How to Remove Tile (Ugh!)

by RoxanneK, in category DIY, How-to

Let me apologize in advance for the lack of pretty pictures today. This project was a messy one, as you will see! One thing I have wanted to do forever in my house is to remove the outdated flooring that we have downstairs and replace it all with new matching wood floors. We had tile in our tiny entry, carpet in the living room (you can see pics of the living room here) and plank flooring in the kitchen. I really disliked the carpet, so I always kept a large area rug over it, which sort of added to the crazy mishmash of flooring I had going on. I am happy to say my husband and I have finally started this project! We began by removing all of the old flooring, and I wanted to share with you today how to remove tile. Although I would say this is something you can do yourself, it was NOT FUN.

What You Will Need*:

A Chiropractor (just kidding)

This is one time I was really happy to have a small foyer. If this were a larger space I might suggest hiring out because it is tough work to get old tiles up. I started it myself one day while my husband was at work to see if I was able to get any of them up. The most important thing to remember with this project is to wear safety glasses and gloves and to keep kids and pets far away. When the tile starts popping up, it flies everywhere.

How To Remove Tile

We had removed the carpeting first, so I was able to access the tiles from the side. If you don’t have that option, break up the first tile with the blunt side of a hammer. I wedged a flat head screwdriver under the tile and hammered it until it slid underneath. There were times I couldn’t get it under but I found if I moved it around I would eventually find a spot where I could get a little leverage. I would hammer it until I heard a little suction noise and then I was able to pop the tile up, though it came up in pieces.

Some came up in big pieces and some came up in tiny pieces, but it wasn’t terrible getting it up.

Sidenote: I should also mention at this point that the yellow line around the wall is there because I also removed the chair rail (learn how easy it is to remove moldings yourself here) that we had in this room, we plan to add board and batten in this space once the floors and moldings are done.

Once the tiles were up, it was what was underneath that was kind of a nightmare. All the mastic from the tiles was stuck to the cement floor underneath.

I believe there is a machine you can rent or buy to get this stuff up, but for such a small area I didn’t think it was worth it. So we chiseled it off by hand. Ugh! My husband used this type of chisel.

I found this one was easier for me, it was more lightweight and this is also worked as a sander/scraper. I also use a hammer and most tools from my own little toolkit because they are smaller and easier to handle for me than my husband’s heavier tools.

This little 5 x 4 space took us quite awhile to clear that mastic out. It was very slow going because it only comes up in tiny pieces. I had to keep reminding myself, “This will be worth it. This will be worth it!”, while my husband’s motto was “I love my wife, I love my wife”. You may have seen a snippet of him working on this in my Instagram stories a week or so ago.

It was tedious and exhausting. I could barely lift my arms to brush my hair the next day because I was so sore. There were some areas where we got some of it off but not all. In those spots, I was able to use the smaller chisel as a sander/scraper and flatten those areas out that way.

We have the new floors installed now, which I’ll show you as soon as we get the moldings back up. I’m not going to write a how-to post on putting those in because it was exactly the same process we used when we installed the vinyl plank flooring in my daughter’s room. I will say now that they’re in, it really was totally worth it. 🙂 Here’s a peek at them, as I mentioned we still have to replace the moldings.

If you have outdated tile like we did and aren’t ready to remove it just yet, see how I updated the tile floors in my bathroom – the easy way!

*This post contains affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here.

Apr22018Apr 3 2018

9 Creative Ways to Use an Embroidery Hoop

by RoxanneK, in category cheap decorating ideas, DIY

I’m really not a crafty person, I don’t have the patience for it. I do, however, love cheap decorating ideas and sometimes that requires a little crafting. Embroidery hoop wreaths are so versatile, there is no end to the creative things you can make with them. They only cost a dollar or two at the craft store, so they definitely fall into the budget-friendly category.

One obvious thing you can make with an embroidery hoop is a wreath. My little eucalyptus wreath is one of my favorite craft projects that I’ve ever done. It was so simple, it took less than ten minutes to make!

Here’s a genius idea, add succulents to mini hoops and hang in groups.

When it comes to embroidery hoop wreaths, more is always better. Make a wall of wreaths like you see here from Cotton Stem. Isn’t this gorgeous?

Another creative idea is to use two slightly different size hoops and create a lampshade.

This wall hanging made using several hoops hung from a large branch is beyond beautiful and would not cost too much to make for such a large statement!

You could also make a beautiful mobile for a child’s room that can be easily customized to fit your theme.

Orbs are a great decorating accessory, that can be used almost anywhere! Make a decorative orb using several embroidery hoops.

Take it one step further and fill that orb with succulents and make it a terrarium!

If you prefer more modern decor, try this boho wall hanging.

You can even use it to make a canopy for your bed! These crafty projects are cheap and easy while still making a big impact and those are my favorite kinds of crafts. Want to see more? Check out some of my favorite cheap decorating ideas that look chic here!

Mar82018Mar 11 2018

Tall Kitchen Cabinets – How to Add Height

by RoxanneK, in category DIY, How-to, Kitchen

This post is a little overdue. We remodeled our kitchen almost two years ago, and I realized I never showed how we extended and customized our builder grade kitchen cabinets. I like the look of tall kitchen cabinets that extend to the ceiling and I figured out a way to do this on a budget.

The existing cabinets had a gap between the tops of the cabinets and the ceiling. I wanted to close that gap completely. I knew doing so would make the kitchen look and feel bigger and reduce the amount of visual clutter that accumulates up there. It would also give a more custom look and provide more storage space. For those of you who didn’t see the before photo of the space, here is what it looked like.

We had 18 inches of space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. The set of cabinets that were originally over my fridge (circled below) measured 12 inches in height. I figured 12″ cabinets would be perfect because we could fill in the remaining 6″ of space with molding. When we began the renovations, we removed that cabinet above the fridge and installed it above the cabinets.

Obviously, I needed more of these cabinets. To save money, I visited my local Habitat for Humanity where I found another set of 12-inch cabinets that were the perfect width for only $20. I added that one above the microwave.

kitchen before adding height to the cabinets

Next, I needed two irregular sized cabinets to fill out the ends. I recruited my contractor to build these for us, as you can see it the picture above. He also built a third one to add to the right of the microwave.

installing kitchen cabinets, kitchen cabinet height, upper kitchen cabinets

To finish off the construction of the tall kitchen cabinets, he filled in the rest with wood. We also had an awkward space over the fridge due to a soffit. We had to customize this space as well. I opted for wine racks to help maximize storage space here. Because my kitchen is small, I try to make displaying kitchen items pretty as well as functional by storing things in plain sight, like I did with my kitchen spice rack. The last thing we did was add a slim slide out pantry. That 8″ of space packs in a lot of storage!

adding height to kitchen cabinets, tall kitchen cabinets

Once I had all the pieces in place, I needed to make them cohesive. I painted the cabinets white and added cabinetry hardware. We took our makeover one step further and had glass inserts installed into all of the new upper doors. To completely finish the cabinets off and help achieve a custom look, my contractor installed crown molding. My husband and I added the shiplap wall a few months after the kitchen renovations were done.

white kitchens, tall kitchen cabinets, cheap kitchen cabinet ideas that look expensive

By saving some money on cabinetry, we were able to splurge on other things. Our kitchen is really a mix of high/low spending. We chose new quartz counters and stainless steel appliances, but made over the existing cabinets, as well as the table and chairs, and the chandelier over the table was a DIY project that we put together for under $25!

tall white kitchen cabinets, adding height to cabinets

The tall kitchen cabinets really does make the space look and feel bigger. You can see all the details of this kitchen makeover here.

Feb222018Feb 21 2018

Reupholstery and Vintage Chairs

by RoxanneK, in category DIY, Furniture Makeovers

Have you priced dining chairs lately? They’re not cheap! I’ve been on the hunt for a set of four chairs for my little breakfast nook for years and I really just didn’t want to pay full price for them. Even moderately priced decent chairs start at around $200. I’ve always loved this set* but at $920 for four that was way out of my budget. I also love this set which is more affordable but still comes in at $560! Fortunately for me, I stopped at my favorite antique store last week and scored big time. A set of four vintage chairs for $75 (total)! Of course they needed some paint and reupholstery but at that price I was up for the challenge!

Here is a shot I took of two of them after I got them home.

These were in amazing condition to start with. What I really loved most about these is the curved back. Perfect for my round table! I also love the cane backing, the open weave is great in small spaces.

As you may remember we turned our garage into a family room about four years ago. I carved out a little breakfast nook in that space, but I never had a full set of chairs in there. After a year or two I did pick up these two ladder back chairs, but I really needed a full set so all four of us could sit here together.

I started by removing the four cushions and painting these vintage chairs with Annie Sloan chalk paint in pure white. I know last week I talked about DecoArt brand chalk paint, which I do like very much, but until I see it stands the test of time I’m sticking with Annie. I posted a guide to painting chairs with chalk paint here, so I won’t repeat that today. I did it exactly the same way but I opted not to distress these.

I am not a fan of the color red in my home so even though these chair cushions were like brand new, I needed to recover them. I’ve reupholstered vintage chairs before, and I always remove the old fabric but in this case it was in such pristine condition, I decided to reupholster right over it. I went to Hobby Lobby to look at fabric and saw this beautiful ticking stripe fabric.

As much as I loved that fabric (and will definitely find a use for it) I decided it wasn’t right for these chairs. I opted for this linen basketweave fabric instead. I bought two yards of it as recommended by the sales lady. She said it would be more than enough for four chair cushions and she was right.

At this point I should also mention that I do not sew. Tried it. Hated it. Won’t ever try it again, lol. So this is my no-sew version of reupholstery. I started by spreading my fabric out on my kitchen table and laying two of the cushions on it to get an idea of where to cut.

I cut out two squares for these two cushions, making sure there was enough overhang to pull to the backs of the cushions. Then I trimmed each section to the shape of the chair, leaving just enough overhang to wrap around without being bulky underneath.

I used this staple gun (which is actually for wire, but it worked for this) to secure the fabric to the backs of the seats. I went around the four sides, leaving the each corner section undone. For the corners, I approached them as if I was wrapping a present. I put together this picture collage to show how to upholster the corners, I think the visual here will be more helpful.

Tuck the corners as if wrapping a present. 2. Fold fabric and pull around the the bottom, pulling as tightly as possible. 2. Staple in place, being sure not to cover the holes where you will need to screw the seat back onto the base. 4. How it looks finished.

It only took me about two hours to do the reupholstery on all four. I bought these chairs on a Friday and by Sunday I had them completely refinished. It was a rainy/snowy weekend so I couldn’t use my paint sprayer on these, which would’ve helped it go much faster. Here’s a sneak peek at how they look in the room. (I’ll be sharing more of this space on Monday.)

Not bad for $75, right? I think I love repurposed furniture even better than new. Reupholstery isn’t as intimidating as it might seem, it’s definitely a doable DIY project. Especially if it saves you $500 or more! The sad part of this little story is that antique store that I love so much is closing its doors after 20 years. There’s no other place like it around here so it’s going to be very missed!

*This post contains affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here.

Feb152018Feb 14 2018

Painting Grout How-To

by RoxanneK, in category DIY

Two weeks ago I showed you how I updated my tiled bathroom floors with these amazing floor stickers. The existing brown grout in the space was not going to go well with this gray and white pattern. I did some research on painting grout and decided that was the way to go.

Painting grout isn’t difficult, you just need to have a little patience. Luckily, this is a small room so it didn’t take me long to do. I debated between using white or gray grout paint, but decided to go with gray because it’s easier to keep clean and would also cover the existing brown grout better.

I bought a bottle of Grout Renew in the natural gray* shade. Next I went through my little stash of artist brushes and came up with these two paint brushes that I thought work work for painting grout.

I started with the tapered one, but found it was too messy so I switched to the flat bristled brush. To buy just one of these little brushes can be expensive, I bought an inexpensive set of artists brushes awhile back that always come in handy for projects. You can find a similar set of artist brushes here.

I found holding it perpendicular to the floor was the easiest way to paint it without getting too much onto the tiles.

Unless you have a super steady hand, you will get some onto the tiles. I kept a damp paper towel close by to immediately wipe up those areas. You can see in this close up that it’s not perfect. My existing tile is textured so it wasn’t possible to get a perfectly straight line, though from a standing position it does look perfectly straight.

That’s really all there is to it! I spent about an hour and a half on painting grout this day, to do a larger room would obviously take much longer. Here is what it looks like completed with the floor stickers. I’m really happy with the results! You can see the whole before and after floor project here. They are holding up amazing for those of you that have asked, and we do often wear shoes in here because it’s our main downstairs bath. Between the floor decals and painting grout, you can easily update any tile in your home that you wish to change!

*This post contains affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here.

Feb122018Feb 13 2018

Chalk Paint – Move Over Annie Sloan

by RoxanneK, in category DIY, Furniture Makeovers

I wasn’t going to write this post. I didn’t think it was anything revolutionary. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized there is something valuable here. If you’ve been reading awhile you know I’m a huge fan of Annie Sloan chalk paint, I really do love it. What I don’t love is the price. Yes, it’s worth it, but I have been keeping my eyes open for products that work as well that are more affordable. And I may have finally found one.

To be fair, I’ve only used this on a small side table. I had painted this side table once before. I did like that paint as well, but I was never happy with the color in this space. I wanted to get it back to black because black looked better overall in the room. I like how it balances my DIY wall art, and contrasts with the wingback chairs* and area rug.

I noticed DecoArt carries chalky-finish paints so I decided to give that a try this time. I didn’t take step by step photos on painting the table, because as I said I didn’t intend to share this. I used a foam brush as I usually do with my chalk paints and for the finishing coat I used a better quality bristle brush.

The color I used is called Carbon. I did not mix this with water as I usually do with my other chalk paint, but I read that if you do it will result in a more distressed finish. I have to say, I was pretty amazed at the finish on this.

I plan to experiment some more with this paint, I want to see how it looks when you add water and also when sanded down for that distressed finish. I used my Annie Sloan clear wax as the top coat on this because that is what I had on hand, but next time I’ll try the DecoArt brand of waxes with it.

If you want to see more of this space, check out my Valentine’s Day mantel! I’m sharing this project as part of the Back to Basics series hosted by 2 Bees in a Pod. I had planned to makeover an old armoire that I’ve been meaning to get to, but I didn’t have time for that project just yet.

Be sure and visit my friends makeovers below, I can’t wait to see what they’ve transformed!

An InLinkz Link-up

*This post contains affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here. Thanks to DecoArt for supplying the paint for this project!

Jan312018Apr 9 2018

Floor Stickers in The Bathroom!

by RoxanneK, in category DIY, Room Makeovers

As I mentioned last week, I really jumped into this $100 Room Challenge without any kind of design plan, which is never good when you’re on a deadline. However, one thing I knew from the start was I wanted to try something fun on the floor in this little bathroom. I had seen these removable floor stickers from Snazzy Decal* and wanted to try them.

I chose this pattern which is exactly what I had envisioned from the start. When I was browsing this Etsy shop, I noticed this pattern was only listed as available in black and white. I sent the shop owner a message and she let me know she can customize the color of the stickers so if you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, ask! I started out applying the full sized tile stickers first.

To apply the stickers, you fold down about one inch of the backing and line that part up on your floor so it’s straight. Then peel the rest of the backing off from underneath, using a ruler to smooth down the top as you go. Snazzy Decal has a video you can view here that shows just how simple this is.

For the awkward area around the toilet, I put the sticker in place and traced with a pencil where I needed to cut it down.

It really couldn’t have been any simpler. I have to say this is the easiest DIY I’ve ever done around here! With amazing results no less! I also painted the grout, which was previously brown, to gray so it would better match the new floor. I’ll share a separate post on how to do that next week.

This is the wall decor I mentioned in the budget last week. I had a coupon when I purchased this, it was a total score for only $12 and perfectly fits this space!

You can find the hand towel here. I didn’t count that in the budget because I used my saved rewards certificates to get two of those. The art above the toilet is old. I used to have these hanging in my family room but had taken them down about a year ago. I’m glad I saved them, because they work well in here. I wanted to keep a little bit of coastal vibe in this bathroom. When I get tired of these, I can switch out the coral for photos.

Here’s a wider view of that side.

This isn’t the prettiest view, but I wanted you to see how neat the floor looks here too. These floor stickers are waterproof and can be cleaned with a mop as you would normally do.

I knew this project was a success when my husband and both kids commented how much they love it. They’re so used to my DIY’s they barely notice anymore, lol.

It took me longer to make those cabinet handles than it did to install these floor stickers!

I should also mention, these decals come in a variety of sizes and can be used anywhere, not just floors!

As for the budget, here is a breakdown of what I spent to refresh this space.

Total spent:

Zinsser primer: $13

1 Gallon of Behr Paint: $24

Wall Decor $12

Materials for Door Pulls: $6

Spray Paint: $6

Grout Renew Paint: $12

Floor Stickers: $48 (this is what it would cost for a dozen 12″ floor stickers)

Total: $121

Thank you to Snazzy Decal for the amazing floor stickers! Thanks also to Erin at Lemons, Lavender and Laundry for hosting this fun $100 Room Challenge. It was just what I needed to get my creativity flowing for the new year. Visit the links below to see my friends completed room makeovers!

An InLinkz Link-up

*I partnered with Snazzy Decal for this project. This post may contain affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here. Linking up with BNOTP.

Jan242018Feb 7 2018

DIY Cabinet Handles

by RoxanneK, in category DIY, Room Makeovers

I feel like all I’ve been doing for the last few weeks is painting. I do love to paint, but it doesn’t make for very interesting blog posts! I finally have a project to share this week as well as some progress on my half bathroom makeover. To be honest, I really jumped into this $100 Room Challenge without any kind of design plan. By last week I realized I really needed to get it together and figure out what exactly I wanted in here.

I mentioned in week 1 of this $100 Room Challenge that I wanted to refinish the vanity. A few years back I distressed it to look like barn wood and while that was okay, I really wanted a softer look. I decided to refinish it again for a lighter rustic wood look. First I painted right over the vanity with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paris Gray. I continue to stick with this chalk paint because it’s just so easy to work with. I gave it 2 coats and once that was dried, I started added the dark wax for that distressed wood look.

Only I realized as I was staining it, that this look is really not what I wanted in here anymore. I left it alone for a few days and finally starting to think about my overall design plan. I realized I really liked the Paris Gray paint without the stain better so I painted it all back to gray.

I like it SO much better now that it’s gray. The cabinet knobs and pulls I had in here were good enough, but I was feeling like I wanted to change those up. I love the look of the longer length cabinet handles that have been popular lately, but to buy pulls like that can add up. I’m really trying to stay on budget here, so I decided to get that look, DIY style.

A few years back we made a DIY light fixture out of copper parts and I remembered we used a copper tee pipe fitting with that. So I went over to Home Depot to look at those. I found the 1/2 copper tee that I had in mind. Then I tried fitting copper pipes into that, but it didn’t work because those tees get narrow in the middle. They are not meant for putting copper all the way through, just half way. Not to be deterred, I headed over to look at wooden dowels. None of those fit exactly either. I could fit a thinner one all the way through but then the dowel was too loose. My husband suggested getting one that fit snug and sanding it enough to fit it through. That turned out to be the winning solution! Plus dowels are much cheaper than copper pipe. One dowel cost $1.79 and was long enough to cut into the two pieces that I needed with some leftover. The copper tees were $1.12 each and I bought four of those.

We cut the dowel into two 13″ pieces for my cabinet doors. Then my husband sanded it enough to get the dowels through, leaving one inch of the dowel exposed on each end.

I was all over the place deciding what color to paint these. Copper would look beautiful against the gray vanity but it wouldn’t match anything else. Darker would balance the mirror frame, but wouldn’t look nice against the gray. I ended up going with white and silver. I painted the wood dowels white and spray painted the copper tees silver.

We attached them to the cabinet doors from the inside using 1.5″ wood screws.

Here’s what it looks like now with the new cabinet handles.

As far as sticking to the $100 budget, here is where I’m at so far.

Money spent so far:

Zinsser primer: $13

1 Gallon of Behr Paint: $24

Wall Decor $12

Materials for Door Pulls: $6

Spray Paint: $6

Grout Renew Paint: $12

Total so far: $73

That leaves me $27 and I still have the floors to do, which I’ll be sharing next week for the finale. I will likely be going a little over the $100 budget. Thanks again to Erin at Lemons, Lavender and Laundry for hosting this fun $100 Room Challenge! You can see where my friends are all at this week with their makeovers below!

Update: You can see the amazing floor transformation here!

An InLinkz Link-up

Jan222018Jan 22 2018

Frequently Asked Questions

by RoxanneK, in category DIY

I get many comments with questions regarding something you guys read here, and I noticed many of them are repeat questions. Today I thought I would address them all at once for easy reference. If you have any questions that aren’t here, please leave a comment!

How are the vinyl plank floors in my daughter’s room holding up?

I have had the most questions regarding the vinyl plank floors we installed in my daughters room last year. I can honestly say I couldn’t be happier with these! They are easy to clean and are durable. No scratching has occurred. Someone also was wondering if, when we move the furniture in there, indents were left on the floor. I checked that too, and am happy to report they stay perfectly intact!

How did I hang the mini wreaths on my kitchen cabinets?

This has got to be the second most often asked question I get. These wreaths are made of book pages, and are very light weight. I draped the twine from the wreath over the top of the door so that the ends were on the inside of the door and used a piece of painters tape to secure it in place. You could also use a command hook if you prefer. I added the twine bow afterwards, it’s a separate piece.

How did I prep the linoleum floors for painting?

For the painted linoleum floor project, we prepped the floors by cleaning them very well, several times. That was it!

How are the painted linoleum floors holding up?

My niece has reported very minor scratching. We did seal these floors with one coat of sealer, we plan to add another coat which I think will prevent future scratching.

Is the greenery in my house real or faux?

It’s a mix. I used to be very against faux flowers and greenery but now there are options that looks so realistic that I’m converting my thoughts on that. I have several plants that are faux, including this one above. You can find them online here and here.

What design course did I take?

I took an online course through the New York Institute of Art and Design. I chose this one because I was able to study from home at my own pace. It took me about a year and half to complete as I was studying on nights and weekends around my day job. I followed that up with a Home Staging business course from the Staging Diva.

How did I prep my cabinets for paint?

To prep my cabinets for painting all that I did was clean them very well, several times. We had lived in this house for over 10 years before I finally painted them, so there was a good amount of build up on them. I did not sand them prior because I was using Annie Sloan chalk paint which doesn’t require any sanding prior. You can read the entire process of how I painted my cabinets here.

How are the painted cabinets holding up?

It’s been almost two years since I’ve painted these cabinets with chalk paint and I have to say they are holding up amazingly well! Right before I took the photos for my Christmas home tour, I touched up two of the most used cabinet doors that had minor chipping. Other than that, they still look the same as the day I painted them. I would absolutely use this paint again for kitchen cabinets.

How did we hide the cable box in my family room?

I wrote a detailed post on that, you can read it all here.

One other question I’m often asked is about the paint colors in my home. I plan to write a separate post on that because it’s too long to fit that here. I’ll be back here Wednesday with an update on my half bathroom makeover! I’m finally done with all the painting and I’ve moved on to some DIY projects in there!

Jan172018Jan 19 2018

Splurge Vs Save – Room Painting Supplies

by RoxanneK, in category DIY

Hi guys, it’s week 3 of my $100 Room Challenge makeover. If you missed the previous weeks, you can catch up here. Last week I showed you what paint colors I was thinking about for this space. All of you seemed to like the White Metal shade best, but I did end up choosing Double Click. I went with that one because it was a bit darker and I wanted a nice contrast against the white plankboard walls.

I’m sure you all know how to paint a room, so I won’t go into detail on the process but I would like to share what paint supplies I use. I have done all of the painting in my house myself for as long as we lived here so I have learned a lot through trial and error. What I found to be important is not so much what brand of paint you use, but the room painting supplies you use to apply the paint.

By far my #1 go to paint supply is a Purdy paint brush. You are going to pay more for these (though this 3-pack is a total bargain!) but they are 100% worth it! You want the ones with the angled bristles. I will not buy any other paintbrush ever.

When I was new to painting I used to buy the edge rollers for cutting in. They were messy and never gave me a nice straight line. If you use this angled paint brush instead you will get a perfect line. You can read more detail on exactly how to do that here.

I also like these paint cups shown below. Less trips up and down the ladder. They don’t improve the quality of your finished paint, but they make the process much easier. You can also buy disposal liners for them so there’s no mess to clean up after. It’s worth the few extra bucks to me to make the job easier.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is with the nap sizing on paint rollers? There are quite a few sizes to choose from. For walls, where you want the smoothest finish, go for the smallest nap, which is usually 1/4″. Thick naps are for textured walls, so in most cases you will want the smallest. They also come in different textures, also dependant on what type of surface you are painting. For smooth walls, go with the white woven in the shortest nap. Again, I would splurge on the more expensive roller here, cheaper ones can leave lint in your finish.

All painters tape is not created equal either. I learned the hard way not to cheap out when buying that. The less expensive ones can either peel the paint off your walls or not adhere well, letting the paint seep underneath it.

Next up on my to-do list for this space is refinishing the vanity, which I’ve already gotten started on. Last is the floors, which is going to make a huge difference in here!

Money spent so far:

Zinsser primer: $13

1 Gallon of Behr Paint: $24

Thanks to Erin from Lemons, Lavender and Laundry for hosting this $100 Room Challenge. You can see what my friends have accomplished in their spaces below!

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*This post contains affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here.