It has grown on me!

Showing posts with label home renovations - wet bar. Show all posts

Monday, May 22, 2017

Before and After Wet Bar Renovation - Install Backsplash Tiles, Replace Outlet, Paint Cabinets and Decor

My husband and I started to renovate our wet bar renovation on April 15. We finally finished our wet bar renovation on May 14. :) It took us one month to finish this project, and I am really happy with the final look. The outdated 80s look wet bar turned into modern and functional one! :)

In my previous entry, I shared with you that we finished removing the wall mirror, installing recessed lighting, wall cabinets, under cabinet lighting, painting walls and installing molding. Today, I'm going to share the rest of our wet bar renovation with you.

■Install Backsplash Tiles
We chose white subway tiles for our wet bar backsplash. It's because subway tiles are affordable and have timeless look. Also subway tiles are easy to work with, so these are perfect for DIY beginners like us. Indeed, this was our first time to install tiles. :)

There was a GFCI outlet on the wall we would install backsplash tiles. First, we planned the tile layout. We cut the subway tiles with a tile cutter, Blue Hawk 14-in Snap Cutter, and a tile nipper, Goldblatt 24-in Snap Cutter.

We used this ready to use mortar.

Mapei Ready to Use White Premium Mortar

We didn't need any spacers to lay these subway tiles. It was very easy to install them.

Next day, he applied grout, Custom Grout 381 Bright White NSG3811-4, with float.

We waited for 15 minutes for firm joints. Then, he cleaned off excess grout with damp sponge. Two hours later, he removed haze with cheesecloth. Then, we waited for two days and applied grout sealer, Tilelab Grout Sealer.

He filled the expansion gaps between granite countertop and backsplash tiles with white grout instead of caulk because it's easier to work with and look better.

■Replace Outlet and Switch
He replaced the old GFCI outlet to new one.

He also replaced the old switch to new one.

■Paint Cabinet Doors and Install T-Bar Pulls
I sanded the cabinets and cabinet doors. Then, I painted them with primer, KILZ 2 Latex Primer. Then, I painted them white with Valspar Signature Semi-Gloss Ultra White, which is the same paint we painted on other cabinets in our home. As I mentioned in my previous entry, I am not sure if Valspar Signature paints are the best for painting cabinets because it takes 1 to 2 weeks to dry paints completely. The color was beautiful though. We ordered stainless steel t-bar pulls from eBay. Cabinet pulls are usually so much cheaper on Amazon and eBay than at big-box stores. These t-bar pulls are less than $2 each. :)

■Decor
Finally, we purchased some decorative items for our wet bar.

I purchased this decorative artificial white flowers at my local Marshalls. White flowers are perfect with white backsplash. :)

I also purchased large Portuguese rectangular white plate at Marshalls. I placed some fruit on the plate. :)

■Final Look!
We are really satisfied with the result. We love our wet bar so much. It has modern and clean look.

The unfinished wall cabinets turned into a beautiful built-in cabinet and created extra spaces in our wet bar. :) I saw many photos of wet bars with open shelving on Piterest. I think that open shelving is trendy right now, but I love closed cabinetry which can hide clutter. I can finally organize my mugs, glasses and coffee stuffs now. :) The recessed lighting and under cabinet lighting he installed are so beautiful and functional. 　

     My entries related to home renovations can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/home%20renovations

     My entries related to wet bar renovation can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/home%20renovations%20-%20wet%20bar

    These are my entries you might like.

■Before and After Master Bathroom - New Shower Handles, Tub Spout And Shower Heads

■ Shower Tile and Bathtub Paints

■ Before and After Door Hardware - From Door Knob to Door Lever

■ Before & After Painting All Cabinets

■ How to Install New Outlet Cover Plate - Hubbell Taymac Revive Decorator Wall Plate Review

■ How to Install A Spring Door Stop

■ Before and After Kitchen Flooring - Easy and Affordable Peel-And-Stick Vinyl Flooring!

■ Built-in Trash Cans - Before and After

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Wet Bar Renovation - Lighting, Installing Cabinets, Painting and Molding

As I mentioned in my previous entry, my husband and I have been working on our wet bar renovation since April 15. We removed the mirrors which were installed with strong adhesive to the walls. It's been two weeks since then, but we haven't finished our wet bar renovation yet. Today, I'm going to share the progress of our wet bar renovation with you.

■Install Recessed Lighting
Originally, our wet bar had one old recessed lighting. We decided to remove the old one and install two new Utilitech Pro 4-inch LED Recessed Lighting Kits, Light Color 3111k Bright White #0632280. Last weekend, my husband installed new ones.

Since we purchased our dated condominium last summer, he has installed 10 recessed LED downlights so far. He told me that installing recessed lighting is a piece of cake for him now. He installed them up for our wet bar less than one hour.

Then, he patched the hole which the old lighting used to be located.

■Install Cabinets
Then, we installed two new cabinets, Project Source Unfinished Door Wall Cabinet, to the wall. First, we attached a straight ledger level on the wall.

We referred to this Lowe's video, How to Hang Cabinets, for our cabinet installation.

■Match the Texture on the Walls
This week, he repaired the walls.

For the ceiling, he used Homax Wall Texture Pro Grade Knockdown to match it to the existing knockdown texture on the ceiling. For the walls, he used Homax Wall Texture Orange Peel for orange peel texture.

I think it looks good.

■Paint the Walls
When my husband cut the two holes in the ceiling for recessed light installation, we kept one of them as sample of our wet bar wall, so it helps to find the right paint. When we went to Lowe's last weekend, we brought the sample of the wall and Lowe's staff created a matching paint color for us. :)

This week, I finally painted the walls.

■Install Under Cabinet Lighting
My husband also installed under cabinet lighting. He purchased two Utilitech Pro 18-inch under cabinet LED light bars, Light Color 3129k Bright White.

He used Gardner Bender 3/8" Cable Clamps to secure the codes to the under cabinet.

■Install Cabinet Molding
Yesterday, we went to Home Depot to purchase cabinet molding.

There were so many kinds of molding we could choose from.

We purchased crown molding, light rail molding and so on. We also purchased a filler to fill the gap between the wall and the cabinet.

He installed the cabinet filler at left side of the cabinet. There is an electrical code for under cabinet lighting behind the cabinet filler.

By adding light rail molding, it perfectly hides under cabinet lighting. :)

Light Rail Molding

The crown molding looks good. :) He also filled the tiny gap with DAP Crack Shot.

This is our wet bar now. We will sand the cabinet and paint white starting tomorrow. Next weekend, we are going to install subway tiles for the backsplash. :)