Magical Grout Paint Pen for the Win
Operation 1302
Home improvement adventures!
New Sliding Glass Patio Door
WE FINALLY GOT A NEW SLIDING DOOR. I’m thrilled. Of course, if you give a moose a muffin, he will want jam to go with it. After getting the door, and opting for white trim, I then insisted on painting the bay window.
Some Lil’ Electrical Updates
We recently had nearly all of our electrical outlets replaced. 50% of them were the old two-pronged. Several of them that had been “upgraded” a lot time ago were installed incorrectly. We got a few new light switches too. These are not the super fun kinds of fixes but I’m still relieved! Hurray safety, utility, and minor aesthetics!
Small Space Nursery!
It’s hard to believe that my baby is almost 5 months old! Those first 3 months were very challenging, but now time is just flying by. She’s growing like a weed, developing new skills, and has the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen.
Creating a nursery for her in a VERY tiny bedroom required some planning, especially for someone like me who is both frugal and hates clutter.
Refinishing the Deck
Decks require maintenance (duh), especially if you’re not blessed to have Trex, some other synthetic wood product, or a delightfully tough type of wood. So here we are, once again, about 4.5 years later, dealing with the deck. The previous “stain”, which was really more of a paint, had begun to peel after just 2 years, chances are due to a nice cocktail of harsh Pennsylvania weather, poodle pee, and inadequate preparation. However, I’m pleased to report that after loads of labor on my wonderful husband’s part, the deck has a fresh new deck that brings along happy, fresh beach vibes. I’ll go through some of the process below, but know that I started with the before/after pic because that is truly the high that everyone is here for.
Steps
- Home Depot for Supplies: Stiff Push Brush, Simple Green, Bucket, Paint Brushes, Rollers, Stain Remover, Etc.
- Watch the weather forecast like a hawk in an attempt to get 5 solid days of no-rain in Pittsburgh, PA (Yeah RIGHT).
- Borrow a friend’s pressure washer.
- Treat Deck with Stain Remover and Let Sit (We followed the directions, but alas–it was not nearly as strong as it claimed to be.
5. Sand, Sand Sand – This step took a LOT of time. Multiple days technically via a belt sander. The sander, which was a hand-me-down and pretty old, croaked eventually. Cue another trip to the hardware store…
6. Sand more.
7. FINALLY time for the stain. We used Sherwin Williams Superdeck Semi-Transparent tinted with “Blue Spruce”. I’ll admit that we were both a bit surprised (and initially disappointed) because it certainly didn’t look very transparent and seemed like paint. However, it has grown on us. It has rained a few times and the water beads pretty well.
8. Another coat or two of stain.
9. Realize that the deck railings look dirty compared to the new stain. Decide to pain those white (several coats later, they are beautiful).
10. Furniture is back on–now we can enjoy for hopefully a few years before tackling this yet again.
Smaller Projects – Cabinet/Pantry and Closet Shelves!
We recently purchased a “cheap” cabinet from walmart to serve as a “pantry” or extra storage for our kitchen. We needed something narrow enough to not obstruct the hallway off of the kitchen, which essentially was waited space. This purchase has been a lifesaver! Wesley put it together, and I added in some new knobs from Home Depot. The ones it came with were hideous.
I finally got around to installing shelves into the closet in the Family Room. Previously we were not maximizing this space. Unfortunately I didn’t take a great before picture. I went to Home Depot with the demensions I needed and had them cut the boards for me before coming home and installing them. I got contact paper from the dollar store to cover the very ugly wood paneling inside of the closet. I’m so happy with the amount of space!
Mary & Wesley Wedding
September 19, 2021 – Robin Hill Park – Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
Paint Update: Easter Egg Bliss?
Hello, it has certainly been a while. The house is looking really good. In fact, it’s feeling like a home after nearly 4 years. A lot has changed during that time with my life so feeling like my house is finally coming together is definitely a win!
So what does one do when the husband is away? Besides potentially deep cleaning the house, I couldn’t help myself but head to Home Depot and grab a gallon of paint. For once in my life I sprung for the decent stuff, and it really paid off! I almost could have gotten away with one coat.
You’d think I would have learned from my mistake years ago when I painted a room, hated it, and repainted it three weeks later.
But alas, no such luck. My husband and I painted his office/The guest bedroom last year and it ended up being a very bright, light blue that reminded me of an elementary school. I ended up repainting it over the weekend a light sage, And I’m very pleased with the results.
The upstairs officially looks like an Easter egg. Interestingly enough, when I was little, the Easter Bunny would bring three separate baskets for my sisters and me. Each of us were assigned a color: My older sister was purple, my younger sister was blue, and I was green. After snapping some shots of the bedrooms upstairs I have officially color-coded the bedrooms based off of these Easter baskets…. And I’m okay with that… For now. You never know when the paint bug is going to strike again!
On a completely separate note, I finally hung a print that my sister made that was sitting in the attic. I walked around the house holding it up on various walls, and not knowing where to put it. When I brought it into the bathroom, I realized that the nails that were already in the wall when I moved in in 2017 matched up perfectly with the print. It looks wonderful and like someone actually lives here. Another great win!
Powder Room Cabinet
Just another simple fix. Before/After of powder room cabinet. Paint is a miracle.
BEFORE 
AFTER
Operation 1302 