The UnEffing/Home Improvement--Before & After Thread
A work in progress
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
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Originally Posted by amy55 
Lexie, your place is looking great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love that you are going with neutral tones. That lasts for ever. Remember those avocado green appliances, and these yellow stoves. Now wallpaper is really quite easy to remove. At least most of them. If the wall was properly prepared before wallpapering. I've done this.
Just need to say, it is all looking so good. It must be a pleasure to come home now.
Just need to say, it is all looking so good. It must be a pleasure to come home now.
I did run into one glitch this weekend. Comcast came out to run cable to the basement, and the only way to do it is to fish the wires through the ceiling, which involves cutting holes in the drywall. Three weeks ago, the entire ceiling was cut open, and they hung new sheetrock and already painted it. Aaarrrgh! I wish I had known about that before we closed up the ceiling. Oh, well, my tile guy also has an electrician friend who is coming out later this week to give me a quote on it. It shouldn't be that terribly big a deal to patch the ceiling--just ticks me off that I didn't know about this earlier.
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Join Date: Aug 2011
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I know, Lexie, believe me, I know. I am just leaving my drop ceiling in the basement. Also before I do anything now, I have my contractor on speed dial. !!!!!!!!!
Edited to add: You don't have that much counter space, and laminate really does look almost like stone now. I can't wait to see that pic. Your house is going to be transformed into a new living place. I can feel your excitement.
Edited to add: You don't have that much counter space, and laminate really does look almost like stone now. I can't wait to see that pic. Your house is going to be transformed into a new living place. I can feel your excitement.
A work in progress
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
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OK, here you can see what I have in mind for the backsplash and counter. I laid the backsplash tile on the floor so you can see how similar they look. And the countertop sample is a cool gray-green. The paint in the dining area is sort of a lighter version of that color (sort of a light sea green), and that same color is in the current wallpaper. The laminate has a slightly speckled appearance and a matte finish, so it looks a little like a solid surface.
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
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I hear you on the time warp house. Mine was straight out of 1984. Even had tan carpet with mauve borders, mauve blinds throughout, and wallpaper in all three bathrooms. One of the bathrooms matched my bedroom from when I was a teenager! Hilarious!
Now, two years later, I have no wallpaper left, the carpet is slowly being replaced, bathrooms all redone top to bottom, and my last huge job is a new kitchen. And funny thing is - I am grateful for the original state of the house now, because it made renos easier. At least I didn't have to fix other people's mess-ups!
Love the tile - looks fantastic!
Now, two years later, I have no wallpaper left, the carpet is slowly being replaced, bathrooms all redone top to bottom, and my last huge job is a new kitchen. And funny thing is - I am grateful for the original state of the house now, because it made renos easier. At least I didn't have to fix other people's mess-ups!
Love the tile - looks fantastic!
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Join Date: Aug 2011
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Ok, Lexie, I am starting to visualize the picture. Now take off a cabinet door and put that next to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kidding, even though when I went for a counter top I took a cabinet door, a piece of the floor tile, and some of the back splash with me.
I saw the cabinets in prior photo. I think the contrast is subtle but yet contrasting. I think everything there will go. Now have to go back and look at the appliances to visualize even further.
I'm thinking that what you picked is what I would go with also
Kidding, even though when I went for a counter top I took a cabinet door, a piece of the floor tile, and some of the back splash with me.
I saw the cabinets in prior photo. I think the contrast is subtle but yet contrasting. I think everything there will go. Now have to go back and look at the appliances to visualize even further.
I'm thinking that what you picked is what I would go with also
A work in progress
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
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LOL, OK, I found the pics of the house when I first bought it. Everything in these pics belonged to the previous owner, not me! Pictures of house when purchased.
This will give you a better look at the cabinets, though all of the appliances have been replaced. The dishwasher and refrigerator were covered with wood panels that matched the cabinets. All the appliances now are plain black, and the range is a ceramic top. I actually single-handedly replaced the range hood, which was a huge ordeal because the duct inside the cabinet pulled loose when I removed the old range hood, and I had to order a new section of duct work and attach it with mastic, etc. It looks great now, but man! As I said, a bit of an ordeal.
This will give you a better look at the cabinets, though all of the appliances have been replaced. The dishwasher and refrigerator were covered with wood panels that matched the cabinets. All the appliances now are plain black, and the range is a ceramic top. I actually single-handedly replaced the range hood, which was a huge ordeal because the duct inside the cabinet pulled loose when I removed the old range hood, and I had to order a new section of duct work and attach it with mastic, etc. It looks great now, but man! As I said, a bit of an ordeal.
My emotional baggage
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Northern CA
Posts: 285
Lexie, looking awesome girl!
One suggestion, if you have not already done it, seal the heck out of the grout!!!!!! We had a huge house with off white limestone looking tile floors with an tons of grout lines and they did not seal them well. Ended up with brownish grout after a year or two. (We lived on a horse ranch so dirt came in) Even acid would not get it back to its original color.
Seal, seal, seal. That way you can keep enjoying the new look!
Looks great! 4MyBoys
One suggestion, if you have not already done it, seal the heck out of the grout!!!!!! We had a huge house with off white limestone looking tile floors with an tons of grout lines and they did not seal them well. Ended up with brownish grout after a year or two. (We lived on a horse ranch so dirt came in) Even acid would not get it back to its original color.
Seal, seal, seal. That way you can keep enjoying the new look!
Looks great! 4MyBoys
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Lexie, I'm thinking that the green might be a little too dark. I don't know what the light exposure is on the photo you showed, but it had or has lite countertops now, and you would be going darker.
Also I know that is wallpaper still there, what are you going to do with that.
I do love the subway tile.
I like what you showed before with the contrasting, and I am thinking that in a bigger kitchen the green counter top would work, with more of the floor shown.
Trying to think of what you can do to bring more lite in to accentuate a darker counter top
that would have to be where the wallpaper is
also ps, take what you can, leave the rest. I am not an interior decorator, and I am only seeing pics, you are seeing it in real life
Also I know that is wallpaper still there, what are you going to do with that.
I do love the subway tile.
I like what you showed before with the contrasting, and I am thinking that in a bigger kitchen the green counter top would work, with more of the floor shown.
Trying to think of what you can do to bring more lite in to accentuate a darker counter top
that would have to be where the wallpaper is
also ps, take what you can, leave the rest. I am not an interior decorator, and I am only seeing pics, you are seeing it in real life
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Hmmm, you may be right.
There is one other sample that would be OK, but it doesn't have the flecks in it--it's just a plain solid color. Which might not be bad, just not sure.
Here are both, just for the sake of comparison. I also like the kind of grayish-ness of the first one. And I do have fairly bright fluorescent lighting in the kitchen, as well as light from windows on either end (the galley has an open area at the end with the wall).
I'll have to think about it over the next couple of days and get a couple of opinions from my neighbors and the tile guy.
There is one other sample that would be OK, but it doesn't have the flecks in it--it's just a plain solid color. Which might not be bad, just not sure.
Here are both, just for the sake of comparison. I also like the kind of grayish-ness of the first one. And I do have fairly bright fluorescent lighting in the kitchen, as well as light from windows on either end (the galley has an open area at the end with the wall).
I'll have to think about it over the next couple of days and get a couple of opinions from my neighbors and the tile guy.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
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The other consideration in favor of the darker one (and it isn't DARK, just darker than what is there now) is that I am always getting coffee stains and stuff on the countertop. I think the darker one might be a bit more forgiving.
Oh, and the other thing is that I leave my under-cabinet lights on ALL the time (sort of a night light), which does light up the countertop a bit.
Oh, and the other thing is that I leave my under-cabinet lights on ALL the time (sort of a night light), which does light up the countertop a bit.
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Ok, I think get a few more opinions on people that can really see the place, my opinion would be the one on the right. I really do love the dark cabinets. I wish I could have had them here, my house was just too dark for that.
I really do love the green, and that also would have been my first choice, I guess what I am about right now with my dark log cabin is lightening things up, trying to get a cabin feel, but not going to light so that it looks sterile.
What kind of sink were you going to go with? Stainless or white?
I really do love the green, and that also would have been my first choice, I guess what I am about right now with my dark log cabin is lightening things up, trying to get a cabin feel, but not going to light so that it looks sterile.
What kind of sink were you going to go with? Stainless or white?
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You know what, maybe ignored what ever I posted, because my whole house is just dark. If you have the light, that first color is probably what you need. You need a color that fits you. Pick the one that makes you happy.
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White/bone--composite drop-in. I have had stainless steel sinks in both of my apartments, and I really don't care for them.
Yeah, if I were picking cabinets, these aren't what I would have picked. But they are VERY good solid custom-made cabinets from a pricy local cabinetmaker. And they are a bit lighter in color than they look in the photos.
Yeah, if I were picking cabinets, these aren't what I would have picked. But they are VERY good solid custom-made cabinets from a pricy local cabinetmaker. And they are a bit lighter in color than they look in the photos.
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I did think that I saw under the counter lighting, I have that also. Was going to suggest that to you if you wanted a little darker.
Lexie, it is going to look great. You sit there, you look at it, you will make the right decision for you. Sometimes pics are deceiving.
Yanno, whenever I am thinking about something, I set a night aside, and I just sit on the floor and just visualize, and visualize. All of those colors compliment each other. You have the under counter lighting, so I think any choice you picked out will look terrific.
Lexie, it is going to look great. You sit there, you look at it, you will make the right decision for you. Sometimes pics are deceiving.
Yanno, whenever I am thinking about something, I set a night aside, and I just sit on the floor and just visualize, and visualize. All of those colors compliment each other. You have the under counter lighting, so I think any choice you picked out will look terrific.
A work in progress
Thread Starter
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Originally Posted by amy55
You know what, maybe ignored what ever I posted, because my whole house is just dark. If you have the light, that first color is probably what you need. You need a color that fits you. Pick the one that makes you happy.
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Originally Posted by LexieCat
Hmmm, you may be right.
There is one other sample that would be OK, but it doesn't have the flecks in it--it's just a plain solid color. Which might not be bad, just not sure.
Here are both, just for the sake of comparison. I also like the kind of grayish-ness of the first one. And I do have fairly bright fluorescent lighting in the kitchen, as well as light from windows on either end (the galley has an open area at the end with the wall).
I'll have to think about it over the next couple of days and get a couple of opinions from my neighbors and the tile guy.
There is one other sample that would be OK, but it doesn't have the flecks in it--it's just a plain solid color. Which might not be bad, just not sure.
Here are both, just for the sake of comparison. I also like the kind of grayish-ness of the first one. And I do have fairly bright fluorescent lighting in the kitchen, as well as light from windows on either end (the galley has an open area at the end with the wall).
I'll have to think about it over the next couple of days and get a couple of opinions from my neighbors and the tile guy.
I love how SR has taken a home decorating turn!!! How fun!
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Join Date: Aug 2011
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I had samples of all of them, so I know what you mean about texture, and more of a speck instead of a solid look. Its hard to tell in photos
If the gray doesn't have more character to it, then I would go with the green.
What I mean is if the grays look more like a solid color, that might be boring, green isn't
If the gray doesn't have more character to it, then I would go with the green.
What I mean is if the grays look more like a solid color, that might be boring, green isn't
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