Uptown: Priming with PARA Paints

September 11, 2013 | Leave a Reply

I am happy to report that I making progress on the painting projects in my house. (I wish I could say the same about some of the decisions that I still have to make.) The hallways were a dark deep red and the kitchen was a dark brown so I felt like the walls in these spaces needed to be primed before I painted them white. The walls were all in great shape so I didn’t do anything besides wipe them down. I probably should have lightly sanded the walls but I usually just skip the sanding step if the walls are in good shape. Tsk, tsk, right?

I used PARA Paints professional latex primer* for this job and it worked beautifully. It went on smoothly and covered the dark walls very well.

Here’s a look at the upstairs hall. The ceiling is super high and luckily my dad brought his 21′ ladder and was brave enough to deal with the high points.

Anyway – the place is so much brighter now that the hallways have been primed with white. I am so excited about the transformation that my townhouse is going through.

* Thanks to PARA Paints for their support.

Uptown: Scenes from My Weekend

September 3, 2013 | 1 Commentary

Well – the long weekend brought with it a visit from my dad and a whole lot of progress on my home renos. There was a wall that needed to come down, furniture to be moved, plants to be planted, electrical work to be tackled, and a lot of heavy duty cleaning to be done.

In preparation for the weekend o’ work (and beyond), I made two lists: one for dad and one for me. His list includes a lot of my electrical wishes (and some of his too) and my list includes a lot of “buy major piece of furniture/lighting/vanities/things” and “make a decision about paint/furniture/lighting/vanities/things”. Needless to say, his list now has more crossed off of it than mine.

I learned how to remove a wall this weekend. My dad did most of the work but in between scrubbing everything in my kitchen, I watched what he did. What a big job that was. But now it’s done! I have full access to my dining room from living room and kitchen and the flow in the house is so much better. Awesome.

breaking the wall

My dad and I took down the two large mirrors that were in the upstairs bath. (Gosh those things were heavy.) Doing this meant that I could take down the last of the wallpaper (hiding behind the mirrors) in this bathroom. I felt like I needed to pop open some champagne to mark the occasion. What a task that was. And, yes, I still hate wallpaper. I will never put wallpaper up. Ever.

upstairs bath – progress; mirror removed, wallpaper almost removed

upstairs bath – all patched up; light to be removed soon; vanity to be replaced soon

I cleaned the heck out of my kitchen. As in – it took me 2 hours (or more?) to clean my fridge. Another 2 hours to clean my stove. And no, I don’t think I’m exaggerating. While the kitchen cleaning tasks were time consuming, they were also extremely satisfying. My fridge is especially beautiful.

deep cleaning of the fridge

While I’m talking about the fridge – I would like to share my satisfaction with my fridge. It’s a Samsung. That’s all I know about the make of it. The fridge is on top and the freezer drawers pull out. So convenient and such a step above anything I’ve had in my previous rentals.

using power tools

I grabbed my dad’s electric screwdriver (with a little light at the end of it!) to put a cabinet back together. His screwdriver was awesome. I want one but it’s not in my budget. Glad to have been able to borrow his. He loves it and is definitely not ready to donate it to me.

You may remember that I took down the wallpaper (and the enormous amount of leftover wallpaper paste) in the powder room. I patched up a lot of the wall damage but there’s still a bit more to deal with. But never mind that. This weekend dad removed the vanity wall light and created a new light box outlet thing in the middle of the ceiling. I haven’t settled on the light fixture yet (remember all the decisions I still have to make?) but at the moment I’m thinking either a plain globe light or a small crystal chandy. There is still a lot to be done in this small room. I will replace the vanity, prime and paint the room, install a new light, and hang a new mirror (maybe this one).

What a satisfying weekend of home repairs and organization. I’m thrilled with how things are shaping up around the house.

***

Interested in reading more about my reno? Keep your eye out for posts titled “Uptown”.

Marketplace: The Trinsic by Delta Faucet

November 12, 2012 | 1 Commentary

My parents’ renovation is ongoing (I think it’s been almost a year now!?) and the most recent improvement has been completed in the laundry room. A while ago they installed this faucet in the laundry room…

but as you can see, the spout is much too curved and the water sprayed everywhere rather than directly over the drain. Well, our friends at Delta solved this problem for us! They generously sent over a Trinsic Pull-Down with Touch2O Technology and my dad installed it just a couple of weeks ago. It is working like a charm!

The Trinsic Touch2O faucet by Delta is a much better fit for this laundry room sink. The sink and faucet need to be a highly efficient work horse for my parents and they are really enjoying the convenience of the Touch2O technology. No turning on the tap with this one – just touch to turn on and touch to turn off. Simple…and extremely useful when your hands are full!

And one more thing – my dad – who is very capable when it comes to plumbing and electrical work – was so impressed with the clarity of the installation instructions. He made me look at the details on every page (yes, Dad, I was definitely interested!). He actually did say that it was one of the best installation instruction guide he’s ever used!

Many thanks to Farah and Delta for arranging this for us.

The Friday Five: Kitchen Renovation (Almost the End)

August 17, 2012 | 5 Commentaries

Six months ago my parents began a renovation of their main floor kitchen, laundry room, and powder room. You may have read about the progress here and here. I’m happy to report that the kitchen is (almost) complete. Here are five views of their new space.

What’s left to do? Well, my parents are currently dealing with a kitchen table DIY and the hunt is back on for the perfect set of chairs. It’s almost the end!

Custom kitchen by Parada Kitchens. Photos by Brunida Kaso.

Interiors: Kitchen Renovation. The Progress.

June 21, 2012 | 6 Commentaries

Way back in February my parents began a major renovation of their main floor. They tore out the floor, the powder room, the laundry room, the kitchen, and the family room. And then they put it back together again (with the help of a few very talented people). I’m happy to report that the renovation is almost – almost – done! And it is gorgeous (I’m not just saying that because it’s white, either). Here is a sneak peek of some of the details.

kitchen cabinets (wood with dovetail construction) – Parada Kitchens

kitchen cabinets – Parada Kitchens; Wolf stove ready to be assembled; counter ready to be installed

Sub-Zero fridge – ready to be unpeeled

a sweet vintage crystal chandelier (you won’t believe the deal my mom got on this one!)

fireplace mantel with carrera marble surround

fireplace mantel detail

Note: If you’re in the Toronto area and you’re looking for a kitchen cabinet maker my parents definitely recommend Parada Kitchens. My mom, who is very particular about quality, craftsmanship, work ethic and design (among other things – sorry Mom but it’s true), was quite impressed with Parada. (And no – they did not get a deal on their kitchen because I just wrote all of this.)

Photos by me.

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