DIY Blog - A Dabbled Dwelling

Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge- Week 2

October 13, 2021 by kelsey.mackall

Its week 2 of the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge and we have made some good progress! This is definitely that “Oh boy what have we done” stage of a project. Where it feels like you have made a space worse rather than better. We’re just going to keep moving forward and eventually it will all come together… Right?

More Demo

We continued with more demo by removing the tile floor. It was sad to see the painted tile go, but I’m so excited to to finally update it thanks to Jeffrey Court. This was the part of demo I was most nervous about because I wasn’t sure what would be underneath or how hard it would be to remove. Luckily I was able to pop off the tiles with a pry bar and found a waterproof membrane underneath. after removing the tiles I basically “dug deep” to find my inner hulk and ripped the membrane right off the subfloor in sheets!

My husband removed the toilet for the last bit of tile and what did we find? MORE ROACHES. I can’t even fathom how they manage to get under a toilet that was sealed to the floor but thankfully we had an exterminator out a few days later. If I wasn’t so excited about this bathroom project I think I may have put the house on the market right then and there!

We tackled a few more loose ends like the wall studs from the doorway we removed last week. As well as the rest of the vanity.

woman removes tile floor with hammer and pry bar

half removed tile floor revealing orange waterproof membrane underneath

shower down to the studs and doorway removed

Build Back

Once demolition was complete, it was time to start building back this bathroom and prepping for tile. I laid 1/4 inch cement board on the floor and 1/2 inch cement board on the shower walls. Because cement board is moisture and mold resistant it makes a great foundation for tiling. Also, mortar grips to it wonderfully and it give a nice fresh and flat surface to work on.

Finally, I began taping and mudding the seams on the cement board floor. This simply involves putting down mesh tape and applying a thin layer of mortar on top. Doing so makes sure that water won’t seep into your subfloor where the cement board meets.

Thats a wrap for the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge week 2! We hope next week we can begin tiling as we await our big tile order from Jeffrey Court!

bathroom progress with cement board installed on floor

woman in overalls celebrating bathroom renovation progress

cement board beginning to be put up in shower

Week 1 of the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge

October 6, 2021 by kelsey.mackall

Its week 1 of the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge and I’m so excited to announce that I am a finalist for season 6! If you’re unfamiliar, this event challenges DIYers on to create a space using the incredible Jeffrey Court tile brand in 6 weeks. The winner, chosen by fan vote, will get a $5,000 prize! I think its safe to say all the participants have their eye on that title, me included!

You saw me tackle my master bathroom shower in the Spring, but this time I’m going even bigger. I’m not just tiling a shower, I’m tiling an entire bathroom. What bathroom, you ask? Well, the only bathroom left in this house!

The Plan

For the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge I am going to be completely remodeling our upstairs/kid’s bathroom. In the past I’ve done a few quick fix DIYs but now I have the opportunity to make some big changes! I’ve spent a lot of time staring at these walls, trying to decide what I want to do. Ultimately… were gutting it! The only thing staying is the tub!

Below, you’ll find my mood board for this project that was inspired by this Jeffrey Court “Morning Mist” blue glass tile. Everything else was built on that, including 2 more Jeffrey Court tiles for the shower and bathroom floor. I think with the blue and white, some gold fixtures and wood shelving will bring in that natural element. Then, I love to mix in patterns, especially in a kid’s space. So I have my eye on some floral wallpaper as well. It will be fun to see how these plans evolve as the renovation moves forward.

The Bathroom Before

Before we start the Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge, let’s take a “before” look at the bathroom we’re tackling. The color palette is already similar to my mood board but the overall look is going to be more elevated. The DIYs I’ve accomplished here already were: painting the walls and vanity, bead-board, framing the builder-grade mirror, and painted tile. As much as I’ve loved my painted tile, it was always meant to be a temporary solution. I’m much more excited to replace it with an updated style from Jeffrey Court!

Bathroom before week 1 demolition with beige vanity, wood framed mirror, and painted floor.

bead-board wall with towel hooks to the right of bathroom vanity

bathroom angle to the left with doorway to toilet and shower

shower and tub combo with off white square tile and beige striped shower curtain

Demo – Week 1 Progress

As with any major renovation, we started with demolition (my husband’s favorite part). This involved removing the vanity, shower tile, and even a wall!

Because this bathroom is divided into 2 areas, (the sink and the shower/toilet) it feels pretty choppy. While this set up can be beneficial for shared bathroom situations, I find it to feel closed-off and be harder to clean. With this renovation we decided to remove the adjoining wall to open the bathroom up into one big space. We actually considered removing the unused linen closet as well. However we found ductwork behind the wall that we decided not to touch. We did find some mold on the drywall behind the shower tile. Which is why its important to always use cement board under tile instead!

One thing we did NOT expect to find was a family of cockroaches also behind the shower tile (AHHH!). Since this room is above the garage, they seemed to have found a home in a warm, moist area. We called an exterminator to come out and treat the area immediately. We totally had the “heebie-jeebies” for the rest of the day!

woman works on bathroom demolition with sledge hammer overhead in doorway and a plaid flannel tied around her waist. — Dividing wall/doorway that we removed

woman sits on bathtub edge after demolition with wall studs and insulation exposed — After drywall and shower tile was removed

door way drywall and shower tile removed

bathtub filled with demoed tile and drywall

bathroom with vanity removed — Vanity removed

Whats Next?

At the end of week 1 we decided to wait on removing the floor tile so we had a sound surface to walk on. Demoing that and the remaining wall studs of the adjoining wall are our priority moving forward. We also plan to put up the cement board in the shower and on the floor next week in preparation for tile. Some little things to tackle are framing a shower niche, moving some electrical, as well as some plumbing. We hope you follow along on this adventure with us either here, or on Instagram!

Dresser Turned Miter Saw Stand

September 20, 2021 by kelsey.mackall

As a frequent DIYer I use and abuse my miter saw. It takes up a big chunk of my garage work bench and delivers a constant snow of sawdust all over the area. When working on my bedroom makeover, fellow DIYer, Cara, told me there was a better way and made me promise to keep my old dresser as a future project. Inspired by her original Miter Saw Dresser Tutorial, I finally tackled it and my DIY life is forever changed! Thank you Cara! Read along for all the details on how this dresser turned miter saw stand!

HOW The Dresser Turned Miter Saw Stand

First, I had my husband help me flip this baby upside-down to add 3″ casters. I wanted to be able to roll this dresser towards the front of the garage for better sawdust ventilation. My husband joked that it was going to go flying down the driveway into a neighbors car so I made sure the wheels were able to lock.

Here, you can see WHY a miter saw stand is necessary. When cutting a large piece of wood, it doesn’t sit level on the saw’s surface. Typically I have to stack scraps under one end. The solution is to build up the surface of the dresser to create a level work top. I measured the height of my Ryobi sliding miter saw and subtracted the 1/2′ MDF I planned on using for my new surface. This gave me a measurement of 3″ and 1/8 to cut my supports.

After cutting some scrap 2x4s at 3″ and 1/8, I screwed them onto the top of the dresser. Then, I set my 1/2″ MDF on top, glued, and screwed down into the supports. Now I had a level work surface with my saw! You can see in the above images how my saw sits on the original dresser top. I decided to box it all in, knowing that leaving it open would just collect dust. I was in luck that a 1×5 board fit perfectly so I nailed that around the outsides. Then, ripped the same board down for the shorter/inside pieces that sit next to my saw.

Finally, I painted the dresser “Waterscape” by Sherwin Williams with my paint sprayer and added some fun little accessories! The pencil holders are PVC pipe that I sprayed gold. The sheets of paper are my project planning printables (FREE for blog subscribers). I have also linked my favorite safety glasses and dresser knobs below. This dresser turned miter saw stand has been so convenient and I love using something “pretty” to create more pretty things!