Almost Move In Ready

WooHoo!!! 

Things are really coming together on the condo redo.  Carpet is being installed TODAY!!

Home Depot is running a free installation with purchase deal right now, which includes removal and haul away of the old carpet. That alone was SO worth it!  I have no desire to wrestle with carpeting in any way shape or form.

I chose Stallion II carpet, in the Derby color, for a nice, light neutral carpeting.

The kitchen floor:

Before - it has seen better days. 

I could not leave this untouched. Fortunately, TrafficMaster Allure vinyl is fabulous! It sticks to itself, not the underfloor. I chose the Sedona three tile section which is 12" x 36" each, rather than the narrower wood look planks, to speed the installation. 

I have the wood look planks in this flooring in the downstairs bedroom at home. It's installed directly over the concrete pad with no issue and is wearing great, or rather not wearing at all.

During - the first course is the most important to get positioned correctly. As a bonus, there wasn't much crawling around on the floor because I could make the few necessary cuts up on the countertop. 

After - well, almost after.  I was short by 4 sections, or 5 partial pieces.  They go where you see the protective paper covering the adhesive flanges. By the time this post goes live, the floor has been finished and appliances are back in their positions.

A sneak peek of the kitchen floor with the carpet.

In between the kitchen tasks last week, I tackled the bathroom. My brother handled the ceiling repair. I handled the wallpaper border removal, the caulking, the painting of the walls and the vanity. 

The walls went from off aqua to a light, sunny yellow to coordinate with the yellow flecks in the wall tile. 

The floor needs scrubbing. A few towel bars need to be put back up. The shower rod and brand new shower curtain will be installed and the bathroom is done. 

Interlocking Pieces

Not back in the Studio yet, but I was working with a different kind of interlocking, overlapping, repeating pattern kind of pieces.  The condo kitchen was up next for a cosmetic facelift. 

Before - the light grey tiles, while structurally sound, had seen some better days. 

The color was, um, hideous. It was too light, slightly bumpy in texture and boring!

During - I found a great facelift product: Tic Tac Tiles. 

These install right on top of other existing surfaces, including ceramic tiles.  Amazon had the best price (50 tiles for under $180) and I had them in two days. They are resistant to heat & moisture, are anti-bacterial, anti-mold and made from eco-friendly materials.

I started the first two tiles working from left to right - WRONG!  They need to be installed right to left in order for the overlap to work. 

After - the completed tiling project. I LOVE the way the tile  colors work with the cabinets and countertop. 

I replaced the old, carved, antique copper knobs with simple brushed nickel ones. And to finish off the project, I installed some narrow trim - much like binding on a quilt.

The condo is thisclose to being done and ready for market. Up next is replacing the kitchen floor and an update to the bathroom.