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[VaBelle35]

I think where I'm really stuck is colors.

My house is currently all shades of yellows and yellow-leaning creams.  I think I want to stick with that pallet.

[CAcableGirl2]

I am in the process if painting the ceiling in my house.  What a miserable job!  Need two coats of primer (since it only has the original paint from 25 years ago), and then a coat of flat white ceiling paint.  Have finished one bathroom (with high ceiling), and it looks terrific so that motivates me to keep on going.

Once that is done, most likely by Christmas, I'll probably hire out to remove the old tile in the family room and kitchen and have it replaced with something more upgraded.

At that point, I should be done, have already:

• replaced ceiling fans
• replaced all electrical outlets and installed rocker switches
• removed all carpet for wood look tile 
• had shutters installed
• painted entire inside of house
• upgraded two bathrooms
• upgraded kitchen with painted cabinets, new appliances, and granite

Most of the work I've done myself - so there really is some sweat equity in this house and it will be hard to sell since I love this house.

[SandPiper]

When grandma passed away we moved into her house. We gutted two floors and started over, making it our own. It was fun researching, making floor plans, picking out colors, decorating, etc. The project took almost 11 months. I really don’t think I want to go through a massive renovation again.

[PamfromCT]

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@151949 wrote:

We are in a fairly new home so anything we do is just to improve things or make something more our taste.

On that subject - how do you all feel about Corian countertops? We are thinking of replacing the formica ones we have with corian. Don't want to pay for granite as our kitchen is 12 x20 and has counters all the way around - the cost for granite would be much too high.

Also - what material do you all have in your bathroom counters? Ours are also formica.

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First first of all, I think it would be helpful to check out prices of what you are considering.  I think Corian is very nice and certainly low care.  We chose granite for our kitchen and half bath because it is so demanded in our area for resale.  Two other baths will have quartz countertops because I think they will survive more wear and tear.  I was surprised that granite is cheaper than Quartz.   My SIL has Corian in her large kitchen, and many years later still looks beautiful.  Hope this helps.  

[homedecor1]

I'm glad I'm not the only one -- I'm exhausted!!!  

We started moving things back into the garage -- I've never been so happy to see my washer & dryer again!!!💃💃

(hmm we must have a lot of clothes, linens & towels since we didn't run out after 13 days🤔)

Thought I'd wash some laundry but my "better" sense said head to a afternoon at the pool!

This thread has been fun to read & see what others are doing in their homes and ideas😊

[Mominohio]

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@Mom2Dogs wrote:

My sister had corian in herbathroom, it was very nice...I prefer quartz....but we did a nice upgraded laminate when we made improvements in our kitchen...the house did not warrant the quartz that I really wanted.

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@Mom2Dogs

Glad to hear there are others that remember what a house warrants (financially) when renovating or updating.

I like so much of what I see out there that is expensive, but I know I'll never get the money back in our market when we sell, and I don't have a strong desire for it (expensive countertops especially) for my own use. 

For Some homes it's worth doing the best, some it is a loosing proposition in the end. But to see HGTV, we all 'have' to have it or we'll never sell our homes! lol

[Mominohio]

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@CAcableGirl2 wrote:

I am in the process if painting the ceiling in my house.  What a miserable job!  Need two coats of primer (since it only has the original paint from 25 years ago), and then a coat of flat white ceiling paint.  Have finished one bathroom (with high ceiling), and it looks terrific so that motivates me to keep on going.

Once that is done, most likely by Christmas, I'll probably hire out to remove the old tile in the family room and kitchen and have it replaced with something more upgraded.

At that point, I should be done, have already:

• replaced ceiling fans
• replaced all electrical outlets and installed rocker switches
• removed all carpet for wood look tile 
• had shutters installed
• painted entire inside of house
• upgraded two bathrooms
• upgraded kitchen with painted cabinets, new appliances, and granite

Most of the work I've done myself - so there really is some sweat equity in this house and it will be hard to sell since I love this house.

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@CAcableGirl2

I hate to paint. Period. 

Ceiling are the worst. 

The work to empty a room and prep it for painting is like the end of the world to me. I've never liked it, and I like it less now. 

We moved in 24 years ago, and painted and papered the entire house. It needs to be done again (ugh). We did my son's room and upstairs hallway a couple of years ago, but that is as far as we have gone. Painting interior doors this week, and that kind of painting I don't mind so much. Easy to do, and don't have to empty and prep the room. 

I can't imagine what it costs to hire a GOOD  painter though, so I guess I'll just start to tackle things myself after the doors. 

[ccassaday]

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@151949 wrote:

We are in a fairly new home so anything we do is just to improve things or make something more our taste.

On that subject - how do you all feel about Corian countertops? We are thinking of replacing the formica ones we have with corian. Don't want to pay for granite as our kitchen is 12 x20 and has counters all the way around - the cost for granite would be much too high.

Also - what material do you all have in your bathroom counters? Ours are also formica.

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My aunt has Corian in her kitchen. Her house is about 8 years old. I thought it was Formica. If you like the Formica you have I wouldn’t change. To me they look the same. I have Formica in my bathroom it’s called Belmonte Granite. I think it is pretty. Plus with my disability I don’t have to worry if I get makeup on it because of my bad hands. Our half bath has Formica also but a different one. The master bath has marble. It’s really pretty.

[ccassaday]

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@PamfromCT wrote:

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@151949 wrote:

We are in a fairly new home so anything we do is just to improve things or make something more our taste.

On that subject - how do you all feel about Corian countertops? We are thinking of replacing the formica ones we have with corian. Don't want to pay for granite as our kitchen is 12 x20 and has counters all the way around - the cost for granite would be much too high.

Also - what material do you all have in your bathroom counters? Ours are also formica.

---

First first of all, I think it would be helpful to check out prices of what you are considering.  I think Corian is very nice and certainly low care.  We chose granite for our kitchen and half bath because it is so demanded in our area for resale.  Two other baths will have quartz countertops because I think they will survive more wear and tear.  I was surprised that granite is cheaper than Quartz.   My SIL has Corian in her large kitchen, and many years later still looks beautiful.  Hope this helps.  

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My mom wanted quartz.  It was going to be $2000 more then the granite they picked out. The granite they picked was. B grade.

[CAcableGirl2]

@Mominohio  The price for painting the interior walls of a 2050 sq foot house was just under $5000 about 5 years ago.  I can't imagine what the ceiling would cost since the ceilings are high but I have a roller on a long stick and a couple of tall ladders and in no hurry, so I just try to tackle it a little every weekend.  I'm thinking that I should be able to paint the ceiling myself for about $300.

I enjoy painting rooms, since it takes about a day and the entire room is transformed - but the ceilings are another story. 

What I learned a long time ago is that go with the best quality paint and brushes you can buy.  It ends up saving having to paint multiple coats and get the best brush available, you can usually go without the painters tape against the ceiling or floorboards if you have a good brush and a steady hand.

Here's a tip that I learned when painting up against another color to get a clean line between the 2 colors.  

Lets say you want white paint on the left and yellow paint on the right.  Put the tape up as you normally would where you want the colors to meet.  Where the white wall meets the tape, paint it yellow on top of the white wall next to the left of the tape.  That will fill in under the edges of the tape where the wall is textured. 

Once that is dry, without removing the tape, paint white right over the yellow that you previously painted.  Once you remove the tape you'll have a clean line between the 2 colors.   If one color is a lot darker then the other, you might need to add primer in between painting the first and second colors.