colorful, monochromatic, tile, tin, stone or a variety of other textures. Here are some of the most popular kitchen backsplash options for you to consider when updating your kitchen.


Tile

Tile is a durable, easy-to-clean and versatile backsplash option for the kitchen. Mosaic tile, subway tile, glass, ceramic, terra-cotta, hand-painted and tile choices go on and on. Tile sheets make installation quick and easy and the prices for tile backsplash run the gamut and provide great options in every price range.


Back-painted Glass

Glass tiles in various sizes that are painted on the back to give color and sparkle to a kitchen backsplash. Durable and easy-to-clean, back-painted glass is an affordable option for creating a unique kitchen backsplash.


Countertop Extension

Many homeowners are choosing to use the same material for the backsplash as they use for the countertop to give the kitchen a monochromatic, unified look. For this backsplash option, the countertop material (granite, marble, wood, etc.) is simply extended up the wall as high as desired when the countertop is installed.


Wall Paint

One of the most affordable and easy to change backsplash options available; wall paint. Choose a high-gloss latex paint that is easy to clean and resists staining. Applying the paint to the backsplash area is an easy DIY project that can be changed as desired to update the look of the kitchen.


Tin Squares

If you want a vintage look in your kitchen, tin squares can provide that look. In their natural color of silver or painted to match your kitchen decor, decorative tin squares provide durable function and beauty to any kitchen. Tin squares are easy to cut to size and install as a backsplash and they can also be used in other parts of the kitchen to create a cohesive look.


Wood

Wood beadboard, which can be purchased already primed and painted, is a smart, inexpensive and decorative backsplash option for a kitchen update. Beadboard can be purchased and cut to size at any home improvement center.


Combination Material

The kitchen backsplash doesn’t have to be all one type of material. A little wall paint here, a lot of ceramic tile there and a pop of sparkling back-painted glass over there and you can design a kitchen that is functional, unique and beautiful.

Kitchen Storage Tips

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Kitchen Cabinets Green BayDealing with a cramped kitchen and remodeling isn’t in the budget? Don’t despair, you may have unused space right under your nose that could double your kitchen storage space without breaking the bank (some ideas are even free!). Look at your existing kitchen space and try to implement some of these remodeling ideas to increase storage space. With a little bit of creativity and elbow grease, a few minor changes to existing kitchen space could turn a cramped space into a dream kitchen.

Look Up

What is above your upper kitchen cabinetry? Most upper kitchen cabinets stop about one foot short of the ceiling, leaving unused air space that has the potential of becoming much needed storage space. Consider having some custom cabinets built to fill in the unused space. Hide the seam with decorative molding, add new hardware to all cabinets doors and your kitchen will have an updated look and more storage space for a fraction of the cost of all new cabinetry. Install cabinet accessories, like a lazy susan, into both the old and new cabinets to make the most of every inch of space.

Refrigerator Topper

Don’t forget to add new upper cabinetry above the refrigerator, which is often wasted kitchen space. A custom cabinet the same width and depth of your refrigerator provides storage for seldom used items or the cabinet can be fitted with a slide out shelf and become an out-of-the-way home for a kitchen television set.

Pantries are Passé

The walk-in pantry is an out-dated kitchen feature that takes up a lot of valuable kitchen floor space. If you have a kitchen pantry, consider removing the wall(s) between the pantry and kitchen and incorporate the old pantry floor space into a new kitchen space. Make up for the lost storage space by installing some new cabinets and counters along one wall in the old pantry space. A new, built-in banquette or window seat will also provide storage, seating and a fresh, modern look to replace the old kitchen pantry.

Kitchen Porch Be Gone

Many older homes built between 1940 and 1960 have small kitchen porches that were originally intended for use a wash porch. Used for housing the wringer washing machine, wash tubs and cleaning supplies, these small kitchen porches are impractical today for their intended use but perfect for adding more square footage to the kitchen. Consider removing the adjoining wall and leveling the floor (kitchen porch floors were traditionally build lower than the kitchen floor to accommodate water run off from the wringer washing machine) and incorporating the kitchen porch into the interior kitchen floor space.

Easy Ways to Update Your Existing Cabinets

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Old style vanity - green bayIf you’re not ready for new custom cabinets, no worries, there are several easy ways to update your existing cabinets and give your home a new look for a small amount of money and effort.

Paint
Painting existing cabinetry is the cheapest and quickest ways to update their look. A coat of white gloss paint will provide a clean, modern look and a coat of black gloss paint will give the room a sleek, contemporary look, but no home decor rule book says that you have to stick to only one color of paint. 

Paint upper and lower cabinets in contrasting paint colors, white uppers with black lowers provide a stark contrast with a retro feel. Cabinets don’t all have to match, mix the finishes and colors, more than two paint colors can be used and still create a cohesive looking kitchen. Use bold accent paint colors to define spaces and cabinet usage, and whatever color of paint you select, make sure it’s durable and easy to wipe clean.

Beadboard and Glue
If you hate painting, a couple sheets of beadboard and tube of glue can easily update your existing cabinets. Purchase sheets of pre-painted white beadboard, cut pieces three inches smaller than the door or drawer face. Center the beadboard on the doors/drawers and mark edges with pencil, apply contact cement as directed to the back of the beadboard and press it into place, lining up the edges with pencil lines on door and drawer fronts. Add strips of trim around the edges with contact cement or finishing nails for a polished look. Add matching crown molding to the cabinet tops and give your DIY update a high-end designer look.

If you want a natural or rustic kitchen look, purchase unfinished beadboard and apply a finishing glaze or stain to it.

Contact Paper
Washable, colorful, easy-to-apply and affordable, applying contact paper to the exterior of existing cabinets is an easy way to update their look. Contact paper comes in a wide range of colors and textures (select one that’s easy to wash for kitchen cabinets) and is as easy to apply as cutting and peeling. Measure cabinets surface, then measure, mark and cut contact paper. The glue is already on the back side of the paper, so it’s basically a peel-and-stick update after the cuts are made.

New Hardware
Adding new pulls, knobs, and hinges is a very easy way to change the entire look and feel of your kitchen or bathroom. Drawer pulls and knobs come in all type of materials, textures, and colors so you’re bound to find lots of options that you like. If you are replacing existing hardware, just keep in mind where your existing screw holes are. You can chose to either find hardware that fits the same screw hole placements, or you can fill in extra holes using saw dust, a little glue, and a stain or paint that matches the cabinets.

Things to Consider When Buying Cabinets

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kitchen cabinets green bayWhen it’s time to buy new cabinetry for your kitchen, bathroom, laundry room or home office, emotions try to take over and cause us to make a decision based solely on what pleases our eye in that moment. Those emotional decisions are often regretted later. When investing in cabinets you will live with for the next several years, it’s best to keep emotions in check and consider some of these things when buying cabinets.

Cabinet Material
Cabinets come in a variety of materials so consumers are not just limited to wood or wood veneer any longer. Stainless steel, metal, glass and Formica are some of the popular materials used to create cabinetry. Wood is the most popular choice as it blends in well with most flooring and wall choices, but cabinets don’t have to consist of only one material. Custom cabinetry can be a mixture of several materials so you can design your own unique look.

Care and Maintenance
Consider the care and maintenance of the cabinet surfaces and interiors when selecting the material from which they will be made. A busy kitchen with little ones bustling about would benefit from having a easy-to-clean surface at least on the lower cabinets. Upper cabinets that are seldom used are the best place to incorporate high-end, high-maintenance finishes.

Cabinet Sizes
Sizes are standard and custom, you can get what you want if you’re willing to pay the price. Custom does cost more than standard, but some spaces will allow for uses of both so you may be able to save a little on the overall cost of new cabinets. Measure the space twice before ordering cabinets to be sure you will get the proper fit. Also consider the height that provides a comfortable counter-top work surface and a depth that won’t take up too much space in the room yet provide plenty of storage room.

Quality
New cabinetry is an investment in your home and you want to chose quality cabinetry that will add resale value to your home, just in case you want to sell it in the future. Look for marks of quality like dove-tail joints and soft-close doors. It’s better to buy fewer high-quality cabinets than a lot of low-quality cabinets. Quality cabinets will serve you well for years to come and hold their value.