Kitchen

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This post brought to you by Moen, Incorporated. All opinions are 100% mine.

This is a bit like the changing of the seasons... out with the old seemingly beautiful shiny polished Moen faucet and in with the new - who even knew it could be so beautiful - Kiran Spot Resist one-handle pulldown kitchen faucet in brushed finish with a no spot no fingerprint promise, Moen faucet! This beauty can be purchased at Lowe's if you want to rid yourself of spots for good! Head over to Moen's FB page and Like them to thank them for making life with children, and people in general, a little bit easier...

So there was absolutely nothing wrong with our previous faucet, nothing at all... but... here's the thing, do you guys have kids, a husband, hands? Ya me too so consider for a minute that it likely means you are constantly wiping something down, because it's gunky and spotty, and you don't even know how irritating that task has become until it's gone and you no longer have to do it. 

When I say there was nothing wrong with my previous faucet, what I mean is that it already had many of the bells and whistles this new faucet has: it was Moen, which of course is fabulous, had a pull out sprayer and could toggle between spray and flow as needed. But it was shiny, and I never knew how much I disliked shiny and all that comes (read...constant spottiness) with that until I had something that wasn't. I can't actually describe to you what the finish is like other than to say it very closely resembles brushed nickel, only it's velvety (yes that's a word, I'm sure of it...)

Now the install wasn't too difficult, once I figured out that part (A) was actually a tool and not a part that needed to be attached to something else (see that gray plastic 'tube like' item in the image above). Yes, true story. I know, duh. There weren't even very many parts, which always makes a project seem fast and easy. But the initial uninstall, if you will, was horrendous. Literally just awful. And honestly the major difficulty was my height. Ugh. You see I am not officially tall enough or I don't have long enough arms to easily sit under the sink and reach the contraption that I needed to unscrew with the wrench that didn't really fit. I recommend a basin wrench to make the removal easier and to help with this problem. I found this out several hours and 4 letter words later. 

I waived the white flag and my hand hubby helped me with this step...the rest was cake, truly. Right up until we had to figure out which way we wanted the hot water to 'go' and had to make a decision on that. Otherwise friends, this was much easier than I expected when I pulled the mess of tubes from the box. It looked scary to me at first and probably would again if I had to do this a second time. At least I know now, how to 'undo' things. 

It was a tad hard for me to tighten the sprayer that pulls down from the faucet onto the tubing it connects to so that the plastic inside wouldn't show. But otherwise the remainder of this install was smooth like butter. I have to remove a bit of build up from the where the previous faceplate sat, since the shape of the new faceplate isn't precisely the same, but seriously that seems like a good idea anyhow, yuck. 

This faucet is beautiful. The end. No joke. 

A big thank you to Moen for challenging me to gain a new skill It wasn't as easy as it might have been if I were 5'7", but I learned some new variations on those age old 4 letter words and gained a bit of insight on the world of plumbing and hardware! That is something that should stick with me for a while and I am glad of it. 

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Beating the Heat

06|06|12
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As I mentioned in this post, with baby on the way, not many 'actual' projects have been getting done around here... But, I have been doing my fair share of shopping in the meantime. Gal's gotta keep busy, right? One of the many problem areas of my home is the extreme heat we face in the backyard each summer. With temperatures in my regions climate starting to climb, this has been a looming concern for the last couple of months. 

Since we are currently renting our casa, building a permanent structure, like this, is out of the question. With the occasionally very windy day, a ready-made version of a gazebo, like this, becomes problematic as well, not to mention our patio is just a tad too large for one to suffice, and so there's that... We would need 2 and really have no way to secure them adequately. 

The cantilevered umbrella seems to be a very viable option except that the price point puts most of them well beyond reach and I still need 2 to provide enough shade to make the backyard sufferable. 

Then I found these gorgeous specimens at IKEA... Sold! $200 for a pair, plus the cost of pavers to provide proper weight for the bases, about $16, and I am still coming in at a fraction of the cost of just one cantilevered umbrella from another retailer! Score! 

Ask me how long it took me to send the hubs down to the nearest IKEA to get these beauties? About 5 seconds... yep! done and done! I chose the white variety since the fabric is washable and I think white tenting and umbrellas look quite resort-chic... LOVE them. 

Note

This post brought to you by solar PV systems

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Project Details

These are a beautiful way to store your recycling until recycle day! They can also be used to store craft papers, toys and fabrics! Think of your own clever use!

 

You can get two bins out of a full sheet of ply.

Dimensions
Dimensions for This Project
Tools
  • Circular saw or Table saw
  • Jig Saw
  • Nail gun
Lumber
  • Half of a 4x8 sheet of 1/2" ply for 1,
  • OR 1 and a half sheets of 1/2" ply for 3
Materials
  • Chalkboard tags or paint
  • 1" finish nails 
  • finishing supplies
Cut List

All cuts are made from 1/2" ply

 

  • 2 - 18 1/2" x 11 1/2" (sides)
  • 1 - 9" x 23" (front)
  • 1 - 23" x 15 1/4" (top)
  • 1 - 23" x 12 (back)
  • 1 - 23" x 15" (bottom)
Instructions

Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.

Step 1

Mark your side boards as pictured above and cut along the lines. You can either use your jig saw to cut out the hole thing (just drill a hole inside where the handle will be so that you can get your blade in it) or use a 3/4" paddle bit to drill two circles, and then use your jig saw to cut a line between them to create the handle). You'll be making two of these.

Step 1
Step 2

Attach the front to the sides with glue and 1/2" finish nails. 

Step 2
Step 3

Attach the back, with glue and 1/2" finish nails.

Step 3
Step 4

Attach the top, using glue and 1/2" finish nails.

Step 4
Step 5

Turn the bin over, and attach the bottom, gluing and nailing.

Step 5
Step 6
Step 6
Finishing Instructions

Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School

Note

If you enjoyed this post PLEASE STUMBLE IT! Definitely comment below, Share it or Like it, and subscribe to my feed to stay up to date! You can now also: Follow my blog with blog lovin! I would love for you to check out my other site: Handmade-Holiday! For all of your DIY Holiday Decor, Gifts, Parties, and More!

Disclaimer

**Disclaimer: Some rights reserved. Private use only. Feel Free to link to any of my plans so long as you provide an adequate link back to the appropriate post! Plans from this page are not to be used for commercial purposes or republished without the express written consent of Rayan Turner, The Design Confidential I hope to provide accurate plans, however, I cannot guarantee each plan for accuracy. Not every plan that I post has been built and tested, so you are building at your own risk. It is recommended that you have a clear understanding of how the project works before beginning any project. Please contact me if you find an error or inaccuracy so that I might fix it.

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Project Details

We are currently renting our home, and sadly that means the wonderful chalkboard painted walls I see in dining areas have been off limits to me. Until now... This project is also perfect for the commitment-phobe who can't pull the trigger on painting an entire wall with a dark color!

A few months back I sent the hubs to Home Depot to purchase a sheet of MDF for a Craft Space Desk I was building, plans for that can be found here, and he was supposed to have them cut it down into 2 pieces, one at 3’x8’ and the other at 1’ by 8’. Well it didn’t quite go down that way and lo and behold he came home with 2 pieces each 2’ wide and unfortunately not usable without changing the dimensions of the desk I was building, which I had already begun and couldn’t easily do…needless to say the pieces sat unused taking up precious workspace in my garage for months. In the effort to pair down and trim the fat around these parts, I decided that until I could figure out what to use them for, that wasn’t a frivolous build, that I would paint them with chalkboard paint and lean them against the wall in a faux chalkboard painted wall motif (this type of build is off limits to me in the essence of building for necessity only and pairing down rather than junking up our lives…duh)! Yay for finding a way to clear a little extra room in the garage and also get something fun and new that I didn’t think I would be able to have in a rented space!

I felt like a genius for a brief moment and ran right out to the store to get paint! I love black chalkboard paint. In fact I think it looks quite elegant, but this area of my home lacks color and so I thought perhaps I would try the tintable chalkboard paint by Rustoleum. I have a bit of a green thing going on in the downstairs rooms, so either the deep teal or the schoolroom green would be the best possibilities. In fact as far as the samples suggest they are very close in color only the teal has a bit more of a blue base to it, and was also a color of chalkboard I recall having at school when I was growing up, so I chose that! All the way home I questioned whether I should have gone with the black because I simply adore how that looks in a room. But, I chose the teal and will live with it for a while and see if I want to paint it black or if I was right on the money needing a bit of color…this remains to be seen, but for now, I will share the process with you!

Estimated Cost

Under $25

Tools
  • Saw – this is optional and you can have your lumber store cut your sheet of MDF down for you into a size you can transport easily as well as into the sizes necessary to frame out your MDF with 1x2’s.
Lumber
  • 1 Sheet of 1/2” MDF – you can also use 3/4” but 1/2” will be less expensive.
  • 5 – 1x2 at 8’ – this is optional if you would like to trim out your mdf to give it a framed look. This is my plan as soon as I decide if I will change the color.
Materials
  • 1 Qt. Chalkboard Paint in a color of your choice
  • 1 – Ultra Fine Foam Roller
Instructions

Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.

Step 1

Begin by cutting your sheet of MDF in half width wise if you haven’t already, into 2’ x 8’ sections. Dust them off well to remove any debris and sawdust so your paint will apply more perfectly.

Step 1
Step 2

I like to use a small disposable trim cup with my small-ish roller because it is easy to hang on to, and roll the roller on the flat edge to remove excess paint. You can tell from the picture I haven’t disposed of it yet and I don’t plan to anytime soon, so it’s money well spent in my book!

Step 2
Step 2
Step 3

Begin to roll a thin coat of your paint onto your boards being carefull not to overlap onto the edges if you don’t intend to frame them out. The other option might also be iron on edge banding and then you could paint right on top of it, but I didn’t do this since I do plan to frame them out one of these days… Once that first coat has dried, start again with another thin coat and be sure you are covering every section of the board. If you have been thorough in your coats of paint (note I said thorough, not thick…just sayin’) you may be able to get away with just the 2 coats!

Step 3
Step 4

The paint product suggests you need to let it cure for 3 days before conditioning.

Step 4
Step 5

To condition, you need to prime your surface with chalk! This is the fun part, truly! Slather that baby up using the side of your chalk and cover the entire surface!

Step 5
Step 5
Step 6

Then simply wipe it down and use till your hearts content! If your boards are as large as mine you may thenneed to then wipe down your entire surrounding area as well, talk about a dust storm of chalk! I am sure I took a few years off my life inhaling it…in fact perhaps a mask is a good idea! eek..

Step 6
Step 6
Finishing Instructions

Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School

Note

So what do you think, is the green the way to have gone or do you think I might like the black more? I am feeling super indecisive about it…

Disclaimer

**Disclaimer: Some rights reserved. Private use only. Feel Free to link to any of my plans so long as you provide an adequate link back to the appropriate post! Plans from this page are not to be used for commercial purposes or republished without the express written consent of Rayan Turner, The Design Confidential I hope to provide accurate plans, however, I cannot guarantee each plan for accuracy. Not every plan that I post has been built and tested, so you are building at your own risk. It is recommended that you have a clear understanding of how the project works before beginning any project. Please contact me if you find an error or inaccuracy so that I might fix it.

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