Budget Friendly Dry Wall Repair How To

Hello Friends!  Now that I have done as much as I can do on my own with the kitchen makeover, I have decided to move on to the closet in the office.  I say "office" but it is really a bedroom that I have been using as an office.  I suppose that many of us have had to commandeer a space in our homes as an office space.  Unfortunately, the shelf in the closet wasn't really meant to hold heavy office supplies such as reams of copy paper and client files.  Over time, the brackets holding up the shelf had begun to tear away from the drywall.

The shelf itself, which was nothing more than a pressed melamine board, had also begun to bow in the middle.  I don't know why I left it so long.  I think I was a little intimidated at the thought of removing it.  It is the second time I have had it repaired and the contractor who installed the current shelf had assured me that it was never going to rip out of the wall.  Famous last words, right?

Funnily enough, taking everything down was a breeze!  The screws and anchors had torn so far out of the wall that it wasn't difficult at all to dismantle.  Unfortunately, when I took everything down, gaping holes were revealed.  The holes went right to the other side of the drywall.

Can you believe that I remembered that I had the very things in my toolkit to effect the necessary repairs?  Really, it was a bit like finding a spare can of paint in the exact right shade to paint out the blue stripe in my kitchen makeover which you can read about here.

Yes, there is such a thing as a wall bandage!  Basically, it is a self adhesive fiberglass mesh that you place over the hole which provides extra support.  First I filled the hole with as much drywall compound as I could.  Then I cut a generous sized square of the wall bandage and placed it over the hole.  

I used a putty knife to trowel on the drywall compound.  

If you can't find wall bandages then self-adhesive drywall joint tape is basically the same thing that comes in a roll instead of sheets. 

 I did find that the tape was much less sticky than the bandages so it didn't adhere to the wall as well.

Once the mesh has been completely covered by the drywall compound, sand it smooth.  Repairing dry wall is a much more cost effective option than tearing it down and installing a new sheet of drywall. Also, it is something that you can do yourself that doesn't really require any specialized skill set.   Now I can move on to the next phase which is planning drawers and shelves for the closet.  It is a bit of a conundrum because I want drawers and shelves to hold office supplies but which can be repurposed down the road to hold clothes.  Also there has to be some hanging space so that the closet can be used for hanging clothes later on if need be.  I don't want to do what I did last time which was to put up another shelf and pole.  I would love a closet that looked like it had custom built-ins in it similar to California Closets but that is not in the budget.  Speaking of budget, the cost of the repairs was a big fat donut as I had everything I needed on hand.  I can't wait to move on to the next phase. Stay tuned for that!

Budget Friendly Kitchen Makeover How To During Lockdown

Hello Friends!  I hope that, wherever you are, you are slowly emerging from lockdown.  The city that I live in is still in Stage 2.  Now that we are have been spending so much time at home, the comforts of home have never been more important.  Finally, I have the time to attend to those repairs that have been  pushed to the back burner for years.  Although I would love to gut everything and start fresh, my minuscule budget didn't allow for it.  Not only that, I had no idea how to manage social distancing with any contractors that I hired as I live in a condo and not a spacious home.  The kitchen cabinet doors were in dire need of repair but I had 15 (!!) cabinet doors and 4 drawer fronts to contend with, all of various sizes.  I checked budget friendly sites like Ikea to see if I could purchase new doors but I was unable to find anything that was even close to the sizes that I needed.  After much research, I turned to Amazon, who is fast becoming my new bestie, and ordered several rolls of matte white veneer.

I chose matte white because the kitchen doesn't have any source of natural light and I felt that white cabinet doors would help to bounce light around.  There are a variety of textures and colours available, such as a faux wood but the veneer is essentially a plastic contact paper so I figured that faux wood would look...well...glaringly faux.

The cabinet doors have to be clean of any grease or dirt.  Trust me when I say that even the tiniest speck of dirt will cause an air bubble to form around it. I was pleasantly surprised  to see that the rolls were made in Germany so I was assured of quality.  There are grid lines printed on the backing paper to help you cut straight lines.  Keep the backing paper on until you begin to apply it.  If you completely remove the backing paper before application, there is a greater likelihood of air bubbles forming.

I used a rolling ruler to help smooth down the veneer as I was applying it.  I pressed down firmly on the ruler while holding the veneer up and away from the ruler.  I found that the backing paper peeled away on its own simply from the forward motion of the ruler.  I used a utility knife to trim off the excess around the edges.  

You can reposition it a few times if you find that you have made a mistake but the more you manipulate it, the greater the chance of air bubbles forming.  I had a can of spray glue at the ready but I found that I didn't need it.  Any air bubbles can be gently massaged away.  Remember to pull it tightly around the edges as air bubbles tend to form along the edge.

Refinishing the cabinet doors actually went quickly once I became familiar with how to apply it.  The fact that the doors are flat without any moulding or protruding trim really helped.

The next thing I tackled in the kitchen was the blue bulkhead.  The blue stripe running along the top of the upper row of cabinets had always vaguely bothered me.  It had been painted blue a long time ago on the advice of a real estate agent but I just found that it had no relation to the other elements in the kitchen at all. During my lockdown decluttering efforts, I found a barely touched pint can of paint in a closet along with brand new rollers and brushes.  Finding that can of paint, in the same shade as the rest of the kitchen, was like finding gold.  No need to mask up and go to the hardware store with the sign on the door that said "5 minutes max."  I don't know about you but I am fairly certain that no one in the history of humankind has ever been able to choose a shade of paint and get it mixed up in under 5 minutes.  I had everything I needed to paint over that blue stripe without spending a dime!

Before:

After:

I am so pleased with how it turned out.  The kitchen looks modern and refreshed and has a more cohesive look. The rolls were around $19 each and I needed 6 rolls.  Expensive for what is essentially contact paper but much cheaper than getting new custom doors.  I think that this is a good option if you are a tenant or if you are looking to refinish cabinetry on an extremely tight budget and have no prior experience or special DIY skills.  You don't need any special tools except a pair of scissors, a utility knife and a ruler or something similar.  Best of all, it was a project that kept me occupied and sane during these troubled times.

August Monthly Favourites New Kitchen Faucet, Bareminerals Complexion Rescue, Ask For Task

August is done and dusted, school is back in session and Fall is here.  This Summer was emotionally and physically hard on me.  I thought 2018 was tough but 2019 has been a year of upheaval.    In order to shake off the glooms, I finally had the leaking kitchen faucet replaced.  After much searching, I ordered this beauty off Amazon:

Long time readers of this blog will know that I did a number of minor renos several years ago.  At the time, they were done under the advisement of a real estate agent.  Many of those renos have had to be replaced or redone as they did not stand the test of time.  The kitchen faucet was one of those renos.  I found that the curve of the faucet was too low and it sprouted multiple leaks.  I really wanted an industrial type faucet with a high arc.  After experiencing sticker shock at the big box hardware stores, I ordered the above faucet from good old Amazon.  The price was at least 50% lower than what I was seeing at the hardware store.  I love the fact that there are not one but 2 faucets which is handy if, like me, you have a double sink.  Each faucet has an on/off lever at the nozzle as well as one at the base.  Be warned, it is extremely powerful.  I think the brushed nickel finish and the industrial vibe works well with the industrial light fixture that I chose for the kitchen (which I wrote about here).  I booked a tasker off Ask for Task to install it for me.  I love Ask for Task.  No more stressing over trying to find a contractor to do repair work.  Booking a tasker is so easy and straightforward that I had to include it as a Monthly Favourite.  I can't even begin to describe the thrill of having a functional kitchen faucet again.  No more having to go to the bathroom to get water and no more emptying out a bucket under the sink!

Next up is Bareminerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Cream.

I usually get freckles and sunspots over the Summer but this CC cream with SPF 30 really helped to safeguard my face from UV damage.  I noticed that I didn't freckle up as much as I would have without any UV protection.  Of course, a CC cream will not offer as much protection as a stand alone dedicated sun protection cream but I love the fact that my makeup has a built in SPF which makes my morning makeup routine easy and efficient.  I know I have written about this product before but this really is a holy grail item for me that I have repurchased more than once.

With Fall sneaking its way in, I have been assessing my Fall/Winter capsule wardrobe.  There are some gaps that need filling.  I am looking forward to telling you about them!  I have had a capsule wardrobe for a while.  Do you have one?  Let me know if you have any suggestions for having a streamlined and edited wardrobe.

This is not a sponsored post.

How To Pick The Right Ceiling Light Fixture For Your Space

The very first time I decided to change the ceiling light fixtures in my home,  all I cared about was how they looked.  Fast forward several years, tack on a number of lifestyle changes and my criteria has lengthened considerably.  I have written before on my odyssey to change out the light fixtures in my home here,  and it was time to change out another.  The impetus came when a certain someone broke one of the glass shades on the ceiling light fixture in the kitchen.

You will see that the top right light is missing its shade.  This fixture has been a particular bugbear of mine for years.  It was chosen by a real estate agent, not me.  The glass shades have a tendency to pop off whenever the lightbulbs need to be replaced.  The lightbulbs themselves are not readily available and are expensive to replace.  Actually trying to insert the lightbulbs is a nightmare.  Add in the fact that now we have two disabled people and there are sad faces all around.  I drew up a list of criteria in my search for another ceiling light fixture that might be of help to you.

Consider What Room The Ceiling Light Fixture Is Going In

My new light fixture is going in to the kitchen.  It is a small kitchen with standard height ceilings.  I have decided that I prefer a light that gives off 360 degree lighting.  Spot lights create areas of darkness which we find annoying.  A kitchen needs to be well lit as it is a workspace.  There is no room for a breakfast nook so there is no requirement for ambient lighting.  The lights in the fumehood create a sufficient amount of task lighting.

Consider Ceiling Height

I am obsessed with Sputnik light fixtures and would put one in every single room if I could.  Those of you who are long time readers of mine know of my love for the Sputnik light fixture.  However, with standard height ceilings, this is impossible.

via Amazon.ca

Ask yourself if it is going over a dining table or a stairwell?  What is the maximum drop?  How tall are the people in your home?  Are you putting it in your foyer and will people be bumping their foreheads into it as soon as they walk through the front door?

Consider The Style And Decor Of The Room

My kitchen has a lot of matte stainless steel and the rest of the home has ceiling light fixtures in brushed nickel.  So even though my tastes have changed and I was leaning towards matte black and oil rubbed bronze,  I opted for something in brushed nickel.  In a small home, I think it is important that there be a sense of continuity and flow as one moves from space to space.  There is a round drum light in the foyer and I wanted an echo of that shape in the kitchen.  Also, I have a lot of vintage items on display but still wanted a modern feel.

via Amazon.ca

I love the edgy industrial feel of this light fixture.  I think it provides a nice fusion between a vintage vibe and a modern aesthetic.  

Consider Light Bulbs And Accessibility

I really wanted a light fixture that took Type A bulbs plus it would be easy to access whenever the bulbs needed to be changed.  I read the reviews on the one that I finally picked and one reviewer said he picked it for his mother who was elderly and had difficulty reaching up to change the bulbs.  Sold!  The fixture above is pictured with Edison light bulbs to enhance the industrial feel but it will take any Type A bulb. Compare the one above to the one below.

via Amazon.ca

I have a ceiling light fixture in the living room that is very similar to the one above.  I have to snake my arm up, over and down to change the light bulb, all the while teetering on a chair.  The bowl-like shade can't be removed so it has become a graveyard for dead insects.  Viewed from below, all I can see is a growing mound of ghostly little shadows.  Believe me when I say that the living room ceiling light is the next one to be replaced.

Consider Your Budget  

I had a couple of gift cards burning a hole in my pocket so I knew what my budget was.  It is very easy to get carried away and blow your renovation budget just on fancy lighting.  I took my time and bookmarked the one I wanted.  It was slightly over my budget but when it went on sale during an Amazon Prime Day, I whisked it into my cart and through checkout.

I hope this checklist was of some help to you.  Please add any useful tips you might have in the comments below.

This is not a sponsored post.

LBH Weekly Roundup: Roots Canada Crossbody Bag, Integrated LED Track Light

Time for another Weekly Roundup!  One of the few cons of a capsule wardrobe is that items tend to wear out with greater frequency simply because they are on constant rotation.  I love a crossbody bag because it leaves my arms free and distributes the weight across my body.  Sadly, I noticed the straps on my old bag were getting really worn and it was looking the worse for wear.  So it was a great thrill to pick up this Roots bag this week.

It has so many outer and inner pockets.  I don't know about you but I love pockets.  It is made of woven suede instead of smooth leather so I don't have to worry about scuffs and scratches.  The "Peace" symbol embroidered onto the toggle adds a fun 60's hippie touch.  Monsieur was quite surprised when I brought it home as I have never really channeled the hippie look before but I was really taken with the quality and construction of the bag and the many, many pockets.  With the sudden onset of Autumnal temps, I have been fleshing out my Autumn capsule wardrobe and this bag came at just the right time.  If you want me to write a post about my capsule wardrobe and how I put mine together, let me know!

This weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada.  Now, you know when you have hit a rut in your relationship when you spend a long weekend at Home Depot contemplating the omnipresent DIY list...alone.  Monsieur was nowhere to be found.  A ceiling light fixture had stopped working a long time ago and I was determined to tick off my list.  With both of us dealing with health issues and one of us disabled, trying to replace burnt out ceiling light bulbs is akin to asking us to climb Mt. Everest.  I picked out an integrated LED track light.  

The wonderful thing about an integrated LED light fixture is that it never needs its light bulbs replaced!  It is Energy Star certified and should last 50,000 hours. So over the course of its lifetime, there should be significant savings in electricity consumption, not to mention light bulbs being prevented from going into landfill.  Monsieur did lend a helping hand with installing it and, reno rookies that we are, we lived to tell the tale.  I am sure if you had seen us wobbling back and forth trying to attach the wires, you wouldn't have known whether to laugh, cry or run far away.  

And that's it for this week.  Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!

This is not a sponsored post.