Going Gray

If you know anything about gray then you know just how finicky it can be. The color gray (or grey) has so many variations – maybe a few too many IMHO. Choosing the right gray (or any color, really!) can leave you a little paralyzed, no?
 

I always hear people say “it’s just paint” and yeah…it is…but umm, hello!! #realitycheck. Who wants to paint something more than once? Not I. 

So whenever I choose paint (especially grays!) I always, ALWAYS buy a sample and try it out at home before committing. You should too.

 

Both Home Depot and Lowe’s have sample pots for under $5 and can mix any color from any manufacture in the paint brands they carry – Behr/Glidden @ Home Depot and Sherwin Williams/Valspar @ Lowes.

 

Knowing which color direction we were going in (gray) I headed to Home Depot armed with a long list of different grays from all different brands and asked the gentleman behind the counter to mix up some sample pots for me. I left the store that day with 8 samples and went home to try them out.

If you follow me on Instagram (smash that Follow button if you don’t) then you saw this a few weeks back:

We painted these 8 colors in 5 different places around the dining/living room and sun room just to see how the color would react or change depending on the different levels of light throughout the house. It’s important to do this in multiple areas throughout the space because the same color may take on several different tones depending on how much (or how little) light those areas receive throughout the day.

As I tried these samples on the wall, I knew almost immediately which ones weren’t going to work. I also knew almost immediately which one would. Gray is a funny color – some too blue, violet, brown, or even green – and seeing them all lined up next to each other made the undertones even more apparent. Can you spot the undertones in the photo above or below?

Even though I heavily leaned toward one favorite, I let S, my Mom, my Dad, even the 2 dump guys weigh in! S was firmly planted in the Stonington Gray camp and I was in love with Gray Owl…both from our buddy Benjamin Moore. While I loved Gray Owl (brown undertones) as is, Stonington Gray (blue/violet undertones) was a tad too dark for what I envisioned in this space. But I still wanted to take S’s opinion into consideration so I agreed to try a lightened version of Stonington Gray and see if that would change my mind.

 

So back to HD we went.

I asked the paint guys to mix me up a sample of Stonington Gray lightened 25% and another lightened 50%. And!! Because I’m a complete lunatic, I picked up a few other samples as well. Bringing the grand total to 12! #somebodyhelpme

We tried these additional 4 colors on the wall and spent the next few days staring at walls.

And guess what?!

 

I still loved Gray Owl more than any of the 11 others.

But...I lied.

Yep. I sure did. I told S I liked Stonington Gray lightened 50% and that we’d go with that one. Partly because I felt bad that I had asked his opinion just to veto it anyways and partly because I was trying to convince myself to love it even though I knew I wouldn't. I have a habit of doing that sometimes. #allthetime

 

But I forged on and did what any insane person would do.

 

I painted our entire hallway with the sample pot of Stonington Gray lightened 50%.

 

To S it looked like I had committed to the color he chose but I was just trying to convince myself I could actually live with it – haha!

 

Turns out I still hated disliked the color – it was even more purple (to me) in a larger dose – and it was then that I decided to trust my gut and go with Gray Owl. Without telling him. #ofcourse

 

I took S with me to HD to order the paint – mainly because I needed his muscles to carry the 5 gallon bucket of paint – but also because he’s pretty cute too. Luckily for me, he has a habit of sitting in the section with the outdoor furniture while I peruse the paint aisles so this worked perfectly for my genious color-swapping plan. Thank you Home Depot for putting the outdoor furniture near the paint section! #highfivesallaround

 

By time we got home with the paint he was none the wiser. Where’s that sly looking emoji with the smug smile when you need one?

 

The next day (while S was at work) I slapped a coat of paint on the walls and because we’re installing new baseboards and crown there was no cutting in needed!

 

When he came home from work that night the first thing he did was comment on how much he liked the color and said we had absolutely made the right color choice. Bahahaha!! #littledidheknow

I’ve since come clean. And he still loves the color. #andmetoo

 

Do you? The color, not me, silly.
  If you're thinking about dipping your toes in the gray paint waters (or any paint really!) here's a few tips to help you choose the right gray for you:

Find Pinspiration

Not sure where to start? Browse your Pinterest boards and see what colors/rooms you're drawn toward. Often times we Pin the same type, style, or look over and over. Are you pinning bold, moody rooms, or do you gravitate towards the light and bright spaces? Pinterest can tell you a lot about your own personal style and esthetic and is a great first stop on your painting journey.

Bonus: if you're not already following, be sure to keep up with me and all my latest Pins. I'm a pin-binger.
  Buy the sample pots

Never ever buy a color based off what you see on the paint chip in the store. Even though it's an extra step (and an extra expense), the sample pots are absolute worth it to get it right the first time around. 

Bonus: those little sample pots come in handy for crafts or smaller projects around the house

Don't Limit Yourself 

Don't limit yourself to only the the colors offered by the manufacture(s) your hardware store carries. Any hardware store can and will mix any color from any manufacture in the paint line(s) they carry.

 

Bonus: Here's a great blog post about what stores carry what lines

 

Go Big or Go Home

 

Paint a swatch - a big one!! - on your wall and in several other areas throughout the space you're planning to paint. And then spend a few days staring at your choices.

 

Bonus: Don't forget to look at your paint colors at all hours of the day. Be sure to evaluate them in the morning, mid day, and night too! You'd be surprised how much the colors will change throughout the day.

 

Ask a Pro

 

Once you've chosen your color be sure to ask your paint pro their recommendations regarding sheen, application, and amount of paint needed depending on your project specs.

 

Bonus: Paint calculator #forthewin

 

So? Are you ready to dive right in and get your paint on? Tell me! How did you choose your color? Have you ever painted your walls only to find you hated them later? Do tell!

A Little Bit of This...

Welcome back to another week of renovation progress over at the casa! 

With most of the major demo (and dust) behind us on Day 1 and Day 2 of this remodel, we could finally turn our attention to things a little more appealing to this DIY-but not manual labor-loving girl. Like paint! And hardware! Pretty things! Gimme all the heart eyed emojis puhlease!

But first: dumping all that construction debris. #boring!

After the floor demo was completed we were left with all the demo debris and no real way to dispose of them. I'm kicking myself because I never took a picture of the giant pile of tile we tore out! Our original thought was to rent a dumpster through our local waste management company but without a decent sized area to park the size dumpster that was recommended, and the weight limitations on the size dumpster our small driveway would accommodate, we had to find another solution.

We contacted the contractor who quoted us $1700 to demo and dump to see if they would be willing to dispose of the material for us but they weren't interested (I don't blame them). After running into dead end after dead end, we started inquiring with companies that specialized in large item disposal. 

We had one company out and got an estimate upwards of $600 to haul away all our debris and at that point we were beginning to second guess our decision not to hire the whole thing out for $1700. But if I've learned anything so far in this entire renovation process, it's to never take the first quote and always shop around!

So we did.

The 2nd company that we called out quoted us $500 right off the bat. Seeing as they were already cheaper than the first company, we were willing to consider them. We asked if they would take $400 (it never hurts to ask), they said they couldn't but would do it for $465. S and I both gave each other a look, not wanting to wait any longer to get rid of this junk, so we said "DEAL"!

They got to work right away and as we watched them for a few minutes, we started to feel bad that they were out there sweating in the hot sun tossing our junk. Plus - throwing tiles down below into the bed of their truck looked super fun too! 

So we put on our work gloves and decided to lend them a hand. With the 4 of us it only took about 30 minutes to get all the debris loaded up in their big red truck.

After we had everything loaded they let us know that we had nearly 3 tons worth of material. Wow! I'm glad we decided to hire these guys instead of trying to haul this by ourselves! The best part? Because we lent a hand and saved them some time they decided to pass the savings onto us and we ended up paying $400 after all! #allinaharddayswork

When all that demo mess was finally GONE it was full steam ahead to painting. You may have seen here in this Instagram post that we tested out some different grays on the wall and you guys! The right gray is so hard to choose (more on that in a future post).

Once we I eventually decided on a color and I slapped on a coat of paint in the main living area over the course of a lazy afternoon. Still haven’t decided on paint for any of the bedrooms, bathrooms, or sun room. Indecisive party of one?

See that white bit of wall down at the bottom? The result of the best decision ever! Because we're installing new baseboard and crown means no cutting in! Makes painting almost enjoyable. #isaidalmost

After our little painting party I turned my attention to the interior doors. They were in rough shape and just your typical builder grade slab doors – totally unfancy. And in total need of some attention.

We didn't exactly have a whole lot of extra money (read none) in the budget to outfit the entire house with all new doors (that actually matched) so we DIY-ed our way to what will be some fabulous looking doors. #ifidosaysomyself

Here’s a little sneaky peak:

 

Then when all the fun was over we got schooled in all things "home owner". See that guy there? With that fancy saw thingamajig? Yeah...he's cutting out our soggy drywall that resulted from an upstairs leak. Cool. And mold? Real cool.

And that about brings you up to date on the home-reno front. Things have been slow moving this last week but we did manage to install a new toilet. And it was equal parts gross and hilarious! We're chipping away at that to-do list little by little each night but there's still a whole lot of not-so-fun things to tackle before the fun stuff can begin.

Living in a construction zone is starting to take it's toll. Living without any furniture, TV, any real kitchen stuff has forced us to get creative. Have you been here too? How did you survive? Suggestions welcome and WANTED!

More on that later. Till next time...

Demo Day 1

You guys!!

We've made great headway over the last two weekends, but man…demo kicked our butts!

If you follow me on Instagram then you probably saw some real-time snaps of all the demo action but today I’m here to break it all down a little further. It was 1.5 days of sheer #bloodsweatandtears. 

Literally.

For those of you just joining in on the fun, here’s the abridged version: we bought a house (our first), we locked ourselves out twice (#facepalm), invited you in for our empty house tour, ripped out the old baseboards, and two weekends ago, demoed the heck out of the tile floors in preparation for new laminate flooring. We took it easy over Easter weekend but we're right back in the thick of things renovation-wise and I wanted to catch you all up.

Before we begin, let's take a look at where we started:

The tile wasn't bad. But it wasn't all that good either. This picture actually makes it look way better than it really was. Up close the tile is was damaged, uneven, and dated. It had to go.

My Dad showed up first thing Saturday morning (Day 1) to lend a hand. Basically he’s the dude to show us newbies how it’s done. And showed us, he did.

He used a Makita hammer drill thingy (totally legit name) and took that hammer thingy to a tile in the middle of the room. Once he got that first tile all broken out, he started taking them out one by one in rows. Before I knew it, he had little pathways of removed tiles all over the place.

I asked why he was making all sorts of rows (instead of starting at one end of the room and working towards the other – like I would’ve done!) and he said he was removing the tiles this way (and leaving sections of 2 wide) to “relieve the joints” of pressure. Once he had all the little pathways removed, we could go back and the tiles in those “2 tile wide” sections would pop out whole because the pressure from surrounding tiles had been removed.

At least someone knew what they were doing. That someone wasn't me.

My Dad and S took turns working that hammer tool but I steered clear…that sucker freaked me the heck out. Not to mention the flying tile particles. Uh-uh. No thank you. Wear your safety glasses, folks. I took my broom and stood in the corner #likeagirl #aintnoshameinmygirlygame. Work gloves on. Ear plugs in. Broom and bucket in hand. I was the best sweeper and tile picker-upper you ever did see.

By the end of Day 1 we were able to get all the tile removed (except the kitchen & laundry closet) and about half the hardy backer. Not bad.

Here's a little end of day progress shot:

How did I feel at the end of Day 1, you ask? Not good. I was pretty cranky too. #justkeepingitreal

To say we were exhausted by the end of Day 1 would be a complete understatement. We felt like we had been run over by a mac-truck. Five times. The work itself was easy - but it was tedious, loud, and physically demanding. But we both knew this going in. It was the one project we were both afraid of and aprehensive to tackle ourselves - not that we couldn't do it - we just didn't want to. We knew it would be labor intensive and we even tossed around the idea to hire this part out but after receiving a quote for $1700 to demo and dump, we decided that it was worth the $1700 savings to do it ourselves. 

So we did…

But that doesn't mean I was happy about it - haha! 

By the end of the day I  looked at what was still left to do - demo the rest of the hardy backer, remove all.the.screws, and dump the debris - and threw my hands up in the air all dramatic like and told S to call someone in to finish it up. #itsmypartyandillcryifiwantto

But we didn’t.

My Dad gave me a little pep talk about how we could do it and how proud we'd feel when we finished and blah, blah, blah, so I downed a few Ibuprofen and I put my aching body and pouty attitude to bed.

Come back tomorrow to see how Demo Day 2 went - #spoileralert - much better and much faster. #thankyoujesus

A Whole-House To-Do List

Buying a new house has really put my creative mojo into over-drive. I eat, sleep, and breathe this house! I sorta have tunnel vision – and I sorta love it. #sorrynotsorry

The problem? I have post-it notes floating around the bottom of my purse with crude drawings and random measurements – and when I find the post-it a week later, I can’t even recall what it is or what my thought was at that moment! I’m so overwhelmed with what needs to get done vs what I’d like to get done that I’m constantly ping-ponging back and forth between spaces. I just might get whiplash. It’s so bad you guys.

I figured it was a good time to put together a whole-house to-do list to corral all my ideas and blue sky dreams for each space in one place. I love the idea of being able to update as we go along – because we all know that I’ll change my mind 50 times or more before we’re done here. Plus! Who doesn’t love checking things off an old fashioned to-do list? No better way to make a girl (or guy) feel like we actually accomplished something other than binge watching Netflix all day weekend! #iswearitwasntme #okmaybeitwas

I’ll be sharing the to-do list here on the blog...it's just a massive brain-dump at the moment but I plan to update this post as things change or get completed (yippee!) as well as link to the corresponding post so be sure to check back often.

If you’re a nerd and love lists like me – then you’ll love today’s blog! Ready?

Whole House

· Remove tile / carpet and replace flooring ev.er.y.where!
· Remove existing baseboards and install new “beefy” baseboards
· Install new crown molding? (we have vents that were installed close to the ceiling line so we’re           unsure how crown will look)
· Trim out all doors and windows
· New hardware throughout!
· Paint! And paint some more!

Entryway

To-Do:

· Create storage for coats, jackets, bags – hooks? slim wall mounted shoe storage – like this?
· Add board & batten? Picture frame trim/molding?
· Paint interior of front door & add decorative trim
· Add art
· Find flush mount light fixture
· Find a vintage runner

Living Room

To-Do:

· DIY / have cabinet built to house TV – add electrical for TV & media components
· Style built-in
· Get black/white rug professionally cleaned
· Find 9x12 rug to layer under current rug
· Replace ceiling fan – new/updated ceiling fan? Purchase/DIY light fixture instead?
· Install in-ceiling audio speakers
· Sell old coffee table / buy new coffee table
· Bring in additional seating
· Art above couch

Dining Room

To-Do:

· Replace chandelier – buy or DIY?
· Remove vertical blinds
· Bring in curtains – curtains + bamboo shades or just panels?
· To rug or not to rug?
· Find head chairs – ghost chairs? molded plastic chairs?
· Paint window casing? (can this be done?)

Kitchen

To-Do:

· Remove uppers on stove wall – we’ll live w/ these empty for a while to see if we can survive!
· Paint cabinetry
· Add hardware
· Resurface sink?
· Re-plate faucet?
· Find a vintage rug
· Add a bamboo shade
· Paint window casing? (can this be done?)
· Pimp out pantry
· Replace counter tops (2nd phase)
· Convert some cupboards to pull out drawers (2nd phase)
· Remove 2nd sink (2nd phase)
· Relocate dishwasher (2nd phase)
· Tile stove wall (2nd phase)
· Install open shelving (2nd phase)
· Buy all new appliances (2nd phase – except maybe a refrigerator)

Master Bedroom

To-Do:

· Sell old headboard / buy new
· Find / refinish nightstands – we have none!
· Close off 2nd doorway – prep for new master bath
· Demo both linen closets – prep for new master bath
· Reconfigure closet – Ikea Pax closet with a “built-in” look
· Bring in drapery
· Paint window casing? Or covert window to walk-out French doors (needs HOA approval)
· Find a vintage or vintage looking rug – sorta loving this one
· Figure out the dresser situation – do we need it?
· TV or no TV? – I say no!
· Add additional can lights or add a fixture to middle of the room
· Change out current double door entry to master bedroom to bigger set of doors
· Add new doorway for new bathroom entry

Master Bath

To-Do:

· Complete master bath “resurfacing” – new floors, paint, vanity backsplash, re-tile shower
· New toilet
· Close off hallway to bath to become a part of new master bathroom – hallway will create a vestibule   for new bathroom door and additional space for a double vanity
· Remove hallway ceiling soffit
· Add double vanity – reuse existing vanity in guest bath?
· Remove soffit above shower (if possible)
· Add shower door
· Add open shelving

Bedroom #2 

To-Do:

· DIY raised molding on door
· Remove soffit (if possible)
· New closet doors – new closet system
· Paint window casing?
· Bring in drapery
· DIY floating shelves opposite bed
· Add overhead lighting
· Daybed? Refinish bed frame in storage?
· New bedding & rug – inspiration here
· Paint ceiling a fun/bold color? Giant chalkboard wall?

Bedroom #3 – Office

To-Do:

· DIY raised molding on door
· Close off opening to sunroom or put doors back on
· New closet doors
· Add overhead lighting

Guest Bath

To-Do:

· DIY raised molding on door
· Complete guest bath “resurfacing” – new floors, paint, re-tile tub wall – think fun colors!
· New toilet
· Remove old tub insert / add new
· Reuse master bath vanity? (paint & new sink/counter top/hardware)
· Trough sink! Every child’s dream?
· Wall mount double faucets?
· New mirror
· Remove towel bars for kid friendly towel hooks

Hallway between Bedrooms 2 & 3

To-Do:

· Replace old electrical panel
· Find flush mount light fixture
· Gallery hallway?

Sunroom

To-Do:

· Accentuate beams – paint? wood wrap?
· Create kids / craft area in the left corner after opening from 3rd bedroom is closed off
· Create workstation just outside master bedroom
· Bring me all the plants! I got my eye on you Fiddle leaf fig!

Laundry Closet

To-Do:

· Replace water heater with tank less
· Stack or not to stack washer/dryer?
· DIY counter top for folding/sorting
· New cabinets or re-use kitchen uppers
· Find a place for the kitty litter

Deck

To-Do:

· DIY wrap around couch
· BBQ station
· Green space? Putting green? (it’s seriously that big!) 

As you can see we've got a lot of work ahead of us and not many things crossed off the list...eeek! It's sorta gives me anxiety seeing it all in one place but I'm also really, really excited about all the work ahead too. Is that weird? For the very first time in my life I don't have to rush through any design decisions and can take my time getting it right (or wrong) because guess what?! This place is all ours and you'll have to drag me out by the hair because I'm not moving any time soon. Hear that S?!

How to Remove Baseboards

We’re finally all moved in but when I say “moved in” what I really mean is that we’re living with only the barest of necessities – our mattress/box spring on the floor, what little clothing the closets will hold, and the couch – although I’ll argue right now, that even the couch is unnecessary because after a full day of work, a night of demo, all we really care about is getting our aching bodies to bed!

It still feels so surreal that this is in fact – OUR HOME! #somebodypinchme

The rest of our belongings are being stored in the garage while we rip out the trim, baseboards, close off a doorway, widen another, and slap on a coat or twelve of paint in preparation for what will undoubtedly be the biggest improvement this place has seen in several years – new laminate flooring!

First order of business in a mile-long to-do list: removing the baseboards.

Aside from paint, adding thick, beefy baseboard and trim will without a doubt give you the biggest bang for your buck. Guaranteed. It’s an investment I will never regret and continue to make in every house we own after this.

The process to remove baseboards is actually quite simple and very straight forward. We had a general idea how to get-er-done but decided to watch a few You Tube videos beforehand just to help us feel extra confident going in.

Our house has 3 different styles/sizes of baseboards throughout (#iwishiwasjoking) but these steps will work regardless of what style or size baseboard you’re working with. But first – tools:

·         Gloves

·         Utility knife

·         Pry bar – (we used this one and this one)

·         Putty knife (optional)

·         Hammer or rubber mallet

·         Piece of scrap wood

·         Pliers (optional)

Step 1: Score

Using your utility knife, score along the entire top, bottom, and edges (where it meets the door trim) of the baseboard. This will help detach the baseboard from the wall a bit and score through any caulking that was used to fill any visible gaps after installation or numerous layers of paint over the years.

Step 2: Wedge

Starting at one end, use your mini pry bar or putty knife and wedge it into the top of your baseboard by hammering the tool with your hammer or rubber mallet into the top of the score line.

Step 3: Pry
Once the tool has been wedged down between the wall and baseboard you can pry the baseboard off the wall two different ways or a combination of the two. You can either pull the pry bar towards you and keep doing this all the way down the entire length – for extra-long runs of baseboard, we used the 2 pry bar method – one to use as we went along and the other to stick between wall and baseboard where we had just pried off to give us leverage and space between wall and baseboard going forward.

You can also pry the baseboard off by pushing your pry bar towards the wall – but always use a scrap piece of wood when you do this so as not to damage your walls, but to also evenly distribute the force across the piece of scrap wood.

If you didn’t score well enough the 1^st time and notice that as you pry, you’re also peeling off layers of your sheet rock, go back and score those areas again or cut the base board away from the peeling wall.

Continue working your way down the entire length of baseboard, wedging and prying.

Step 4: Remove

Once the entire length of baseboard has been pried off the wall, now all you have to do is remove it. In some cases, you might have to tug, pull, wrestle with it to get it out of a tight spot but this is why wearing gloves is necessary! The baseboard should have been attached with a combination of caulk (along top/bottom seams) and nails so be careful of the nails when pulling the baseboard out.

Step 5: Clean-Up

 After your baseboard has been removed, there are still a few things left to do. You’ll want to remove any nails left along the baseboard line so that when you go to install new baseboards or re-install the ones you just removed they are able to sit flush against the wall. In some cases, you may need to scrape off the excess calking along the wall or floor where the baseboard was attached for the same reason. Since we’re installing bigger baseboards and removing the old tiles, we didn’t bother doing this.

If you’re planning to re-install your old baseboards, be sure to mark them with a corresponding number or location so that you know where they go when you re-install them.

Step 6: Take Pre-Caution

If you’re not planning to re-install your old baseboards, be sure to either remove all the nails from the baseboard with a hammer/pliers or bend them down. That way, anyone grabbing a pile of baseboards to discard isn’t getting nicked or poked by rogue nails. I’d also recommending taking a shop-vac to the perimeter to catch any stray nails or wood shards.


And that's it! It took us only a few hours to remove all the baseboards throughout the house and it was the first step in the bigger renovation plan we've got going on over here. Keep tabs on us via Instagram for real-time house updates and as always, check back here for the full progress reports as it happens! Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back again this week with our whole-house to-do list...and boy is it a long one.