Re-facing existing cabinets rather than changing them all together

We want to update our 80’s — white laminate kitchen cabinets with oak pulls and trim. I have heard about cabinet re-facing and it sounds like it could save us some money since our cupboards are in good shape but just dated. Could you tell me whether this would work for my cabinet doors?

A. Updating your cabinet fronts is more economical than having the entire cabinet structure replaced and will really have an impact on your kitchen. It’s a less messy job than doing a complete overhaul and usually only takes a few days to complete. To begin, contact a cabinet re-facing service to give you an in home estimate and to find out what type of finishes are available.

The process involves removing the old doors and drawer fronts. The cabinet frames, door and drawer fronts are re-surfaced with the new finish and new hardware is installed.

This is also a good time to address your kitchen organization and install some sliding drawers, dividers or Lazy Susans. Finishing it off with new countertops and kitchen faucets will complete your newly renovated kitchen at a fraction of the cost.

If you live in the Vancouver or Lower Mainland of B.C. call Dwayne at Kitchen Solvers for your free estimate
604-574-8870 or visit www.kitchensolvers.com

How to remove years of wax build-up from paneling , to prepare for paint

Several years ago I treated my ‘Heritage Oak paneling to several treatments with BRIWAX as which I have heard you suggest on your radio show and was delighted with the results. Now I want a new look and have decided that I would like to paint the paneling. How do I prepare the surface for painting the panels? I would like to use water-based type eggshell finish, if that is possible.

Thanks
Mary

Wash the walls with the Shell Busey Home Cleaning formula & Rinse well. Using a pure bristle brush apply a coat of fast dry alkyd primer to the grooves and then use a roller to apply it to the flat surfaces. Tint the primer to the same shade as your finish coat. Allow to dry for 3-4 hours. Apply 2 finish coats of acrylic latex using a polyester paintbrush and paint roller.

It’s just that easy.

Spruce up arborite countertop with melamine paint

Q: I am hoping you can guide me as to what I can do to spruce up the bathroom vanity arborite top, we are getting ready to sell our home and the counter looks dull and the colour is a little out dated. Is there a good quality paint that would spruce it up, as we don’t want to get into changing the whole vanity?

Anita

A: Plastic laminates known in the industry under name brands such as Arborite, Formica, Wilson Art etc. can be painted using Melamine paint. First, you must wash the countertop with my Shell Busey Home Cleaning Formula and rinse well. Use 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper to rub the sheen off, now you are ready for two coats of melamine paint. Apply the paint with a natural bristle brush and 3″ paint roller allowing 12 hours drying time between coats. The room temperature must be 18 – 20 Celsius with relative humidity not greater than 50% for ideal conditions. Good luck with your move.

Ceiling tile cleaning or painting?

 

Q. I have 12×12 tiles on my ceilings through out our home. They are made of a soft wood fibre type of material. Somebody said they were made by “Ten Test” or something like that. Some are acoustic with ¼” holes and others are just plain white. I want to clean them up or paint them and any suggestions would be helpful?

Thank you,

Betty

A. Soft Ten-Tiles, were common in the 70’s and early 80’s and incidentally these panels are still made by the Armstrong Ceiling Tile Company. To clean your panel ceiling it’s best to paint rather than washing them. Washing may blemish the surface or smudge the white colour. First, prepare the surface by cleaning using a sponge and Shell Busey’s Home Cleaning Formula. Rinse well with clear water. When dry apply Cloverdale Paint’s “Pro-Fresh” Ceiling Paint. Using a nylon or polyester brush, paint seams and cut in to the wall. Then complete the rest of the ceiling with a “Foam Slit Roller” to finish the project off.

If you live in the Vancouver or Lower Mainland area in B.C. we have a referral company named Magic Mist and Dallas can steam clean these tiles as well as stipple ceilings, which usually means one won’t have to paint at all, they will look brand new when he’s done.
visit www.housesmartcentre.com to find out more.

“It’s Just That Easy”

Adding to existing kitchen cabinets

Q. We purchased a Do-It-Yourself Pantry Cabinet that matches our kitchen cabinets, but when my husband tried to install it next to our existing cabinets it won’t sit tight to our cabinets because the laminate countertop overhangs the bottom cabinet by ¾”. Should he cut the ¾” off, if so how? Or do we have to replace the countertop? Hopefully, not the latter?

Thanks,

Shelia

You will be happy with my answer for it will cost you a little money and little time. First install the pantry cabinet tight to the existing upper cabinets and up against the counter end. Once everything is plumb and level measure the distance between the upper cabinets and lower cabinets and the new pantry. Cut a filler strip to fill this gap. Paint or stain the filler strip to match the cabinets then simply screw filler strip into place.

“It’s Just That Easy”

Hardwood floors are coming apart at the seams why?

Q: I have a beautiful hardwood floor in my home that was installed a few years ago. What I have noticed is in the winter months the wood boards appear to open up a bit, yet in the summer months they look nice and tight.
We are aware it is important for the wood to acclimatize to the room before it’s installed so we had the flooring in the home for seven days before it was installed. Have you any suggestions as to what is causing this and what can I do to stop it from happening in the future?

Please help me,
Cynthia

A: Good installers will never lay any hardwood flooring until the moisture level in the home gets down to 35-40% relative humidity and 5-8% moisture in the sub straight plywood. As these conditions are met flooring is moved into the home and sits for 2-3 days in order to become accustomed to the surroundings, which is called seasoning. If the flooring is properly seasoned you will not get shrinking which is what causes the seams to open unless the home is allowed to dry out by allowing the relative humidity to fall below 40% level. When and if hardwood floors open at the seams, this is a sign that moisture must be added by humidification either through your furnace or a portable humidifier source.

Replacing broken ceramic tile with new one

Q. I have ceramic tiles in my kitchen and over the holidays I dropped a large casserole dish on them and now I have a cracked tile in the middle of the kitchen. I was hoping that the tile could be removed easily and a new one put in its place. Fortunately, I purchased extra tiles when we installed the floor three years ago. How do I go about removing existing damaged tile and installing a new one?

Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Fran

A: To begin remove the damaged tile by drilling half-inch hole in the centre of the damaged tile, using a carbide tipped drill bit. Next, scribe an X through the tile from corner to corner using a glass cutter. With 1/16 nail set inserted into the half-inch hole; holding the nail set at a 45-degree angle to the face of the tile and tap with a hammer removing all of the pieces. Clean the grout line area with a drywall knife or rigid putty knife. Set the replacement tile in the cavity to check the size and direction of the pattern. Apply a coat of Weldbond adhesive to the cavity and to the back of the tile. Mix a slurry of Weldbond adhesive and poly cement and apply a thin coat to the cavity and set the tile into place and removing any slurry that seeps out. Rake the grout line clean, after eight hours replace the grout.

Note: Always wear safety glasses, gloves and mask when doing home projects.

My bathroom fan has water leaking through it, why?

Q. Help! Our newly installed bathroom exhaust fan leaked for the first time since it was installed in the fall. I think ot is due to the warm weather melting the snow on our roof. When the warm air from the fan melted the snow around the exhaust, it froze at night to ice and when the temperature went down melting the ice it found its way into the house. Any tips??

Thank you!!
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer

A. It sounds like your problem is caused by your exhaust duct terminating at the roof under a roof vent only to build up ice when it’s cold and leak back when it melts; a common scenario to cut corners. Your vent pipe should terminate up too and out of a roof JACK commonly known as a GOOSE NECK VENT.

Shell Busey

Proper drainage & waterproof membrane for new concrete foundation

We are building a house in a low lying area which is sitting on 22 feet of sand before it hits the clay. I intend to slope the ground away from the foundation and I am wondering if it is necessary to put in weeping tile. We have a 4 foot crawl space.

Walter

A. Yes, please plan on drain tiles as well as applying a water proof membrane over all below grade concrete foundation walls. Drains may be drained to the down slope at the rear of the lot. There are services available that specialize in drainage. Contact your local Home Builder’s Association to find a reputable company in your area.

Also, please consider insulating the concrete walls in the crawlspace with 1 1/2″ rigid foam insulation, application using foam adhesive.

HouseSmart Renovation Captures National SAM Award and 3 Gold Georgie Awards!

We are very pleased and proud to announce that Shell Busey’s HouseSmart Renovations is a recipient of several coveted Canadian Home Builders Association awards. The Canadian Home Builders Association of BC presented them with 3 gold Georgie Awards in the following categories:

• Best Kitchen/Great Room Renovation
• Best Interior Design for custom residence new or renovation
• Best Renovation $200,000.00 – 400,000.00

HouseSmart received Silver Georgie Awards in the following categories:

• Best Residential Renovation – under $75,000.00
• Best Single Family Landscape Design – Renovation
• Residential Renovator of the Year

Canadian Home Builders Association SAM Awards:

HouseSmart Renovations was awarded for Best Kitchen Renovation and nominated for best overall renovation from the Canadian Home Builders Association. The winner of the 2006 SAM Awards were announced at the CHBA’s 64th National Conference in Charlevoix, Quebec. The National SAM Awards recognizes select companies across the country for excellence in new homes and renovation design.

For photos and more information about these exciting renovation projects, click on this link: 2006 Georgie Awards

HouseSmart Renovations Oasis Project:
Project & Design Consultant: Graeme Huguet
Interior Designer: Linda Jones
Kitchen Designer: Jeff Rebiffe
Draftsman: Chris Dibnah
On site Project Foreman: Piers Wylie
Production supervisor: George Foster
Landscape: Darren Bartell