Home & Auto Maintenance Archives - Page 26 of 36

backsplash, Home & Auto Maintenance, kitchen, Kitchen Renovation, Tile

How to Tile a Backsplash – Part 2: Grouting and Sealing a Backsplash

How did you do yesterday with the How to Tile a Backsplash: Tile Setting tutorial? Not too bad, right? Well, today will be a very gratifying day. Today I’m going to show you how to grout (and seal) your tiles and finish off your kitchen backsplash. You are going to love the end result.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Materials:

Grout (Used: Mapei UltraColor Plus Rapid-Setting Sanded Grout color: Frost)
VanHearron’s Grout Once
Two buckets (same size or one larger)
Water
Ice
Grout Float
Spatula
Rag
Buffing pad
Sponge
Basin filled with clean water

Prep work: If you are working with a natural stone tile, you may want to seal the tiles before grouting. I sprayed StainGuard5000 on a dry clean rag and wiped it onto all the tiles. Then buffed it off after five minutes.

Instructions:

If you are using a rapid setting grout, you might want to slow the “setting” process slightly. I learned this trick from our local tile shop: Start by filling one bucket with ice water. Nest the second bucket inside the first. Read more

September 17, 2013/52 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Home & Auto Maintenance, kitchen, Kitchen Renovation, Tile, Tutorial

How to Tile a Backsplash – Part 1: Tile Setting

This is the tutorial that I’ve been anxious to share with you! How to Tile a Backsplash! The reason I’ve been anxious to share is for two reasons!

1) The backsplash and tiling truly makes my kitchen feel luxurious. In addition to the cork flooring, it was one of the things I REALLY wanted to have in our kitchen. And this is definitely a project that anyone can take on (with a good tutorial.)

2) The source of my tiles is a best kept secret! I found the supplier online after researching and searching for affordable marble subway tiles. TheBuilderDepot.com was a site I stumbled across in my search. After contacting them and discussing my project, a response came immediately with ideas for my backsplash. My contact, David, was there for me throughout the process and gave me lots of ideas and tips along the way! He even sent me a photo of my tiles before shipping them.

But, here’s the best part, in one of our email conversations I learned a little more about TheBuilderDepot and their company’s history. I want to share his email with you because I think it’s wonderful how they run their business:

“We started our business in 2008 with $12K in sales and because of the financial meltdown and housing collapse banks told us we were crazy starting an “ecommerce” marble business. None of them would loan any money, not even $1K.

Last year we grew to a $2.4m company (this year we are on target to double), employing locals and making an impact in the way consumers buy luxury natural stone. Our vision was to offer a quality that is second to none, buy direct from Italy and quarries around the world, pay cash for everything buying 30,000 to 40,000 sq.ft. of product at a time from the quarries to keep costs low and quality high.

We have no debt as a business (that was not a plan but has worked out well) and avoid traditional marketing channels that are heavy on costs. Basically a no frills marketing strategy.

People think we are crazy when, if we cannot supply something or another supplier offers a better more affordable solution we refer them to a competitor. We do not need the sales as we never anticipated growing this big, we are just interested in people creating pretty rooms with natural stone.

Part of the success is we ask what people are planning, then come up with some ideas of our own. We are really passionate about Carrara. The only company that separates into two collections.”

A company that has good business practice is worth supporting!

As mentioned in previous posts, when choosing companies to work with, I make sure to select brands and companies that I can stand behind. I have always maintained strict criteria when selecting companies to work with, and The Builder Depot goes above and beyond my criteria:

Great Customer Service
Beautiful Tile Selection
Quality Tiles
Affordable prices!!!

Before you source your next tile job, check out TheBuilderDepot.com. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised ;-).

Ready to get messy? Let’s tile that backsplash!

Prep-Work: Read more

September 16, 2013/51 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

adfree, cleaning, Home & Auto Maintenance, Home Maintenance, Home Safety, Sponsor Spotlight, Tutorial

Krud Kutter Exterior Clean Up without a Pressure Washer or Ladder

Is your home ready for Halloween? I don’t mean decorating. I mean is it so grimy and dirty that you don’t need to decorate to scare off the trick or treaters?

Umm, yup, that was my house. But, a few weeks ago I was introduced to my new CBFF (Cleaning Best Friend Forever.)

Krud Kutter Exterior Clean Up

Seriously, you can ask my sister and stepmom! I was toting around a bottle of Krud Kutter this past weekend while working on renovating a VERY dated beach condo. What? You didn’t know I was doing that?!

Well, you NEED to follow me on Instagram to get the latest deets of my DIY life!

Anyway, back to Krud Kutter. The folks at Krud Kutter couldn’t believe I’d never used their products before. So, they offered to send me some to try. But, before I agreed, I checked with a few DIY friends like Holly. And, they all agreed, “Oh yeah, that stuff ROCKS!” Holly says she uses it to clean grimy furniture before painting it. I figured if she likes it, I might.

Within a few days, a box containing some Krud Kutter Original and Krud Kutter House Wash showed up on my VERY dirty doorstep. I’m sure my UPS driver thinks our stoop is a disgrace. I had contemplated buying a pressure washer to clean it.

(That white grout you see at the top of the picture was protected under the door mat for years.)

You can imagine my skepticism that a little plastic bottle could do the same job as a pressure washer. But, I was shocked at what happened next.

Hang Wall Decor Straight Every Time with a Simple Laser Level

Have you ever had the frustrating experience of hanging something on the wall only to notice afterward that it wasn’t straight? Yah, this happens to me all the time. So – let’s talk about how easy it is to Hang Wall Decor Straight Every Time.

Recently my wife wanted to hang a cork/dry erase board in our laundry room so that we can keep track of the kid’s activities. When tackling small projects like this one I always think, “How can I make this easier than it looks?”.

Well, fortunately my memory isn’t shot yet. I remembered that I received a pen laser level for my birthday and it would be perfect for getting the cork/dry erase board straight and level. If you’re going to hang a heavy mirror, tons of pictures, or several pieces of wall art I highly suggest getting something like this level because you’ll save precious time, countless re-hangings and eliminate the agony most of us experience during this process.

The Bosch pen laser level I have costs $35 on Amazon but any similar product will suffice.

Here are the additional supplies you need for this 20 minute project: Read more

August 28, 2013/10 Comments/by Jeff Patterson

adfree, Home & Auto Maintenance

Save Money while Reducing Fall Allergens

10 Non-Toxic Dust Mite Remedies | Pretty Handy Girl

If you hang around me in the Autumn months you hear a lot of that. My seasonal allergies seem to peak in the Fall. Most people think springtime is the peak for allergens. But, nearly 3/4 of springtime allergy sufferers also suffer from ragweed pollen allergies which peak August – October. In addition to pollen, mold and dust mites are also contenders for the worst irritants as the weather turns cooler. Therefore, if you think your school age child has a never-ending cold after being back in the classroom, you might want to investigate possible allergies. Let’s talk about how to Save Money while Reducing Fall Allergens.

In the meantime, there are some very simple cost-saving things you can do to help remove allergens and lessen symptoms this Fall.

Dust more often with a damp washcloth to collect (not spread around) dirt and dust. Save money by using rags or washcloths that can be washed and re-used.
Use a Hepa filter vacuum to clean floors and carpets. Buy your vacuum bags in bulk and price shop on Amazon.com to save money.
Keep doors and windows closed. And adjust your thermostat one or two degrees cooler to save on heating costs.
Make your own natural cleaners using products already found in your home:
- Baking soda and natural dish soap is a great tub, tile and toilet cleaner.
- Two parts water to one part white distilled vinegar is an excellent window and glass cleaner.
Change your air filters at least once every three months and use a 1000 MPR or higher filter.

When it comes to filters, do not cheap out on your home’s air filters.

The Filtrete® Micro Allergen Reduction Filter attracts and captures microscopic particles like smoke and smog and large allergens like mold spores and pollen from the air passing through the filter. Outperforms fiberglass, washable and non-electrostatic pleated 1″ filters.

Outperforms fiberglass, washable and non-electrostatic pleated 1″ filters
Carries a 1000/1085 Microparticle Performance Rating (MPR)
Attracts and captures microscopic particles like smoke, smog and large allergens like mold spores and pollen from the air passing through the filter
Lasts up to 3 months
Where to buy: Lowe’s, Target, Walmart or your local hardware store. Find a location near you by visiting: FindMyFiltreteFilter.com

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Filtrete. I have the honor of being an ambassador for them and will be sharing more information from 3M Filtrete in future posts. I was given key messages to share, but all the words and thoughts are my own. I have been compensated for my time and for this post. I continue to work with certain companies like Filtrete that I believe in, because of their quality and because I feel they have helpful messages for my readers. I will always disclose to you if you are reading a sponsored post.

August 13, 2013/4 Comments/by Brittany Bailey