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Update Your Dingy Granite With a Super Easy Kit

March 16, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

It was time to update my downstairs half bath. The house is overwhelmingly brown, since it was updated sometime in the early 2000’s and was totally not my style. This half bathroom had dark walls and super dingy brown granite countertops. With the room being so small, it felt even tighter with the dark color on the walls and the brown cabinets and countertops. I set out to makeover the bathroom, but I really wanted to keep the budget for this bathroom low to allocate my resources to more important projects.

Woman stands in front of old granite countertop

The Dwil Kit Makes it Super Easy to Update Your Granite

The Dwil Paint Kit comes with everything you need to paint your granite! It has the paint, brush, roller, plastic, and even the tape. I started by taping off the area that I wanted to paint. After that I draped plastic to protect the cabinet and added the hardener to the paint and stirred according to the directions. I used the included brush to cut in the edges and around the sink, then the roller to paint the rest of the counter. The paint is self leveling and dries pretty quickly, so apply thin coats and you can repeat in two hours. I did four coats, and then let it cure for 24 hours.

Woman tapes edges of countertop to prep for paint
Stirring a hardener into paint
Woman painting edges and corners of tile
Countertop being painted
White painted granite countertop

So, How Did It Turn Out?

I love it! It looks great and dried into a super durable hard finish. This paint kit was amazing and I would 100% use it again. It has everything you need and comes in different colors. I have used other tub and tile paint kits and this one made the whole process so much easier. Painted tile has always worked well for me, and I am so glad that this painted granite turned out so nicely. It opens up a whole world of DIY possibilities for doing projects on a budget! See me paint the granite here.

Gorgeous bathroom vanity with moody green tile backsplash

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: bathroom remodel, DIY Tub and Tile Paint, Painted Counter, Painted granite, update granite

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!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: bathroom remodel, demo, Jeffrey court, renovation challenge, tile challenge, week 1

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