Okay, now that's out of the way, what I really wanted to post about is the floor. When I bought Dog End 18 years ago, it had avocado and brown vinyl in the kitchen and hallway, circa 1970. UGLY. I had no money, because I had just bought a house -- and its 23-year-old water heater died on day 3. But there was no way I was going to live with that floor, so I bought some cheap press-on tiles in a nice LIGHT color and stuck 'em down.
They worked fine for many years, but over time cracks appeared between the tiles, and they were very hard to keep looking clean due to the amount of dirt the dogs tracked in. Light colors show the dirt too easily! I also never bothered to do the bathroom, which came with that dark green and white diamond pattern. The transition strips between rooms were metal and UGLY, and the baseboard moldings were in horrid condition.
So I finally caved to the need for new flooring. Sadly, there were three layers -- my press-on tiles, the avocado-brown horror, and a third layer of unknown stuff probably put down in 1949 when the house was built. Three layers is all you are allowed -- after that, you have to tear everything up (and the bottom layer had asbestos) and start over. $$$$.
Luckily, I had recently become the beneficiary of a small bequest ($$$$) that precisely covered the cost. Thank you, Mr. T., for my new floor! It is a vast improvement, and I cleverly chose a color that will hide the dirt better. At least, that's the theory.
I had new transition strips and all new baseboard moldings put in as well. The only real problem is that before, everything in my kitchen had a similar level of shabbiness but with the floor looking so good, the cabinets now look even shabbier in contrast. Sigh. I knew that would happen.
I wonder how much cabinet refacing will cost?
Gorgeous! Now the cascade effect returns . . . LOL.
ReplyDeleteI know! The hardwood floor in the living room now looks really bad, too. It needs refinishing. And the kitchen cabinets need refacing, need new countertops, and the sink and its entire cabinet need replacing. Argh. Maybe if I just did one new thing each year, that would be manageable.
DeleteSounds like a great plan!
ReplyDeleteVery nice!
ReplyDeleteCould you maybe give the cupboards a very thorough cleaning and then repaint and maybe give them new knobs and pulls?
Gradka has a nasty abcess. Surgery tomorrow. I am, truth to tell *immensely* relieved it's not something worse.
Oh, so good to hear about Gradka -- best wishes for tomorrow's surgery!
DeleteWhy, yes, I suppose I *could* clean and paint the cupboards etc., but doesn't that involve a lot of work on my part? I do so enjoy watching other people work instead.
I was also going to say paint. However I had in mind something fun, as it would probably only be short term, like you did to the shed and fence. That is more fun than work.
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! good choice on the flooring. and depending on the condition of the actual old cupboards, it might be interesting to price out replacing them instead of refacing them. Just a thought...
ReplyDelete