About.com Home Renovations

Repair Countertop? You're in For a Pleasant/Unpleasant Surprise

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:13:47 +0000

It can be done.� It can' t be done.

Well, which is it?� Truth is, there is no rulebook for repairing countertops, and when you pull in other factors--DIY? professional? material type?--it gets even more confusing.

I think that most homeowners--myself included--are longing for an easy solution that allows them to press some kind of color-matching goop into the crack, let dry, and be done with it.� This is mostly not possible.

The worst countertop to repair is laminate--Formica, Wilsonart, etc.� It just doesn't bond well to filler materials.� Peel off the old laminate and re-bond new stuff?� Forget about it!� You'll end up pulling off half of your substrate in the process.

The best countertop to repair is ceramic tile.� A tile installer can chip out the old tile and replace one-for-one with a new tile--and he can do it in his sleep.� It's simple for a pro.� Want to replace it DIY?� It's harder--and you'll want to expect a cracked surrounding tile or two--but possible.

"That's not a tile repair!" you shout at me.� I say, "My point exactly (refer to paragraph 3 of this blog post)."� If you're dead-set on a tile repair, that's possible, too.

Recently, I saw a ceramic tile counter that Tyler Murphy and his crew at Miracle Method Seattle repaired, and it looked great.� They fill in the divots, holes, cracks, whatevers--then refinish the entire counter with the same material they use when refinishing bathtubs and showers.� So, they side-step the whole issue of "Why doesn't this patch material match the rest of my tile?"

Image of Corian Copyright DuPont

Repair Countertop? You're in For a Pleasant/Unpleasant Surprise originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 12:13:47.

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Bathroom Tile Design in 5 Easy Steps (& Blindfolded, Too)

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:30:15 +0000

If you know a little something about bathroom tile design...

If you've been around the bathroom tile design "block" once or twice in your life...

...then you might know these 5 easy bathroom tile design steps.

But for me, it's always a new thing.� This is a mini bathroom tile package which, if followed correctly, will yield a vastly different bathroom than the one you originally imagined.

Use tile focal points.
Install a tile accent wall.
Break up your tile with new patterns.
Add a tile surround to the walls.
Learn to use tile grout creatively.

So easy, you could practically do it blindfolded!

Image:� American Olean

Bathroom Tile Design in 5 Easy Steps (& Blindfolded, Too) originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 16:30:15.

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Corian Sinks

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:50:47 +0000

When you weren't paying attention, Corian sinks grew up.� I've always thought of Corian sinks as being integrated sinks--these magical fusions of sink and counter so that they are sinkcounter...or countersink.� It's really quite miraculous how a fabricator can seamlessly mate a Corian sink with a Corian countertop (yes, it does need to be like material with like material).

But there's more to Corian sinks than that.

One increasingly popular variation is the apron-front Corian sink.� The front of the sink is exposed and becomes part of the kitchen decor.� Also, these apron-fronts (or farmhouse sinks) have much deeper bowls than their drop-in sink cousins.

Image: American Standard

Corian Sinks originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 16:50:47.

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Divorce Renovation

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:18:42 +0000

As if we needed another thing to be depressed about...

How about spending $2.12 million on a house in New York, then another $500,000 in home renovations, and then beginning divorce proceedings a mere 2 weeks after moving into the house (after a year-long round of renovations)?

That's what happened to Leslie Williams and her husband, both New York-based television producers.� Check out this article and slide show from the New York Times about what happens when home renovations, divorce, and a poor real estate market collide.

Image:� Piotr Redlinski for The New York Times

Divorce Renovation originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 15:18:42.

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List of Tile Manufacturers

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:03:04 +0000

Creative thinking will get you everywhere:� I have a list of tile manufacturers on file I use while writing About Home Renovations; I have a need to produce articles for the same website.� Combine the two:� article.

Why hoard this list?� Gosh, I don't know.� I hadn't thought about it until now.

When I say "tile manufacturers," this is a fluid term.� Do we mean quarries?� Shops that fire the ceramics?� Importers?� Well, these are kind of the middlemen companies--not quite the invisible Italian quarry mining the travertine; not quite the Tiles 'R' Us shop down the street.� At the least, these are major conduits of tiles.

In most cases, you won't be able to buy tiles directly from these companies.� The tile is available from any of three sources:

Big box stores like The Home Depot.
Local tile design stores with names like EuroTile, where you work in conjunction with a tile designer.
Local warehouse-type tile outlets.

Tile Image from Merola

List of Tile Manufacturers originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 16:03:04.

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What's Around the Bend for Laminate Flooring?

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:58:19 +0000

We spoke to Jacob Martin, of the online retailer Floors to Your Home, about where laminate and engineered flooring are today and where they are going.� We even talked a bit about hardwood flooring, too.� Trends in the industry are:

High-Gloss Flooring - for laminate.
Solid Hardwood Flooring - Not doing very good, industry-wide.� It's considered a "high tier" item that many homeowners cannot afford now.
New Species - Tigerwood is one "species" of laminate flooring that is becoming more popular.
Waterproof Laminate Flooring - What to do about laminate's poor water resistance?� New PVC products are taking laminate flooring into bathrooms, basements, and other water-intensive places.
Handscraped Laminate - Better surfaces make the laminate flooring look more and more like real handscraped wood.

Image:� Mannington

What's Around the Bend for Laminate Flooring? originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 16:58:19.

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Read This Article About Room Paint Colors...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:00:15 +0000

...if only for one reason:� to learn the difference between shades and tints.

See, I consider myself a pretty smart guy (and who doesn't?� Unless you're a gal, of course).� When it comes to closely-related terms, I can usually puzzle out the difference.

But with room paint colors, I thought that tints and shades meant basically the same thing. �� Not so:

Tint -Adding white to the base color.
Shade - Adding black to the base color (shade? get it?)

Good to know.� Good to know also that room paint colors are more than just "Gee, I like this color; this Martha Stewart Color display at Home Depot looks fab, and I just love this Boiled Maine Lobster color."� It's imporant to keep things in mind that go beyond the color itself, things like:

How colors affect moods.� Did you know that yellow makes children more agitated when used in their bedrooms?
The "Pop Factor"� And you thought that room paint colors were 2-dimensional.
Unifying rooms can be accomplished easily by addressing just one area--say, a hallway.
Paint chips are pretty worthless.� Get paint samples and slap them on your wall.
Paint can be used to mitigate a room's shortcomings.
And more!

Image:� Valspar

Read This Article About Room Paint Colors... originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 03:00:15.

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Crash and Burn: An Abbreviated History of Find-a-Contractor Sites

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:00:56 +0000

Why is it so hard to find a contractor or other type of home improvement company?

The stock advice is:� "Ask thy neighbor."� The stock answer is:� "But if I had a neighbor to ask, I wouldn't be asking you for advice."

Online find-a-contractor sites pop up as frequently as dandelions; and like dandelions, *poof* they go and the wind whisks them away.� Some of my brushes with them are:

Some guy with something called Project Turtle spammed my site.� But because the idea intrigued me, I wrote up a review (what a sucker I was).� Today, Project Turtle has all of 1 job posted on it.
Fixr - Another contractor matching site.� I've had discussions with this guy--Andres Torrubia--and his heart and mind are in the right place.� Fixr began strong, but it still seems lodged in a small region of the U.S. Northeast.� Update 10/30/09:� I received an update on the status of Fixr from Andres Torrubia.� Fixr is still going strong and is expanding throughout the U.S., beyond its initial East Coast origins.� This is evidenced by Fixr's new contractor directory.� A check proves that Fixr even has contractors in my neck of the woods, Washington State.
ServiceMagic - Oh boy.� Don't get me started about ServiceMagic:� all over the Web, but this does not translate to "well-loved."� My #1 e-mail complaint from readers concerns ServiceMagic.� And my #1 complaint from contractors is...ServiceMagic.� Contractors say the leads are expensive and bad.� Consumers question ServiceMagic's screening process.
RipOffReport - Obviously, you're only going to get bad reviews of contractors here.� What about the good ones?
Angie's List - Not a bad site, but who wants to pay for this service?� I just wanted to get a referral for one plumber to fix my toilet; now I've got my credit card down for a recurring, monthly payments.� Gee, thanks Angie.� I'm now stuck with you for life?� Makes me want to sing those lyrics from the Rolling Stones song, Angie, which go:� "Angie, you're beautiful, but ain't it time we said good-bye?"

So, the other day at the Seattle Home Show 2, I talked to a guy named Dave Richards of HelpHive.com who is starting a new referral/recommendation site (still mainly in the Pacific Northwest) to connect professonals with consumers.� The right thing about this--other than that it's free for consumers--is they appear to be well-funded.� This is no guy-in-his-boxer-shorts-in-the-basement kind of startup company.

HelpHive.com has a lot of those warm & fuzzy social networking tones about it--user recommendations, videos, a blog, ratings, Facebook, Twitter, etc.� Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best for this company.

Crash and Burn: An Abbreviated History of Find-a-Contractor Sites originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 03:00:56.

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Wood Countertops - Cesspool of Germs or Height of Luxury?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:15:52 +0000

I have previously written about wood countertops and how they may not be the absolute best kitchen countertop choice, because:

Wood countertops are porous.� Non-porosity being a good thing when food preparation is involved.
They scratch.
They aren't necessarily a bargain choice.

But, urged on by outside influences--readers who are avid fans of hardwood kitchen countertops--I have taken another look at wood countertops.� Here are some points coming from the wood-countertop-fanbase:

"Pretty much unbeatable visual depth."� The "fake countertop surface" makers (meaning laminate counters such as Formica or solid surface such as Corian/DuPont) when they try to reproduce a natural material--usually stone, not wood--just can't swing it.� They are getting better at it, but no dice yet.� That's one reason why homeowners do pay that extra amount for natural materials.
"Who says wood countertops are unsanitary?"� Wood countertop adherents say that as long as wood counters are religiously maintained, they are perfectly sanitary for food prep.� DeVos Custom Woodworking recommends once-a-month mineral oil wipedowns.
"Chipping, scratching?"� Think wenge.� Think mesquite, tigerwood, or mahogany.� All top out the Janka hardness scale at 2,000 or above.� Translated:� that's hard wood.

Wood Countertops - Cesspool of Germs or Height of Luxury? originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 12:15:52.

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Vessel Sinks: Your Ticket to Paradise

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:28:51 +0000

Vessel sinks are revered by some people, despised by others.

Vessel Sink Lovers...

Do I need to explain?� If you revere vessel sinks, it's probably because you like the fact that they are unique and showy-looking.

Also, it's the only way you can get a glass sink basin on your bathroom counter.� Glass vessel sinks are a major staple of this market, because you're elevating the basin above the dank, dark recesses of the bathroom vanity cabinet.� With the basin elevated, you can have vessel sinks in all different types of glass:� clear, frosted, and colored.

Vessel Sink Haters...

If you despise vessel sinks, it might be because:

They aren't highly practical.
They can dislodge.
They require extra-high faucets (if coming from the counter) or from-the-wall faucets (as pictured).

Also--let us say this quietly--some vessel sinks can look a bit pimped-out (Kraus Copper Snake glass vessel sink, I'm talking to you).� Yet this Janus-faced bathroom sink can go another way.� When you're dealing with ceramic vessel sinks--white, on-counter, recessed, and/or square), they can look downright classical and old-fashioned.

There is a white square vessel sink from Ronbow that I would consider for my own bathroom.

Image St. Thomas

Vessel Sinks: Your Ticket to Paradise originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 18:28:51.

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