That Was a Good Idea

Everybody likes to tell you how rewarding DIY projects are, but let's face it, there are plenty of screw ups. Screw ups, mistakes, projects not turning out quite how you imagined are a-plenty in the reno world. So it's nice when, occasionally, trying something new turns out better than you expected. 

Despite the Terrazzo Restoration, the floor was left with hundreds of tiny divots from the previous carpet tacks. The contractors filled the holes with unmatched concrete and epoxy, which didn't look terrible, just unfinished. Gus suggested I paint a strip of white around the entire floor just beyond the quarter-round. I thought he was crazy.

Terrazzo Divots (brown and white patches)

Eventually the idea started to grow on me. After the 420 crew finished the trim (in only a day ---it would have taken me a week), I decided to give it a try. Mostly I am just tired of moving furniture and want nothing more than to simply unroll the rugs and CLEAN THIS HOUSE.

A can of concrete floor paint and a little blue tape and it doesn't look half bad. Yes, I will tell my father he was right. Here's how it went: 

Tape the Edges

All the way around the room

Keep going...

Apply 2 coats of white floor paint

And you're done!

Pretty cool, huh?

 

 Some shots of other miscellaneous projects that finally got checked off the list this week:

Dingy Dining

  

Followed by Cluttered Dingy Dining

Beautiful :)

These are the cheapest ceramic tiles I've ever loved!

Scary Front Door

Less Scary Front Door

It is time to get this house painted!

Oh yes, I almost forgot, mama dove is still hanging out in the carport. The "squabs" hatched about 2 hours before the Boston bombings. They double in size everyday--mama can barely sit on them anymore!

Trading Up's First Squatters

Silence

It's just after noon on Tuesday and the floor crew is gone for the day. They won't be back tomorrow either. While there's nothing I like less than an unproductive day, there's much to be said for sound of silence (thank you Paul and Artie ;-).

Dining Room Floor - Before

 

Dining Room Floor - New Tile

Terrazzo Restoration

It has been a long week. The floor restoration guys were here so long they started to feel like unemployed, couch-surfing cousins. When the rain started on Wednesday, the concrete dust covering everything turned to a white paste. Between the noise of the grinders, my neighbor's 4-day leaf blowing extravaganza, and the power company running an industrial generator at the marina, my sanity was waning. Nonetheless, they finished late Thursday and Friday was a gift of 8-hours of near silence. 

The long-awaited 420 crew returns on Monday!!! Stay tuned ;-)

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After - Sort of. Still waiting baseboards.

In my spare time I finished the guest bath...