Living Room Update

In this episode we update a 15-year old living room with new surfaces to give it a modern, slightly formal touch.

• • A new fireplace gives the room a warm, comfortable feel.

• • Replacing the old white carpet with new wood floors adds a touch of formality.

• • Removing the light trays opened the space up.

• • Old wallpaper gave way to faux finished ceilings that accent the dining and foyer areas beautifully.

• New tile in the foyer really made a difference and added to the formal feel with the darker inset marble accents.

Deadlines

Deadlines are something you really hate to hear when you’re a contractor. Thanks to Hollywood stereotypes, the contractor is always faulted for never being able to meet a deadline. Of course, the real culprit is often material delays, change orders, or Mother Nature. In this case, though, I didn’t envy Danny at all. His deadline was imposed by Mrs. Lipford! Sorry, Danny, no excuses, just get it done and on time!

All kidding aside, tread lightly when expecting iron-clad deadlines on any remodeling project. If you must impose a deadline on your contractor, consider Murphy’s Law when setting the deadline date. It is very rare for any job to proceed without a glitch somewhere. Keep a realistic attitude and understand that your contractor will do everything they can to complete your job in a timely manner.

Wallpaper Removal

Seriously, do you really believe Danny stripped all that wallpaper off himself? Danny had more fun spraying the solution on the walls right over us as we removed the paper. At one point, we ran out of the wallpaper removal solution, so he filled the sprayer with hot water and vinegar and started spraying again without telling anyone. The smell was very unique!

We have a lot a fun when we tape these segments, but this brings up a great tip. Hot water and vinegar really is a superb alternative to purchasing a removal solution. The vinegar will break down the enzymes of the adhesive. So, as long as you can tolerate the tangy smell, I would recommend using that instead of paying out money for a chemical solution.

If the paper is really stubborn, only then would I consider going to the expense of using a wallpaper steamer. Honestly, if you let the vinegar solution saturate the area and not touch it for 10-15 minutes and continue to wet it down, the sprayed on solution will do most of the work for you.

Backer Board a Must

Most people are aware of this, but there are still some of you out there (you know who you are) who install ceramic tile directly over a wood subfloor, such as the surface we had on the step-down into the living room. As you can see in this episode, we covered the step with cement backer board first.

Never, and I will repeat it for emphasis, never install tile on a wood floor without first installing backer board! A wood floor will expand and contract and crack the mortar joints as well as crack the tile. The backer board will act as the necessary barrier to prevent that from happening.

Other Tips From This Episode