Here’s the problem with HomeGoods (or perhaps the problem with me): every time I go there, I buy way more than I planned to. Take Friday evening, for example. I went into the store to look for a Christmas ornament for a family ornament swap. I left with:

• 3 ornaments
• gift for my mother-in-law
• gift for my best friend’s brand-new baby girl
• stocking stuffer for my husband
• roll of wrapping paper
• gift bags
• fabulous lamp

Upon returning home with everything, I said asked the husband to get the lamp out of the car.

Him: “A lamp?”
Me: “I went to HomeGoods, hon.” Really, that’s explanation enough.
Him: “Right…”

I just couldn’t resist the shiny, punched-out quatrefoil base and silky cream shade.

It’s a great new addition to our guest room, where it perches on a table I picked up at the Brimfield Antique Show a few months ago.

The table was cheap and hideous:
After two coats of Ralph Lauren’s “Sunwashed Blue” (which Home Depot put into Behr’s semi-gloss paint + primer combo), it became a funky and useful bedside table. Eventually I’ll stash some magazines and a basket of travel size toiletries on the shelf.

What’s your favorite HomeGoods find?

getting annoyed with the sellers.

First, we had made the decision to buy the flat and paid the option fee during the first week of July. The valuation had expired, we had to wait and pay to do a new one. That’s fine with us. Then they wanted to delay the first appointment so that they have time to find a new place. Ok. Fine with us, first appointment was made for 16 October, that’s 3 long months.

Next, first appointment, the officer offered us 26 November, we were so happy, then had to check with the seller.

“nono, their agent promised us 16 december.”

what promise?? my agents denied it. turned out the other agent in the team whom i asked to never ever have dealings with again, had promised them.

“but hor, can ask for 18 december or not, its a friday, also need more time”

wtf? hello, i haven’t said anything yet.

HDB: u need the buyers permission, you can only delay for 8 weeks – latest is 11 december.

watever la, i don’t want to receive the house in some lousy rundown condition, 21 december, take it or leave it.

of course they took it, happily. i was happy, thought everything would go well.

NOW, they’re making it difficult for a house inspection!! They’re only moving out on 20 december. -_-” hello, how to inspect house when they moving? we ask to go on 18 Dec (AM), “can, but the house messy arh.”

leave us no choice but to rush to inspect the house on the morning of 21 december, and then rush to HDB for 2nd appointment.

its just so annoying/frustrating/blood-boiling! it’s like we have to accede to their requests everytime.

watever. they better not leave the house in some lousy condition, or leave furniture and trash behind for us to clear. especially after almost 6 LONG MONTHS of waiting for our flat.

grrr.

need to change mailbox key, get a new padlock for the gate, apply for water/electricity/gas.

wat else am i missing?

these have aged a little bit, but I love them -

“I’m laughing so much my kidneys are starting to fill up.”

“Daddy, sometimes when I have to go to the naughty chair, I feel crestfallen.”

“Mommy has something in her tummy, and it’s not food, it’s a people!”

The more I looked at the pictures of my puny little twiggy tree, the more I didn’t like it as a centerpiece. I liked the idea, but it just wasn’t working for our space. I hate HATE tall centerpieces. Nobody wants to have to dodge a centerpiece to talk to the person sitting across the table – and while this twiggy tree was skinny, it was still in the way. So I banished it from the table, but had to find it a better home.

How ‘bout the mantle? The twiggy tree fit RIGHT in with the theme I was attempting. Light as possible to downplay the paneling and brighten the room. Anything to downplay the paneling.

As far as everything else that has found a home on the mantle — I scored the ‘snowed-on’ greenery from my Dad (FREE!). The GREY mirror hails straight from the clearance shelf at homegoods. The white, glittery reindeer is from Homegoods the Northpole and the jingle bells are from last year Santa’s flight crew.  The 3 stockings are last year Target – gotta love good cable knit. The random stuffed animals are from my childhood – cheesy, yes, but they’re here to stay. And TJ the duck was the mascot when my bff Jess and I were roommates.

What are YOU doing with your mantle this year?  Any suggestions for mine?

I’m back with an update on our basement laundry room.  We actually completed the tile floor!  (insert me doing the Elaine dance here!) 

And of course, we wouldn’t have gotten the chance to tile if our basement still leaked like a politician’s indescretions.  So here’s the Bowers sending a big thank-you shout-out to True Value for helping us get our basement sealed up tighter than the skin on my big ole pregnant belly.  And all that watersealing worked too – we had flash flood warnings all over Georgia last night…and our basement floor was dryer than a saltine cracker in the Sahara.  YAY! 

After reading your comments after the watersealing post, I knew that you diversity-lovers would be thrilled with the next stage in our dream laundry room…installing a tile floor.  And of course, right after we knocked out the Drylock, we ran back over to True Value to pick up all the supplies we needed with a couple coupons in hand.  Hey, every little bit helps right?!   

As soon as we had all the shopping outta the way, we allowed a few days for the basement to dry/air out, and then we headed back downstairs to begin.  Here is a step by step recap (and a how-to for future tile-ers) of our tiling adventure. 

1.  PLAN YOURSELF

We already had an idea of WHAT we wanted our basement laundry room to look like:

But what we didn’t have was a plan.  Picking design elements is alot different than actually having a plan to put into action.  So the first thing we did was measure the space and mark our limitations (such as the water heater, furnace, electrical box, and water supply). 

**Note that these layouts are NOT to scale.

In order to get the maximum amount of space from our future layout, we decided that we would need to build walls around the furnace and water heater.  After a quick call to my brother (who happens to be a master plumber) we were informed out that the walls needed to provide ample space for access to the utilities (and sport louvered doors) and still allow for our laundry room must-haves, namely a washer/dryer, a sink, counter space, and drying racks.  Quickly we said that we needed to switch the washer & dryer (the washer was on the right before) so that the doors (which aren’t switchable) would be opening away from each other.  Nothing is worse for laundry morale than banging the brand new washer door on the brand new dryer door…I speak from experience.

And realizing that the washer was now going to live on the left hand side made it easy to decide where to put the sink.  In my mind, a sink goes next to the washer.  To aide in the washing.  And believe me….I need all the aide I can get.

And lastly, we knew that we needed some counter space – for folding clothes.  So anyplace that we could squeeze in some Ikea cabinets, we planned to make available. 

Then we measured out for the wall locations and marked all our layouts directly onto the floor with a Sharpie marker. 

2.  PREP YOURSELF

Step 2 is the first step you actually get to do stuff.  Boys usually like this step because it involves demolition.  In our case, we had to prep our floor by removing the door threshold and performing the first step of roughing in our walls. 

Jeremy used a hammer to wedge a flat head screwdriver underneath the cheap tin threshold and then pryed it up.  It was really easy.  Then we cleaned the edge – afterall, the tile would go right up to this area and a new door would be installed later to go over the tile.  This meant removing the old threshold and installing a new one later.

My boyfriend also needed to lay the first 2×4 for the base of all our walls.  Our cinder block wall would have a finished wall in front of it, so ‘roughing in’ meant fastening the base stud to our concrete floor using a PAT (powder-actuated tool).  This gun drives pins down through the stud and into the concrete, creating a base for future vertical studs (where you hang drywall).  It also creates a barrier for me when the tiling begins. 

After the base stud was in and the threshold was removed, a quick brush with the broom removed any dirt or debris left on the floor. 

3.  SUPPLY YOURSELF

Now that your floor is prepped, it’s time to gather supplies.  Supplies for tiling are pretty basic and affordable.  The most expensive items are the tile (ours was called Rialto Noce from Lowes and cost about $2.08 a square foot), the thinset (also called tile adhesive which we scored at True Value) and a wet tile saw.  We have the most basic tile saw (it cost us about $80) and we have used it for three projects so far and lended it out to friends and family for several other projects, so it is well worth the investment if you are looking to save time, energy and have a bunch of tiling to do.  Or if you just want to be popular.       

All the supplies that you need to tile a floor include:

Tile

Tile Saw (either manual tile saw or wet tile saw)

Thinset (or tile adhesive)

A Notched Trowel

Spacers

Kneepads

Broom

Grout

Grout float

Sponges

Bucket and towel

Joint compound knife

A measuring tape

A floor

4.  SHMEAR IT YOURSELF

Using our joint compound knife, we dug into the thinset and shmeared it directly onto the concrete floor.  Since we had already established that our exterior wall (the one with the insulation already installed) would be our guideline for straightness and since we knew that this area of the floor would be visible (where as if we started in the opposite corner, our tiles would be hidden underneath cabinetry), it was an obvious choice. 

Then using the notched trowel, I scraped any excess off the shmeared thinset and created the ‘ripples’ in the surface.  Many times tiling experts say to hold the trowel at a 45 degree angle…but I worry less about the angle and more about the ‘ripples’ being uniform.  The ripples are gonna get squished down and really grip the tile as you shmoosh.  Plus the uniform thinset will keep your tile from having one low corner or one high side. 

5.  PLACE IT & SPACE IT YOURSELF

As you place your first tile, make sure it lines up with the guide wall or guide line that you are using. 

After I put my first tile down, I repeated step 4 for my second tile.  A small spacer (we used 3/16″) can be used to keep the tiles in uniform distance…hello even grout lines!  I use two spacers per side.  Also it helps to have the spacers placed like little crosses between the tiles.  The cross helps keep your grout space even but also will help you ensure that the tiles are not higher than their neighbor. 

6.  PATTERN YOURSELF

I wanted to use a brick pattern in this space.  Therefore, each tile of my second row had to be centered directly on the grout line of the previous row.  I double checked my eye-balled attempt with a tape measure.  Then I repeated steps #4 and #5 for the rest of the tile row. 

The gap next to the ‘guidewall’ was filled with a tile cut by my supa-fly boytoy.  And because he is a pro that makes my tiling heart aflutter – he knew to leave a little extra wiggle room for the spacer to get inserted.     

7.  REPEAT YOURSELF

Methodically, you will repeat steps #4 – #6 until all the tile is down.  Over and over and over.  This is why the kneepads come in handy.  And a whole lotta patience.

8.  TROUBLESHOOTING IT YOURSELF

Sometimes there are little problems that pop up with tiling projects.  Some of them include tricky cuts, or a uneven floor….but more frequently there are just little annoying debacles that stall out your progress.  One of them has to do with the excess thinset.

Excess thinset can squish up through your grout spaces.  This is not good.  If you have excess thinset occuping the grout line, then your grout won’t have a good chance because it’s got a limited amount of space.  Soooo the thinset has got to be removed.  One way is to take a spacer and run it down the grout line.   Then take a towel and clean up any thinset that got on the surface of the tile.  Your grout will thank you later

Another little irksome event is when you are tiling next to a door and the door frame is different depth than your wall.  Instead of cutting your tile to fit around the door jam…

…use a chisel and a hammer to remove the bit of wood in your way.  Then you can put your tile underneath the wood frame and along your guidewall.

Lastly is the exit issue.  In our space, I actually had to tile the last three rows at the same time to ensure that I would have a way out.  Planning your exit (without stepping on your tile that has wet thinset still setting up) is very important.  If you happen to walk on the tile after you already made sure it was level, it can create uneven surface that will make any future skateboarding a little rocky.  Did I mention we are having a boy?!

9.  LEAVE IT ALONE….YOURSELF

Our tile adhesive (thinset) recommended at least 24 hours to set up (dry).  But because it was cold down there, we figured that a couple extra days of dry-time wouldn’t hurt. 

As you may have noticed, we left a pretty big gap between the last row of tiles (next to the cinder block wall) and the floor stud.  Instead of spending the time to cut all the tiles (and actually have to PAY for each gapfiller)…we decided that this area didn’t need tiled.  Call us crazy.  Go ahead.  You know you want to.

But the fact of the matter is, we are gonna have cabinets and a washer/dryer along this entire wall.  And a little shim if the cabinets back legs need additional support will cost a whole lot less than the tile.  Aaand if we got totally crazy and ripped out the cabinets and washer & dryer one day, we could always add another piece of trim to beef out the wall (which would then have drywall, layers of floor trim and quarter round and would make that gap invisible).    

10.  BE A GROUT PUSHER

After your thinset has dried (here’s a clue – you won’t hear it squish if you apply pressure to the tile!) and right after you forget to apply any makeup (washed out, pregnant, and dirty tiling clothes = HOT), break out your grout float and your grout.  We chose pre-mixed grout.  I read all about the headaches that powder grout can cause if it is mixed improperly, so for me, it was a clear and obvious choice.  

First I removed my spacers.  Then, using my grout float, I PUSHED the grout into the space between the tiles.  This takes some forearm power.  Having excess is okay…I was just making sure that all the space got the maximum amount of grout packed down into it.     

11.  REMOVE EXCESS GROUT

This is the hardest part of tiling to me.  It is the grout evening.  Through our adventures in grouting, we have found the best way for us to remove excess grout is to have one person on bucket patrol and one person on grouting/washing.  As I would get to a point where I couldn’t reach over my baby bump with the grout float, then we would start removing the grout with a sponge. 

Using a lightly DAMP sponge, I would swipe the top of the grout lines until the excess has been shmeared around.  NO PRESSURE IS NEEDED.  My boyfriend hates this job because he wants to use those massive muscles to push on the sponge…which in turn can screw up your grout line.  So I am the grout-swiper.  As the sponge picks up excess grout, it will get the grout onto tile tile.  Don’t worry.  It’ll be ok.  After the sponge has a few shmears of grout onto it, it is time to switch.  I hand Jeremy the dirty sponge and then he hands me clean lightly damp sponge #2 which has been rinse in the water bucket, squeezed and then blotted on a clean towel. 

Then it continues like that until the grout line is even and there is only a slight haze on the surface of the tile.       

12.  GROUT YOURSELF OUT

Again – make sure you give yourself an exit route.  Grouting is long and tedious…but in the end, it is well worth it. 

Also, after the grout is dry, you will want to use a grout sealer…which is available at any home improvement store…it basically just gets wiped onto the grout to seal it from picking up stains. 

So there you have it.  There it is.  One finished tiled floor.  And one 12 step process to getting the tiled floor of your dreams. 

So are you a newbie to home improvement or tiling?  Because welcome if so.  And if you are an old pro, please let the helpful hints fly.  Maybe you have something important to share about the how-to’s of tilework, or maybe you just finished a tile job in your bathroom or kitchen, or maybe you just wanna comment about how wonderful the tile looks with gray cinder block walls.  Oh wait.  That’s right.  It doesn’t.  I guess that means we need to get a move on with the drywall  

Anyhoo…young or old, rookie or experienced, oxygen lovers and food eaters, tell me your tiling woes or victories.  Maybe it’s a complicated pattern or an intricate tile job….whatever it may be, I am in the mood for some good ole tile yarns  

For more tips on tiling, check out this oldie-but-a-goodie post with hints for a happy tile experience.  Or check out this fun trial-by-tile post or this before&after post when we tackled our kitchen backsplash.

“I was one of five bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program and my DIY project as well as my posts about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.”

After all of the awesome Thankful Trees I saw around the DIY Party (here and here) a few weeks ago, I decided I’d try my hand at making a Christmas/Wintery version. Afterall the white branches just screamed winter to me. Then, I saw someone else  create a branch tree for the DIY Tablescape party. This was exactly what I had in mind! You can go visit her blog for a more detailed break down of the how-to (although it’s pretty simple!)

Here is my finished produt:

After looking at the picture I wish I would have found a bigger twiggy branch, but this’ll do for this year. AND this picture makes me excited that my new RED camera should be here by weeks end! WOO-HOO

While I was raking leaves (over 20 bags, I might add), I found a twiggy branch that seemed like it would work just fine. I spray painted it white. Then I took a piece of floral foam, scored a hole for the branch, hot glued the branch to the foam, and finally tucked it inside a sparkly silver pot. For a pop of color (and to hide the foam) I used some greenery I had left over from another project.

Earlier last week, I picked up some small silver, white, and red balls from target. I love red (if you read this blog that statement is pretty redundant) so it was the natural choice. I was tempted to go with a cool blue instead, but just couldn’t bring myself to ditch my natural color of choice (or kitchen scheme). After the branch had time to set in the foam, I used floral wire to attach the balls to various places on the branch. It was looking pretty, but it needed just a little something extra. I found some great shimmery white beads and hot glued them on random places of the branch. Husband asked what they were supposed to be – my response: pretty.

Any suggestions on how to make the ‘tree’ better?

What about the table? I know I need to add more, but haven’t been able to commit to anything yet. I’m thinking a bunch of little tealights in white or silver? Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?

*Update* I was at homegoods last night and scored a super cute red runner with embellished snowflakes which completely matches our tree skirt! The table is on its way to being complete

Dear December,

I look forward to you ALL.YEAR.LONG. I do, ask my hubby! You hold so many great memories from the past and fun times for the future. So, to celebrate your arrival I have pulled out those green and red bins full of Christmas awesomeness and started decking the Henry halls.

So far this is what I’ve got:

Not loving the lower shelf, but definitely Christmasy

My waterglobe collection

Ok, so the snowman looked better last year when he was on a white fridge... but I love my fridge, so our snowman will be forever gray. Oh, and I wish so badly it would SNOW!

The lights and ornaments are waiting... Just need Big John's to get more Douglas Firs back in

Thats definitely not all the decorating that will be done, but its what is completed at the moment. Except for my table and the wreaths that hubby hung for me — I just forgot to take pictures before it got dark.

Thank you for FINALLY arriving, and please stay for as long as possible. mmmkthx.

Love,

Kylie

PS Here’s a sneek peek of tomorrows post about my first craft of the season:

PHOTO IS STOCK BUT SIMILAR

Just in time for the holidays! We purchased the truck in 2005 from our neighbors who were heading back to Australia — they were the first owners. The truck was purchased in new in Phoenix in 2000. We used this truck to bring equipment and materials to our new condo during construction — mostly finish plumbing, tile, small appliances — that sort of thing. Now we are ready to pass it along to the next family.  I almost forgot to mention — the Durango has the upgraded third row of seats — very convenient!   We love the Durango — so easy to drive with about 20 mpg.                                                                

Price $4,250
Mileage 130,000
Year 2000
Make Dodge
Model DURANGO SPORT UTILITY
Body Style SUV
Transmission Automatic
Drive Four-wheel drive (4WD)
Engine V8 5.2 Liter
Exterior Color Silver
Interior Color Gray
VIN 1B4HS28N9YF129532
Location San Francisco, CA

Features/Options:
- Air conditioning
- AM/FM stereo
- CD player w/ extra 6-CD cassette
- Cruise control
- Power steering
- Power windows
- Power door locks
- Power seats
- Anti-lock brakes (ABS)
- Traction control
- Dual front airbags
- Adjustable Roof Rack
________________________________________

Contact Info:
- Steve or Karyn
- steve@sattler.com
- +1 415 722 7586

First, I apologize for the lack of posting in November.  There really wasn’t much going on that was worth posting.  We spent virtually every weekend either raking the gazillion leaves in our yard, or inside fixing something in our house.  Things accomplished:

1. We brought 3 or 4 truckloads of bagged leaves to the city compost.  (Note to self – next year, start our own compost, because they charge you!)
2. Took out the window AC unit in our bedroom after one especially cold night.
3. Installed the ceiling fan in our office (picture forthcoming – I really like it!)
4. Installed a fun little under-the-counter storage thing-y in our sink.  I’m kind of an organization and de-clutter freak.  My messy kitchen is driving me nuts after being gone for 4 days and forgetting it was there…
5. Killed my thyme and oregano plant  Sadness.

And now that Thanksgiving has passed and all of the gaudy fake leaves can go back into storage and the weird scarecrow in our neighbors yard is gone, it’s time for Christmas!  I love Christmas time and Advent.  I love thinking about the birth of Jesus, the greatest gift of all.  My faith is refreshed every year during this season – I love it!

I also love all of the joy, celebration, giving, time with family, snow, twinkle lights and holiday wreaths, trees, and decorations.  It’s my favorite time of year.  :-)

Unfortunately, I’m going to be away for most of it this year.  In fact, I’ll be away for more than half of December due to work, a wedding, spending time with family, and more work.  But I think I’m still going to decorate a little.  Because who can deny that they don’t like a little bit of Christmas cheer?

Because I won’t be around much, and we’re not actually celebrating Christmas here this year, I don’t think we’re going to have a tree.  :-(  Sadness.  But it’s okay, because we will have cute little Christmas houses, a wreath, some twinkle lights, and I think I’m going to try some decorating ideas I found on a “friends” blog:

I love the dangling ornaments from the pictures, and the wrapped pictures that look like presents – it looks super easy and something I could reuse from year to year.  Unfortunately, we don’t have shelves quite like that in our house.  But we do have our piano, a plate rail and a few book shelves that could work.  I just need to go out and finally print some pictures that I’ve been planning to for a while!

This table idea is cute and simple – she just used a floor length mirror and plopped some candles on there with the glass containers holding the extra ornaments.  I have a few similar glass containers and I’m pretty sure we have an extra mirror lying around somewhere…maybe I’ll just do the candles and ornaments without the mirror.  I envision lots of food smudges on it in the future!

I’ll post some pictures when I get around to it, and eventually I’ll post a picture of what I did for the month of November to decorate around the house.

Renting a period property with a “no/few holes” in the wall policy has made me start thinking outside the box on how to introduce some artwork and fill up a hallway worth of white wall in a creative fashion. I haven’t come across my chosen solution yet (if you have one, I’m all ears!) but I was thinking that perhaps a giant bunting style line, with vintage teatowels could be an interesting frameless display method. I figured that I could possibly get away with two small holes in the wood of the doorframe & could run a line along the wall and attach towels with bulldog clips, clotheslines pins etc…

I was hauling out Christmas decorations this weekend and found a pile of fabulous teatowels that my mom had collected for me for my birthday a few years ago. Some of them are kitsch, others just nice patterns, but my favorite is this pink, yellow and brown bird number. I love the illustrations, colours and style. It doesn’t go with the decor at the moment, but I’m sure I can shoehorn it onto display at some point…

Well its been a while since I last posted an update about the progress of our house on Wualia Rd. It should have been finished by now but we had some major problems with the plaster cracking and most of the inside plaster had to be re-done. Anyways things are back on track and plastering has nearly finished inside and we have started plastering the outside a couple of days back.  Hoping it will be finished by the end of the year.

About two months ago, we were up to our elbows in water.  actually it was ankles.  I don’t think our basement would have survived elbow-height flooding.  The overall damage from our impromptu ankle-cooling swimming pool was minimal.  (sigh of relief) But the stress?  The stress of knowing that we had a leaky basement had us quaking in our New Balances every time we saw a gray cloud. 

Our leaky basement needed a hero.

and fast!

Dooo-da-Dooooo!   (that is heroic theme music for all you who are confused.)

Enter True Value. 

We are ever so thankful to True Value for allowing us to squeeze into the DIY BlogSquad…and that opportunity not only helped us save our new basement from future flooding, but it also cleared up my skin (less stress) and reduced the number of cusswords that were tossed at any local Weatherman bearing bad news. 

So let’s review how bad our basement really was, shall we?

You can see where our slab-and-wall joint had sprung a leak.  eww.

So in order to keep this from never happening again, we consulted Mr.  True Value Helpfulman and Mr. Google.  Both were in agreement.  What we needed was to patch the leak with hydraulic cement and then Drylock the entire area to create a moisture barrier.  Off we went to get supplies. 

STEP 1 – BUY SUPPLIES

Drylock was our number one purchase for this project.  We calculated that we needed about 10 cans of the OIL-BASED Drylock in order to waterproof the entire floor and the cinder block wall that ran the entire width of our foundation. Since this area was going to get finished over – we didn’t care what color (it comes in white, gray and beige).  And we knew from prior experience that in order to apply the waterproofing, we needed several CHEAP brushes (you’ll want to toss them afterwards) and a roller with a heavy nap.    

Number two on our TO-BUY list was the hydraulic cement. 

I found out from my research that most cement actually shrinks ever-so-slightly as it dries.  This can be bad if that cement is your slab (like ours).  It can actually shrink away just a hair from the cinder walls and as time goes by, water can erode at that crack till you are surfing the muddy waters.  Also, hydrostatic pressure can cause minor cracks in your cinder walls – which if left up to H2O – can cause MAJOR problems.  So it is important to fill those cracks. 

Hydraulic cement does the opposite of ordinary Portland cement – it expands.  So if you stuff this filler into your cracks – it should increase slightly in size, filling the hole and preventing any future leakage (heehee…c’mon.  Who doesn’t laugh at ‘leakage’?!?!)

Last item on our TO-BUY list was this mask – which would come in handy blocking those 10 cans of Drylock fumes.  Plus, it looks like the next hot accessory to me.  Like the bangles, pearls & crucifix necklaces were to Madonna, I get credit for the respirator look. 

STEP 2 – FILL THOSE CRACKS

Hydraulic cement is super easy to use.  First clean your surface and remove any loose dirt or dust.  Then just mix the material with enough water to create a mixture between a putty and a heavy batter.  Then you are going to ‘ice your cake’ so to speak.  Using a trowel (or your hands or a putty knife) work the hydraulic cement into all the cracks and allow to set.  Drylock can be applied directly over the dried area. 

STEP 3 – PREPARE TO DRYLOCK

The space that we were preparing was really large and we use part of it as a storage space for very important stuff.  It’s a bunch of junk (let’s not mince words, kay?) – so we split it into two sections.  The section that had the most leaking was the first space we tackled (and when I say we, I mean Jeremy & Torrey – dude, I am pregnant and have strict doctor’s orders not to lift anything over 25 lbs and to not get high on Drylock.)  The space that I helped with was over here:

Yes – the other end of the basement – where the future laundry room will go. 

First we cleared the area of all the highly important stuff (aka junk) and swept the walls and floor.  Then we gathered our supplies and opened the door for ventilation.  Even if you have a mask on, any additional ventilation will help with the fumes.  (clarification: the Drylock fumes.  Any other fumes will be at your own risk!)

STEP 4 – BRUSH IT IN

According to the Drylock instructions, you will need to apply the watersealant with a brush.  In our experience, we prefer a different twist on the recommended method to get best results.  First we brush the Drylock into the cracks.  Points for us for following instructions  But then we go that extra mile:  Go on to Step 5.  

STEP 5: KEEP IT ROLLIN’

We go the extra mile by pouring more Drylock into a painting pan and using a roller for a primer coat on the walls. 

Since the first coat must be ridiculously thick (think mayo on a ham&cheese sandwich), the roller helps get ALOT of the necessary Drylock up onto the walls.  It’s sortof like makeup – first we spotcheck, then we apply foundation.  Foundation doesn’t hide the blemishes, it just evens things out a bit.  Same here. 

STEP 6 – BRUSH YOUR SHOULDERS OFF

After the base coat is up – IMMEDIATELY apply the drylock VERY THICKLY onto the cinder block walls with a brush.  Again.  Be certain to get behind studs, into the mortar lines and fill any small pin-holes with a healthy dosage of Drylock.  This is not Black Friday….it’s not time to be frugal.  This first coat needs to be thick (thus the three step process) because it is going to be the first line of defense against the moisture terrorist. 

STEP 7 – SEAL THE SLAB

Using a roller, apply the drylock to the floor as well.   Remember, this isn’t your waistline – THICK is your friend.

Any odd areas (like corners or along 2×4’s) that the roller won’t cover properly can be sealed by applying the Drylock with a brush. 

STEP 8 – REPEAT STEPS 4-7

After ample drying time (it differs according to temperature and moisture in the air), repeat the steps 4-7 (BRUSH, ROLL, BRUSH, ROLL, BRUSH) for best results.  Since the fumes were so strong in our house, we opted to take that opportunity to eat out a bunch (yay for Taco Bell & Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers!) and spend a little more time at friends houses while the basement dried.   And when we were home – all we had to do was open the basement door to air out any pesky fumes.  

 STEP 9 – CELEBRATE YOUR VERY DRY(locked) BASEMENT

Break out the radio.  Turn up the Britney.  or the Lady Gaga.  Or the Soundtrack to Titanic.  Whatever floats your boat…get it? heehee…and…. 

….start the bootie shakin.  Heck, throw a little robot and hand jive in while you are at it because…. 

….you have a very dry & sealed basement.  And nothing (not even the thick rain cloud outside), NOTHING will get your spirits down (or your basement wet, moldy or mildewy). 

So there you have it – all the steps you need to waterseal your basement.  This is especially important if you ever plan on finishing the spaces down there or installing insulation or if you don’t like spending three days wading in water as it soaks your storage boxes.  Whatever your cup of tea (or should I say cup of murky water?), I would definitely recommend taking the time and money to invest in sealing up those cracks…listen to the voice of experience here.  It can help save you a huge headache, not to mention wrinkly fingers.  

Any questions?  I’ll do my best to answer them.  But really I would like to hear about your experience with flooding…any flood victims out there?  Anyone already drylock?  Any tips for future drylockers of America?  Do share.

Next up – planning a moodboard for the laundry room (YAY!)

FOR MORE DRYLOCKING FROM A FELLOW DIY SQUADER – CHECK OUT HOW JOHN & SHERRY WORKED THROUGH THEIR MILDEW ISSUES TO GET A NEWLY FINISHED SPACE. 

“I was one of five bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program and my DIY project as well as my posts about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.”

City Rug

Having only chosen one of the rugs from a huge selection, in my search for an area rug (you can see which area rug I purchased here)…it seemed like I should at least make use of the other shots I had pulled off. So here is the rest of the list of rugs that took my fancy for whatever reason… And all under £350 for a reasonably sized area rug…not too shabby!

Floral Bliss

Petra Rug

Summer Rug

Xian II Rug

Botanical Study Rug

Quant Rug

Passion II

Honeycomb Ivory Rug

Confetti Rug

Pioneer Square Rug

Envy Rug

You’ve seen our house.

Well, now you have. 

And you’ve seen the beginning.

And you’ve seen the during.

Now here is the long-awaited afters of our front yard renovation.

the view of our stone wall:

the view from our mailbox:

the view of our lovely under-driveway-runoff-drain:

the view from our garage:

the view of our drainage ditch (with all the leftover rocks):

the view of the right side garden bed:

and the view from the front porch:

and because I am an over-achiever (actually just a suck-up) I also wanted to post the before/after photos. 

and because I know you peeps are a detail oriented bunch, I put together a little visual aids if you want to know type of plant you are looking at with those beautiful eyes you have. 

Here is the portion of the bed closest to the road – next to the drainage area:

And in the middle of the bed, we have the area that I planted the bulbs (performing their GLORY OF SPRING concert in, well, the spring):

Moving on. 

From the bulby section – we have some more shrubs.  really.  are you surprised?

I didn’t think so.

and finally, we are at the other end of this dang garden bed. 

And I know what you are thinking.

“Why the heck am I looking at some crazies mulched garden bed that really just looks like a big pile of dirt?”

And I will answer that after you finish looking

Whew. 

Ok – now onto your question.

Why would you spend one second of your time looking at these photos?

well. let’s be frank.  No.  You be Frank.  I’ll just be Katie.  (cheese alert!)

I don’t know. 

it’s a complete and utter waste of time.

no.  seriously.  it is. 

but in six months….when the birds are chirping, and the sun is out, and the plants are in bloom….you will think to yourself – ‘My goodness.  That Bower yard has really improved since Katie first posted about those weak little plants.” 

And in that moment, that very second, with that very thought….I will have victory over our cursed lands.  our boulders and roots.  our clay soil and our dirt lawn. 

That will be the day folks.

That will be the day that I dance.

I will dance….and I will probably hurt my shoulder patting myself on the back