kelsey.mackall, Author at A Dabbled Dwelling

Make Your Room Feel Bigger By Removing Useless Soffits

July 30, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

Old houses always seem to have those ugly, bulky soffits. Sometimes they conceal plumbing, electrical, or ductwork, but sometimes they are completely useless. I have had a few that I’ve had to leave as is. And I’ve had some where I had to reroute plumbing or ductwork to be able to remove the soffit. In my recent, and ongoing, remodel of my primary bathroom a big goal was to remove the soffit that ran the length of the room.

The Act of Removing The Soffit

This bathroom was so dated it was taken down to the studs. I started by pulling all of the drywall off of the walls. When that was done I turned my attention to the soffit. I always start with the soffit by cutting a hole in the soffit. Then I take a peek inside to see what it could be hiding. Luck was on my side with this one, there was nothing concealed inside that I would need to move. Since I didn’t need to move anything I took my hammer and prybar to the soffit and began to pull it down. For some reason, the soffit was so offended at being removed, that it took pieces of the ceiling down with it.

Woman in a white shirt with safety glasses uses a hammer to demolish a soffit

Woman in a white shirt with safety glasses uses a hammer to demolish the frame of a soffit

Eventually, the drywall had been removed and I started on the frame of the soffit. I easily removed it after a few whacks with the hammer and some tugging. I got that entire section clear and turned my attention to the shower for a bit. A hurricane blew through shortly after I finished tiling the shower. Hurricane Beryl roared by and knocked out my power for a week. What better time to work on electrical and drywall than when you don’t have power.

What To Do After Removing the Useless Soffit?

With the soffit gone the drywall was free to go to the ceiling. The ceiling was also able to be smooth all the way to the wall. I brought in my sheets of drywall and started to hang them. The corner is the best place to start. I lined up the first sheet of drywall and screwed it into the studs. Then I continued along the wall and ceiling hanging drywall by screwing it into the studs. Hanging it on the ceiling really takes two people. You need extra hands to hold the sheet of drywall up and screw it in. Sometimes a section of wall will need a smaller sheet of drywall. In that case I used my drywall saw to cut the drywall to the measurement.

Woman in a pink top hangs drywall in the dark

Man and woman stand on ladder and hold a sheet of drywall to the ceiling.

I usually hang all of the drywall and then use pre-mixed joint compound and drywall tape to tape the drywall. Using a drywall knife I add some joint compound to the seam and then add the tape and some more joint compound to the tape. I go over the tape a few times to make sure it is nice and smooth, although usually there is some sanding involved in drywall work when the joint compound is dry. Once it dries I prefer to wet sand using a damp sponge to get a smooth finish on the drywall. This wall is going to have tile so there is no need for texture.

It Feels More Open Without the Soffit

I am so glad that I was able to remove this soffit without any fanfare. Rerouting plumbing and ductwork is the worst. The wall looks so much cleaner without the soffit. Also, the bathroom feels so much bigger and more open. I love to update the look of my house and get rid of useless additions. Removing the soffit is a really easy way to elevate a space and make a room feel more modern. Follow along to see the progress of my bathroom remodel here.

Easy Tile Install For a Gorgeous Bathroom Backsplash

July 30, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

A few weeks ago I tore my bathroom down to the studs. The bathroom was dated and old, because it was updated in the early 2000s. I finished the shower renovation using the Palisade click and lock tile system and it’s gorgeous. After finishing the shower I had a spot of trouble getting the bathtub in and then I tiled the floor. Once I got that done Hurricane Beryl came through and knocked out my power for a week. I put myself on a deadline with this bathroom and desperately needed to get the walls ready for the backsplash tile asap. So I worked in the dark to get the electrical done and the drywall up.

A Gorgeous Bathroom Backsplash With Peel and Stick Mussel Bound

I tore the bathroom down to the studs in order to move some outlets and light fixtures. There was also some plumbing to move, and a soffit to destroy. Thankfully the soffit didn’t hide any electric or plumbing so it was easy enough to remove. Hurricane Beryl did me no favors leaving me without power for a week, so I was stuck installing drywall in the dark. But I did it and go the backsplash area ready for tile! I have tiled several walls and floors, and I’ve used a few different methods of tiling.

Woman in pink shirt uses a drill to hang drywall in the dark

One of my favorite ways to tile backsplashes is to use MusselBound tile adhesive. MusselBound is a roll of super strong double sided sticky paper. I know it sounds sketchy, but it is really super strong. It’s so strong I actually stuck my baby to it once! I really love MusselBound for its ease of use and how fast the tiling goes.

Woman in pink shirt sits holding hands out to baby hanging on a wall in a box

Using MusselBound To Make Any Tile Peel and Stick

I start with a clean wall and work in sections. Spread the MusselBound in sheets in the section you’re working on. I usually start by peeling the back side and sticking it to the wall and then I peel the front side as I go. With the MusselBound on the wall, I stick the tiles on it. For this tile job I chose not to use spacers. The tile I used has slight variations that give it a more organic look and I wanted them to sit against one another.

Woman in blue top sticks musselbound to a wall

Woman in blue top hangs tiles on wall using musselbound

I continue tiling, exposing the sticky MusselBound when I am ready to put tile on it. When I get to spots that need a partial tile I use my sliding wet saw to cut the tiles to the size and shape I need. When using MusselBound the tiles need to be 100% dry so cutting them with a wet saw slows down the process a little. In some cases, cuts can be made ahead of time, allowing plenty of time for the tiles to dry before use. When I tiled my kitchen backsplash with MusselBound, I actually dried the tiles in my oven set to a super low temperature. Once all of the tile is up, it’s time for grout.

Finish It Off With Grout

Grouting is such a satisfying process. I use pre-mixed grout. You can use a tile float to get grout in the spaces, but I prefer to use my hands. After grouting all of the grout lines you use a wet sponge and go over the tiles to remove excess grout. Sometimes it takes a few passes to get all of the extra grout and haze off the tile. Once the grout is done, I always like to caulk the edges. Caulk finishes off the seams and seals the corners. Make sure to use silicone caulk made for bathrooms and kitchens.

The Most Gorgeous Bathroom Backsplash With MusselBound

I always love when I finish a project and this one feels even more sweet. This project has been a long time coming and I have really enjoyed planning it. The backsplash is beautiful and provides a perfect accent to my bathroom. I chose Zellige tiles in {} from Lowe’s and I couldn’t be more happy with how it all came together. The pros of using MusselBound are: ease of use, tiling speed, no waiting for mortar to dry before grout, and beginner friendly. There are few cons to using it. Once tile is on, it can be difficult to take it off and adjust. MusselBound is also a bit more expensive per square foot than using traditional mortar. I’ve loved using it for the projects that I have and will always recommend it as an option. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the bathroom shakes out. Follow along for the rest of my bathroom projects here!

Upgrade Your Laundry Game With a DIY Laundry Tower

July 30, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

I got lucky in my older home and was blessed with a larger laundry room. Since the house was built in the 1970s it needs a lot of updating. There are several projects in the laundry room like a pocket door, a laundry sink, and a laundry tower. With three kids, I have a lot of laundry! It’s difficult to keep all of the laundry baskets straight. I want a solution that makes it easier for me to keep everyone’s laundry sorted.

No Demo Needed for This Project

The laundry room is a blank slate! It’s kind of refreshing to not have to contend with soffits and outdated tile installs. I was able to jump right in to this project. It is so exciting to build this laundry tower and get my laundry under control. There is a wide open space right next to the water heater and I wanted to build the tower there. This was a good opportunity to enclose the water heater at the same time and alleviate that eyesore. Using 2x4s I started by building the frame for a wall. It will be a division between the water heater and the laundry tower. It is basically a rectangle with an additional 2×4 running horizontally for added stability.

Woman in a pink top wrestles a wall frame into place next to a water heater

I secured two strips of wood into the studs. The placement of my wall was not going to be on a stud. The strips of wood allowed me the same reliability of attaching to the studs. It also let me be flexible with my placement. Once that was in, I used pocket screws to attach sheets of 1/2 plywood to the wall frame that I built. I also used pocket screws to attach another sheet of 1/2 plywood to the side of the cabinet. The cabinet marks the other side of the laundry tower. Another sheet of 1/2 plywood was attached to the strips I secured to the wall earlier. This gives the back of the laundry tower a cleaner look.

Woman secures plywood to sides of a laundry tower

Woman secures plywood to the back of a laundry tower

Finishing Out My DIY Laundry Tower

I used 1x2s screwed into the sides as supports for the shelves. 1/2 plywood was cut to the appropriate size and secured to the tops of the 1×2 supports. I used additional 1x2s to trim out the fronts of the shelves and crown moulding to finish the top at the ceiling. The 1x2s were attached using finishing nails and they really give the front a finished look.

Woman in white top shows off DIY laundry tower

Crown moulding can be kind of tricky and you really need to have a miter saw to do it right. For the outside corners the pieces need to be cut to length at a 45 degree angle. The pieces then need to be cut at a 45 degree angle front to back so the two pieces will sit flush with each other. Inside corners are the same but with the cuts in the opposite direction. Attach the bottom of the crown moulding using finishing nails, a nail gun makes the process really easy. The surface at the bottom is wood so the nails should be pretty secure. To make sure your top nails at the ceiling are secure use two nails next to each other at opposing angles.

Once I have everything trimmed out I use caulk to really finish it off. I run a bead of caulk along all of the seams and joints to give it a smooth look. A wet finger is then run along the bead of caulk to removes any excess and even it out. The caulk makes everything look so finished and built in. Always caulk and then paint. Once the caulk was dry I painted using a gorgeous blue color that complimented the color in the wallpaper I chose for the walls. It was color matched to the cabinets I chose from RTA cabinet store.

The DIY Laundry Tower Keeps Everything Organized

I love the finished laundry tower. There is a shelf for everyone and the shelves have space for a laundry basket. Each laundry basket has someone’s name on it and then “clean” on one side and “dirty” on the other. This system makes it so much easier for me to keep track of where I am in the laundry process. And it simplifies sorting the laundry out for everyone in the family. I can 100% recommend a laundry tower as it was a game changer for me.