Painting bathroom countertops

We bought the Rustoleum countertop and bathtub paint and went to town! We simply followed the directions on the box, which were pretty simple, and painted them rather than replacing. 

Before:

After:

Definely saved us some money in the long run! 

Remodeling the upstairs bathroom

This was our vanity:

We really want to keep the old cabinets, for now, just to save some money. I wanted to try just painting them, before gog to the extreme and ripping them out completely. 

To match the downstairs bathroom and the kitchen cabinets, we went with a dark espresso brown. We had to use paint since the cabinets were previously painted white! 

After 4 LONG hours...

Here is the result!

LOVE! So then, to match the cabinets, I spray painted the mirrors with a black spray paint, to add contrast!

Now for hardware...

I used measuring tape, a pencil, a paper stencil, and a level in order to make them even...

And here is the final result! 

It's crazy what a difference a little paint and some hardware can make!!

DIY: Installing Kitchen Backsplash

In order to choose a backsplash color, we took a small sample swatches of our wall paint color, cabinet color, floor, and quartz countertop to coordinate with a backsplash!

After going to 3 different stores, we finally found a few that were contenders! 

These two were our favorite:

After staring at them in the store, we still couldn't pick our favorite so we decided to take them both home to see them in our own kitchen lighting. 

Even then, we STILL couldn't decide because we loved them both! So I decided to post onto Facebook and get the opinions of some of our friends and family. 

After a pretty even vote, the right side won and we chose the warmer colored tiles!!!! Yay!!! 

So the next day, Brad and his dad started the backsplash, only one day before we were hosting my sister's engagement party at our house!!! We pushed it to the wire, but what can I say, we are EXPERT procrastinators!!! 

The first step was to apply the thin set onto the wall, similarly to the way you install tile to the floor. Brad and his dad had installed backsplash before, but YouTube videos would probably be the most helpful to review the process. 

After the thin set was applied, they simply stuck the tiles into place, making cuts where necessary. They were already in a color pattern, so we just repeated that over and over again. 

The next day, once the tiles dried into place, we applied the grout in between the tiles. We picked the same grout color we used for the tile floor in the downstairs bathroom because it's kind of creamy, and matches the quartz well! 

I think it was a great choice!!! 

And this is one of the last steps we need to do to before the kitchen is complete! The final projects will be the crownmolding (which we hired someone to do) and the kick plates below the cabinets! 

Here is what we have completed in the last 6 months of living here so far...

All of our projects can be found on the left side of our blog! Please check them out!!

DIY chicken coop

Using 2×2 boards and chicken wire, my dad and I built a chicken run on my side yard! We wanted to make it large since they are moving from free range into a permanent run. 

Firstly, we started by painting all of the wood with white outdoor paint. This seals the wood from the elements and makes it look prettier;) 

Then, we started constructing large squares with the 2x2 boards with one support board down the center (shown in the picture below). We constructed many of these using screws to connect the boards and stapled on chicken wire for more support. After the squares were constructed, we simply assembled them together to make the roof of the run.

 

Using the existing wooden planter bed, we screwed on 2x2's vertically in order to create the walls of the coop. We wanted the roof to slope slightly downward, that way leaves and other debris will slide off. This slope is important, especially in the winter when the roof will be covered by a tarp, because it will prevent water from puddling. 

So we measured, cut, and attached the support boards to the existing wood in order to avoid using stakes in the ground - this made it really easy!

This is after the first 2 squares are attached!!

Note: we did not attach the roof squares to the wall of the house, they are simply resting at an angle and the downward pressure from gravity holds them in place. We added only a few support boards along that wall that are simply resting there. 

After researching quite a bit, I decided to do a thick bed of mulch and straw on the chicken run floor in order to reduce smell and flies. Doing a thick floor creates basically a compost pile within the coop and, as the chickens scratch, the floor is constantly being turned. 

Around the fireplace was actually the trickiest part because we had to make more measurments. Then, We constructed the same as we had been...

After the roof was finished, we simply used the rest of the chicken wire to staple and nail onto the side of the coop! 

The final step was to move in the coop and attach the front and the door!!

We used hinges to attach the door to the frame and added a few hooks to lock the door! 

Note: make sure there's a way to open the locks from the inside, or else you might lock yourself in!!!!

The bathroom is <almost> finished

Sooo it's been a while since I last posted because we have had a ton of projects going on at the same time and haven't really finished any of them completely. At this moment, the only thing left to do in the bathroom is the cabinet door, the shower, and the toe kick on the front of the vanity. These are all small things, but in the midst of everything else going on, they are low on our priority list!

Last week, I added in a few shelves to the bathroom in order to add some character.

I was particularly inspired by these bathrooms I found on Pinterest:

In our bathroom, I really wanted that clean, organized feeling too!

I got these floating shelves from Target for only $20 each!!! I figured, they match the stain on the vanity perfectly and I would probably spend that, plus some, to build them myself anyway!! I am so happy with the result!

This is our bathroom now!! :) 

UPDATE: Progress on the Downstairs Bathroom

Today, Mike the granite guy came and installed the granite in our bathroom! The raised bowl sink is not installed yet, so it is just sitting on top, but you can still see what it will look like when we are done!

As you can see, I started painting too, but I didn't finish before I had to leave for work. Tomorrow I will finish the painting, we will install the light, and we can put all the hardware up like towel racks and handles!!

Tahhhh-dahh!!!

Wish us luck on the installation of everything else, no more broken toilets, BRAD.. ;)

More updates soon! 

Adding texture to the walls

After spitting the walls (as we have shown in previous blog posts) we allowed the mounds of drywall mud to dry until they no longer had any shine (about 10 minutes). Then, we gently troweled over them, holding the trowel at a low angle, almost flat against the wall, to flatten the mounds. This creates the organized chaos of wall texture! 

We did a pretty heavy spit to match the rest of our house. You can see some areas where the mounds were too concentrated and, as a result, the texture is more flat. This will be fine once the walls are painted, but it is a good example for why you need to cover the whole wall evenly with the spitter. 

We got a little messy from the process...

After we were all done with the texture, the boys put the toilet in!

Then, the granite guy, Mike, was arranged to come to install the granite in the bathroom and finish the window in the kitchen!! 

We are almost done, the end is in sight!!

In the meantime, I checked out a store that Brad's mom told me to visit in Folsom called Kirkland's! I had some free time to kill before my classes started at Folsom Lake College, so I shopped!!!

I really want to get two lamps for the living room, something like this one. I didn't buy any because I wanted Brad's approval, but I think I'm in love with this style. 

I also really loved this rustic mirror! It would be so cute sitting on top of our shelving unit, leaning against the wall. We already have a ton of mirrors in the house though...

I could easily make this wreath though!! 

Burlap = ♡

After wandering around the store for an hour, I finally left with 2 pillows!! 

I think they really add a home-y feeling to our living room. Plus, they tie in well with the color scheme and the rustic vibe :) Thanks Jeri for recommending the store of my dreams!!!

More to come on the bathroom soon!