Faux Marble Backsplash

Rachel Parcel Inspiration

Rachel Parcel's kitchen is the inspiration for my kitchen. 

1. The marble brick back-splash

2. Marble counter-tops

3. White cabinets 

My Kitchen

The big difference, I wanted to do it all myself, on a very tight budget.

This blog post is all about my process. 

It looks like marble, but not one bit of it is real.  It's all faux.  

It is painted boards, counter-tops and cabinets. Everything is done with paint.

 Take what you have already, and just add paint to get the look you desire.

Before Cabinets

Before

Faux Tile is made with Hardboard Handi-Panels

Since the hard-boards are lightweight, paintable, and affordable, they became my go to choice for the back-splash. I knew I was going to do the kitchen and dining room so I had a large area to tile. I bought 10 large boards. There are many good you-tube videos showing how to paint faux marble, but the best thing to do is to find a picture of a marble pattern that you like and look at it as you are painting the boards. The best thing is, if you don't like how it looks, you can always paint over it and try again.

The boards are large but very lightweight
They are easy to move and easy to cut

Paint the entire boards with mixed gray and white paint.

Adding spritzes of spray paint here and there on the boards helps to get the look more organic.

Paint different vein lines.  Looking at a picture of a marble that you would like to imitate helps this process a lot.  Use a combination of paint brushes, feathers, sticks, or anything to help create random patterns.

Layer different colors of gray and white over the veins.

Next add a coat of glaze over the top. I used Stone Coat counter-top epoxy. This is also what I used to go over my counter-top. I would not recommend using this for back-splash like I did however. Although it works, there is a learning curve to use epoxy correctly. A back-splash does not need to be as solid. Definitely take the easy route on this part and go with polyurethane instead.

Polyurethane is perfect for the tile back-splash but will NOT work for the counter-top.

After the boards are completely dry, cut them to the desired tile size.  Using a table saw ensures the lines are exactly straight.  It is fast and easy work.

Faux Marble Tiles

Use wallpaper cut out to the size of the tiles and tape them to your wall to determine what layout you desire.

Attach the tile boards to wall with tile adhesive tape. Initially I tried using tile mud to attach the boards to the wall, but they warped and popped off. Tape is the only way to go when it comes to using tile boards.

Don't forget to use tile spacers

Grout the tile with un-sanded grout to help keep the tiles from getting scratched.

Don't forget to adjust outlets and switches to the depth the tile will be.

I used the same faux marbling paint Technic to paint my counter-tops, then applied Stone Coat Counter-top epoxy to the tops. There are many videos produced by the Stone Coat company on You-Tube if you want to do the same. This is the only part of my kitchen that is more advanced. I wouldn't have the first time you ever use epoxy be counter-tops because there is a huge learning curve and you only get once chance at this.

Stone Coat Counter-top epoxy is very solid when it is done.

Please leave questions and comments below.

Good Luck!

My Cabinets were painted with Valspar Cabinet Enamel, Ultra White.

Tiling Lessons Learned From Volleyball

Lessons I Learned From Playing Volleyball

The Volleyball Parable

When I was in my 30’s, I lived in a community where there were 3 different women’s volleyball leagues within a mile of my house. They were categorized as upper, middle and lower division. I’m a pickup volleyball player at best who never even played in high school outside of Physical Education class. I played basketball and thought maybe at my age I should try an “easier sport” so I figured volleyball would fit that bill. I tend to be competitive by nature so the thought of joining the “lower” division seemed out of the question. I assumed that would be the league were goof-off inexperienced players would be. I decided in my head that I needed to, at the very least, be in the middle division but I thought maybe I should be in the upper division. I met a new friend at the park who was looking for an alternate player for one game. She played in the middle division. I jumped at the chance.

When I got to the event center that night ready to play, the team captain, who happened to be my husband’s boss, asked me if I was a setter or a hitter. This was the first clue I might be out of my league. I didn’t know what the difference was. Let’s just say, the entire evening I made an entire fool of myself. I was the only person on the court that night that served underhand and don’t even get me started on my skill level. I would jump up at the net as if to block a shot, but the reality was, I had no idea what I was doing. The idea of volleyball being an easy sport was quickly thrown out the window.

For the next year, I spent every spare minute learning the game of volleyball. I learned what a hitter was, a setter, a libero and every other volleyball term. I recorded every volleyball game that came on television. I would watch it meticulously trying to learn who was moving where and why. Even going to the local high school and college games as often as I could but the bottom line was, there was no way to really become a volleyball player without some coaching and practice. I remembered back when we were warming up the night of my "first" volleyball game, someone asked me if I would like to pepper with her. I needed to learn what it meant to pepper. No volleyball game I watched told me what that was. As it turns out, that is a term used during practice. That’s exactly what I needed. I needed practice. After all, practice makes permanent. 

FYI the definition: To pepper, two players face each other separated by a distance of 5–20 feet (2–6 meters). Distances vary based upon the players' preference. Player 2 starts by hitting or tossing a volleyball to player 1. Player 1 then passes the ball back to player 2 starting the drill.

I finally realized if I wanted to be a volleyball player, I needed to find someone who knew the game to teach me and to practice with me. I got a group of ladies together to make up a practice team. I knew I needed to learn things that couldn’t be taught just by watching. We practiced daily for a couple months and these sweet ladies taught me the basics. We got ourselves a sponsor and some matching t-shirts and joined the league, in the lower division.

This group of 8 thirty something ladies, who had not previously been in the volleyball league, were essentially out of our league. Even though every person on my team, other than myself of course, had played in high school, we were all out of practice. The big parable for me was, just because you watch the game of volleyball, or even played the game at some point in your life, does not translate into being good at the sport 15 years later. It took a lot of practice, and years of playing together before our little team worked our way to the top of the lower division. We even ended up taking lower division grand champions.

Eventually some of the other lower division teams started complaining that we were unfairly in that division and needed to move up to the middle division. Now that was a huge accomplishment. 

Even though we had come a long way, I personally never made it to the level of my dreams. I never got the skill to jump up in the air, smack the ball as hard as I could to spike it down on the opposing team, perfectly in the back corner of the court. It would take far more practice and learning to ever get to that point, and let’s face it, a community league volleyball team is not worth that sort of effort. At least not for me. So, let’s transition the volleyball story over to another similar situation I find myself in today. It’s a tiling project I took on in the same manner I did the first volleyball game.

My Dream of being a great "Spiker" was never realized!

What does this have to do with tile?  Well...

The only way to understand the predicament I find myself in right now you need to have a little background. About 6 months ago, I was in the Habitat Restore looking for a couple odds and ends. I love doing little fixer upper projects around the house. D.I.Y. shows and videos are an obsession, but my personal skill level is mostly in the painting area. I have painted things that probably shouldn’t be painted, like linoleum, mirrors, counter-tops just to name a few. Huge goals include turning trash into treasures. Confidence builders came along the way like when I took a torn, worn-out leather sofa, stitched it up and threw some stain on it. I remember thinking to myself, if this doesn’t work it’s off to the dump. Surprisingly it turned out, good as new. I guess I was building up my “Do It Yourself” confidence over time.

Jump forward to me walking through the Habitat building supply store looking for my next project when I saw a huge area of brand-new tile. It had a sign on it, “NOT FOR SALE.” I have picked up lots of building supplies over the years for little projects, but they have always been leftover shingles, or an odd sheet of siding I would turn into a shelf or fix a bookcase or something rather small. I even built a shed in the backyard from leftover building supplies from this store, but I never came across enough building supplies to do an entire construction job. Yet here at this second-hand store was brand-new tile. There was so much for sell I could tile an entire showroom floor. I found out it was not for sale because it had not been put into the system yet. They told me it would be for sale the next day.

I rushed back first thing in the morning. All night I could hardly sleep. The thought of getting beautiful, large format grey tile for a steal consumed me. I was in love. I helped my sister cut some tile about 20 years earlier, so in my mind, I was practically a professional. Even though my bathroom floor is still looking awesome with my painted linoleum, let’s face it, tile would be a huge upgrade. Maybe this would be my chance. Let’s just make a long story short. When the tile went on sale, it was such a good price, that I ended up buying and entire pallet full. I lined up a moving company to pick it up and deliver it to my house.

It’s been sitting in my garage for 6 months while I watched one video after the other online to teach me how to tile. I would freeze the television on every frame that had tile being set and analyze exactly what products were being used and how it was done. Watching youtube tiling videos became an obsession. “Remember my volleyball obsession?” It was the same thing. Once again, I tried to do something without practicing before the big game!

In my mind, just like the volleyball game, I thought I was better than I was. I decided not to start with the bathroom after all. I had so much tile, I would go for it and take on my large family room. As it turns out, being a first-time tiler, and starting with large format tile, was the equivalent of joining a volleyball team that was out of my league. Having no set skills to fall back on makes it a huge undertaking. My estimate of how long it would take to lay the tile was 3 days. It turns out I only average between 20 and 30 tiles a day. I have been working for a solid week and I still have around 40-50 tiles to go just to finish one room. It took a week to get the floor prepped for tile, that’s another story, and don’t even get me started on the grouting. At this point, my body aches all over, my wrists are swollen, and my skin is having a reaction to the tiling mud. This morning, before I can even start tiling, I need to let some Tylenol kick in. 

Here I am with a smile on my face
Because I am only just starting
I have no idea what I'm in for...

After working a week

Still not done

Usually, when working on home improvements, I love the process almost as much as the finished product, but I have to say, when it comes to tiling, it’s not my favorite. I just keep going, slowly, saying in my head, over and over again, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Oh, I can’t wait until I can say, I knew I could. Oh, I hope I get to that point!

Wish me luck!

Enough said, time to get back to work!

Vinyl Lettering DIY

Cell phone case

Update Staircase - Remove carpet

Best DIY Project Ever!
I love how my stairs turned out.

How to remove carpet from staircase and give them an updated look for under $100.  It's so easy even a grandma could do it.  I know because I did it, and I'm a grandma.  

18 Things You Can Do Now That Your 18

18 Things You Can Do Now That Your 18

Vote

Buy Tobacco, We'll go with Candy

Change Your Name

Adopt a Kid

Get a Tattoo

Jury Duty

Go To Jail

Go Bungee Jumping

Play the Lottery

Buy a House

Get a Loan

Sue Someone

Go Skydiving

Join the Military

Work Full Time

Buy Fireworks

Get Married

Get a Credit Card

Sugar Cookies - Best Ever & Easy

Best Sugar Cookies Ever!

I follow a blogger named Rachel Parcel.  She has a blog called pinkpeonies.com.  I have seen her post over the years about her family sugar cookie recipe. They always look so delicious, but I have a family recipe myself, and they happen to be my favorite thing in the world so I never even considered trying her recipe, until today.  Now I have a new favorite recipe.  Thank you Rachel Parcel.

I did make a few changes just to speed up the whole process.  The recipe is very similar, but I created a way to make the Valentines Day cookies without using a rolling pin. 

My two year old granddaughter and I decided we needed a no fail, faster way to make soft delicious sugar cookies. Her attention span does not make it easy to roll out and cut out.  I have to admit, even without a two year old helping, I have always wanted to find a faster way to make my favorite cookies.  This is going to be my go to method from now on.  If I don't want them to be heart shaped it will even be faster.

I used a cookie scoop, instead of a rolling pin. My two year old granddaughter, Lucy, pushed the cookies down with a glass, and then I formed them with the back of a butter knife to look like a rough heart cookie. Then Lucy pushed them down one more time. They were ready to bake so fast and easy. They looked pretty rough around the edges but after they were baked they looked as good as those done with cookie cutters.

Make sure you do not over-cook the cookies. When they come out of the oven slide the parchment paper with cookies off the cookie sheet and onto a cooling rack immediately. They will continue to cook and harden if you don’t get them off the cookie sheet. Using parchment paper allows you to take them off without waiting until they are cool.

Use a cookie scoop instead of rolling out and cutting out

Keep the dough cold to make this part go faster

Here is the fancy tools used to flatten out the cookies so I don't have to use a rolling pin. This is way faster.

I sprayed the bottom with spray grease and then dipped it in sugar to keep the cookie from sticking.  Lucy flattened the cookies for me.

I used the back of the knife to form a quick heart shape. 

 It doesn't have to be perfect.

The cookies look rough when they go in the oven, but don't worry...

They come out looking great after they have raised and expanded.

We kept some of them circular.

Add some frosting and sprinkles if you like.

They are so delicious and easy!

Download and Print or save to device

DIY Kitchen Remodel

Everything looks better with a fresh coat of paint

Can you guess how many of the upgrades are done with paint?

When we bought our house, I knew it was going to need a lot of updating. The kitchen was the highest priority for DIY projects I planned to do. I am just an average stay at home mom with no construction background.  I decided I would see what all I could knock out on my own just by watching youtube videos to learn how to do things.  I also, wanted everything to be able to be done on a very tight budget.  Let me give a list of the things I planned on changing from this picture:

1. Cabinet color
2. Formica countertops
3. Drop down fluorescent light ceiling
4. White plastic sink
5. Dated faucet
6. White appliances
7. Color of the kitchen walls and ceiling

8. No backsplash
9. Baseboard size and color, no chair rail
10. Hardware on the cupboards
11. Dining room table also needed an upgrade

12. Replace arched cabinet doors 

13. Replace hinges with hidden hinges

When I watch home makeover shows on tv, the remodel jobs always happen so fast.  In reality, when you are doing them all yourself, and you don't know how to do anything but paint, there is a large learning curve.  I took lots of photos and videos all along the way.  My initial plan was to have a blog post of hits and misses each time something went well or really flopped.  I wanted to document which youtube videos really worked and which ones should be left to the professionals.  It turned out that doing my own projects and documenting all the steps became very time consuming and I neglected to post as I went along.  

I may still post each step at a future date, but for now, here are the finished kitchen projects.  Well, sort of finished.  I am always changing my mind and redoing things here and there.  Let me give an example;  I hate the arches on the cabinet doors.  I have replaced about half of them, but the others are still being built, by me.  The new cabinet doors also have hidden hinges.  These are things you wouldn't necessarily notice but they certainly look better when they are all done.  At this pace it will probably be 6 months before they are all done.  I will do one every time another project I am working on needs time to dry or I am waiting on supplies etc.  If you look closely in the pictures some of the upper cabinets are still arched.

List redone, cabinet color, formica countertops, drop down fluorescent light ceiling, white plastic sink, dated faucet, white appliances, color of the kitchen walls and ceiling, backsplash, baseboards size and color, hardware on the cupboards, replace arched upper cabinet doors, hidden hinges

One of my favorite projects was the counter and backsplash.  These are just painted to look like marble, then coated with Stone Coat Countertop Epoxy.  I did my dining room table as a trial run before taking on all the countertops.  I love them so much.  It was hard to photograph because they are so shiny.  It's like taking a picture of a mirror, but they make me so happy!

I know having a cabinet desk combination is very dated, but we use this space a lot, so I decided to just give everything an update instead.  I see in this picture the ugly linoleum in the laundry room off to the side on the left.  I painted that to look like tile.  It's not shown in the picture, but it no longer looks like this. I'm reminded of another blog post I still need to do. Painting linoleum is a great way to update without a lot of commitment or expense. 

I can't believe how different it looks with recessed lighting

I ordered special lights to go in the Pendants.  They have silver tips on them.  Regular lights were a little to bright and I wanted a little more pizazz. 

I love the backsplash on this and the marble countertop.
Well it looks like marble. It's just paint and epoxy.
I also added chair rail and painted all the walls grey.

Taking down the light structure and installing recessed  and pendant lighting turned out to be the hardest project I have ever done DIY.  I had to get my kids and husband to help with the heavy lifting.  If I had it to do over again I would probably hire that part done.  Drilling holes in the ceiling and in the joists so I could run wire was a huge challenge.  But, now I know how to do it.  Thank you youtube, and my brother Daniel who facetimed me to make sure I didn't electrocute myself. 

Stay tuned for my next project.

GlazeTableTop