Advice:

Remember the drop cloth.

Remember to tape between the ceiling and the top of the wall.

Take a break if you feel yourself losing your patience. Your project is not going anywhere, but you may have to!

The color had to be covered with a layer of Kilz, and the paiting could begin. I did not realize how labor intensive paiting was, until I did it on my own. The Kilz takes about a day to dry, and then you can begin with the color of your choice. The color coat took about two to three hours to paint by myself. It would have been a smoother process, had I had help from friend or two.

Materials:

paint kit, Kilz, Behr Paint - $0.00

Advice:

Buy some extra peices of tile to allot for cutting mistakes. Do not be frustrated if this project takes up your entire weekend. You will have a great looking counter for many, many years!

This was a little bigger prject that we had anticipated. When we cut the opening for the new sink, we realized how bad the old counter top actually looked. My husband then created a new counter top. We had noticed tile counter tops on a recent HGTV episode. The rough look of the tile would really make the smooth, artsy sink "pop". My husband really had to configure the entire plan via 10th grade geometry. he did make a few mistakes in his cutting of a few tiles, but all in all, we were very pleased with the end result. We did have to use the bathroom across the hall for a bit, while my husband was sawing and placing the tile. the tile did have to set for 24 hours, and the backsplash tile had to be taped to the wall during the drying process.

Materials:

tile 4X4, chair rail tile, corner tile, cement backerboard, sink, thinset, grout - $0.00

Remember to turn off the water. When faucet is installed, run the water for a bit to check for any leaks.

This was a very easy project for my husband to complete. He changed faucet fixtures in other areas. He did have a bit of a challenge trying to decide where to place the faucet. It did not fit into the hole of another faucet, but instead had to have a new hole created for it altogether. He did have to turn off the water for an hour or two, in order to make sure that his install was accident free. When finally he had the faucet in place, he turned on the water in ordr to check for any leakage in the faucet, sink, or pipes. When he realized nothing leaked, we were satisfied.

Materials:

faucet assembly, plumber's tape, putty and wrench. - $0.00

Advice:

Read up on tile installation before you begin, Nothing is as easy as they make it look on HGTV!

This was a learning experince for us. We did not know that some of the wall would be damaged in the removal process. We also did not know that it tool about a day for tile to set. It started out fairly messy, but it ended well.

Materials:

tile, grout - $0.00

Advice:

Ask for help and turn off electricity.

Replacing lighting is one of the easiest things for my husband to do. His biggest concern is to remember to turn of the electricity befor he begins!

Materials:

Light Fixture Kit - $0.00

Advice:

In this instance, math was the key. Measure the mirror and remeasure it! Also, consider investing in an extra piece of molding, in the event that you make a mistake.

This was a very easy project to complete. It was shocking to me how much molding we needed to cover the mirror. This is when paying attention in geometry really pays!

Materials:

molding trim - $0.00

Advice:

Plan. Plan. Pla. That is the one thing that my husband and I have a hard time doing...planning. We bought the sink, but did not think about the old countertop. We did not want to mix fresh with stale, thus we had to buld a new countertop. We did not plan on that!

We thought this would be a fairly easy project. Take out the old, install the new. The new sink did not fit the old cut in the countertop, and to add a great, new sink on a shabby, old countertop would have been a sin! Making a new countertop was a shock, but it was a great process.

Materials:

painted sink - $0.00

Advice:

Do not be afraid to think outside the box. My husband has such a great eye for these projects and knew the starlight would not be enough light for the room. Adding the can lights and the recessed feature was a great input by him. Don't forget to turn off the electricity when installing lights. I cannot communicate this enough!

We had a great time with this project. The end result was great, and we were very pleased. Always remember to turn off the electricity when installing lights. My husband has learned the hard way!:-)

Materials:

IC recessed cans, toggle light dimmers, star fixture and plate, romex wire, Switch Plate (1T), Switc - $0.00