The thing that scares me most

I wouldn't say I am a seasoned DIY person by now but over the course of two homes and 16 years there isn't a lot that really scares me. My husband is super handy and is an AC guy so he took a load off my mind the minute I said "I do".

But....there is a project that looms, one that I am mentally preparing myself for this spring and it scares the crap out of me.  I am not kidding when I say I watched 10 episodes of Fixer Upper this weekend looking for spiritual reinforcements from Chip and Johanna Gaines. 

       photo courtesy of HGTV.com 

I know there is usually at least one home an episode where they pull up some carpet that looks worse than mine and unearth hardwoods that usually look something like this 

             (These are mine)

And they assure the potential buyer they will restore them to amazing and of course they do.   Sigh. 

This is the project that looms like a sword over my head.  Do it right and the trumpets in heaven will proclaim me queen of all DIY'ers.   Do it wrong and I will melt into the cracks between the wood like sludge never to be heard from again or maybe I will just paint them black? 

No pressure.  When we bought this house I knew this would be something I wanted to do and I really wanted to do it myself.  It isn't the first time I have refinished floors, I refinished the entry in my old house. That was a rather small space and this is 3/4 of the house. The thing is, aside from remodeling the kitchen, which I can't do myself and which is at least a few years off, this is one of a few projects that will add instant value to the house and which more importantly will make this house much more a home.  I hate the carpet. We all hate the carpet.  This has to be done.  I have to put my fear aside and tackle this project.  

So, anyone out there ever refinished your own hardwoods? Do you have any words of encouragement?  Better yet, does anyone in Waco, Texas know Johanna Gaines because I want to be her best friend! 

Kitchen transformation Part Two: Countertops!

Let's remember where this started first. I have two types of counters in my house: Black and White tile and Corian. Don't ask me why, I have no clue. Remember we just bought the house in September.





This was move in kitchen.


Because I had purchased the Bombay Black Giani Countertop paint to use in my old house, and never did, this is what I had to work with and because I wanted to add some Red to the counters, I chose to pick up some paint at Michaels. Red & Red glitter to try and make my granite look like this.



First you tape everything off and then put down the black primer coat.





I liked the kitchen so much better just with the black primer. It made me stop and think, maybe I skip the next part and just add the glaze...but I didn't.


Next you start sponging on the other colors of paint. I should have worn gloves. Story of my life.

Keep working until you get a finish you like.


Next you add the clear shiny gloss. Now be aware, there are drying times in between. 8 hours for the primer and at least 4 hours for the "granite". After all that, it is 14 days before you can put stuff back on the counters.


Here is a side by side of the before and after.


Remove the tape and you are done!


I actually put several coats of the glaze because I want it super shiny and because I want to make sure it's sealed well over the tile.




And here is a close up of the finished products. Overall, I am happy the way the kitchen looks and I can live with it now until we can completely remodel and change the layout and while I think the smooth counter looks better than the tile, I had to work with what I had.

Update:  the pictures don't do these counters justice.  My hubby, who is not one to throw compliments around, has told me at least 3 times what a good job I did on these coubters and that he can't believe how real/good they look.   That's huge, HUGE for him. :-) 

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Weekend Round-Up with Blake Shelton!

This weekend was a blur of home projects interrupted by a Blake Shelton concert.


I decided it was time to repaint basically my whole house...you know because I am tired of it. This happens about once every few years. I painted the living room, dining, and kitchen this weekend. The real transformation was the kitchen.


The real fun was Blake and my friend Julie and I got to spend some quality girl time hanging, talking about our lives, our silly guys, and home improvement projects which were the topic of the day for me.








Blake was amazing and everyone was happy when his wife, Miranda Lambert, came out to sing too.














I can't say enough about how good this concert was from Neal McCoy MC-ing the show to Dan and Shay, the Band Perry and Blake and Miranda it was funny, entertaining and worth the 3 years I have waited to see him play. I have a lot of concerts this summer but Blake was the one I was looking forward to the most. He did not disappoint!



Oh, and I totally love the kitchen.


Ignore the mess, we haven't had a chance to totally straighten it back up yet but it looks fresh and lovely. Gone is my country look and it is modern and open feeling.

So, how was your weekend?



Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone